Pipeline Laying Tower with Movable Clamps for Longer Joints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laying towers for pipelines on water bodies require tall structures and large vessels to accommodate long joints, limiting productivity and necessitating significant investments in infrastructure.
Innovation Solution
A versatile laying tower design featuring a supporting structure with a U-shaped clamp and a movable second clamp, capable of extended travel along both guided and unguided paths, allowing for longer joint lengths without the need for elevated heights or large vessels, utilizing a cable actuating device and manipulator arms for efficient pipeline laying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If particularly long multiple joints are produced to reduce the number of joints performed in the laying tower, then productivity is improved, but the laying tower requires particularly long height and large vessel size
Solution Approach 1:
The first clamp is made movable along the longitudinal axis of the supporting structure, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position between a first position (for normal operations) and a second position remote from the longitudinal axis (for allowing passage of bulky pieces and second clamp). This dynamic positioning enables the tower to handle longer multiple joints without increasing tower height.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves the problem from the vertical dimension (tower height) to the horizontal dimension (first clamp displacement along the longitudinal axis). By displacing the first clamp laterally from the longitudinal axis, the tower creates sufficient vertical clearance for longer multiple joints to pass through without increasing overall tower height.
2Productivity
If particularly long multiple joints are produced to reduce the number of joints performed in the laying tower, then productivity is improved, but large vessels are required to operate safely
Solution Approach 1:
The movable first clamp allows the laying tower to adapt its configuration dynamically, enabling it to handle longer multiple joints with the same vessel size. This eliminates the need to upgrade to larger vessels to achieve higher productivity through longer joint lengths.
Solution Approach 2:
The laying tower is designed with multi-functionality through the movable first clamp, which can serve different operational modes: normal clamping operations and passage clearance mode. This universal design allows the same vessel and tower combination to handle various joint lengths without requiring different vessel sizes.
3Productivity
If the first clamp is positioned along the longitudinal axis for normal operations, then operational efficiency is maintained, but passage of bulky pieces and second clamp is blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The first clamp is designed to be movable along the longitudinal axis, allowing it to switch between two operational states: positioned along the longitudinal axis for efficient normal operations, and displaced to a second position remote from the longitudinal axis to create passage clearance for bulky pieces and the second clamp.
Solution Approach 2:
The first clamp periodically alternates between its normal operational position along the longitudinal axis and its clearance position remote from the axis. This periodic displacement allows bulky pieces and the second clamp to pass through the tower while maintaining operational efficiency during normal pipeline laying operations.
Data Source
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Figure 5~6
AI summary
A laying tower (6) for laying pipelines on the bed of a body of water has a supporting structure (9) extending along a longitudinal axis (A) and provided with guides (10) parallel to the longitudinal axis (A); a first clamp (12), which is mounted on the supporting structure (9) and configured for selectively clamping and releasing the pipeline (2) in a given point along the longitudinal axis (A); and a second clamp (13), which is selectively movable along a path (P), which extends along a first section (T1) above the first clamp (12); and a second section (T2) below the first clamp (12) and, partly, below the supporting structure (9) and configured for selectively clamping and releasing the pipeline (2) along the path (P).