Equipment for connection of subsea pipelines in block architecture and oil drilling system

Abstract

Equipment for connection of subsea pipelines for oil and gas fields includes one machined block manifold having at least one fluid import spindle of side input, one stop valves set provided on a surface of machined block manifold, which also receives a header and branches, a point for line support and device for subsea installation, subsea line or pipeline. This set is installed on a foundation frame in sea soil and will be part of an oil drilling system.

Claims

1. An apparatus for connection of subsea pipelines in block architecture, comprising: a machined block manifold having: a manifold block; at least one fluid import spindle of side input coupled to the manifold block; at least one stop valves set located inside and coupled to a surface of the manifold block; a header and branches machined in the manifold block; and at least a point for line support and a device for subsea installation of the apparatus and a subsea line or pipeline coupled directly to the manifold block.

2. The apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is installed on a foundation frame to be installed on sea soil.

3. The apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein said device for subsea installation is an eyebolt fully fixed or articulated to the machined block manifold.

4. The apparatus, according to claim 3, wherein said eyebolt is configured for lifting the apparatus for installation.

5. The apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein the subsea line or pipeline is directly fixed on the manifold block of machined block manifold.

6. The apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein there is no jumper or spool connection.

7. The apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is used in oil wells in the seabed and has the function of extracting or injecting fluids and other services.

8. An oil drilling system, having four drilling wells, the oil drilling system comprising: at least one machined block manifold having: a manifold block; at least one fluid import spindle of side input coupled to the manifold block; at least one stop valves set located inside and coupled to a surface of manifold block; a header and branches machined in the manifold block; and at least one point for line support and a device for subsea installation of the apparatus and a subsea line or pipeline coupled directly to the manifold block.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) The equipment for connection of subsea pipelines in block architecture according to the present invention may be well understood with the description of the other attached schematic figures, which in a non-limiting or restrictive way of the structure developed, illustrate:

(2) FIG. 1schematic diagram of a state of the art manifold, spool or jumper, and pipeline end termination.

(3) FIG. 2a perspective view of a typical pipeline end termination known in the art.

(4) FIG. 3a front cut view of the typical pipeline end termination of FIG. 2.

(5) FIG. 4a schematic diagram of a typical four wells system with a manifold interconnected to four wet Christmas trees, a jumper or spool connected to conventional pipeline end termination equipment.

(6) FIG. 5schematic diagram of architecture for connection of lines or subsea pipelines according to present invention.

(7) FIG. 6perspective view of the equipment for connection of lines or subsea pipelines object of the present invention.

(8) FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the equipment for connection of lines or subsea pipelines shown in FIG. 6, showing the manifold in block.

(9) FIG. 8perspective view of the equipment for connection of lines or subsea pipelines object of the present invention in installation of the first end where it is suspended by the subsea line or pipeline.

(10) FIG. 9perspective view of the equipment for connection of lines or subsea pipelines object of the present invention in installation of the second end where the equipment is suspended by the eyebolt.

(11) FIG. 10Schematic diagram of the oil drilling system according to the invention for four wells.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(12) Essentially, in FIG. 5 is illustrated the simplified schematic architecture diagram of the equipment for connection of subsea pipelines in block architecture according to the present invention, for use in four wells. It will be noted, then, that the equipment has been significantly simplified to only include connection between fluid import spindle (11) and subsea line or duct (14), assembled in the manifold block (13) which is provided with stop valves (12). As can further be seen, the flow of the fluid to be transported will occur in the sense (11)-(12)-(13)-(14),the reverse flow being used in applications for injection or service systems. It is noteworthy that the stop valves (12) are located inside the block (13) and thus protected.

(13) With such equipment configuration according to the present invention, the subsea line or pipeline will be attached directly to the valve block and no longer to the line support structure as occurs in a typical prior art design shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

(14) In FIGS. 6 and 7, it is observed that the equipment for connection of subsea pipelines in block architecture according to the present invention comprises a machined block manifold (13) provided with at least one side input import/export fluid spindle (11), a stop valves set (12) provided on the surface of said machined block manifold (13), which also receives the main and header pipes and machined branches, line support point and device for subsea installation (17) and the subsea line or pipeline (14). This whole set is able to be installed on a foundation frame in sea soil (15).

(15) Referring to FIG. 8, it is observed that the equipment is provided with an eyebolt (16), fixed or pivotally integral with that of the machined block manifold (13). Said eyebolt (16) is used for equipment lifting and therefore reduces structural function only to the foundation in sea soil. A direct consequence of this new equipment configuration of present invention is the withdrawal of any metallic support structure through a framework to support the tube/umbilical tension, consequently reducing the weight of the equipment. Still referring to FIG. 8, is illustrated the lifting position of the first end of the line with the second end is suspended or not yet completed, while in FIG. 9 the position of installing the second end of the line is illustrated, with the first end already resting on the ground. Thus, the structuring of the equipment according to the present invention will take the weight of the umbilical to be supported by the machined block (13) itself.

(16) The internal cleaning operation of the lines or subsea pipelines will also be possible with this new concept, using curve bore machining that meets the minimum radius of the pigs normally used for this, as well as pig leading bars at intersections between the holes.

(17) In relation to the scenario described as prior art and represented in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the equipment for connection of subsea pipelines object of the present invention comprises significant advantages related, not limitatively, to the reduction of the quantity of subsea equipment, or even the elimination of some of these. In this way, jumper or spool (5), as well as its subsea connectors (6), can be removed from the equipment, thereby increasing system reliability and decreasing undesirable points of leakage. As a result, the spindle and isolation valves (4) and (7) of the header (3) can also be removed, since their main functionality is no longer essential.

(18) Further, the equipment for connection of subsea pipelines object of the present invention comprises further advantages over prior art equipment such as, for example: valve block supporting greater stress during line installation, reducing the function of the structure only to the foundation. there is no welded component exposed to high line stresses, increasing system reliability. reduction of the number of parts of the equipment, such as valves, connectors, spindles, pipes, sealing elements. significant reduction of equipment weight, making transportation, production and installation easy. reduction of manufacturing time, assembly, test, mechanical integration and subsea installation. serves a larger number of oil wells simultaneously.

(19) Considering all the above-mentioned effects and advantages it would be conclusive that the equipment for connection of subsea pipelines equipment according to the present invention converges to a final design with fewer components, in addition to requiring less welded components. It is known to those skilled in the art that welding processes, especially those for applications where high work loads are required, are generally expensive to execute, requiring even heat treatments for stress relief.

(20) Table 1 below illustrates objectively the comparison of the approximate weights for a typical prior art system and for the corresponding equipment for connection of subsea pipelines equipment according to the present invention.

(21) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Weight of structural components Typical System Invention Invention Equipment (4 Wells) (4 Wells) (6 Wells) Weight (t) Manifold 30 N/A N/A Jumper or Spool 8 N/A N/A PLET 25 30 38 Total Systema 63 30 38

(22) The present invention also relates to an oil drilling system, for example, for field application containing four wells, comprising an equipment composed of a forged block with internal valves, horizontal connectors connected to the production shafts, a header to drain the production through the production line of the platform (or coming from other subsea equipment, e. g., manifold or PLET) and a tool that allows the interconnection of this equipment with other PLETs or other subsea equipment for a future expansion of the field of production to more than four wells.

(23) A typical oil drilling system for field application containing four wells is shown in FIG. 10. In this it will be seen that said four well system comprises at least one machined block manifold (13) provided with at least one side input fluid import spindle (11), at least one stop valves set (12) provided on the surface of said machined block manifold (13), which also receives the main pipe or header and machined branches, said system further comprising at least one line support point and device for subsea installation (17), as well as an subsea line or pipeline (14).

(24) As can thus be appreciated, the equipment object of the present invention has great versatility to be used in oil drilling fields, providing, in addition to the important technical advantages mentioned above, the possibility of being installed as a basic unit, and then having necessity to increase the extension of the oil drilling field, to be modulated to meet a larger number of wells, without requiring a significant increase in manufacturing time, assembly, tests, mechanical integration and installation in the subsea bed. This facility will be evident to those skilled at the art and admittedly a great advantage for oil drilling companies.