Rigid Pipe Assembly with Grooved Insulation for Deep Water Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for assembling rigid pipes with heating systems for transporting hydrocarbons in deep water environments are cumbersome and require significant electrical power and weight, making them inefficient and difficult to implement.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a central metal tube with end-to-end assembly of sections, surrounded by a non-metallic thermal insulation casing with longitudinal grooves for inserting a heating line, which eliminates the need for external metal tubes and allows for continuous heating without electrical connectors between sections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If an electrical heating line is placed in the ring between the tubes and applied directly to the inner tube, then thermal losses are reduced and heating efficiency is improved, but the assembly process becomes tedious and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The heating line is pre-applied to the inner tube during the tube assembly process, before the outer tube is installed. This preliminary action eliminates the need for separate heating line installation steps and electrical connector assembly, simplifying the overall process while maintaining direct thermal contact for efficient heating
Solution Approach 2:
The heating line application process is merged with the inner tube assembly operation. The heating line is applied to the inner tube in a single continuous operation before the outer tube is placed over it, combining what would otherwise be separate steps into one integrated process
2Power
If a high electrical power source is used to provide heating through the tube walls, then heating capability is improved, but the pipe weight becomes significant
Solution Approach 1:
The heating function is extracted from the tube wall structure itself and implemented through a separate heating line applied to the inner tube surface. This allows heating capability to be provided without requiring the tube walls to conduct high electrical power, thereby avoiding the need for heavy-walled tubes and reducing overall pipe weight
Solution Approach 2:
The heating line acts as an intermediary between the electrical power source and the hydrocarbon fluid. Instead of passing electrical current through the tube walls, the heating line provides direct thermal contact with the inner tube surface, efficiently transferring heat to the fluid without requiring high electrical power through the tube structure
3Adaptability or versatility
If the inner tube is formed from an end-to-end assembly of sections, then transport and installation flexibility is improved, but the assembly process becomes more complex with multiple components
Solution Approach 1:
The heating line is applied to the inner tube sections and electrical connectors are pre-installed on the outer tube ends before the final assembly operation. This preliminary preparation allows the multi-section inner tube to be assembled with integrated heating functionality without adding complex assembly steps for the heating system
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
This method simplifies the assembly process, reduces the weight of the pipes, and maintains efficient heating, enabling the use of pipes with more appropriate dimensions and weights for deep-water hydrocarbon transport.
Implementation Method 1
an electrical line, suitable for carrying out heating electric tracing on the external surface of the central tube
Implementation Method 2
placed in thermal contact with the external surface of the central tube
Implementation Method 3
a non-metallic thermal insulation casing surrounding the central tube
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
This method comprises the following steps of: - assembling sections (18) of metal tube end-to-end so as to form an inner tube (14) having a continuous passage (20) for circulation of fluid; - positioning a thermally insulating sleeve (30) around each section (18) of metal tube, the thermally insulating sleeve (30) comprising at least one longitudinal groove (32); - introducing a continuous functional line (17) into at least two longitudinal grooves (32) in at least two adjacent sections (18) of tube; - filling in each longitudinal groove (32) in order to cover the continuous functional line (17).