Modular Pipeline Freespan Support System
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Grout bags used for pipeline freespan supports become impractical and costly in deep water due to the constraints of supply hoses, necessitating alternative support solutions for pipeline stability and fatigue concerns.
Innovation Solution
A modular pipeline freespan support system comprising an upper and lower structure, where the upper structure is integrated with the lower structure on the seabed, allowing the upper structure to be removed and used to lock horizontal arms around the pipeline for support, eliminating the need for continuous hose connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If grout bags are used for pipeline freespan supports, then pipeline support function is achieved, but operational complexity and cost increase in deep water due to supply hose constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The support system is divided into two separate structures: a lower structure that remains on the seabed to provide continuous support, and an upper structure that can be installed and then removed. This segmentation eliminates the need for continuous supply hose connections while maintaining support reliability through the lower structure's permanent presence.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper structure is extracted from the continuous support system, allowing it to be installed temporarily to provide initial support and then removed. This extraction eliminates the operational complexity of maintaining supply hose connections in deep water, while the lower structure continues to provide the necessary support function.
2Stability of the object's composition
If grout bags are used for pipeline freespan supports, then pipeline stability is improved, but cost and operational difficulty increase with water depth
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the support system into lower and upper structures, the lower structure provides stable, permanent support on the seabed while the upper structure can be easily deployed and removed. This segmentation maintains pipeline stability through the lower structure while improving ease of operation by eliminating continuous hose connections in deep water.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper structure functions as a temporary, disposable component that provides initial support during deployment and then is removed. This approach improves ease of operation in deep water by eliminating the need for continuous supply hose connections, while the lower structure ensures long-term pipeline stability.
3Reliability
If upper structure is integrated with lower structure on seabed, then support reliability is improved, but operational flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The support system is segmented into integrable lower and upper structures. The lower structure provides reliable, permanent support on the seabed, while the upper structure can be integrated during deployment and then removed. This segmentation maintains support reliability through the lower structure while preserving operational flexibility by allowing the upper structure to be detached and reused.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper structure is temporarily integrated with the lower structure during deployment to ensure reliable support, then discarded (removed) after serving its initial purpose. This approach maintains support reliability during the critical deployment phase while recovering the upper structure for potential reuse, thereby maintaining operational flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and methods related to pipeline freespan support are described. For example, some embodiments may contain an upper structure, which contains at least four legs connected to one another by a number of bracing members, and a number of attachment points through which the upper structure can be lifted, and a lower structure, which contains at least four posts that can be connected to, and disconnected from as needed, the four legs of the upper structure, two spaced mud mats on which the posts stand, and at least two horizontal arms that can be attached to the posts, rotate about the posts, connect to and be locked with the posts on the other mud mat, and be lifted to an appropriate height to provide suitable support at the pipeline freespan location.