Riser Connector With Rotating Locking Ring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Deep-sea riser pipes face significant weight penalties and increased assembly time due to high water depths, requiring larger diameters for auxiliary lines to manage pressure drops, and existing solutions do not effectively distribute longitudinal stresses among the riser pipe sections.
Innovation Solution
A compact connector design featuring a male and female flange system with a locking ring that allows for rotational and translational locking, distributing tensional stresses between main and auxiliary tube elements, and utilizing composite materials for enhanced strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the riser pipe length is increased to reach greater water depths, then the well exploration capability is improved, but the riser pipe weight increases significantly and assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The riser pipe is divided into multiple sections that can be assembled on the drilling site from a floater. Each section is connected using connectors that allow for modular assembly, enabling the riser pipe to reach greater depths without requiring a single continuous pipe that would be excessively heavy and difficult to handle.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector includes a locking ring that can rotate and lock into position, providing a dynamic assembly mechanism. This allows for quick connection and disconnection of riser pipe sections, reducing assembly time and enabling faster deployment of deeper riser configurations.
2Length of moving object
If the riser pipe length is increased to reach greater water depths, then the well exploration capability is improved, but the assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking ring can rotate and lock into position quickly, enabling rapid connection of riser pipe sections. This dynamic locking mechanism significantly reduces assembly time compared to traditional fixed connectors, allowing for faster deployment of deeper riser configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector components are pre-assembled and ready for quick connection on the drilling site. The locking ring and flanges are prepared in advance, allowing for rapid assembly operations when deploying deeper riser pipe configurations.
3Stress or pressure
If the auxiliary lines diameter is increased to manage pressure drops in longer risers, then the pressure drop is reduced, but the riser pipe weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The auxiliary lines are integrated within the connector assembly, merging the pressure management function with the connection structure. This allows for efficient pressure drop management in longer risers without requiring significantly larger diameter pipes, as the auxiliary lines are optimized for their specific pressure requirements while maintaining compact packaging.
4Device complexity
If a traditional connector design is used, then the structure is simple, but the longitudinal stresses are not effectively distributed among riser pipe sections
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into multiple functional components: flanges, locking ring, and auxiliary line connections. This segmentation allows for better distribution of longitudinal stresses across multiple connection points and structural elements, improving overall reliability while maintaining reasonable structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector utilizes composite construction with flanges and locking ring components that can be made from different materials optimized for their specific functions. This composite approach allows for effective stress distribution while managing the complexity through material selection rather than purely structural complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A connector includes a male flange and a female flange allowing to assemble a main tube and auxiliary line tubes.A locking ring assembles the male flange and the female flange. The locking ring is mounted mobile in rotation on the outer periphery of the male flange while cooperating with the outer periphery of the male and female flanges.