Lined Subsea Hose Clamp With Toggle Latch and Protective Liner
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Solution Overview
Problem
Subsea clamps for the oil and gas industry need to be durable, reliable, and minimize loose parts to prevent loss and damage to hoses and control lines, while also being easy to secure in a challenging environment.
Innovation Solution
A clamp assembly with hingedly and latchably connected clamp halves, featuring a latch structure with a pivot pin and toggle bar, and a rubbery liner element with semi-cylindrical troughs for secure hose and control line attachment, combined with a mounting assembly using U-bolts and hyperbolic-shaped saddles for stable riser mounting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a clamp uses multiple loose parts for secure attachment, then the reliability of attachment improves, but the risk of losing parts overboard increases
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp combines multiple fastening components (ears, pivot pins, bolts, toggle bars, saddles) into a single integrated latch structure that functions as a unified mechanism. This merging maintains secure attachment through the interlocking components while eliminating the need for separate loose parts that could be lost overboard in the subsea environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch structure employs a nested arrangement where the toggle bar fits within the saddles, and the ears with pivot pins and bolts form a hierarchical assembly. This nesting consolidates multiple functional elements into a compact integrated unit that provides reliable attachment without requiring separate loose components.
2Reliability
If a clamp uses a complex latch structure for secure closure, then the reliability of the clamp closure improves, but the ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The latch structure incorporates a toggle mechanism that transitions from an open to a closed position through dynamic movement of the toggle bar and pivot pins. This dynamic action allows the clamp to be secured with a simple throwing motion, making operation easy while the interlocking ears, pins, and saddles provide reliable closure once engaged.
3Strength
If a clamp uses rigid structure for durability, then the strength of the clamp improves, but the risk of damaging hoses and control lines increases
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp applies local quality by providing a rigid outer structure for strength and durability, while incorporating a softer liner element at the contact point with the hose or control line. This liner is positioned locally where the clamp contacts the protected object, providing cushioning and preventing damage while the rest of the clamp maintains its rigid structure for structural integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
A clamp with liner and mounting base are provided for the attachment of control lines to a subsea riser. The clamp comprises an upper clamp half and a lower clamp half. Each clamp half is hingedly connected along a hinge edge of each clamp half to the other clamp half and latchably connected along a latch edge of each clamp half to the other clamp half by latch structure carried by each clamp half. The latch structure carried by the upper clamp half comprises a pair of parallel ears protruding transversely away from the latch edge of the upper clamp half and defining a pair of aligned boreholes, a pivot pin having a transverse borehole carried by the aligned boreholes through the ears, a bolt carried in the transverse borehole through the pivot pin, and a toggle bar having a threaded transverse borehole therethrough threadably mounted on the bolt. The latch structure carried by the lower clamp half comprises a pair of parallel ears protruding transversely from the latch edge of the lower clamp half and defining a pair of saddles facing away from the upper clamp half and contoured for close receipt of the toggle bar. Each clamp half has an inner surface defining a laterally bounded depression for receiving and locating a liner element having a portion shaped to fit the depression.