Ge Oil & Gas UK Limited

Wellstream International Limited

Baker Hughes Energy Technology UK Limited

George Karabelas

Zhimin Tan

Tony Eccleston

Geoffrey Stephen Graham

Duncan Edward Reay

Richard Alasdair Clements

Yanqiu Zhang

Yucheng Hou

Fabio De Souza Pires

Yuan Tian

Laurence James Baldwin

Tony c/o Wellstream International Limited Eccleston

Apparatus and method for maintaining temperature in a sub-sea device, in particular in relation to fluid in the device. A material having a high latent heat on phase change is used to release latent heat to the fluid when the fluid temperature decreases towards a threshold value.

Method and apparatus for maintaining a minimum temperature in a fluid

A fluid sealing element, a fluid sealing assembly, a method of providing a fluid seal, and a method of terminating a flexible pipe body in an end fitting are disclosed. The fluid sealing element () has an annular body portion locatable between an end fitting body () and an inner collar member () of an end fitting, and a tapered portion extending substantially perpendicular to the annular body portion at a radially inner region thereof. The method includes urging a fluid retaining layer () of a flexible pipe radially outwardly against an abutment surface of the inner collar member of the end fitting.

Fluid sealing

Flexible pipe body for transporting fluids from a sub-sea location includes a carcass layer comprising adjacent interlocked annular elements each comprising a body portion that extends around an inner circumference of a bore region and a channel region provided within the body. A method of manufacturing flexible pipe body is also disclosed.

Flexible pipe having a carcass layer

A riser assembly for transporting fluids from a sub-sea location is disclosed. The riser assembly includes a riser having at least one segment of flexible pipe and a plurality of buoyancy compensating elements connected to the riser and connected together in an in-line configuration to form a mid-line buoyancy section. The riser assembly also includes at least one buoyancy aid connected to the riser at a position above and spaced apart from the mid-line buoyancy section. The at least one buoyancy aid forms a first distributed buoyancy section and is sufficiently buoyant to maintain a tension load on the riser between the first distributed buoyancy section and the mid-line line buoyancy section. The riser assembly further includes at least one further buoyancy compensating element connected to the riser at a position above and spaced apart from the first distributed buoyancy section to form a second distributed buoyancy section. The second distributed buoyancy section is configured to support a portion of the riser in a wave configuration.

Riser assembly and method of forming a riser assembly

An outer collar member of an end fitting for a flexible pipe. The apparatus comprises an outer collar body portion and an outer collar neck portion extending away from the outer collar body portion. The neck portion is arranged to be secured to a portion of flexible pipe body in a slotted position between layers of the flexible pipe body. The position is located between an outer sheath of the flexible pipe body and at least one armour layer of the flexible pipe body wherein the outer collar body portion comprises a curved inner surface region for determining a radius of curvature of wires of the armour layer bent away from an axis of the flexible pipe bodies and supported by the curved inner surface when the pipe body is mounted in the end fitting.

Flexible pipe end fitting

A buoyancy compensating element for connection to a flexible pipe and method of producing a buoyancy compensating element are disclosed for increasing or decreasing buoyancy of the portion of flexible pipe. The buoyancy compensating element includes a body portion; and a channel extending through the body portion for receiving a portion of flexible pipe, wherein the body portion and channel are configured such that when a portion of flexible pipe is received in the channel, the portion of pipe has increasing ability to flex towards an end of the channel.

Buoyancy compensating element and method

Flexible pipe body for transporting fluids from a sub-sea location, including a carcass layer comprising a plurality of independent hoop elements each comprising a body portion having a circular outer surface that circles around an inner circumference of a bore region of the flexible pipe, said body portion being arranged to interlock adjacent hoop elements together. A method of manufacturing flexible pipe body is also enclosed.

Flexible pipe including carcass layer

A method and apparatus for reducing fluid turbulence in a flexible pipe are disclosed. The method includes the steps of urging an elongate roll of liner material along a bore region provided by an inner surface of an innermost layer of a flexible pipe body, and at least partially unfurling the roll of liner material thereby extending the roll of liner material radially outwardly in the bore region into an abutting relationship against the inner surface of the carcass.

Reducing fluid turbulance in a flexible pipe

A method and apparatus for securing an end fitting to a flexible pipe body are disclosed. The method includes the steps of securing an open end of a portion of flexible pipe body to an inner collar member, urging an open mouth of a body portion of an end fitting towards the flexible pipe body and inner collar member and securing the end fitting body portion to the inner collar member.

Method for securing an end fitting to a flexible pipe body

A method and apparatus for securing wires of at least one armour layer of a portion of flexible pipe body in an end fitting is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of bending wires of at least one armour layer away from an axis of the flexible pipe body at a predetermined location, locating each wire of the armour layer in a respective groove formed in a contact surface of at least one of an inner collar member and an outer collar member of the end fitting and urging contact surfaces of the inner collar member and the outer collar member together to thereby lock wires of the armour layer in a fixed position at said predetermined location in the end fitting.

Method for securing wires of an armour layer of a flexible pipe body

A method and apparatus are disclosed for providing an end fitting for a flexible pipe. The apparatus comprises an end fitting body having an open mouth for receiving an open end of a portion of flexible pipe body and an inner collar member to which the end fitting body is securable. The inner collar member includes a collar body portion and a neck portion extending away from the collar body portion. When the end fitting body is secured to the collar member the neck portion of the collar member extends in an axial direction away from the end fitting body to a region proximate to where at least one armour wire layer of the flexible pipe body is located.

Growing community of inventors

Houghton le Spring, United Kingdom

George Karabelas