GB2513387A

GB2513387A - Anchor

Info

Publication number: GB2513387A
Application number: GB1307510.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Boddy
Original assignee: SUBSEA ENERGY SOLUTIONS Ltd
Current assignee: SUBSEA ENERGY SOLUTIONS Ltd
Priority date: 2013-04-25
Filing date: 2013-04-25
Publication date: 2014-10-29
Anticipated expiration: 2033-04-25
Also published as: GB201307510D0; GB2513387B

Abstract

An anchor seal for the location and sealing of a conduit in an orifice of a wall of a monopole, such as a wind turbine. The anchor seal comprises a sleeve 80 configured to bound the periphery of the conduit. A reinforcement member 54 bounds and is radially outward of the sleeve. There is also provided a tyre 40 which bounds the reinforcement member and comprises an engagement surface for engaging with the orifice of the monopile. Preferably the tyre and sleeve are inflatable and may be filled with a fluid such as chemical dissolvable foaming agent or a curable polymer, epoxy, water or glycol. Also described is a method of operation of the anchor seal.

Description

ANCHOR

The present disclosure relates to an anchor for a conduit.

In particular the disclosure is concerned with an anchor seal for the location and sealing of a conduit in an orifice of a wall of a monopile.

Protection of subsea cables from external damage is a key consideration for offshore wind farms. Cables are essential both for export of electricity from the wind farm, and for control of the turbines via control wires or fibre optic communication cores included within the cables. The cable is normally laid along the sea bed and enters the foundation and support structure of the wind turbine, for example a monopile, through an orifice or passage such as a pipe, which is sometimes referred to as a "J" tube. The bore of the orifice may be provided at an angle of 45° for ease of entry, passage and loading.

This poses a problem for the construction of an offshore wind turbine, as an orifice must be provided in the support structure for the cable to reach the turbine housing, and this is disadvantageous for a number of reasons. For example, it is undesirable for there to be a flow of sea water in and out of the monopile, and nor is it desirable that debris, plant or animal life may enter the monopile as this may hasten the corrosion of the structure, and hence reduces working life or, at the very least, it may introduce a risk into the monopile structure which will need to be investigated, which is expensive and time consuming.

Hence a means for anchoring and sealing a cable in a monopile structure which is resilient and easily deployable, is highly desirable.

Summary

Accordingly there is provided an anchor seal for the location and sealing of a conduit in an orifice of a wall of a monopile, the anchor seal comprising a sleeve configured to bound the periphery of the conduit; a reinforcement member which bounds and is radially outward of the sleeve; and a tyre which bounds the reinforcement member and comprises an engagement surface for engaging with the orifice of the monopile.

The tyre may be configured to increase in diameter such that in a first state a region of the tyre has a first diameter, and in a second state the same region of the tyre has a second diameter greater than the first diameter.

The tyre may be inflatable to thereby increase the diameter of the anchor seal.

The tyre may comprise a wall which houses a core member, the core member comprising: an inlet in fluid communication with a passage in the core member, the passage leading from the inlet to an outer surface of the core adjacent the tyre wall; the tyre core inlet and passage being for the communication of a filler fluid to the outer surface of the core member to thereby inflate the tyre such that it transitions from the first state to the second state.

The core may be separable from the tyre wall in at least one region.

The sleeve may be configured to exert a radial force and thus form a clamp and seal between the conduit and the reinforcement member.

The sleeve of the anchor seal may be inflatable to thereby exert a radial force and thus form a clamp and seal between the conduit and the reinforcement member.

The sleeve may comprise a wall which houses a core member, the core member comprising: an inlet in fluid communication with a passage in the core member, the passage leading from the inlet to an outer surface of the core adjacent the wall of the sleeve; the sleeve core inlet and passage being for the communication of filler fluid to the outer surface of the core member to thereby pressurise the sleeve to form the clamp and seal.

The or each core member may be in fluid communication with a source of the filler fluid.

The filler fluid may be a chemical dissolvable foaming agent.

The or each core member may be in fluid communication with a source of solvent for dissolving the chemical dissolvable foaming agent.

The filler fluid may comprise a curable polymer, epoxy, water or glycol.

The filler fluid may be a curable polymer, and the anchor seal is provided with a curable polymer delivery system comprising a source of a first polymer component and a second polymer component in fluid communication with the core member via a chemical mixer unit.

The sleeve, reinforcement member and tyre may be substantially annular and coaxial and/or concentric with one another.

The reinforcement member may provided with a radially outwardly extending flange.

The sleeve may have a substantially constant sealing surface along its length for sealing against the outer periphery of the conduit.

The sleeve may be provided with a circumferential rib which forms a seal with the outer periphery of the conduit.

A plurality of axially spaced ribs are may be provided along the surface of the sleeve facing the conduit to form a seal with the outer periphery of the conduit.

A coupling may be provided towards the leading edge of the anchor seal, which, in use, is coupled to a means for drawing the anchor seal into the orifice.

The conduit may house an electrically conductive cable and/or a pipe for the delivery of fluid.

There may be provided an anchorable conduit assembly comprising a conduit and an anchor seal as herein described.

There may be provided a structure comprising a monopile and an anchorable conduit assembly as herein described.

Accordingly there is also a method of operation of an anchor seal for anchoring and sealing a conduit in an orifice provided in a monopile, the anchor seal comprising a sleeve configured to bound the periphery of the conduit; a reinforcement member which bounds and is radially outward of the sleeve; and a tyre which bounds the reinforcement member and comprises a radially outer engagement surface; the method including the steps of: providing the anchor seal on a conduit; drawing the anchor seal into the orifice; engaging the tyre engagement surface with the edges of the orifice.

The method may further comprise transitioning from a first state in which a region of the tyre has a first diameter to a second state in which the same region of the tyre has a second diameter greater than the first diameter.

The tyre may comprise a core member housed by a wall of the tyre, and the method may further comprises passing a filler fluid through the core member to the surface of the core member to thereby inflate the tyre by forcing it away from the core member such that it transitions from the first state to the second state.

The filler fluid may be a curable substance and the method may further comprise the step of allowing the filler fluid to harden such that the region of the tyre is maintained at the second diameter by the resultant cured filler substance.

The cured filler substance may be dissolvable and the method may further comprise the step of introducing a solvent to dissolve the cured filler substance, and thereby reduce the diameter of the tyre such that it may be removed from the orifice of the monopile.

The filler fluid may configured to remain in a fluid state when installed in the tyre, and the tyre may be provided with means to remove at least some of the filler fluid, the method further comprising the step of removing at least some of the filler fluid to thereby reduce the diameter of the tyre such that it may be removed from the orifice of the monopile.

The method may further comprise the step of actuating the sleeve to exert a radial force and thus form a clamp and seal between the conduit and the reinforcement member.

The sleeve may comprise a core member housed by a wall of the sleeve, and the method may further comprise passing a filler fluid through the core member to the surface of the core member to thereby inflate the sleeve by forcing the sleeve wall away from the core member to thereby pressurise the sleeve to form the clamp and seal with the conduit.

The fluid may be a curable polymer and the method may further comprise the step of allowing the curable polymer to harden such that, when cured, the resultant polymer maintains a clamping force on the conduit.

Hence there is provided an easily deployable and reliable means of sealing the orifice of the monopile when a conduit/cable is installed, and of anchoring the cable at a point in the monopile. Given the nature of the construction of the devices of the present disclosure, they will also advantageously have a long in service life.

Brief Descrirtion of the Drawings Examples of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows an offshore wind turbine structure according to the present

disclosure;

Figure 2 shows a cross section of a region of the wind turbine structure with an anchor according to the present disclosure to locate a conduit; Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of the anchor of the present disclosure located in the wind turbine structure; Figure 4 shows an anchor of the present disclosure in an activated configuration; Figure 5 and Figure 6 show an alternative representation of the examples of Figure 3 and Figure 4 respectively; Figure 7 shows a further cross sectional view of the anchor in the wall of the wind turbine structure; Figure 8 shows an anchor with an inflation means including a chemical mixer unit; Figure 9 shows an enlarged view of the chemical mixer unit of Figure 8; Figure 10 shows a detailed cross section of one example of the anchor of the

present disclosure; and

Figure 11 shows an alternative example of an anchor of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Figure 1 shows a wind turbine structure 10 located on a monopile 12 which extends into a sea bed 14. A conduit 16 extends from a generator 18 in a turbine housing 20. The conduit extends down the length of the monopile 12 and out through an orifice 22 in the wall of the monopile 12, extending along the sea bed 14 to shore.

Figure 2 shows a region of the monopile 12 in which the orifice 22 is located. The conduit 16 is shown with a number of bend restricting elements 24 which fit around the conduit 16. The conduit 16 is also provided with a dynamic stiffener 26 and a pull-in stiffener 28 located either side of an anchor seal 30. The bend restrictors 24 distribute bending loads along the conduit to prevent damage to the conduit 16. The dynamic stiffener 26 and pull-in stiffener 28 provide additional support for the conduit 16 thereby making threading of the cable into the orifice 22 of the monopile 12 easier. The present disclosure is directed towards the detail of the anchor seal 30, which comprises a main body portion 31 and an activation hub 32.

Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of an anchor seal 30 located in the monopile 12. For clarity, details of the structure and the surrounding components (for example the bend restrictions 24, dynamic stiffener 26, and activation hub 32) are not shown in Figure 3.

In all examples herein described, the anchor 30 comprises a tyre 40 which fits in the orifice 22. The tyre 40 is provided with an engagement surface 42 for engaging with the orifice 22 of the monopile 12.

In one example, this is achieved by increasing the diameter of the tyre 40 on either side of the orifice 12, as shown in Figure 4. Examples of how enlarging the diameter is achieved are described later.

Figures 5 to 9 show examples how the anchor 30 and its means for enlarging the diameter of the tyre 40, located in the activation hub 32, may be arranged. These figures will be referred to in the description of the anchor examples of Figures 10 and 11. In brief, though, Figure 5 shows alternative representation of the examples of Figures 2 and 3, and shows an enlarged view of the means for enlarging the diameter of the tyre 40 contained within the activation hub 32, where an enlarged tyre 40 is shown in Figure 6. Figure 7 shows a further example of how the means for enlarging the diameter of the tyre 40 might be arranged with respect to the anchor tyre 40.

Figures 8 and 9 show clearer views of the means for enlarging the diameter of the tyre contained within the activation hub 32.

Figure 10 shows a detailed example of an anchor seal 30 according to the present disclosure. The anchor seal 30 comprises a sleeve 50 configured to bound (i.e. fit around) the periphery of the conduit 16. As described previously, the anchor 30 comprises a tyre 40, which is provided readily outwards of, and surrounds, a reinforcement member 52. The reinforcement member 52 bounds and is radially outward of the sleeve 50. The engagement surface 42 of the tyre 40 is the radially outermost surface, ie external surface, of an outer wall 67 of the tyre 40. The sleeve 50, reinforcement member 52 and tyre 40 are each substantially annular and coaxial and/or concentric with one another. The reinforcement member 52 may be provided as a steel pipe. The reinforcement member 52 is provided with a radially outwardly extending flange 54 at each of its axial extents 56, 58. That is to say, the reinforcement member 52 is provided with flanges which extend away from the conduit 16, and the flanges are provided at both ends of the reinforcement member 52. The flanges 54 retain the tyre 40, while permitting, in one example, some relative movement between the reinforcement member 52 and the tyre 40. The reinforcement member 52 may be bonded to the tyre 40. The sleeve 50 is provided with at least one circumferential rib 58 which, in use, forms a passive seal with the outer periphery of the conduit 16. There may be provided, as shown in Figure 10, a plurality of axially spaced ribs 58 along the surface of the sleeve 50 which faces the conduit 16, to form a seal with the outer periphery of the conduit 16. The tyre 40 is configured to increase in diameter such that in a first state the tyre has a first diameter, and in a second state the tyre has a second diameter greater than the first diameter. The tyre 40 may be configured to be inflatable to achieve the change in diameter.

As shown in Figure 4 and Figure 6, the tyre may be configured to increase in diameter such that it has an irregular distorted shape. It may be configured to increase in diameter to either side of the orifice 22, or, as shown in Figure 6, increase in diameter such that it comprises a part spherical surface to grip the edges of the orifice 22. That is to say, the change from the first diameter in the first state to the second diameter in the second state may result in an increase in diameter at the axial extents (i.e. either end) of the tyre 40 to provide regions of greater diameter than the diameter of the orifice 22, thus locking the tyre 40 into position, as shown in Figure 4. Alternatively the change from the first diameter in the first state to the second diameter in the second state may provide a tyre 40 with an increase in diameter such that the engagement surface 42 becomes part spherical (as shown in Figure 6) and engages with the edges of the orifice 22 to lock the anchor 30 in place in the monopile 12.

The tyre 40 comprises a core member 60 housed by walls of the tyre 40. The core member 40 may comprise polyurethane. The core member is provided with an inlet passage 62 for the passage of fluid into and through the core member 60 to inflate the tyre 40 such that it may transition from the first state to the second state. The core member 40 may be provided with a single inlet passage 62 (shown) or several passages (not shown) leading from a valve 64. The valve 64 is bonded into a wall of the tyre 40 and configured to control flow of fluid through the inlet passage(s) 62 into the core member 60. As shown in the example of Figure 10, the inlet passage 62 may exhaust onto the surface of the core 62 towards the centre of one side of the core 60.

The passage, or passages, 62 extend from the valve 64 to an outer surface 65 of the core 60 adjacent the wall 67 of the tyre. The core 60 is separable from the wall 67 of the tyre 40. That is to say, at least some regions of the tyre will separate (ie part from) from the core 60 when the tyre 40 is inflated.

All surfaces of the core 60 may become separated from the tyre 40. The core 60 and tyre 40 may separate on both sides of the core (for example the radially outer side and the radially inner side). Alternatively, the tyre 40 may separate only from the middle section of the surface of core 60, with the tyre 40 remaining attached to a region extending from either end of the core 60. That is to say, the tyre 40 may inflate from the middle section of the core 60, with the ends of the core 60 remaining fixedly attached to the tyre 40.

A delivery tube or pipe 63 extends from the valve 64 to a source of at least one fluid.

The tube 63 may pass through an orifice 68 provided in the trailing edge flange 58 of the reinforcement member 52.

In one example, the core member 60 may be in communication with a source of filler fluid, for example a piston provided in the activation hub 32 or via the tube 63 to an external source of filler fluid, which may be pressurised.

Such an example is shown in Figures 5 to 9, wherein the core member 60 is in fluid communication with a filler fluid, for example a source of a curable polymer 68. The anchor 30 is provided with a curable polymer delivery system 70 which may be located inside the activation hub 32. The delivery system 70 comprises a source of a first polymer component 74 and a second polymer component 76, wherein the containers of the first polymer component 74 and the second polymer component 76 are in fluid communication with the core member 60 via a chemical mixer unit 78, shown in detail in Figures 8 and 9.

The curable polymer delivery system 70 may be hydraulically operated from a remotely operated vehicle, for example a remotely operated submarine having a hydraulic power pack on board which activates pistons to force the first and second polymer components 74,76 through the chemical mixer unit 78. Alternatively the pistons of the curable polymer delivery system 70 may be electrically powered, for example supplied by a battery source.

The ribs 58 on the liner 52 of the Figure 10 example may have a hardness of 55° A, thereby providing a "wiper blade" seal type arrangement In operation, the anchor 30 is provided on the conduit 16, and the anchor 30 is drawn into the orifice 22 such that it is in position as shown in Figure 5. The pull-in angle is approximately 45°. That is to say, the assembly of conduit 16 and anchor 30 will make an angle of approximately 45° to the external monopile 12 surface. The tyre 40 is then actuated to engage the tyre engagement surface 42 with the edges of the orifice 22, as shown in Figure 4 and Figure 6. This is achieved by transitioning from the first state in which the tyre has a first diameter (i.e. the non activated diameter) to a second state in which the tyre 40 has a second diameter greater than the first diameter.

Filler fluid is delivered into the core member 60 to inflate the tyre 40 such that it transitions from the first state to the second state, and thereby engages with the orifice 22, or clamps against the sides/edge of the orifice, to lock the anchor 30 into position, and hence locks the conduit into position relative to the monopile 12.

That is to say, in this example, the curable polymer 68 is delivered to the core member 60, and then pushes the wall of the tyre 40 away from the core 60 and thus fills the space created between the tyre wall 67 and core 60 in its inflated state. The supply of filler fluid is then discontinued. The tyre is maintained at the second enlarged/inflated state by the polymer as it cures and in its cured state. The curable polymer 68 may be a solid cellular structure.

The curable polymer 68 is delivered from the source of the first polymer component 74 and the source of the second polymer component 76, which are mixed together in the chemical mixer unit 78 to provide a chemically active polymer which cures to form a solid mass. The resultant polymer may be Polyurethane or Epoxy. The polyurethane may have a hardness in the range of 55°A-75°D. The polyurethane should have a solidification temperature below 0°C (i.e. remain liquid down 0°C), and the components should be mixable at 0°C.

Alternatively, the filler fluid may comprise an epoxy which is delivered and sets hard in a similar way to the curable polymer.

In another example the filler fluid is configured to remain in a fluid state when installed in the tyre, and permanently remains in the fluid state in the tyre thereafter. The tyre is provided with means to remove at least some of the filler fluid. For example the valve 64 and pipe 63 may be employed to bleed the filler fluid from the tyre. Hence, in operation, at least some of the filler fluid is removed to thereby reduce the diameter of the tyre such that it may be removed from the orifice of the monopile. In this example the filler fluid may comprise a glycol, water or water glycol solution.

In a further example, the filler fluid is a chemical dissolvable foaming agent. After inflation of the tyre, the foaming agent is allowed to solidify such that the region of the tyre is maintained at the second diameter by the solidified foaming agent. If it is required to remove the anchor seal, a solvent may be introduce to the solidified foaming agent via the valve 64 and pipe 63 to dissolve the foaming agent, and thereby reduce the diameter of the tyre such that it may be removed from the orifice of the monopile. It may be required to bleed the solution from the tyre 40, in which case the solution may be bled through the valve 64 and pipe 63 or other exhaust point.

Each core member may be in fluid communication with a source of solvent for dissolving the chemical dissolvable foaming agent. Alternatively, a source of solvent for dissolving foam may provided (ie attached) when it is required to remove the anchor seal, for example by a diver or remotely operated vehicle.

Figure 11 shows an alternative example anchor 30' to that shown in Figure 10.

Common features are referred to by the same reference numerals. The example of Figure 11 differs from the example of Figure 10 only with respect to the configuration of the sleeve between the reinforcement member 52 and conduit 16. In the Figure 11 example, a sleeve 80 has a substantially constant sealing surface 82 along its length for sealing against the outer periphery of the conduit 16. Additionally the sleeve 82 is configured to exert a radial force and thus form a clamp and seal between the conduit 16 and the reinforcement member 52. Put another way, the sleeve 82 is configured to react a force against the reinforcement member 52 on the conduit 16 to provide a clamp and seal. The tyre 80 comprises a core member 84 similar in nature or identical to the tyre core member 60, and an valve 86 for the passage of fluid into the core member 84 to thereby pressurise the tyre 80 to form the clamp and seal. The sleeve core member 84 is in fluid communication with the same sources of filler fluid as the core member 60. Pressurisation of the sleeve 50 via the introduction of fluid to the core member 84 is by the same mode of operation as inflation of the tyre 40. That is to say, a filler fluid enters into sleeve core member 84 from the source of filler fluid to push the sleeve away from the core 84. It may also be bled in the same way, as required, depending on the filler fluid material used.

A further example of the present disclosure comprises all the features of the example of Figure 10, except that instead of a solid/passive sleeve 50 as shown in Figure 10, the sleeve is provided with a core member and inflation means as described in relation to the example of Figure 11. That is to say, the sleeve may comprise the ribs 58 of the Figure 10 example, as well as the core member and inflation means of the Figure 11

example.

The passive sleeve 50 will provide an adequate seal if there is no or low pressure difference across the sleeve 50. An active (ie inflatable) sleeve is preferred for environments where a pressure difference across the sleeve is expected.

The conduit 16 may house an electrically conductive cable and/or fluid carrying pipe.

Any one of the examples of Figures 10 and 11 may further comprise a coupling 120 towards the leading edge of the anchor, as shown in Figure 12, which in use is coupled to a means for drawing the anchor into the orifice 22. The coupling 120 may be provided as a pulling wire. The pulling wire may extend the whole length of the anchor 30, 30'. The pulling wire may be attached to and/or embedded in the tyre 40, 104 of the anchor 30, 30'.

The examples of Figure 10 and Figure 11 may provide permanent solutions (i.e. are not designed to be pulled out once activated) if a curable material is used to fill the tyre and/or sleeve. Alternatively the examples of Figure 10 and Figure 11 may provide semi-permanent or temporary solutions (i.e. are designed to be pulled out once activated) by use of a dissolvable material or fluid such as water or glycol which remain fluid at operational temperatures.

Fora cable 150mm in diameter, the overall diameter of the anchor 30, 30', 30" may be approximately 320mm, where the tyre may have a thickness of 40mm, the liner may have a thickness of 30mm and the reinforcement member may have a thickness of 15mm.

The devices of the present invention thus are advantageous as they provide an easily and quickly deployable reliable means of sealing the orifice 22 of the monopile 12 through which the conduit/cable 12 must pass, and an anchor to locate the cable at a point in the monopile 12.

The use of a device inflatable by polyurethane is advantageous as it is easy to control remotely. The use of an inline screw mixer (for example a chemical mixer unit) provides reliability of delivery of the polyurethane to the core members of the tyre and liner where applicable.

The enlargeable part of the system, for example the tyre, is to both act as a sealing member to separate sea water from inhibitors and also to anchor the cable in place.

The anchor is designed to move under tidal influence, hence the cable 16 will move with the system. The system as a whole will be operable to move unidirectionally as required. The tyre 40 also prevents abrasion of the conduit 16 against the edges of the orifice 22.

Because of the passive nature of the engagement with the edges of the orifice 22, the anchor clamp can remain in position for long periods of time without need for maintenance or inspection. Given the nature of the construction and materials selected, an anchor seal of the present disclosure is expected to have a lengthy in service life, for example about 25 years.

Attention is directed to all/any papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims

CLAIMSAn anchor seal for the location and sealing of a conduit in an orifice of a wall of a monopile, the anchor seal comprising a sleeve configured to bound the periphery of the conduit; a reinforcement member which bounds and is radially outward of the sleeve; and a lyre which bounds the reinforcement member and comprises an engagement surface for engaging with the orifice of the monopile.
2 The anchor seal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tyre is configured to increase in diameter such that in a first state a region of the tyre has a first diameter, and in a second state the same region of the tyre has a second diameter greater than the first diameter.
3 The anchor seal as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the tyre is inflatable to thereby increase the diameter of the anchor seal.
4 The anchor seal as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the tyre comprises a wall which houses a core member, the core member comprising an inlet in fluid communication with a passage in the core member, the passage leading from the inlet to an outer surface of the core adjacent the tyre wall; the tyre core inlet and passage being for the communication of a filler fluid to the outer surface of the core member to thereby inflate the tyre such that it transitions from the first state to the second state.
The anchor seal as claimed in claim 4 wherein the core is separable from the tyre wall in at least one region.
6 The anchor seal as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the sleeve is configured to exert a radial force and thus form a clamp and seal between the conduit and the reinforcement member.
7 The anchor seal as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the sleeve of the anchor seal is inflatable to thereby exert a radial force and thus form a clamp and seal between the conduit and the reinforcement member.
8 The anchor seal as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7 wherein the sleeve comprises a wall which houses a core member, the core member comprising an inlet in fluid communication with a passage in the core member, the passage leading from the inlet to an outer surface of the core adjacent the wall of the sleeve; the sleeve core inlet and passage being for the communication of filler fluid to the outer surface of the core member to thereby pressurise the sleeve to form the clamp and seal.
9 The anchor seal as claimed in any one of claims 4, 5 or 8 wherein the or each core member is in fluid communication with a source of the filler fluid.
The anchor seal as claimed in claim 9 wherein the filler fluid is a chemical dissolvable foaming agent.
11 The anchor seal as claimed in claim 10 wherein the or each core member is in fluid communication with a source of solvent for dissolving the chemical dissolvable foaming agent.
12 The anchor seal as claimed in claim 9 wherein the filler fluid comprises a curable polymer, epoxy, water or glycol.
13 The anchor seal as claimed in claim 9 wherein the filler fluid is a curable polymer, and the anchor seal is provided with a curable polymer delivery system comprising a source of a first polymer component and a second polymer component in fluid communication with the core member via a chemical mixer unit.
14 The anchor seal as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the sleeve, reinforcement member and tyre are each substantially annular and coaxial and/or concentric with one another.
The anchor seal as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein each of the reinforcement member is provided with a radially outwardly extending flange.
16 The anchor seal as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the sleeve has a substantially constant sealing surface along its length for sealing against the outer periphery of the conduit.
17 The anchor seal as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 15 wherein the sleeve is provided with a circumferential rib which forms a seal with the outer periphery of the conduit.
18 The anchor seal as claimed in claim 17 wherein a plurality of axially spaced ribs are provided along the surface of the sleeve facing the conduit to form a seal with the outer periphery of the conduit.
19 The anchor seal as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising a coupling towards the leading edge of the anchor seal, which, in use, is coupled to a means for drawing the anchor seal into the orifice.
The anchor seal as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the conduit houses an electrically conductive cable and/or a pipe for the delivery of fluid.
21 An anchorable conduit assembly comprising a conduit and an anchor seal as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 20.
22 A structure comprising a monopile and an anchorable conduit assembly as claimed in claim 21.
23 A method of operation of an anchor seal for anchoring and sealing a conduit in an orifice provided in a monopile, the anchor seal comprising a sleeve configured to bound the periphery of the conduit; a reinforcement member which bounds and is radially outward of the sleeve; and a tyre which bounds the reinforcement member and comprises a radially outer engagement surface; the method including the steps of: i) providing the anchor seal on a conduit; H) drawing the anchor seal into the orifice; Hi) engaging the tyre engagement surface with the edges of the orifice.
24 The method as claimed in claim 23 wherein step iii) comprises transitioning from a first state in which a region of the tyre has a first diameter to a second state in which the same region of the tyre has a second diameter greater than the first diameter.
The method as claimed in claim 24 wherein the tyre comprises a core member housed by a wall of the tyre, and the method further comprises passing a filler fluid through the core member to the surface of the core member to thereby inflate the tyre by forcing it away from the core member such that it transitions from the first state to the second state.
26 The method as claimed in claim 25 wherein the filler fluid is a curable substance and the method further comprises the step of allowing the filler fluid to harden such that the region of the tyre is maintained at the second diameter by the resultant cured filler substance.
27 The anchor seal as claimed in claim 26 wherein the cured filler substance is dissolvable and the method further comprises the step of introducing a solvent to dissolve the cured filler substance, and thereby reduce the diameter of the tyre such that it may be removed from the orifice of the monopile.
28 The anchor seal as claimed in claim 25 wherein the filler fluid is configured to remain in a fluid state when installed in the tyre, and the tyre is provided with means to remove at least some of the filler fluid, the method further comprising the step of removing at least some of the filler fluid to thereby reduce the diameter of the tyre such that it may be removed from the orifice of the monopile.
29 The method as claimed in any one of claims 24 to 28 further comprising the step of actuating the sleeve to exert a radial force and thus form a clamp and seal between the conduit and the reinforcement member.
The method as claimed in claim 29 wherein the sleeve comprises a core member housed by a wall of the sleeve, and the method further comprises passing a filler fluid through the core member to the surface of the core member to thereby inflate the sleeve by forcing the sleeve wall away from the core member to thereby pressurise the sleeve to form the clamp and seal with the conduit.
31 The method as claimed in claim 30 wherein the fluid is a curable polymer and the method further comprises the step of allowing the curable polymer to harden such that, when cured, the resultant polymer maintains a clamping force on the conduit.
32 An anchor seal for the location of a conduit in an orifice of a wall of a monopile substantially as hereinbefore described and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.
33 A method of anchoring and sealing a conduit to in an orifice of provided in a monopile substantially as hereinbefore described and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.Amendment to the claims have been filed as followsCLAIMS1 An anchor seal for the location and sealing of a conduit in an orifice of a wall of a monopile, the anchor seal comprising a sleeve configured to bound the periphery of the conduit; a reinforcement member which bounds and is radially outward of the sleeve; and a lyre which bounds the reinforcement member and comprises an engagement surface for engaging with the orifice of the monopile, wherein the tyre is configured to increase in diameter such that in a first state a o region of the tyre has a first diameter, and in a second state the same region of 1 the tyre has a second diameter greater than the first diameter.N2 The anchor seal as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tyre is inflatable to thereby increase the diameter of the anchor seal.3 The anchor seal as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the tyre comprises a wall which houses a core member, the core member comprising an inlet in fluid communication with a passage in the core member, the passage leading from the inlet to an outer surface of the core adjacent the tyre wall; the tyre core inlet and passage being for the communication of a filler fluid to the outer surface of the core member to thereby inflate the tyre such that it transitions from the first state to the second state.4 The anchor seal as claimed in claim 3 wherein the core is separable from the tyre wall in at least one region.The anchor seal as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the sleeve is configured to exert a radial force and thus form a clamp and seal between the conduit and the reinforcement member.6 The anchor seal as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the sleeve of the anchor seal is inflatable to thereby exert a radial force and thus form a clamp and seal between the conduit and the reinforcement member.7 The anchor seal as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6 wherein the sleeve comprises a wall which houses a core member, the core member comprising o an inlet in fluid communication with a passage in the core member, the passage 1 leading from the inlet to an outer surface of the core adjacent the wall of the N-sleeve; the sleeve core inlet and passage being for the communication of filler fluid to the outer surface of the core member to thereby pressurise the sleeve to form the clamp and seal.8 The anchor seal as claimed in any one of claims 3, 4 or 7 wherein the or each core member is in fluid communication with a source of the filler fluid.9 The anchor seal as claimed in claim 8 wherein the filler fluid is a chemical dissolvable foaming agent.The anchor seal as claimed in claim 9 wherein the or each core member is in fluid communication with a source of solvent for dissolving the chemical dissolvable foaming agent.11 The anchor seal as claimed in claim 8 wherein the filler fluid comprises a curable polymer, epoxy, water or glycol.12 The anchor seal as claimed in claim 8 wherein the filler fluid is a curable polymer, and the anchor seal is provided with a curable polymer delivery system comprising a source of a first polymer component and a second polymer component in fluid communication with the core member via a chemical mixer unit.13 The anchor seal as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the sleeve, reinforcement member and tyre are each substantially annular and coaxial and/or concentric with one another.14 The anchor seal as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein each of o the reinforcement member is provided with a radially outwardly extending flange. rThe anchor seal as claimed in any one of claims ito 14, wherein C the sleeve has a substantially constant sealing surface along its length for sealing against the outer periphery of the conduit.16 The anchor seal as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14 wherein the sleeve is provided with a circumferential rib which forms a seal with the outer periphery of the conduit.17 The anchor seal as claimed in claim 16 wherein a plurality of axially spaced ribs are provided along the surface of the sleeve facing the conduit to form a seal with the outer periphery of the conduit.18 The anchor seal as claimed in any one of the preceding claims further comprising a coupling towards the leading edge of the anchor seal, which, in use, is coupled to a means for drawing the anchor seal into the orifice.19 The anchor seal as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the conduit houses an electrically conductive cable and/or a pipe for the delivery of fluid.An anchorable conduit assembly comprising a conduit and an anchor seal as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 19.21 A structure comprising a monopile and an anchorable conduit assembly as claimed in claim 20.22 A method of operation of an anchor seal for anchoring and sealing a conduit in an orifice provided in a monopile, C') the anchor seal comprising a sleeve configured to bound the periphery of the conduit;N0 a reinforcement member which bounds and is radially outward of the sleeve; and a tyre which bounds the reinforcement member and comprises a radially outer engagement surface; the method including the steps of: i) providing the anchor seal on a conduit; H) drawing the anchor seal into the orifice; Hi) engaging the tyre engagement surface with the edges of the orifice and transitioning from a first state in which a region of the tyre has a first diameter to a second state in which the same region of the tyre has a second diameter greater than the first diameter.23 The method as claimed in claim 23 wherein the tyre comprises a core member housed by a wall of the tyre, and the method further comprises passing a filler fluid through the core member to the surface of the core member to thereby inflate the tyre by forcing it away from the core member such that it transitions from the first state to the second state.24 The method as claimed in claim 24 wherein the filler fluid is a curable substance and the method further comprises the step of allowing the filler fluid to harden such that the region of the tyre is maintained at the second diameter by the resultant cured filler substance.o 25 The anchor seal as claimed in claim 25 wherein the cured filler substance is 1 dissolvable and the method further comprises the step of introducing a solvent to dissolve the cured filler substance, and thereby reduce the diameter of the tyre O such that it may be removed from the orifice of the monopile.26 The anchor seal as claimed in claim 24 wherein the filler fluid is configured to remain in a fluid state when installed in the tyre, and the tyre is provided with means to remove at least some of the filler fluid, the method further comprising the step of removing at least some of the filler fluid to thereby reduce the diameter of the tyre such that it may be removed from the orifice of the monopile.27 The method as claimed in any one of claims 23 to 27 further comprising the step of actuating the sleeve to exert a radial force and thus form a clamp and seal between the conduit and the reinforcement member.28 The method as claimed in claim 28 wherein the sleeve comprises a core member housed by a wall of the sleeve, and the method further comprises passing a filler fluid through the core member to the surface of the core member to thereby inflate the sleeve by forcing the sleeve wall away from the core member to thereby pressurise the sleeve to form the clamp and seal with the conduit.29 The method as claimed in claim 29 wherein the fluid is a curable polymer and the method further comprises the step of allowing the curable polymer to harden such that, when cured, the resultant polymer maintains a clamping force on the conduit.An anchor seal for the location of a conduit in an orifice of a wall of a monopile substantially as hereinbefore described and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.31 A method of anchoring and sealing a conduit to in an orifice of provided in a o monopile substantially as hereinbefore described and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.N