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:
May. 01, 1984
Filed:
May. 28, 1982
Mohamed G Abdallah, Houston, TX (US);
William M McDonald, Houston, TX (US);
Exxon Production Research Co., Houston, TX (US);
Abstract
A method and apparatus for the remote recovery of submerged pipelines is disclosed. The operations are entirely controlled by an operator located on a lay barge or other floating vessel. A buoy and cables are manipulated from the lay barge to deploy equipment to a submerged pipeline. To utilize the invention, an alignment cable is threaded through a pipe alignment frame and is then connected to a buoy. The pipe alignment frame is lowered by the alignment cable into an operational relationship with the submerged pipeline. Once the pipe alignment frame is in an operational relationship with the submerged pipeline, the alignment cable is slackened and the buoy and attached alignment cable rise to the water surface. Cutting equipment connected to a retrieval cable is connected to the alignment cable. The cutting equipment is lowered to a predetermined location relative to the pipe alignment frame and attached pipeline by taking in the alignment cable while paying out the retrieval cable. The cutting equipment is activated to sever the pipeline. Once the pipeline has been severed, the cutting equipment is raised to the lay barge by taking in the retrieval cable while paying out the alignment cable. To recover the pipeline, a pipeline lift head connected to a retrieval cable is connected to the alignment cable. The alignment cable is taken in while the retrieval cable is paid out to lower the lift head in the water until the lift head is inserted into the severed pipeline end. A stabbing guide attached to the lift head facilitates the insertion of the lift head into the pipeline. The lift head is remotely actuated to grip the pipeline and the retrieval cable is taken in to recover the pipeline to the water surface.