Subsea Flange Tool With Guided Alignment and Counter-Torque Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing subsea flange tools are inefficient and prone to contamination, requiring complex operations and frequent maintenance due to their susceptibility to contamination and the need for multiple moving parts, which complicates remote tightening and loosening of fasteners in deep water environments.
Innovation Solution
A subsea flange tool with a frame, guide surfaces for alignment, a motor, and a flexible or angled shaft for torque transfer, along with adjustable protruding members to stabilize the tool, allowing for efficient alignment and operation of fasteners without requiring frequent surface retrieval or diver intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If prior art tools use a rotating socket with a non-rotating ring, then the tool can apply torque to fasteners, but the non-rotating ring is too thick to fit between the fasteners and the pipe wall
Solution Approach 1:
The tool is divided into separate functional components: a drive mechanism, a rotating socket, and a positioning system. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, enabling the socket to be smaller and fit between fasteners while the drive mechanism remains external to the pipe.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a two-dimensional approach (ring around the socket) to a three-dimensional approach where the drive mechanism operates from a different spatial dimension, allowing the socket to access fasteners in the gap between the pipe wall and fasteners without requiring a thick external ring.
2Device complexity
If prior art tools lack guide means, then the structure is simpler, but multiple attempts are required to connect the wrench tool with the fastener
Solution Approach 1:
The tool incorporates guide means that preliminarily align the socket with the fastener before torque application begins. This preliminary alignment action ensures that the connection is established correctly on the first attempt, eliminating the need for multiple adjustment attempts and reducing overall connection time.
3Power
If complex tools are used in subsea environments, then torque application capability is improved, but the tools are susceptible to contamination and require frequent maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the complex drive mechanism from the area near the fasteners and positions it external to the pipe. This separation allows the torque-generating components to be protected from subsea contamination while the socket and guide means, which must be near the fasteners, are designed to be contamination-resistant.
Solution Approach 2:
The tool employs an intermediary connection mechanism that transmits torque from the protected drive mechanism to the socket without requiring direct exposure of the drive components to the subsea environment. This intermediary system maintains torque capability while protecting against contamination.
4Extent of automation
If ROVs operate difficult tools, then remote operation is achieved, but the operation efficiency decreases and diver intervention may be required
Solution Approach 1:
The tool incorporates self-aligning guide means that automatically position the socket with the fastener without requiring precise manual positioning by the ROV operator. This self-service capability simplifies the remote operation interface and improves efficiency by eliminating complex positioning maneuvers.
Data Source
AI summary
A torquing tool for rotating bolts connecting a pipe flange in a subsea environment, comprising a first guide for guiding movement of the torquing along a pipe, a socket for engaging a first bolt, a shaft for transferring torque from a motor to the socket, and a first protruding member for insertion between the pipe and a second bolt of the pipe flange, to prevent the torquing tool from rotating due to counter torque created while applying torque to the first fastener. The torquing tool can further comprise a second protruding member adjacent the socket, wherein the second protruding member can be inserted between the pipe and a third bolt of the pipe flange. The torquing tool can further comprise an angled shaft for transferring torque from the motor to the socket, wherein an axis of rotation of the motor is different from an axis of rotation of the socket.