Pipeline Burying System with Sinusoidal Pre-Forming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for burying pipelines in water bodies face challenges such as increased energy requirements and stress on the pipeline, especially in deep or harsh environments like the Arctic Sea, where scouring from icebergs is significant, and the short laying season necessitates rapid and efficient burial without compromising pipeline integrity.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a coordinated system of a bed working vehicle, a floating unit with a tiltable lay device, and guide vehicles to minimize stress on the pipeline by controlling the advancement speed and position of these components, allowing the pipeline to form a single curve with an upward-facing concavity, thus reducing trench width and span length, and using an external tubular portion with alternating rings or helical grooves to facilitate bending without damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the pipeline is laid on the bed of the body of water with a span between support areas, then the laying process is simpler, but the pipeline is exposed to wave motion and current, offering little resistance to displacements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-forming the pipeline into a sinusoidal configuration before laying it on the seabed. This pre-formed shape allows the pipeline to naturally absorb and dissipate wave and current forces through controlled movements at inflection points, maintaining stability without requiring complex support structures or burial operations.
2Reliability
If the pipeline is buried in a trench to protect against mechanical damage and thermal instability, then protection is improved, but the energy requirements and stress on the pipeline increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pipeline is pre-formed into a sinusoidal configuration that provides inherent stability and protection against mechanical damage and thermal instability. This preliminary shaping eliminates the need for energy-intensive trenching and burial operations, as the pre-formed structure naturally resists upheaval buckling, lateral buckling, and iceberg scouring forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the protective function from the traditional burial approach and embeds it directly into the pipeline's geometric configuration. The sinusoidal shape itself provides the protection against mechanical damage and thermal instability that would otherwise require the pipeline to be buried in a trench, thereby eliminating the need for high-energy burial operations.
3Productivity
If the span between the lay device and the bottom of the trench is very long, then the laying speed can be maintained, but the lateral walls must be particularly long, increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The pipeline is pre-formed into a sinusoidal configuration that provides inherent lateral stability and support. This preliminary shaping eliminates the need for long lateral support walls, as the pre-formed geometry naturally prevents lateral displacement and buckling, allowing the use of shorter, simpler support structures while maintaining laying speed.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for burying a pipeline in a bed of a body of water that provides for: making a trench (T) with a bottom surface (22) in a bed (9) of a body of water (10) by means of a bed working vehicle (12) advanced in an advancing direction (Dl); advancing a floating unit (11) in the body of water (10); releasing a pipeline (1) in the body of water (10) by means of a tensioner (17) and along a lay device (15) tilted in an adjustable manner and constrained to the floating unit (11); guiding the pipeline (1) to the bottom surface (22) of the trench (T) by means of a guide vehicle (13) advanced on the bed (9) of the body of water (10); and controlling the tensioner (17), the floating unit (11), the lay device (15), the bed working vehicle (12), and the guide vehicle (13) for minimizing stress along the pipeline (1).