Method and device for applying protective sheeting of polymer material to a pipeline

Abstract

A method of applying protective sheeting of polymer material to a pipeline, the method including the steps of advancing a carriage along an annular path extending about the longitudinal axis of the pipeline; extruding the protective sheeting on the carriage; winding the protective sheeting, as the protective sheeting is extruded, about a cutback on the pipeline; and plastifying the polymer material on board the carriage.

Claims

1. A polymer material protective sheeting application device comprising: a carriage configured to move along an annular path extending about a longitudinal axis of a pipeline, said carriage configured to apply a protective sheeting to a cutback on a pipeline; a frame including two facing and spaced apart grippers, each of the grippers having a first sector and two second sectors which are hinged to the first sector about a hinge axis parallel to the longitudinal axis, wherein: the first sector and the two second sectors are complementary with one another to define a ring, the first sector and the two second sectors are configured to be operated by a plurality of actuators to rotate between a closed position and an open position to grip and release the pipeline, and in the closed position, the first sector and the two second sectors of each of the grippers define a circular guide configured to guide the carriage; and a plastifying and extrusion assembly including a storage tank, a plastifying device, and an extrusion head with an extrusion port, said plastifying and extrusion assembly mounted on the carriage, wherein: said plastifying and extrusion assembly is configured to: (i) plastify a polymer material from which the protective sheeting is made, and (ii) extrude the protective sheeting on board the carriage, said storage tank is configured to store the plastified polymer material on board the carriage, and said plastifying device is configured to supply a smaller amount of the polymer material than a capacity amount of the extrusion head.

2. The polymer material protective sheeting application device of claim 1, wherein the plastifying and extrusion assembly is mounted on the carriage and configured to rotate about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pipeline to remotely adjust a distance between the extrusion port and the cutback.

3. The polymer material protective sheeting application device of claim 2, wherein the plastifying and extrusion assembly includes a blade hinged to the extrusion head and configured to: cut the extruded protective sheeting at the extrusion port, and close the extrusion port.

4. The polymer material protective sheeting application device of claim 1, further comprising a rolling assembly hinged to the carriage and including a roller configured to press the protective sheeting onto the cutback.

5. The polymer material protective sheeting application device of claim 4, wherein the rolling assembly includes: an articulated link, and an actuator configured to: adjust a pressure exerted by the roller on the protective sheeting and adjust a position of the roller with respect to the cutback.

6. The polymer material protective sheeting application device of claim 4, wherein the roller is contoured and includes: a central portion, two lateral portions smaller in diameter than a diameter of the central portion, and a groove formed in the central portion to adapt the roller to a shape of a central weld bead on the cutback.

7. The polymer material protective sheeting application device of claim 4, wherein the roller is powered to rotate about an axis of the roller.

8. The polymer material protective sheeting application device of claim 1, wherein the first sector and the two second sectors each include adjustable spacers facing the pipeline and configured to be positioned contacting the pipeline, wherein said adjustable spacers are adjusted to center the frame on the pipeline.

9. The polymer material protective sheeting application device of claim 1, wherein the carriage includes: two facing, sector-shaped plates, and two beams connecting the two facing, sector-shaped plates, wherein an outer face of each of the two facing, sector-shaped plates is fitted with a plurality of rollers configured to engage the circular guide.

10. The polymer material protective sheeting application device of claim 9, wherein the first sector and the two second sectors of each of the grippers define a circular rack which cooperates with the carriage to move the carriage in a first direction.

11. The polymer material protective sheeting application device of claim 10, wherein the outer face of each of the two facing, sector-shaped plates is fitted with a plurality of rollers configured to engage the circular guide and a pinion operated by an actuator and configured to engage the circular rack to move the carriage along the annular path.

12. A polymer material protective sheeting application device comprising: a carriage configured to move along an annular path extending about a longitudinal axis of a pipeline, said carriage configured to apply a protective sheeting to a cutback on a pipeline; a rolling assembly hinged to the carriage and including a roller configured to press the protective sheeting onto the cutback; a frame including two facing and spaced apart grippers, each of the grippers having a first sector and two second sectors which are hinged to the first sector about a hinge axis parallel to the longitudinal axis, wherein: the first sector and the two second sectors are complementary with one another to define a ring, the first sector and the two second sectors are configured to be operated by a plurality of actuators to rotate between a closed position and an open position to grip and release the pipeline, the first sector and the two second sectors each include adjustable spacers facing the pipeline and configured to be positioned contacting the pipeline to center the frame on the pipeline, and in the closed position, the first sector and the two second sectors of each of the grippers define a circular guide configured to guide the carriage; and a plastifying and extrusion assembly including a storage tank, a plastifying device, and an extrusion head with an extrusion port, said plastifying and extrusion assembly mounted on the carriage, wherein: said plastifying and extrusion assembly is configured to: (i) plastify a polymer material from which the protective sheeting is made, (ii) extrude the protective sheeting on board the carriage, and (iii) rotate about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pipeline to remotely adjust a distance between the extrusion port and the cutback, said storage tank is configured to store the plastified polymer material on board the carriage, and said plastifying device is configured to supply a smaller amount of the polymer material than a capacity amount of the extrusion head.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIGS. 1 and 2 show sections, with parts removed for clarity, of pipe sections at various joining stages;

(3) FIGS. 3 and 4 show larger-scale sections, with parts removed for clarity, of pipe sections at various stages in the method according to the present disclosure;

(4) FIG. 5 shows a view in perspective, with parts removed for clarity, of the device configured to apply protective sheeting of polymer material according to the present disclosure;

(5) FIG. 6 shows a larger-scale side view, with parts removed for clarity, of a component part of the FIG. 5 device;

(6) FIGS. 7 and 8 show larger-scale views in perspective, with parts removed for clarity, of a carriage of the FIG. 5 device;

(7) FIG. 9 shows a view in perspective, with parts removed for clarity, of a detail of the device;

(8) FIG. 10 shows a schematic of the control system of the FIG. 5 device;

(9) FIGS. 11, 12, 13 and 14 show schematics, with parts removed for clarity, of an operating sequence of the FIG. 5 device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(10) Referring now to the example embodiments of the present disclosure illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 14, numbers 1 in FIG. 1 indicate two pipe sections, each of which comprises a metal cylinder 2; a first coating 3 of polymer material, normally polyethylene or polypropylene, contacting and for corrosion proofing metal cylinder 2; and a second coating 4 of Gunite or concrete for ballast.

(11) In an alternative embodiment (not shown), the pipe sections have no second coating.

(12) Each pipe section 1 has two opposite free ends 5 (only one shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) with no first coating 3 or second coating 4. First coating 3 has a bevel 6 at each free end 5. Two successive pipe sections 1, aligned along a longitudinal axis A1 (FIG. 1), are positioned with free ends 5 together, parallel and facing each other, and are welded, possibly in a number or quantity of passes at successive work stations, to form an annular weld bead 7 in between (FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 2, the two welded pipe sections 1 form a cutback 8 extending along longitudinal axis A1, between bevels 6 on first coating 3, and along annular weld bead 7.

(13) When joined, pipe sections 1 form a pipeline indicated generically by P, and which, in the present description, also includes the pipeline being constructed and formed, for example, by only two joined pipe sections 1.

(14) In addition to welding metal cylinders 2, joining pipe sections 1 also comprises restoring first coating 3 and possibly also second coating 4. Restoring first coating 3 comprises grit-blasting the surface of cutback 8; induction heating cutback 8 to roughly 250 C.; and applying in rapid succession onto cutback 8 a first coat 9, a second coat 10, and a third coat 11 of polymer material (FIG. 3).

(15) As shown in FIG. 3, first coat 9 is a 100-500 micron thick coat of epoxy resin (FBEfusion bonded epoxy) sprayed in powdered form onto cutback 8 using a spray gun (not shown). Second coat 10 is a 100-500 micron thick coat of modified copolymer, normally CMPE or CMPP, sprayed in powdered form on top of first coat 9 on cutback 8 using a spray gun (not shown). And third coat 11 is a 2-5 mm thick coat of polymer, such as polyolefin, CMPE or CMPP, applied by winding a single piece of protective sheeting 12 of polymer material about cutback 8 at a work station 13, as shown in FIG. 5. In the example shown, protective sheeting 12 is wound about cutback 8 at station 13 (FIG. 5), is wider than cutback 8 (measured along longitudinal axis A1FIG. 2) so as to overlap first coatings 3 and bevels 6 of both joined pipe sections 1, and is long enough to wind completely about cutback 8 and overlap at the ends.

(16) Protective sheeting 12 is actually extruded as the protective sheeting is wound about pipeline P.

(17) With reference to FIG. 4, second coating 4 is restored with a coat of cement C.

(18) Number 14 in FIG. 5 indicates a device configured to plastify the polymer material from which protective sheeting 12 is made, and configured to extrude and simultaneously wind protective sheeting 12 about pipeline P.

(19) Constructing pipeline P, in particular on board a laying vessel (not shown), comprises feeding pipeline P in steps in a direction D1 parallel to longitudinal axis A1; and fixing device 14 to pipeline P at cutback 8. Device 14 is located at work station 13, and comprises a frame 15; a carriage 16 movable along frame 15; a plastifying and extrusion assembly 17 mounted on carriage 16; a rolling assembly 18 mounted on carriage 16; a hopper 19 configured to feed solid polymer material to plastifying and extrusion assembly 17; and a control unit 20 connected to carriage 16. Frame 15 comprises two facing grippers 21 spaced apart; and beams 22 for rigidly connecting grippers 21. Each gripper 21 is annular, and has one sector 23 and two sectors 24 complementary with one another to define a ring. Sectors 23 of grippers 21 are connected rigidly to one another by beams 22; and the two sectors 24 of each gripper 21 are hinged to corresponding sector 23 about hinge axes parallel to longitudinal axis A1, and are operated by actuators 25 to rotate from the closed position in FIG. 6 to an open position (not shown) to release device 14 from pipeline P. Sectors 23, 24 have adjustable spacers 26 facing and configured to be positioned contacting pipeline P, and which are adjusted accurately to centre frame 15 on pipeline P.

(20) As shown in FIG. 6, in the closed position, sectors 23, 24 of each gripper 21 define a circular guide 27 for carriage 16 (FIG. 5); and a circular rack 28 which cooperates with carriage 16 (FIG. 5) to move carriage forward.

(21) As shown in FIG. 5, frame 15 is configured to selectively connect device 14 to pipeline P; to centre guides 27 with respect to longitudinal axis A1 of pipeline P; and to support and guide carriage 16 along an annular path.

(22) As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, carriage 16 comprises two actuators 29 configured to move carriage 16 forward; two facing, sector-shaped plates 30; and two beams 31 connecting facing plates 30. The outer face of each plate 30 is fitted with rollers 32 configured to engage guide 27 (FIG. 6); and a pinion 33 operated by respective actuator 29 and configured to engage rack 28 (FIG. 6) to move carriage 16 along the annular path about pipeline P (FIG. 5). Carriage 16, in fact, serves to support and move plastifying and extrusion assembly 17 and rolling assembly 18 about pipeline P (FIG. 5).

(23) As shown in FIG. 9, plastifying and extrusion assembly 17 comprises a plastifying device 34, a storage tank 35, and an extrusion head 36, which, in one embodiment of the disclosure, form a single rigid block mounted on carriage 16, between plates 30, to rotate about an axis A2 parallel to longitudinal axis A1 (FIG. 7), to adjust the position of extrusion head 36 with respect to pipeline P (FIG. 5). For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 7, plastifying and extrusion assembly 17 is connected to carriage 16 by an actuator 37 configured to accurately adjust the position of plastifying and extrusion assembly 17 about axis A2.

(24) As shown in FIG. 9, plastifying device 34 is a screw type driven by a motor 38 and reducer 39, and comprises a cylinder 40, in turn comprising a portion 43, and a portion 41 with a feed port 42. Portion 41 is, in at least one embodiment, cooled by a water circuit, and portion 43 is, in at least one embodiment, heated by electric resistors. Cylinder 40 is connected by a U-fitting to storage tank 35, which comprises a chamber 44, such as a cylinder, in which a piston 45 is operated, in at least one embodiment, by a electromagnetic drive 46 to alter the volume of storage tank 35. In one embodiment, the rod (not shown) of piston 45 is defined by a screw operated by a helical gear (not shown).

(25) To reduce its size and weight, plastifying device 34 is configured to supply a maximum amount of soft polymer material smaller than the maximum capacity of extrusion head 36.

(26) Extrusion head 36 comprises a slit-shaped extrusion port 47 configured to form protective sheeting 12 of the required width and thickness, and is connected directly to storage tank 35. Plastifying and extrusion assembly 17 also comprises a blade 48 fitted to extrusion port 47 of extrusion head 36 to selectively cut the extruded protective sheeting 12, and which is operated by an actuator 49 fitted to extrusion head 36, and also serves to close extrusion port 47 to prevent the soft polymer material from dripping.

(27) As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, rolling assembly 18 is fitted to carriage 16, and comprises a roller 50; a supporting structure 51 fitted adjustably to carriage 16; an articulated link 52, in particular an articulated quadrilateral, connecting roller 50 to supporting structure 51; and an actuator 53 between articulated link 52 and supporting structure 51. Supporting structure 51 provides for accurately adjusting the position of the whole of rolling assembly 18 with respect to carriage 16.

(28) As shown in FIG. 8, rolling assembly 18 comprises an actuator 54 fitted to the articulated link; and a transmission 55 configured to connect actuator 54 to roller 50, and rotate roller 50 at selectively adjustable speeds and in opposite directions. Roller 50 is made of rigid material, such as metal, and has a contoured profile substantially defined by a central portion 56 configured to contact cutback 8, and by two smaller-diameter lateral portions 57 configured to contact protective sheeting 12 at coating 3. Roller 50 has a contoured groove 58 formed in central portion 56 to adapt the roller to the shape of annular weld bead 7 (FIG. 3).

(29) As shown in FIG. 5, hopper 19 is located over device 14, and is connectable selectively to feed port 42 to feed the solid, such as granular, polymer material to plastifying device 34 when carriage 16 is in a rest position over pipeline P.

(30) As shown in FIG. 10, control unit 20 is connected to actuators 25 to selectively open and close sectors 24; to actuators 29 to move carriage 16 along the annular path; to actuator 37 to adjust the tilt of plastifying and extrusion assembly 17; to motor 38 configured to drive plastifying device 38; to drive 46 of piston 45; to actuator 49 of blade 48; to actuator 53 configured to adjust the position of roller 50; and to actuator 54 configured to rotate roller 50.

(31) Control unit 20 is also connected to thermocouples TC fitted to the whole of plastifying and extrusion assembly 17 to keep the soft polymer material at the temperatures required to plastify and feed the polymer material to extrusion port 47; and to temperature sensors T and pressure sensors P fitted to plastifying and extrusion assembly 17 to determine the condition of the soft polymer material and adjust thermocouples TC accordingly.

(32) As shown in FIG. 5, carriage 16 is connected to a cable bundle 59, which comprises signal cables, power cables, compressed-air feed pipes, and cooling circuit pipes configured to cool feed port 42.

(33) With reference to FIG. 5, in actual use, pipeline P, when released from device 14, moves one step forward with respect to device 14 in direction D1 parallel to longitudinal axis A1. At this stage, carriage 16 is in the rest position over pipeline P, and the hopper feeds the polymer material to plastifying device 34, which plastifies and feeds the polymer material to storage tank 35. Moving pipeline P forward takes much longer than to extrude and apply protective sheeting 12, so the time allotted to plastify the polymer material is long enough to employ a relatively small plastifying device 34 to plastify enough polymer material for protective sheeting 12. Next, device 14 is clamped to pipeline P, with extrusion head 36 positioned over cutback 8 (FIG. 2).

(34) With reference to FIG. 11, in the rest position, extrusion port 47 is located to one side, in an upper quadrant of the annular path, and roller 50 is located a given or designated distance from pipeline P. At the initial extrusion stage, carriage 16 (i.e., extrusion head 36), is maintained stationary in the rest position, and a first portion of protective sheeting 12 is extruded and drops freely by gravity into a position between pipeline P and roller 50. With reference to FIG. 12, when the first portion of protective sheeting 12 is located between pipeline P and roller 50, roller 50 is activated to press the protective sheeting against pipeline P. At this point, carriage 16 (i.e., extrusion head 36), can start moving along the annular path, so infeed of the solid polymer material is cut off, and plastification continues as long as there is polymer material inside plastifying device 34.

(35) With reference to FIG. 13, as carriage 16 moves forward, extrusion of protective sheeting 12 continues by gradually expelling the soft polymer material from storage tank 35 through extrusion head 36 and extrusion port 47. Roller 50 is moved in time with carriage 16, so as to roll over and press protective sheeting 12 onto pipeline P without generating shear stress in protective sheeting 12, which is still soft when applied. The speed of piston 45 is also synchronized with the speed of carriage 16 to form protective sheeting 12 of constant thickness. At this stage, the protective sheeting 12 being extruded is kept substantially taut between the extrusion port and the grip point between roller 50 and pipeline P, so that protective sheeting 12 is pressed firmly onto pipeline P to prevent air being trapped between the pipeline and protective sheeting 12, and which would be hard to expel once protective sheeting 12 is applied.

(36) Particularly effective is adjusting the travelling speed of carriage 16, and therefore the speed of piston 45 and the rolling speed of roller 50, as a function of the position of carriage 16. In fact, the speed with which protective sheeting 12 is applied is affected by two factors connected with the position of carriage 16 and therefore of protective sheeting 12 itself: the force of gravity on protective sheeting 12 issuing from extrusion port 47; and the fragile nature of the soft protective sheeting 12. The position of extrusion port 47 with respect to pipeline P therefore affects the form of protective sheeting 12, and carriage 16 must be accelerated or decelerated at given or designated points along the annular path. This variation in speed may conveniently be programmed, for example, by dividing the path into sectors and assigning each a given or designated travelling speed.

(37) For the same reasons, and to prevent protective sheeting 12 from contacting pipeline P downstream from the grip point by roller 50, the distance between extrusion port 47 and pipeline P when applying protective sheeting 12 is conveniently adjusted as a function of the position of carriage 16.

(38) Given the width of protective sheeting 12, one turn of carriage 16 about pipeline P is enough to restore first coating 3 (FIG. 3). In actual fact, carriage 16 travels over 360 to enable roller 50 to compress and possibly overlap the opposite ends of protective sheeting 12 as shown in FIG. 14.

(39) With reference to FIG. 14, once extruded, protective sheeting 12 is cut by blade 48, which closes extrusion port 47 to prevent the soft polymer material from dripping.

(40) At this point, carriage 16 is returned to the initial rest position (FIG. 11), travelling along the annular path in the opposite direction (clockwise in FIG. 14) to that travelled when applying protective sheeting 12. At this stage, roller 50 is kept pressed against protective sheeting 12 and rolled in the opposite direction.

(41) When carriage 16 reaches the initial rest position, device 14 is released from pipeline P to enable carriage to move freely with respect to device 14; and plastifying and extrusion assembly 17 is ready to start the next cycle.

(42) Clearly, changes may be made to the preferred embodiment described of the present disclosure without, however, departing from the protective scope of the accompanying Claims. That is, various changes and modifications to the presently disclosed embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present subject matter and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.