Manufacturing and Installation of Insulated Pipes or Elements Thereof

Abstract

Insulated pipe systems or assemblies include a particulate, composite or monolithic insulating aerogel material. Techniques for installing or manufacturing such systems or assemblies are described, as are components useful in the installation or manufacture processes.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 049,483, filed on May 1, 2008, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 152,122, filed on Feb. 12, 2009, the contents of both being incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]In deep-water hydrocarbon (e.g. oil, gas or mixtures thereof) extraction, crude oil or gas is extracted from below the sea floor and transferred via a pipeline system to the surface of the water. It is critically important to maintain the temperature of the oil or gas flowing through the pipeline, which typically is extracted at elevated temperatures (e.g., 60-300° C.), at temperatures above about 40° C. to avoid the precipitation of solid materials and hydrates which can lead to plugging of the pipeline and can interfere with production. As the water temperature at great depths is slightly above freezing temperature (e.g, about 4° C.), provi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0021]In yet another embodiment, a method for producing a container includes filling a casing with a particulate insulating material; closing the casing to form a closed container; pressing the closed container in a mold to form a shaped container; and applying a vacuum to the shaped container to reduce the pressure inside the container.

[0026]The invention can be employed to simplify manufacturing and / or installation of pipe-in-pipe arrangements. In some aspects, the use of composite aerogel material wrapped around a flow pipe can eliminate the need for an outer pipe. Techniques disclosed herein facilitate assembly of insulating systems and are particularly useful in handling and sliding heavy piping. When the insulation material itself aids in stress transfer, the pipe-in-pipe design can be thinner and / or can include fewer bulkheads and / or spacers. As bulkheads and spacers are generally made of materials that are significantly weaker insulators when compared with insulating materials such as aerogels, reducing the number and / or width of these bulkheads and spacers over the length of the system will improve thermal performance while lowering cost and complexity.

[0027]By using a mechanical rather than an adhesive bond and by their “spring back” nature, materials used can spring back to their original form even after experiencing the type of compression that would destroy adhesive bonds used in conventional polyurethane foam systems, and consequently can continue to mechanically bond the system.

Problems solved by technology

While this method can be acceptable, once excessive force breaks the adhesive bond, the value of longitudinal load transfer (and, potentially, radial load transfer) is lost.

Many existing methods of insulating pipe-in-pipe assemblies remain deficient in numerous respects.

Pre-formed insulating panels and the like, of necessity retain gaps in insulation when placed within pipe-in-pipe assemblies, both between their opposing edges and between ends when laid end-to-end, allowing for heat transfer between inner and outer pipes, which reduces insulation efficiency and requires greater amounts of insulating materials.

Maintenance of reduced pressure within the annular space of some pipe-in-pipe assemblies places great demands on forming vacuum-tight assemblies and places the performance of the assembly at risk should the vacuum be compromised.

Some insulating materials such as polyurethane foam lose insulation efficiency and / or shape over service life.

Other insulating materials require the use of a larger diameter outer pipe to accommodate sufficient insulating material due to less efficient insulation capabilities.

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