Marine Fall Pipe With Integrated Buoyancy for Deepwater Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fall pipe systems for placing rock on the sea bed are limited to depths of about 1,000 meters due to excessive static and dynamic loads, which restrict their practical use for deeper offshore applications such as off-shore oil production platforms.
Innovation Solution
A marine fall pipe system incorporating tubular sections with integrated buoyancy provided by hollow glass microspheres, which reduces the effective weight of the system, allowing it to operate efficiently at greater depths by compensating for the weight and withstanding external forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the fall pipe is made stronger to withstand dynamic and static loads, then the strength increases, but the weight of the fall pipe increases
Solution Approach 1:
Buoyancy elements are integrated into the fall pipe sections to provide upward buoyant force that counteracts the downward gravitational force (weight) of the fall pipe. This reduces the net static load on the fall pipe, allowing it to be lighter while still maintaining sufficient strength to withstand operational loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The fall pipe sections are constructed as composite structures combining a tubular shell with integrated buoyancy elements (such as foam materials or sealed air chambers). This composite design provides both structural strength and buoyancy functionality within a single integrated component, reducing the need for additional separate buoyancy devices.
2Length of moving object
If the fall pipe is made longer to reach greater depths, then the depth capability increases, but the static weight and load on the fall pipe increases
Solution Approach 1:
Buoyancy elements are distributed along the length of the fall pipe sections to provide continuous upward force that counteracts the increasing weight of longer pipe sections. This allows the fall pipe to extend to greater depths without the static load becoming prohibitive, as the buoyant force compensates for the additional weight of each extended section.
Solution Approach 2:
The fall pipe is divided into multiple modular sections that can be connected in series to achieve the required depth. Each section incorporates integrated buoyancy elements, allowing the overall system to be extended to greater depths while maintaining manageable weight characteristics through the distributed buoyancy compensation along each segment.
3Weight of moving object
If buoyancy is added to reduce the weight of the fall pipe system, then the effective weight decreases, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The buoyancy elements are merged with the fall pipe sections to form an integrated composite structure. Rather than adding separate buoyancy devices to an existing fall pipe, the buoyancy functionality is built into the pipe sections themselves during manufacturing, creating a unified component that provides both structural and buoyancy functions without requiring additional separate elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The fall pipe sections are manufactured as composite structures that combine the structural tubular component with integrated buoyancy materials (such as closed-cell foam or sealed chambers) in a single manufacturing process. This composite approach provides buoyancy functionality without adding separate complex assemblies, as the buoyancy elements are inherently part of the pipe section structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the placement of rock at depths beyond 1,000 meters by reducing the overall weight and enhancing the system's ability to withstand dynamic loads from water currents, thus extending the operational depth of fall pipe systems.
Implementation Method 1
the fall pipe system comprises buoyancy provided such as to, during use, be arranged along the fall pipe so as to at least partially compensate for a weight of the fall pipe system
Data Source
AI summary
A marine fall pipe system is constructed for placing rock on a sea bed. The fall pipe system comprises a substantially tubular fall pipe, wherein the fall pipe system comprises buoyancy provided such as to, during use, be arranged along the fall pipe so as to at least partially compensate for a weight of the fall pipe system. The buoyancy is preferably provided such as to, during use, being distributed along the fall pipe. The fall pipe system comprises substantially tubular fall pipe sections for making up the fall pipe, the buoyancy being associated with one or more fall pipe sections, and the one or more fall pipe sections with associated buoyancy comprise integral buoyancy. The buoyancy is provided by microspheres integrated in the fall pipe section(s), the microspheres comprising hollow microspheres, especially hollow glass microspheres. The fall pipe sections may comprise bottomless buckets having a top side and a bottom side, an external perimeter of the bottom side being smaller than an internal perimeter of the top side, a top side of one fall pipe section overlapping a bottom side of an adjacent fall pipe section.