Apparatus for controlling pipeline laying operations

Claim 1

An apparatus for laying a pipeline on a submerged surface, said apparatus comprising: floating vessel means; means for inducing movement of said floating vessel means generally along the route of a pipeline to be laid; support means on said floating vessel means operable to support an upper portion of a pipeline, with another portion of said pipeline being suspended between said floating vessel means and a submerged surface; said support means being operable to support said pipeline so that, a generally longitudinally extending portion of said pipeline, defining said upper portion and lying with a longitudinal median axis thereof in a generally vertical plane, is supported by said floating vessel means, and a generally longitudinally extending submerged portion of said pipeline, connected with and extending generally longitudinally of said upper portion and defining said other portion, extends downwardly to a submerged surface; and said support means including constraining means operable to generally fixedly maintain the longitudinal orientation of said axis of said upper portion of said pipeline in generally parallel relation to a linear direction of generally fixed axial orientation relative to said floating vessel means, gripping means operable to periodically grip an axial length of said generally fixedly axially oriented upper portion of said pipeline to substantially prevent movement, relative to said floating vessel means, of said axial length of said upper portion of said pipeline from said upper portion of said pipeline toward said submerged portion of said pipeline, pipeline lengthening means operable, while said gripping means is gripping said axial length of said generally fixedly axially oriented upper portion of said pipeline, to lengthen said upper portion of said pipeline, pipeline feeding means operable periodically, and alternately with the gripping of said axial length of said generally fixedly axially oriented upper portion of said pipeline by said gripping means, to constrain said axial length, while in said upper portion of said pipeline, to move relative to said floating vessel means from said upper portion of said pipeline toward said submerged portion of said pipeline while maintaining a longitudinal median axis of said axial length in generally parallel alignment with said direction of generally fixed axial orientation relative to said floating vessel means and in generally coplanar relation with said generally vertical plane of said upper portion of said pipeline, and force-transmitting means operable to transmit generally horizontally directed force, having at least a vector component generated on said floating vessel means and directed generally parallel to said generally vertical plane of said upper portion of said pipeline, from said floating vessel means to said generally fixedly axially oriented upper portion of said pipeline; aperture-defining means carried by said floating vessel means, with said pipeline passing therethrough; means operable to move said pipeline through said aperture; and detecting means operable to detect movement of said pipeline transversely of said aperture, with said movement of said pipeline transversely of said aperture being operable to indicate a level of force acting on said pipeline.

Claim 2

An apparatus for laying a pipeline on a submerged surface, said apparatus comprising: floating vessel means; means for inducing movement of said floating vessel means generally along the route of a pipeline to be laid; support means on said floating vessel means operable to support an upper portion of a pipeline, with another portion of said pipeline being suspended between said floating vessel means and a submerged surface; said support means being operable to support said pipeline so that, a generally longitudinally extending portion of said pipeline, defining said upper portion and lying with a longitudinal median axis thereof in a generally vertical plane, is supported by said floating vessel means, and a generally longitudinally extending submerged portion of said pipeline, connected with and extending generally longitudinally of said upper portion and defining said other portion, extends downwardly to a submerged surface; and said support means including constraining means operable to generally fixedly maintain the longitudinal orientation of said axis of said upper portion of said pipeline in generally parallel relation to a linear direction of generally fixed axial orientation relative to said floating vessel means, gripping means operable to periodically grip an axial length of said generally fixedly axially oriented upper portion of said pipeline to substantially prevent movement, relative to said floating vessel means, of said axial length of said upper portion of said pipeline from said upper portion of said pipeline toward said submerged portion of said pipeline, pipeline lengthening means operable, while said gripping means is gripping said axial length of said generally fixedly axially oriented upper portion of said pipeline, to lengthen said upper portion of said pipeline, pipeline feeding means operable periodically, and alternately with the gripping of said axial length of said generally fixedly axially oriented upper portion of said pipeline by said gripping means, to constrain said axial length, while in said upper portion of said pipeline, to move relative to said floating vessel means from said upper portion of said pipeline toward said submerged portion of said pipeline while maintaining a longitudinal median axis of said axial length in generally parallel alignment with said direction of generally fixed axial orientation relative to said floating vessel means and in generally coplanar relation with said generally vertical plane of said upper portion of said pipeline, and force-transmitting means operable to transmit generally horizontally directed force, having at least a vector component generated on said floating vessel means and directed generally parallel to said generally vertical plane of said upper portion of said pipeline, from said floating vessel means to said generally fixedly axially oriented upper portion of said pipeline; aperture-defining means carried by said floating vessel means, with said pipeline passing therethrough; means operable to move said pipeline through said aperture; and detecting means operable to detect movement of said pipeline transversely of said aperture, with said movement of said pipeline transversely of said aperture being operable to indicate a level of force acting on said pipeline.

Claim 4

An apparatus for laying a pipeline on a submerged surface, said apparatus comprising: floating vessel means; vessel propulsion means for inducing movement of said floating vessel means generally along the route of a pipeline to be laid; support means on said floating vessel means operable to support an upper portion of a pipeline, with another portion of said pipeline being suspended substantially as a catenary between said floating vessel means and a submerged surface; said support means being operable to support said pipeline so that, a generally longitudinally extending portion of said pipeline, defining said upper portion and lying with a longitudinal median axis thereof in a generally vertical plane, is supported by said floating vessel means, and a generally longitudinally extending submerged portion of said pipeline, connected with and extending generally longitudinally of said upper portion and defining said other portion, extends downwardly to a submerged surface; and said support means including constraining means operable to generally fixedly maintain the longitudinal orientation of said axis of said upper portion of said pipeline in generally parallel relation to a linear direction of generally fixed axial orientation relative to said floating vessel means, gripping means operable to periodically grip an axial length of said generally fixedly axially oriented upper portion of said pipeline to substantially prevent movement, relative to said floating vessel means, of said axial length of said upper portion of said pipeline from said upper portion of said pipeline toward said submerged portion of said pipeline, pipeline lengthening means operable, while said gripping means is gripping said axial length of said generally fixedly axially oriented upper portion of said pipeline, to lengthen said upper portion of said pipeline, pipeline feeding means operable periodically, and alternately with the gripping of said axial length of said generally fixedly axially oriented upper portion of said pipeline by said gripping means, to constrain said axial length, while in said upper portion of said pipeline, to move relative to said floating vessel means from said upper portion of said pipeline toward said submerged portion of said pipeline while maintaining a longitudinal median axis of said axial length in generally parallel alignment with said direction of generally fixed axial orientation relative to said floating vessel means and in generally coplanar relation with said generally vertical plane of said upper portion of said pipeline, and force-transmitting means operable to transmit generally horizontally directed force, having at least a vector component generated on said floating vessel means and directed generally parallel to said generally vertical plane of said upper portion of said pipeline, from said floating vessel means to said generally fixedly axially oriented upper portion of said pipeline; aperture-defining means carried by an intermediate portion of said floating vessel means, with said pipeline passing therethrough; means operablE to move said pipeline generally downwardly through said aperture; and detecting means operable to detect movement of said pipeline transversely of said aperture, with said movement of said pipeline transversely of said aperture being operable to indicate a level of force acting in said pipeline indicative of the configuration of said catenary.

Claim 5

An apparatus for laying a pipeline on a submerged surface, said apparatus comprising: floating vessel means; vessel propulsion means for inducing movement of said floating vessel means generally along the route of a pipeline to be laid; support means on said floating vessel means operable to support an upper portion of a pipeline, with another portion of said pipeline being suspended substantially as a catenary between said floating vessel means and a submerged surface; said support means being operable to support said pipeline so that, a generally longitudinally extending portion of said pipeline, defining said upper portion and lying with a longitudinal median axis thereof in a generally vertical plane, is supported by said floating vessel means, and a generally longitudinally extending submerged portion of said pipeline, connected with and extending generally longitudinally of said upper portion and defining said other portion, extends downwardly to a submerged surface; and said support means including constraining means operable to generally fixedly maintain the longitudinal orientation of said axis of said upper portion of said pipeline in generally parallel relation to a linear direction of generally fixed axial orientation relative to said floating vessel means, gripping means operable to periodically grip an axial length of said generally fixedly axially oriented upper portion of said pipeline to substantially prevent movement, relative to said floating vessel means, of said axial length of said upper portion of said pipeline from said upper portion of said pipeline toward said submerged portion of said pipeline, pipeline lengthening means operable, while said gripping means is gripping said axial length of said generally fixedly axially oriented upper portion of said pipeline, to lengthen said upper portion of said pipeline, pipeline feeding means operable periodically, and alternately with the gripping of said axial length of said generally fixedly axially oriented upper portion of said pipeline by said gripping means, to constrain said axial length, while in said upper portion of said pipeline, to move relative to said floating vessel means from said upper portion of said pipeline toward said submerged portion of said pipeline while maintaining a longitudinal median axis of said axial length in generally parallel alignment with said direction of generally fixed axial orientation relative to said floating vessel means and in generally coplanar relation with said generally vertical plane of said upper portion of said pipeline, and force-transmitting means operable to transmit generally horizontally directed force, having at least a vector component generated on said floating vessel means and directed generally parallel to said generally vertical plane of said upper portion of said pipeline, from said floating vessel means to said generally fixedly axially oriented upper portion of said pipeline; aperture-defining means carried by an intermediate portion of said floating vessel means, with said pipeline passing therethrough; means operablE to move said pipeline generally downwardly through said aperture; and detecting means operable to detect movement of said pipeline transversely of said aperture, with said movement of said pipeline transversely of said aperture being operable to indicate a level of force acting in said pipeline indicative of the configuration of said catenary.