Offset Opening Fairing for Tubular Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of conventional fairings around tubulars in oil and gas exploration is time-consuming and costly due to the need for numerous fasteners and internal support blocks, which can be slow to manufacture and are inhibited by marine growth, restricting their ability to rotate with current direction.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates offset openings within the fairing body, particularly in the nose or stand-off region, allowing for quick installation with insert members and fastening mechanisms that secure the fairing without requiring fasteners through the tail section, enabling efficient closure and rotation with current direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional fairings use a split tail design with multiple fasteners and internal support blocks, then the fairing can be securely attached to the tubular, but the installation time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The fairing is divided into a body portion and a tail flange that can be separately assembled. The body portion is pre-assembled with the nose and stand-off region, while the tail flange is attached separately using minimal fasteners, reducing installation complexity while maintaining secure attachment
Solution Approach 2:
The internal support blocks are eliminated entirely from the design. Instead, the fairing structure itself provides the necessary support and attachment functionality through the integrated body portion and tail flange configuration, removing the time-consuming step of installing separate support blocks
2Strength
If multiple internal support blocks are used to secure the fairing, then the structural support is improved, but the manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The support functionality previously provided by separate internal blocks is merged into the fairing body structure itself. The body portion is designed with integrated strengthening features and attachment points that provide both structural support and fastening capabilities in a single component
Solution Approach 2:
The tail flange serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, acts as an attachment point for fasteners, and enables the fairing to be securely mounted to the tubular. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate support blocks while maintaining structural integrity
3Stability of the object's composition
If the fairing uses a closed tail design, then the structural integrity is maintained, but the fairing rotation is inhibited by marine growth
Solution Approach 1:
The tail flange is designed with a planar member configuration that allows the fairing to rotate freely around the tubular as current direction changes. The planar structure provides structural integrity while minimizing resistance to rotation, enabling the fairing to dynamically adapt to changing flow conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The tail flange uses a thin planar member structure that maintains structural integrity through its geometry rather than through rigid thick construction. This thin-film approach reduces friction and resistance to rotation while preventing marine growth from significantly impeding movement
Data Source
AI summary
A fairing having a fairing body having a nose dimensioned to partially encircle an underlying tubular and having a fairing body axis; a stand-off region extending radially outward from the nose, wherein the stand-off region comprises a first side wall extending from one side of the nose and a second side wall extending from another side of the nose and toward the first side wall; a tail flange extending radially outward from the stand-off region, the tail flange having a substantially planar member comprising a first portion adjacent the stand-off region and a second portion radially outward to the first portion; and an opening formed within one of the nose or the stand-off region, wherein the opening is parallel to the fairing body axis and the opening is modifiable between an open configuration and a closed configuration.