WO1999040358A1

WO1999040358A1 - Enclosure for protecting a pipeline valve

Info

Publication number: WO1999040358A1
Application number: PCT/NO1999/000033
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dennis Mason ØVSTHUS
Original assignee: Oevsthus Dennis Mason
Priority date: 1998-02-09
Filing date: 1999-02-03
Publication date: 1999-08-12
Also published as: AU2862499A; WO1999040358A9

Abstract

The object of the invention is to provide a lighttight and watertight enclosure for preventing the accumulation of marine growth on underwater pipeline valves. Said enclosure comprises a shell bifurcated along a plane to define two engageable half sections (58, 60), each half section having two opposing, semi-circular cut-outs (54) and an upper, semi-circular cut-out (64) which combine to form, respectively, openings for accommodating pipeline segments and a valve stem projecting from the valve. Said half sections are connected by hinges (36) to a flat top frame (48), which includes an opening (46) for accommodating the valve stem. An upper lid (30) is connected by hinges (36) to said top frame (48) to provide access to the valve stem. A releasable locking means (34, 38) secures the enclosure in place, and gasket material (44) is provided for creating a watertight seal.

Description

ENCLOSURE FOR PROTECTING A PIPELINE VALVE

Technical Field The present invention relates to protective covers for pipeline valves, in particular underwater pipeline valves.

It is a known problem that underwater valves can become encrusted with marine growth. Such growth can cause damage to the underlying valves, and make repair and maintenance of the valves difficult. This is a serious problem, particularly in the oil industry, where leakage from damaged or poorly maintained valves can result in economic loss or ecological disaster. Underwater valves must therefor be regularly inspected, which necessitates that marine growth must either be removed or prevented. There is currently no satisfactory method for preventing the accumulation of marine growth on underwater valves. As a result, in order to inspect or repair such valves, any accumulation of marine growth must be removed after the fact. Divers using high-pressure water jets or physical scraping presently perform this work. This is an unsatisfactory solution due to the fact that such work is dangerous, time consuming and costly. At extreme depth, where the use of divers is impractical, remote-controlled submarines must be used.

Background Art

It is known in the prior art to prevent the accumulation of marine growth on an underwater object by encasing the object in a light-tight enclosure. This technique is based upon the well-known principal that marine plants cannot survive without light, and marine organisms cannot survive without access to food particles supplied by constantly circulating water. The prior art also provides for the use of covers to protect joints in pipelines, for example the covers disclosed by U.S. Patent No. 5,024,249; 4,830,060; 4,615,543 and 4,449,554. Prior art covers are not used to prevent marine growth on underwater valves, however, because they lack certain essential features suited to use in an underwater environment.

Disclosure of the Invention

To be suited to use in an underwater environment, it is essential that a protective cover for a valve be simple to install. This is due to the fact that either a diver or a remote controlled submarine must install such a cover. Prior art devices lack this characteristic. The cover from U.S. Patent No. 5,024,249, for example, is formed as a single unit, which must be bent or folded around a pipe joint and thereafter fastened with tape, glue or other external fastener. Such a procedure would be cumbersome for a diver and impossible for a remote submarine. The cover described in U.S. Patent No. 4,615,543 is likewise difficult to install. This cover is attached about a pipeline with the aid of several locking pins that are too small to be manipulated by a diver wearing gloves and nearly impossible to manipulate by a submarine's remote arms.

A second characteristic essential to a valve cover for use in an underwater environment is that the cover must permit regular inspection and adjustment of the enclosed valve. In particular, it is critical that the cover permit access to the valve stem extending upwardly from the valve without necessitating that the cover itself be dismantled from about the valve. This is due to the fact that the diver making the adjustment requires two free hands. If the cover itself must be removed, a diver would be required to use one hand to hold the cover, making adjustment of the valve stem difficult. The prior art covers from U.S. Patents No. 4,830,060 and 4,449,554 lack this feature, in that these devices consist of only two main elements or half sections, which become completely disengaged from the pipeline upon being opened. (It should be noted that the drawings of these devices depict a third pipe extending down from the pipe joint, which is not the case in an ordinary pipeline valve.) The prior art covers also lack a watertight seal between the elements of the cover and between the cover and the pipeline, which is important for hindering marine growth and preventing the escape of any leakage from the valve. In accordance with the invention, I provide a light- tight and watertight enclosure for preventing marine growth on underwater valves, which can be mounted upon a valve in one simple motion and which comprises an independent upper lid that can be opened to expose the valve' s stem without requiring the main elements of the enclosure to be removed from the valve.

The enclosure according to the invention comprises an essentially box-shaped shell having a parallel top and bottom surface, a parallel front and back surface, and two parallel side surfaces. The shell further contains an internal cavity corresponding essentially to the shape of the valve. The shell has two opposing, circular openings in said side surfaces, corresponding to the pipeline segments extending from the valve, and a circular opening in said top surface corresponding to the valve stem. The shell is split along a plane into a first and a second half section, such that each half section contains two opposing, semi-circular cut-outs and an upper, semi-circular cut-out. Said half sections can thus be brought together to encase the valve. The enclosure according to the invention is characterized in that said half sections are rotatably attached to a flat, rectangular top frame which includes a circular opening corresponding to the valve stem. Said first half section includes a row of hinges running along the edge defined by the intersection of said top surface with said back surface, and said second half section includes a row of hinges running along the edge defined by the intersection of said top surface and said front surface. Said hinges are attached to corresponding hinges running along two parallel edges of said top frame.

The enclosure according to the invention is further characterized in that an upper lid, having approximately the same outer dimensions as said top frame, is attached by hinges to a third edge of said top frame, such that said upper lid and said half sections can rotate about their respective hinges independently of each other. The enclosure also includes gasket material at the points of contact between the elements of the enclosure. The enclosure according to the invention is a distinct improvement over prior art covers in that it can be easily fastened about a valve by a diver or remote submarine. The enclosure is first opened to its mounting position by rotating the first and second half section away from each other about their respective hinges. Thereafter, in one simple motion, the opening in the top frame is placed over the valve stem and the half sections are rotated together about the valve. One or more snap locks are provided on the underside of the half sections to secure the enclosure in place. The valve is thereby encased in a light-tight and watertight enclosure which inhibits marine growth and which additionally helps to prevent fishing nets from becoming snagged on the valve stem. The invention thereafter provides ready access to the valve stem through the upper lid, which can be opened without uncoupling the half sections.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The details of the invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1, 2, 3 and 4 show a perspective view of the main elements of the enclosure.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the upper lid.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the top frame. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the first half section.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the second half section.

Fig. 5, 6 and 7 show an enlarged view of the hinge that connects the upper lid of Fig. 1 with the top frame of

Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is an elevational view of a locking means between the upper lid of Fig. 1 and the top frame of Fig. 2. Fig. 9 is a side elevational view of the upper lid, top frame and the hinge that connects the fist half section to the top frame. Fig. 10 is a bottom elevational view of the top frame from

Fig. 1. Fig. 11 is a front elevational view of the assembled components from Fig. 1-4. Fig. 12 is an enlarged view of a guide pin and corresponding guide hole integrated in the half sections, as shown in Fig. 3 and 11. Fig. 13 is an enlarged view of the hinges that connect the components from Fig. 2 and 4. Fig. 14 is a cross sectional view of the components from Fig. 1 and 2.

Fig. 15 is a bottom elevational view of the components shown in Fig. 11. Fig. 16 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a gasket as shown in Fig. 3.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the enclosure according to the invention comprises a substantially box-shaped shell divided along a plane to define two half sections, a first half section 58 and a second half section 60. Each half section has two side surfaces perpendicular to said plane, a top surface, a bottom surface, a back surface and a concave inner surface, such that an internal cavity 62 corresponding to a valve is formed when the two half sections are brought together. Each half section includes a semi-circular cut-out 54 in each of its respective side surfaces and a semicircular cut-out 64 in its top surface, such that there is formed two circular side openings and a circular upper opening when the half sections are brought together.

As can be discerned from fig. 2, 3 and 4, and as shown in fig. 9 and 11, half sections 58 and 60 are connected to a flat, rectangular top frame 48 that has approximately the same outer dimensions as the top surface of the shell. Each half section is attached to top frame 48 by a plurality of hinges 36, as shown in fig. 3 and 4, located along the outer edge of the half section's top surface. Top frame 48 includes corresponding hinges 36 along two parallel outer edges, which are connected to the hinges of half sections 58 and 60 with the help of two hinge bolts 32. The enclosure can thus be opened and closed by alternatively rotating the half sections away from and toward one another about hinges 36.

As shown in fig. 2, top frame 48 includes an opening 46 that is in vertical alignment with the upper opening which is formed when half sections 58 and 60 are rotated together.

As depicted in fig. 3, 11 and 15, first half section 58 includes two guide pins 50 and two latch pins 34 projecting perpendicularly from the lower portion of its inner surface. Guide pins 50 help to ensure that the two half sections meet in the proper alignment in that they communicate with two corresponding guide holes 52 integrated into half section 60. Latch pins 34 communicate with two corresponding latch grooves 38 located on half section 60 in order to lock the enclosure in place. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the invention includes a gasket 44 integrated in the circumference of opening 46, in the circumference of cut-outs 54 and 64, and at the points of contact between half section 58 and 60. Gaskets 44 help to create a watertight seal when the invention is fastened about the valve .

When the enclosure according to the invention is affixed to the valve, the valve's stem will project upwardly through opening 46. The enclosure therefore includes an upper lid 30 attached to top frame 48, which covers and provides access to the valve stem. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, upper lid 30 has approximately the same outer dimensions as top frame 48 and is connected to a third edge of top frame 48 by one or more hinges 36 and a hinge bolt 32. (See also fig. 5, 6 and 7 ) . As shown in fig. 8 and 9, upper lid 30 has an extension 40 which mates with a recess 42 in top frame 48. Extension 40 and recess 42, together with a gasket 44 integrated in the surface of top frame 48 (fig. 2), cooperate to form a watertight seal when the upper lid is closed. Upper lid 30 is locked in place with the help of a latch pin 34 mounted on its outer edge which communicates with a corresponding latch groove 38 mounted on the outer edge of top frame 48. As can be discerned from the drawings, the valve stem can thus be readily accessed through upper lid 30 without the need uncouple the two half sections.

Claims

1. An enclosure for protecting a pipeline valve, comprising a shell having a top and bottom surface, a front and back surface, two side surfaces, and an internal cavity corresponding essentially to the shape of the valve, said shell further comprising an opening in each of said side surfaces corresponding to a pipeline segment extending from said valve and an opening in said top surface corresponding to a valve stem projecting upwardly from said valve, and said shell further being bifurcated along a plane to define a first and a second engagable half section, characterized in that: a) each of said half sections is attached by a plurality of hinges to a planar top frame having approximately the same outer dimensions as the top surface of the shell, such that upon rotation about said hinges said half sections are brought into a position of mutual engagement in which the top surface of the shell is substantially aligned and in direct communication with the underside of the top frame; b) said top frame contains an opening corresponding to the valve stem, said opening in said top frame being in coaxial alignment with the opening in the top surface of the shell; and c) an upper lid, having approximately the same outer dimensions as said top frame, is attached by a plurality of hinges to said top frame.

2. The enclosure of claim 1, characterized in that: a) said top surface of said shell is rectangular; b) said top frame is rectangular; c) said half sections are connected to two parallel outer edges of said top frame; and d) said upper lid is connected to a third outer edge of said top frame.

3. The enclosure of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that: a) said first half section includes a plurality of guide pins projecting perpendicularly from its lower end which communicate with a plurality of corresponding guide holes integrated in said second half section; b) a releasable locking means is provided for securing said half sections in a position of mutual engagement about the valve; c) a releasable locking means is provided for securing said upper lid in a locked position against said top frame; and d) a plurality of gaskets are integrated in the enclosure at the points of mutual contact between said half sections, between said half sections and the pipeline segments, between said half sections and the valve stem, between said top frame and the valve stem, and between said upper lid and said top frame.