A process for the manufacture, assembly and continuous construction of tubular sections made of steel or polymer in individual pipelines with gradual movement that is designed to mechanize and automate a process substantially eliminating or mitigating existing inefficiencies and risks, considerably reducing the time vessels need to be moored at piers while paying extremely expensive daily rates, increasing the quality of welds, inspections and the entire process. The process including inside the manufactured unit one or more weld cabins and a series of support devices with synchronized driven and free wheels that carry the pipe segments while simultaneously enabling movement of the entire stalk without external interference, following the joining of several pipe segments (welded together), of variable length, in which the embodiments provided in the present invention enable each stalk to be approximately 1.2 km long or longer.

The present invention addresses to equipment for collecting flexible pipes without the use of special vessels, using less costly resources and which are not committed to not damaging such equipment during handling, since it is applied to pipes at the end of their useful life or that are already damaged. These types of pipes represent a major liability for some oil industry operators. The technology to be used, in phases of demobilization of fields or even for collecting pipes with no prospect of use, uses vessels with minimal adaptations that rely on the presence of collecting/launching wheels with a much smaller diameter when compared to the wheels used in conventional vessels or, alternatively, the launch of a special collection coil with its own traction means to make it possible to wind the abandoned pipes, in the same place where they are launched, with subsequent collection of the set and transshipment to the vessel itself.

A pipe testing apparatus is described. The apparatus comprises two pipe end holders, respectively to hold a first and a second end of a pipe section under test; a reeling former; a straightening former; and a translator to effect relative translational movement of the pipe and the reeling former and of the pipe and the straightening former to cause the pipe to move selectively into and out of contact with and to apply a contact force against one or other of the reeling former and the straightening former. Each pipe end holder comprises a pipe end connector and an extending arm extending beyond the pipe end connector in a pipe longitudinal direction; and a lateral actuator is provided in association with each extending arm to apply a transverse load to the arm at a point distal from the pipe end connector. A pipe testing method is also described.

A system for handling, storing and transportation of an elongated element, the system includes a basket suitable for rotation about a central vertical axis. The basket includes an interior upright wall surrounding the central vertical axis, an exterior upright wall spaced from and exterior to the interior upright wall. The interior and exterior upright walls are connected to a floor, thereby defining an open-topped chamber for receiving the elongated element. The system further includes a plurality of pedestals and a transportable drive unit. The basket, on a surface of the floor facing the plurality of pedestals and the transportable drive unit, is provided with interfaces which cooperate with corresponding interfaces provided in the plurality of pedestals and the transportable drive unit.

A transfer mechanism (28) for providing linear vertical displacement of a fitting (46) on a flexible tubular conduit (48). The transfer mechanism includes a clamping mechanism (34) adapted to connect and secure a fitting (46) on a flexible tubular conduit (48) to the transfer mechanism (28); and a conveyor system (30) configured to linearly displace the clamping mechanism (34) from a first position towards a second position.

A method for deployment of discrete lengths of flexible jumper pipes for installation subsea is provided, comprising coupling the jumper pipes together end-to-end thus forming a flexible train of jumper pipes, and winding the train of jumper pipes on a drum suitable for transport to a deployment site by a pipe-laying vessel. On site, the train of jumper pipes is unreeled from the drum until the first jumper pipe is lowered into the sea, then the drum is halted and the trailing end of the first jumper pipe is detached from the leading end of the second jumper pipe in the train of jumper pipes. The trailing end of the first jumper pipe is shifted to a lowering wire, and the first jumper pipe is lowered to the sea bottom. The process is repeated until the discrete lengths of flexible jumper pipes are individually lowered into the sea.

Novel and advantageous pipelay reel systems and methods for use in laying flexible or rigid pipe or tubing in on and offshore operations. The pipelay reel system may have a pipelay reel having a drum arranged between two flanges. At least one flange of the reel may have a chute configured to receive an adapter coupled to a starting end of the pipe to be spooled on the reel. An initiation line coupled to a winch and intersecting the flange chute may be used to position the adapter with respect to a receiving end of the flange chute, and the reel may be rotated to pull the adapter down the chute to a latching end of the chute. Moreover, a latch may be used to secure the adapter in the chute such that the pipe may be spooled onto the reel.

A method of making mechanically-lined pipe with primary expansion by plastically expanding a liner sleeve within an outer pipe, under lining pressure applied internally to the liner sleeve. On relieving the lining pressure, elastic radial contraction of the outer pipe makes a mechanical bond between the outer pipe and the liner sleeve. Then, secondary expansion of the outer pipe is performed under fixing pressure, which may be greater than the lining pressure, applied internally to the liner sleeve at an end portion of the pipe. This makes or strengthens a mechanical bond at the end portion. The resulting pipe joint has an end portion and a body portion inboard of the end portion. The body portion has a first, lesser bonding pressure between the outer pipe and the liner sleeve. The end portion has a second, greater bonding pressure between the outer pipe and liner sleeve.

A reelable pipeline includes a pipe-in-pipe section and a single pipe section coupled to the pipe-in-pipe section. The single pipe section has a bending stiffness that is different from the bending stiffness of the pipe-in-pipe section. The reelable pipeline includes a transition piece connected between the pipe-in-pipe section and the single pipe section and having a bending stiffness that varies along its length.

A T-piece preformer for forming a T-piece in a pipe-in-pipe (PIP) pipeline for a marine environment, the PIP pipeline has at least inner and outer pipes having an annular space thereinbetween, and one or more cables extending along the annular space. The T-piece preformer includes at least: (a) inner and outer longitudinal collars; (b) annular walls between the inner and outer collars; (c) cable apertures through each annular wall; and (d) one or more guide points on the outer collar radially offset from the or each cable apertures, to guidance for a hole into the T-piece performer. The T-piece preformer can be assembled into a PIP pipeline, and requires a final hole during laying. The T-piece preformer has cable apertures through each annular wall, for allowing continuation of cables in the annular space through the PIP pipeline and T-piece preformer, and the T-piece.