Subsea Wellhead Foundation With Pivoting Conductor Pipe
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of subsea wellhead systems is demanding and requires high accuracy and safety, with existing technologies being costly and inefficient due to the need for specialized vessels and complex installation processes.
Innovation Solution
A subsea foundation with a pivotably connected conductor pipe that can be configured between a compact and extended state, allowing for easier transportation and precise installation, featuring a hinge joint and suction anchor base for stability and alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the conductor pipe is made as a single rigid piece for precise installation, then installation accuracy is improved, but transportation difficulty and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The conductor pipe is divided into multiple sections that can be connected together. This allows the pipe to be transported in manageable segments and then assembled into the required length and configuration on-site, resolving the contradiction between transportation ease and installation precision
Solution Approach 2:
The conductor pipe incorporates flexible or adjustable sections that can be configured during installation to achieve precise alignment and positioning. This dynamic capability allows the pipe to adapt to installation requirements while maintaining transportation feasibility
2Reliability
If specialized installation vessels are used to ensure safety and precision, then installation safety and accuracy are improved, but operational cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The foundation and conductor pipe are pre-assembled into integrated modules on land before deployment. This preliminary preparation ensures proper alignment and configuration, allowing for safer and more efficient installation at sea using less specialized vessels, thus improving productivity while maintaining safety
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate foundation structures that simplify the installation process by providing stable, pre-positioned bases for the conductor pipes. These intermediaries reduce the complexity and risk of direct sea-floor installation, enabling use of more cost-effective vessels while maintaining safety standards
3Manufacturing precision
If the conductor pipe is made long and straight for direct installation, then installation precision is improved, but transportation and storage difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The conductor pipe is divided into multiple transportable sections that can be connected on-site. This segmentation reduces the volume and complexity of transportation while enabling precise final positioning through careful assembly of the segmented components
Solution Approach 2:
The conductor pipe sections can be configured in different spatial arrangements during transport and storage, and then assembled into the required linear configuration for installation. This dimensional flexibility reduces transportation volume requirements while maintaining installation precision
Data Source
AI summary
A subsea foundation for installation on a sea floor. The subsea foundation includes a receptacle which receives a wellhead housing, and a conductor pipe which is arranged to extend from the receptacle and which receives a well pipe therethrough. The conductor pipe has a first section and a second section. The first section of the conductor pipe has a first end and a second end. The first section is connected to the receptacle at the first end and is pivotably connected to the second section at the second end so that the conductor pipe has a compact configuration, in which the conductor pipe comprises a bend therein, and an extended configuration, in which the conductor pipe is substantially straight.