GB2151288A

GB2151288A - Connecting underwater installations

Info

Publication number: GB2151288A
Application number: GB08431105A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Vilheme Ladecky
Original assignee: Societe National Elf Aquitaine
Current assignee: Societe National Elf Aquitaine
Priority date: 1983-12-12
Filing date: 1984-12-10
Publication date: 1985-07-17
Also published as: IT8423976A0; NO844964L; FR2556407A1; IT1181910B; IT8423976A1; GB2151288B; FR2556407B1; GB8431105D0

Abstract

In an underwater installation comprising a plurality of sub-units, the positioning and lifting of which are independent, each of the sub-units 1, 2, in disconnection state, has an overall vertical projection that occupies a space fully outside the space occupied by the overall vertical projection of each of the other sub-units, and each sub-unit has a remotely-operated connecting means, 5,6 movable via mechanical devices 7, 8 for connection or disconnection to each other. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Underwater installation and process for positioning sub-units, elements of said underwater installation Background of the invention The present invention concerns an underwater interconnection process between sub-units of an underwater installation and devices for putting into operation this process.

Description of the prior art The process that has up to now been generally used and disclosed, in particular, in French Patent published under n 2 399 609 in the name of SEAL PARTICIPANTS LIMITED has been diagrammatically represented in appended figures 1 and 2.

These figures show two sub-units 1 and 2 of which the positioning on a rounting or substructure 3 disposed on the sea bed necessitates selection of a determined order for positioning and connecting the said sub-units and the reverse order in disconnecting and withdrawal, which thereby constitutes the main drawback of this process.

Sub-unit 1 is provided with an upward directed connecting piece and sub-unit 2 is provided with a connecting piece 6 adapted to be connected with piece 5 and directed downwards, the attachment means of piece 5 onto sub-unit 1 and of piece 6 on to sub-unit 2 being such that this piece, during the lowering of sub-unit 2, is positioned exactly above piece 5. Sub-unit 1 must have been positioned on mounting 3 prior to the sub-unit 2 being assembled thereon and if it is decided to lift up sub-unit 1 it would first of all be necessary for sub-unit 2 to be removed.

The present invention aims at overcoming this drawback by rendering the various sub-units, to be positioned on a mounting 3, placed on the sea bed, independent from one another with respect to the corresponding connection mechanisms.

The present invention concerns a process for the positioning and detachable interconnection of subunits of an underwater installation which comprises the following steps: each of the sub-units are lowered and positioned in the underwater installation, said sub-units being provided with at least one connecting piece, each of these sub-units, during disconnection, having an overall vertical projection occupying a space outside the global vertical projection of each of the other sub-assemblies in connection state, and thereafter;; to each of these sub-units is successively applied, a remote control switching under the impulse of which is displaced in a reversible way each of the connection elements with which the remote-controlled sub-unit is provided, until each of these connecting pieces is in connection position with a corresponding connecting piece with which the adjacent sub-units are provided.

In a preferred manner, each of the connecting pieces, with which the remote-controlled, sub-unit is provided is reversibly displaced by a translating movement.

This translating movement is either single and substantially horizontal, or composed of two successive translating movements, the first being substantially horizontal and the second being substantially vertical.

In order to allow carrying the process according to the invention, an underwater installation comprising at least two sub-units each of which is provided with at least one detachable connection means with adjacent sub-units, wherein each of these sub-units 1 is in the disconnection state; has an overall vertical projection X occupying a space that is fully outside the space occupied by the overall vertical projection Y of each of the other sub-units 2, in connection state.

In such an underwater installation, each of the sub-units 1 is provided with at least one connecting piece 5 connected to the said subunit through a mechanical device 8 adapted to displace this connecting piece 5 from one position called lowering position or lifting of the sub-unit 1 to a connection position with a connecting piece 6 connected to a sub-unit 2 through a mechanical device 7, itself adapted, through remote-control switching, to the sub-unit, to displace this connect element 6 from one position called lowering position or lifting position of sub-unit 2 to a connection position with the connecting piece 5.

In a preferred manner, in such an underwater installation, each of the mechanical devices remotely controlled from each of sub-units 2 and 1 is adapted to displace a connecting piece or a disconnecting piece from a connection position with the other piece 5 or 6 through a translating movement.

In various embodiments, each to the mechanical devices 7 and 8, remotely controlled from each of the sub-units 2 and 1 is adapted to displace a connecting piece 5 or 6 from one disconnection position to a connection position with the other element 5 or 6 through a translating movement comprised of a substantially horizontal translation and a substantially vertical movement.

Brief description of the drawings The present invention will be more clearly understood from reading the following description given by way of non-limitative example with reference to the appended drawings in which: Figures 1 and 2 represent an installation allowing to carry out the process according to the prior art; Figures 3 and 4 represent a first variant of a process according to the invention (preliminary phase and connection in operation); Figures 5 and 6 represent a second variant of a process according to the invention (preliminary phase and connection in operation); Figure 7 represents vertical projection of subunits 1 and 2 relating to figure 3.

With reference to figure 3, as in figure 5, it will be observed that in a preliminary situation, two sub-units 1 and 2 are positioned on a mounting 3 laying on the sea bed 4.

In a general manner, as with the prior art illustrated with reference to figures 1 and 2, the first sub-unit 1 is provided with a connecting piece 5 and the second sub-unit 2 is provided with a connecting piece 6 adapted to be connected with the connecting piece 5.

Unlike the prior art and as shown in figure 7, in the different embodiments allowing to apply the process according to the invention, sub-units 1 and 2 are such that each, in disconnection state, has a vertical projection X,Y occupying a space wholly outside that occupied by the vertical projection of the other respectively Y,X, in connecting state. This means that the different sub-units, such as 1 and 2, in disconnection state can be positioned in their respective sites on the mounting 3 and withdrawn from these sites in a fully independent manner and in any order.

Figures 3 and 4 and figures 5 and 6 show embodiments in which connecting piece 5 is connected to sub-unit 1 through a mechanical device 8 and connecting piece 6 is connected to sub-unit 2 through a mechanical device 7, adapted by remote control applied to sub-unit 2 to displace this connecting piece 6 from one disconnection position, called lowering or lifting position of sub-unit 2 to a connection position between this piece 6 and piece 5.

Mechanical element 8 is itself adapted through remote control applied to sub-unit 1, in order to displace connecting piece 5 from a disconnection position, called lowering or lifting of sub-unit 1, to a connection position between this piece 5 and piece 6.

In embodiments according to figures 3 and 4, mechanical devices 7 and 8 are adapted to induce at each of the connecting pieces 6 and 7 a substantially horizontal translating displacement that can be divided into two successive displacements, namely: a substantially horizontal displacement followed by a substantially vertical displacement.

In various embodiments, each of the mechanical devices 7 and 8 is furthermore adapted through remote control respectively transmitted by each of sub-units 2 and 1, to ensure the continuation of the final connecting phase of element 6 with element 5, especially by a rotation movement under axial stress in order to produce a screwing down, which forms part of the technical background and does not warrant its detailed representations in the figures.

Claims

1. Process for positioning and detachably connecting sub-units of an underwater installation in which, successively; each of the sub-units is lowered and positioned within the under-water installation, each of said sub-units being provided with at least one connecting means, each of these sub-units, in the disconnected state, having an overall vertical projection occupying a space outside the overall vertical projection of each of the other sub-units in the connection state; a remote switching operation is successively carried out on each of these sub-assemblies under the effect of which each of the connecting means with which the sub-unit is provided is reversibly displaced, subject to the remote control, until each of these connecting means is in the connected position with a corresponding connecting means with which the one of the adjacent sub-units is provided.

2. Process according to claim 1 in which each of the connecting means, with which the remote controlled sub-unit is provided, is displaced in a reversible manner by a translational movement.

3. Process according to claim 1 in which each of the connecting means, with which the remotecontrolled sub-unit is provided,is displaced in a reversible manner by a translational movement comprising two successive translational movements, the first being substantially horizontal and the second substantially vertical.

4. Underwater installation comprising at least two sub-units each of which is provided with at least one set of means for detachable connection with one of the adjacent sub-units, so that each of these sub-units 1, when in the disconnected state, has an overall vertical projection X occupying a space fully outside the space occupied by the overall vertical projection Y of each of the other subunits in the connected state, wherein each of the sub-units 1 is provided with at least one connecting means 5 connected to the said sub-unit by a mechanical device capable of displacing this connection means by remote control switching applied to the sub-unit, from a lowering or lifting position of the sub-unit, to a connection position with a connecting means connected to a sub-unit by a mechanical device, which is itself arranged, through remote control switching applied to the sub-unit, to displace this connecting means from a lowering or lifting position of the sub-unit to a position where it is connected to the connecting piece.

5. Underwater installation according to claim 1, in which each of the mechanical devices remotely controlled from each of the sub-units is adapted to displace connecting means from a disconnected position to a connected position with the other element through a translational movement.

6. Underwater installation according to claim 1, in which each of the mechanical devices, remotely controlled from each of the sub-units, is adapted to displace connecting means from a disconnected position to a connected position with the other means through a translational movement comprising substantially horizontal and substantially vertical translational movements.