FLOATABLE PIPE COMBINATION

Abstract

A floatable pipe combination has a plastic pipe having a rear longitudinal end, on which a rear flange region is formed, and a front longitudinal end, on which a front flange region is formed, a closing cover arranged on the rear longitudinal end, and a closing cover arranged on the front longitudinal end. A pulling device is arranged on the closing cover. At least on the front longitudinal end, a flange protection with an outer protective covering is arranged. The outer protective covering is formed to radially project with respect to the outer diameter of the plastic pipe.

Claims

1. A floatable pipe combination (1) comprising: a plastic pipe (3) having a rear longitudinal end (4), on which a rear flange region (7) is formed, and a front longitudinal end (2), on which a front flange region (6) is formed; a closing cover (12) arranged on the rear longitudinal end (4); a closing cover (10) arranged on the front longitudinal end (2), wherein a pulling device (11) is arranged on the closing cover (10), wherein at least on the front longitudinal end (2), a flange protection (8) with an outer protective covering (9) is arranged, wherein the outer protective covering (9) is formed to radially project with respect to the outer diameter (5) of the plastic pipe (3).

2. The floatable pipe combination according to claim 1, wherein the front flange region (6) and/or the rear flange region (7) comprises a lapped flange (18), which is supported on a welding neck (17), and that the outer protective covering (9) of the flange protection (8) is screwed together with the lapped flange (18).

3. The floatable pipe combination according to claim 1, wherein the outer protective covering (9) is formed in its base shape as a rotational body, in particular as a torus, which is open on its side facing the center of rotation and accommodates the flange area (6, 7).

4. The floatable pipe combination according to claim 3, wherein the outer protective covering (9) spans the closing cover (12, 10), the welding neck (17) and the lapped flange (18) in a semicircle.

5. The floatable pipe combination according to claim 3, wherein the outer protective covering (9) comprises a first covering part (41) and a second covering part (42), wherein the first covering part (41) is arranged in the region of the lapped flange (18) and the second covering part (42) is arranged in the region of the closing cover (12, 10).

6. The floatable pipe combination according to claim 4, wherein the outer protective covering (9) is coupled to the flange region (7, 6) by means of a fastening means, in particular a threaded rod (20), wherein in the lapped flange (18) and in the closing cover (12, 10) through-bores (19) are formed which are penetrated by the threaded rod (20) and wherein on the threaded rod (20) inner clamping nuts (21) are arranged by means of which the closing cover (12, 10) and the lapped flange (18) are clamped to each other and wherein the outer protective covering (9) is clamped between outer clamping nuts (26) and the inner clamping nuts (21).

7. The floatable pipe combination according to claim 6, wherein clamping rings or clamping ring segments (27) are arranged between the outer clamping nuts (26) and the outer protective covering (9).

8. The floatable pipe combination according to claim 1, wherein the outer protective covering (9) is formed from a plastic material, in particular a thermoplastic material.

9. The floatable pipe combination according to claim 8, wherein the outer protective covering (9) is formed from polyethylene.

10. The floatable pipe combination according to claim 1, wherein the outer protective covering (9) comprises individual protective covering segments (29), which are welded together to form the outer protective covering (9).

11. The floatable pipe combination according to claim 1, wherein the flange protection (8) comprises an internal protective body (33), in particular a rubber hose, which encloses the circumference of the flange region (7, 6).

12. The floatable pipe combination according to claim 1, wherein a centering ring (35) is arranged on an inner end face (22) of the closing cover (10) arranged on the front longitudinal end (2).

13. The floatable pipe combination according to claim 1, wherein a pulling shackle (13) is coupled to the closing cover (10) arranged at the front longitudinal end (2), wherein a pivot bearing (14) is formed between the pulling shackle (13) and the closing cover (10) such that the pulling shackle (13) is arranged on the closing cover (10) so as to be rotatable relative to the closing cover (10).

14. The floatable pipe combination according to claim 1, wherein stiffening ribs (40) are arranged on the outer protective covering (9) on its radially outer side (38) and/or on its radially inner side (39).

15. The floatable pipe combination according to claim 1, wherein the outer protective covering (9) has a wall thickness (28) of between 5 mm and 25 mm.

16. A method for producing a floatable pipe combination (1) according to claim 1, comprising the following method steps: providing a plastic pipe (3) having a rear longitudinal end (4), on which a rear flange region (7) is formed, and a front longitudinal end (2), on which a front flange region (6) is formed; mounting a closing cover (12) to the rear longitudinal end (4) of the plastic pipe (3); mounting a closing cover (10) to the front longitudinal end (2) of the plastic pipe (3); mounting an outer protective covering (9) of a flange protection (8) to the front longitudinal end (2) of the plastic pipe (3).

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the closing cover (12, 10) is mounted to the front longitudinal end (2) of the plastic pipe (3) by means of threaded rods (20) and inner clamping nuts (21) and that subsequently in the course of the method individual protective covering segments (29) are mounted to the threaded rods (20) by means of outer clamping nuts (26) and that the individual protective covering segments (29) are welded together to form the outer protective covering (9).

Description

[0035] For the purpose of better understanding of the invention, it will be elucidated in more detail by means of the figures below.

[0036] These show in a respectively very simplified schematic representation:

[0037] FIG. 1 a perspective view of a first exemplary embodiment of a floatable pipe combination;

[0038] FIG. 2 a further perspective view of the first exemplary embodiment of the floatable pipe combination;

[0039] FIG. 3 a sectional top view of the first exemplary embodiment of the flange connection with flange protection;

[0040] FIG. 4 a sectional view in isometric view of the flange connection with flange protection;

[0041] FIG. 5 a sectional view in isometric view of a closing cover;

[0042] FIG. 6 a sectional top view of a second exemplary embodiment of the flange connection with flange protection;

[0043] FIG. 7 a sectional top view of a third exemplary embodiment of the flange connection with flange protection.

[0044] First of all, it is to be noted that in the different embodiments described, equal parts are provided with equal reference numbers and/or equal component designations, where the disclosures contained in the entire description may be analogously transferred to equal parts with equal reference numbers and/or equal component designations. Moreover, the specifications of location, such as at the top, at the bottom, at the side, chosen in the description refer to the directly described and depicted figure and in case of a change of position, these specifications of location are to be analogously transferred to the new position.

[0045] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first exemplary embodiment of a floatable pipe combination 1 in two different views, wherein FIG. 1 shows a front longitudinal end 2 of a plastic pipe 3 in the foreground and FIG. 2 shows a rear longitudinal end 4 of the plastic pipe 3 in the foreground. In this respect, the plastic pipe 3 is shown in a shortened form and thus cut in the middle.

[0046] The plastic pipe 3 can for example have an outer diameter 5 of between 100 mm and 5,000 mm, in particular between 400 mm and 4,000 mm. The structure according to the invention of the pipe combination 1 has proved particularly advantageous for plastic pipes 3 with a large diameter.

[0047] The plastic pipes 3 are preferably laid directly in waters, for example in a sea. In this regard, it can in particular be provided for that the plastic pipes 3 serve for the transport of large amounts of sea water, for example for cooling power stations and/or tanks. Due to the structure of the floatable pipe combination 1, the plastic pipes 3 can be transported over long distances directly at the open sea and/or on a water by means of a towing vessel.

[0048] The plastic pipes 3 can have a large longitudinal extent of several hundreds of meters up to a length of approximately 1,000 meters.

[0049] In particular, it is provided for that the plastic pipes 3 have a front flange region 6 and a rear flange region 7, on which several ones of the plastic pipes 3 are screwed together to form a continuous pipe connection in the application area. In order to protect this flange region 6, 7 during transport of several floating pipe combinations 1, a flange protection 8 is provided. The flange protection 8 has an outer protective covering 9 surrounding the flange region 6, 7 and thus protecting it from damage by the adjacent pipe.

[0050] The floatable pipe combination 1 further comprises a closing cover 10 which has a pulling device 11 and is arranged on the front longitudinal end 2 of the plastic pipe 3. In this regard, the pulling device 11 serves for being able to connect the pipe combination 1 to a ship intended for pulling the pipe combination 1 by means of pull rope.

[0051] Furthermore, a rear closing cover 12 serving for closing the rear longitudinal end 4 of the plastic pipe 3 is formed. The two closing covers 10, 12 can also be referred to as blind flange, and serve for being able to water-tightly close off the inside of the plastic pipe 3. This allows for a cavity filled with air to be provided at the inside of the plastic pipe 3, whereby the pipe combination 1 becomes floatable.

[0052] The front closing cover 10 and the rear closing cover 12 can, as can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, have different structures. In an alternative, not depicted embodiment variant of the pipe combination 1, it can also be provided for that the front closing cover 10 and the rear closing cover 12 have like structures.

[0053] As can be seen particularly well from FIG. 1, the pulling device 11 of the front closing cover 10 has a pulling shackle 13 serving for connecting a pull rope to the closing cover 10. The pulling shackle 13 is preferably coupled to the front closing cover 10 by means of a pivot bearing 14.

[0054] It can further be provided for that the front closing cover 10 has stiffening ribs 15, which serve for stiffening the closing cover 10, to be able to absorb tensile forces. This can particularly be necessary since the pulling shackle 13 is arranged at the center of the front closing cover 10 and the force is introduced into the plastic pipe 3 at its outer diameter.

[0055] As can be seen from FIG. 2, it can be provided for that access openings 16, which can for example be used for a pressure test and/or a tightness test of the floatable pipe combination 1, are arranged in the rear closing cover 12. The access openings 16 are closed by a blind flange in the floatable state of the pipe combination 1.

[0056] FIGS. 3 and 4 show a longitudinal section of the plastic pipe 3 in the region of the front longitudinal end 2, wherein a normal view onto the intersection was selected in FIG. 3 and the intersection is represented in a perspective view in FIG. 4.

[0057] As can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4, it can be provided for that a welding neck 17, which serves for holding a lapped flange 18, is arranged on the plastic pipe 3. In this regard, the welding neck 17 is welded together with the end face of the plastic pipe 3. The formation of the welding neck 17 and/or lapped flange 18 is to allow for connecting several ones of the plastic pipes 3 to one another by means of a screw connection. For this purpose, through-bores 19, which serve for holding the screw connection, are arranged in the lapped flange 18.

[0058] As can particularly well be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4, it is provided for that the pipe combination 1 comprises the flange protection 8, in particular the protective covering 9, serving for protection of the flange region 6.

[0059] The closing cover 10 can also comprise through-bores 19 having the same hole pattern as the through-bores 19 in the lapped flange 18.

[0060] In particular, it can be provided for that the closing cover 10 is screwed together with the lapped flange 18 by means of a threaded rod 20 and by means of inner clamping nuts 21. In this regard, for sealing the plastic pipe 3, it can be provided for that a seal 24 is arranged between an inner end face 22 of the closing cover 10 and an end face 23 of the welding neck 17. It can further be provided for that a washer or circlip 25 is arranged between the inner clamping nut 21 and the lapped flange 18 and/or between the inner clamping nut 21 and the closing cover 10.

[0061] It can further be provided for that the outer protective covering 9 is clamped relative to the inner clamping nut 21 by means of an outer clamping nut 26 in each case. In this regard, the outer protective covering 9 can span the lapped flange 18, the welding neck 17 and the closing cover 10. Moreover, clamping rings or clamping ring segments 27 can be provided, which are arranged between the outer clamping nut 26 and the outer protective covering 9 and serve for even application of forces into the outer protective covering 9. The clamping rings or clamping ring segments 27 can be formed from a metallic material such as steel. In particular, it can be provided for that several clamping ring segments 27 are arranged so as to be distributed across the circumference.

[0062] Moreover, washers or circlips 25 can also be arranged between the outer clamping nut 26 and the clamping rings or clamping ring segments 27.

[0063] In a further embodiment variant which is not depicted, it can also be provided for that clamping rings or clamping ring segments 27 are also arranged between the inner clamping nut 21 and the outer protective covering 9.

[0064] As can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4, it can also be provided for that the outer protective covering 9 has a constant wall thickness 28. In this respect, the wall thickness 28 is measured such that outer protective covering 9 can be produced with amount of material required can be kept as low as possible and, despite this, the wall thickness 28 is sufficiently large for the outer protective covering 9 to absorb corresponding impact loads.

[0065] As can be seen from FIG. 4, it can be provided for that the outer protective covering 9 is formed from individual protective covering segments 29, which are welded together to form the outer protective covering 9.

[0066] The individual protective covering segments 29 can for example be produced by means of injection molding or by means of deep drawing. In particular, it can be provided for that the individual protective covering segments 29 are selected such as regards their dimensions that they can be produced in a common injection molding machine or deep drawing machine.

[0067] As can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4, it can also be provided for that the outer protective covering 9 is formed toroidally, wherein the side of the torus facing the center is open and serves for holding the flange region 6.

[0068] Furthermore, fastening lugs 30 can be attached to the torus, these being penetrated by through-bores 31 and serving for clamping by means of the threaded rod 20.

[0069] A radius 31 of the circle segment forming the cross-section of the torus is preferably selected so large that the outer protective covering 9 is at a sufficient distance from the flange region 6, in particular from the lapped flange 18 and from the welding neck 17, in order to be able to protect these from damage even if the outer protective covering 9 is deformed by force.

[0070] As can further be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4, it can additionally be provided for that an internal protective body 33 is formed, which is arranged on the outside of the welding neck 17 as seen radially. The internal protective body 33 can be formed by a hose, which is also placed toroidally around the welding neck 17. It can in particular be a rubber hose with a larger wall thickness.

[0071] The internal protective body 33 can be additionally filled with compressed air or another medium to achieve an additional damping effect for the outer protective covering 9. The internal protective body 33 serves in particular to form a further damping unit in the event of excessive deformation of the outer protective covering 9 in order to prevent the outer protective covering 9 from coming into contact with the lapped flange 18 or with the welding neck 17. So as to allow for the greatest possible amount of energy to be absorbed at the outer protective covering 9, it is provided for that the outer protective covering 9 is arranged at a distance 34 from the internal protective body 33.

[0072] To be able to center the closing cover 10 during mounting on the plastic pipe 3, a centering ring 35 arranged on the inner end face 22 of the closing cover 10 can be provided.

[0073] FIG. 5 shows a perspective sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of the closing cover 10. As can be seen from FIG. 5, it can be provided for that lifting lugs 36, which serve for manipulating and positioning the closing cover 10, are arranged on the closing cover 10. It can further be provided for that the pulling device 11 is coupled to the closing cover 10 by means of a flange connection. In this regard, the pulling device 11 can also have stiffening ribs 15. It can further be provided for that outlet bores 37, which serve for dewatering of the closing cover 10 are arranged in the flange region between the pulling device 11 and the closing cover 10.

[0074] From FIG. 5, the pivot bearing 14 for rotatably holding the pulling shackle 13 can well be seen, too.

[0075] FIGS. 3 and 4 serve for description of the method for producing a plastic pipe 3 and/or the pipe combination 1.

[0076] Preferably, it can be provided for that the plastic pipe 3 is extruded from the extrusion machine into water located in the vicinity of the extrusion machine. In order to keep the plastic pipe 3 floatable, the front end face of the plastic pipe 3 in the extrusion process is closed with a sealing balloon, which allows for the plastic pipe 3 to be continuously led into the water.

[0077] Once the maximum extrusion length, for example 600 meters, is reached, the extrusion process is stopped. Subsequently, the last extruded region of the plastic pipe 3 is cut off and a lapped flange 18 is pushed onto the plastic pipe 3 in this region. Subsequently, a welding neck 17 is welded to the cut-off end of the plastic pipe 3. Hence, the front flange region 6 is formed. Then, the front closing cover 10 can be placed on the end face 23 of the welding neck 17 while inserting the seal 24 and screwed to the lapped flange 18 by means of threaded rods 20 and inner clamping nuts 21.

[0078] In a further method step, the individual protective covering segments 29 can be screwed to the threaded rod 20 by means of the outer clamping nuts 26 and thus form the base shape of the outer protective covering 9. Subsequently, the individual protective covering segments 29 can be welded together to be connected to form a stable protective covering 9.

[0079] In an alternative embodiment variant, it can be provided for that the individual protective covering segments 29 are at least partly already welded together prior to mounting to the threaded rods 20 and are subsequently attached to the threaded rods 20 in larger partial segments. Subsequently, the remaining open brackets can be welded together between the individual protective covering segments 29.

[0080] In yet another exemplary embodiment, it is also conceivable that the outer protective covering 9 is produced from one piece or is completely prefabricated before mounting on the plastic pipe 3.

[0081] In yet another embodiment variant, it can also be provided for that the internal protective body 33 is arranged around the flange region 6 prior to mounting of the outer protective covering 9.

[0082] FIG. 6 shows a further and possibly independent embodiment of the pipe combination 1, wherein again, equal reference numbers and/or component designations are used for equal parts as in FIGS. 1 through 5 above. In order to avoid unnecessary repetitions, it is pointed to/reference is made to the detailed description in FIGS. 1 through 5 preceding it.

[0083] As can be seen from FIG. 6, it can be provided for that stiffening ribs 40 are arranged on the radial outside 38 of the outer protective covering 9 and/or on the radial inside 39 of the outer protective covering 9, which additionally serve to absorb absorption energy. Several stiffening ribs 40 can be arranged so as to be evenly distributed across the circumference.

[0084] FIG. 7 shows a further and possibly independent embodiment of the pipe combination 1, wherein again, equal reference numbers and/or component designations are used for equal parts as in FIGS. 1 through 5 above. In order to avoid unnecessary repetitions, it is pointed to/reference is made to the detailed description in FIGS. 1 through 5 preceding it.

[0085] As can be seen from FIG. 7, it can be provided for that the outer protective covering 9 comprises a first covering part 41 and a second covering part 42, which together form the shape of the outer protective covering 9. Such covering parts have the advantage that they can be designed to save material and/or can be easily mounted on the plastic pipe 3. In addition to this, it can be provided for that the individual covering parts 41, 42 are coupled to one another by means of a connecting rib 43. Several ones of these connecting ribs 43 can be arranged so as to be evenly distributed across the circumference.

[0086] The exemplary embodiments show possible embodiment variants, and it should be noted in this respect that the invention is not restricted to these particular illustrated embodiment variants of it, but that rather also various combinations of the individual embodiment variants are possible and that this possibility of variation owing to the teaching for technical action provided by the present invention lies within the ability of the person skilled in the art in this technical field.

[0087] The scope of protection is determined by the claims. However, the description and the drawings are to be adduced for construing the claims. Individual features or feature combinations from the different exemplary embodiments shown and described may represent independent inventive solutions. The object underlying the independent inventive solutions may be gathered from the description.

[0088] All indications regarding ranges of values in the present description are to be understood such that these also comprise random and all partial ranges from it, for example, the indication 1 to 10 is to be understood such that it comprises all partial ranges based on the lower limit 1 and the upper limit 10, i.e. all partial ranges start with a lower limit of 1 or larger and end with an upper limit of 10 or less, for example 1 through 1.7, or 3.2 through 8.1, or 5.5 through 10.

[0089] Finally, as a matter of form, it should be noted that for ease of understanding of the structure, elements are partially not depicted to scale and/or are enlarged and/or are reduced in size.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0090]

TABLE-US-00001 1 pipe combination 2 front longitudinal end 3 plastic pipe 4 rear longitudinal end 5 outer diameter plastic pipe 6 front flange region 7 rear flange region 8 flange protection 9 outer protective covering 10 front closing cover with pulling device 11 pulling device 12 rear closing cover 13 pulling shackle 14 pivot bearing 15 stiffening rib closing cover 16 access openings 17 welding neck 18 lapped flange 19 through-bore 20 threaded rod 21 inner clamping nut 22 inner end face closing cover 23 end face welding neck 24 seal 25 washer or circlip 26 outer clamping nut 27 clamping ring or clamping ring segment 28 wall thickness outer protective covering 29 protective covering segments 30 fastening lug 31 radius 32 through-bore fastening lug 33 internal protective body 34 distance 35 centering ring 36 lifting lug 37 outlet bore 38 radial outside outer protective covering 39 radial inside outer protective covering 40 stiffening rib 41 first covering part 42 second covering part 43 connecting rib