Brown & Root, Inc.

William S Tillinghast

Clyde Earvin Nolan, Jr

William R Rochelle

John Paul Soland

An offshore pipeline installation comprises a wellhead base and a pipeline anchor connected together to form a unit which is lowered onto a seabed. The anchor is pivotably positionable relative to the wellhead base about a vertical axis of a pilot tube. A pin pile is inserted through the tube and into the seabed to isolate the pipeline anchor from the wellhead and wellhead base in relation to forces generated in anchoring a pipeline to the pipeline anchor. The anchor is selectively positionable for alignment with pipeline means to be laid, and may include a socket mounted for pivotal movement about one or more, axis. The socket is operable to receive pipeline means laid away from the anchor. The anchor may further include a ramp which is inclined relative to horizontal. The ramp is positionable generally laterally relative to the lay path of the pipeline means so that pipeline means laid upon the ramp gravitates downwardly toward clamp means at the foot of the ramp.

Methods and apparatus for anchoring offshore pipeline

The invention relates to a device for removing material from a submerged surface. The apparatus has a liquid manifold which supports downwardly directed liquid jets to dig or remove material and upwardly directed liquid jets to impel the removed material into the interior of a material removing housing and a gas manifold having a plurality of air jets to help urge the material into and through the material removing housing. Means are provided for dividing the liquid and gas manifolds into zones and for directing all of the supplied liquid and gas to one or more zones of the respective manifolds to either intensify and localize the effect of the fluids or to maintain the device in an operable condition when the source of gas and/or liquid is partially impaired.

Bottom jetting device

Apparatus and methods for purging water from a submerged pipeline including means for handling pipeline 'pigs' (i.e., sphere, plug, or other device movable through a pipeline interior in sliding peripheral engagement therewith). In the system of the invention a pig launcher is attached at a first pipeline means end and a pig receiver is attached at a second, submerged pipeline means end. The pig launcher is operable to propel a plurality of pig elements in sequence through the pipeline under the urging of pressurized gas in order to displace fluid and/or locate obstructions. The pig receiver is arranged to exhaust such displaced fluid and receive and store the propelled pig elements. The pig receiver may include a fluid discharge system for exhausting propulsion gas into the ambient water in response to the arrival of a pig element and thus provide means to signal such arrival. The pig launcher may include a fluid discharge system for exhausting pressurized propulsion gas into the ambient water to signify a successful pig launch.

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Humble, TX, United States of America

William S Tillinghast