The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 05, 2022
Filed:
May. 18, 2017
Applicant:
Acergy France Sas, Suresnes, FR;
Inventors:
Assignee:
Acergy France SAS, Suresnes, FR;
Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
F16L 1/16 (2006.01); F16L 1/24 (2006.01);
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
F16L 1/163 (2013.01); F16L 1/24 (2013.01);
Abstract
A method of providing buoyancy to a subsea structure such as a pipeline bundle includes attaching to the structure a rigid elongate buoyancy tube that defines a floodable envelope. The envelope is arranged to contain a mass of buoyant macrospheres. Multiple openings penetrate a tubular wall of the buoyancy tube, in fluid communication with a void that extends between the macrospheres inside the tube. The void floods via the openings when the buoyancy tube is submerged, whereupon the macrospheres apply buoyant upthrust to the surrounding buoyancy tube and hence to the subsea structure to which the tube is rigidly attached.