Patents Assigned to APL Technology AS
  • Patent number: 11072397
    Abstract: A suspension of axial turret bearing units in a turret bearing comprises a rail support structure mounted on a turret bearing support structure, a circular rail mounted on the rail support structure, a plurality of axial bearing units running on rail, a shaft for each axial bearing unit with the bearing unit attached to the outer end of the shaft, and an inner support structure for supporting the inner end of each shaft. The suspension further comprises an outer shaft suspension close to each bearing unit, comprising a collar with an inner width similar to the width of the shaft and an inner height higher than the height of the shaft, a transitional section connected to the collar, a plate section connected to the transitional section and fastened to a bearing support structure on the turret, wherein the plate section spreads applied loads on the structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: APL TECHNOLOGY AS
    Inventor: Sigmund Askestad
  • Publication number: 20210188402
    Abstract: The disclosed invention relates to a connecting system for connecting a mooring line to a body comprising a first part being attached to the mooring line and connected with a pin having two ends, to a second part being attached to the body and having an arrangement for guiding the pin into a hang-off structure in the second part where the hang-off structure substantially comprises at least one hook. The system is characterized by a connecting structure for a temporary pulling means mounted on the first part in transverse direction to its longitudinal axis and eccentrically to an axial center of gravity of the first part. The invention relates also to a method regarding the application of the system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2018
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Applicant: APL Technology AS
    Inventors: Svensen SVEN ATLE, Hovde GEIR OLAV
  • Patent number: 10982644
    Abstract: A power harvesting device comprising at least one rotor mounted rotatably on a corresponding fixture on a base structure is disclosed. The device is at least partially submerged in a moving fluid and arranged to convert tangential components of fluid dynamic forces of the moving fluid into a first torque component onto the rotor through rotor vanes. In addition, rotor blades are arranged on or between the first rotor vanes to deflect axially moving fluid into a tangential direction to create a second torque component onto the rotor in the same direction as said first torque component. A system comprising a plurality of power harvesting devices with common power transfer means is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: APL Technology AS
    Inventor: Geir Olav Hovde
  • Patent number: 10851923
    Abstract: A ball joint includes a suspension house comprising an inner side, a house neck and upper flange, wherein a bearing ring, having a liner fastened to its inner surface, and an upper mating surface fastened to the corresponding mating surface on the lower side of the house; a suspension ball, complementary to the inner side of the house, comprising a ball neck and lower flange, the ball having a recess on the inside of the ball, the recess comprising an inner seal ring positioned on a bias ring in the recess; the seal ring providing a seal contacting the inside of the house and a piston seal contacting the inner surface of the recess wherein the bias ring biases the seal ring parallel to the axis of the neck and away from the bias ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: APL Technology AS
    Inventor: Sigmund Askestad
  • Patent number: 10787232
    Abstract: A structural suspension of radial turret bearing wheels in a turret bearing comprises a rail support structure mounted on a turret bearing support structure, a circular rail mounted to the rail support structure, and a plurality of radial wheels running on the mainly vertical inner side of the rail. The suspension includes a vertical flexible shaft, for each radial wheel, supported by an upper and lower support with a part of the shaft protruding with the radial wheel mounted close to the outer end. The inner side of the rail is a frustum with the shortest radius at the top and an aperture of 2, and the outer mainly planar contacting surface of the wheel has an angle ? relative to the rotational axis of the wheel, and is overlaid with a convex curvature across the contacting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: APL Technology AS
    Inventor: Sigmund Askestad
  • Patent number: 10759501
    Abstract: A rail system for large turret bearing includes a turret bearing support structure, a rail support ring provided with a L-shaped cross section including an inward directed wedge mating face, at least two rings of radially elongated segment bolt holes, and an outermost ring of wedge bolt holes, a plurality of rail segments together forming a complete circle with an outer radius slightly smaller than the radius of the wedge mating face of the rail support ring. Each segment includes a sloped outer wedge mating surface, a downward facing contact surface with threaded bolt holes corresponding to the bolt holes in the rail support ring, an upper largely horizontal surface, and an inner largely vertical surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: APL TECHNOLOGY AS
    Inventor: Sigmund Askestad
  • Publication number: 20200269957
    Abstract: A mooring line length adjusting device and method is disclosed. The device is arranged for connecting lower and upper mooring line section to its respective ends and for adjusting the total length of the mooring line. The upper section of the mooring line includes a chain segment at its end connected to the device. The device includes a locking element to lock the chain segment to itself. A connecting structure for a temporary pulling mechanism to pull the device in a direction to transfer tension from the upper mooring line section to the temporary pulling mechanism is a part of the device. The method discloses steps and details how to use the device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Publication date: August 27, 2020
    Applicant: APL TECHNOLOGY AS
    Inventor: Geir Olav HOVDE
  • Patent number: 10633935
    Abstract: A device for coupling a riser comprises a flexible joint comprising flanges, a ball joint with a housing comprising a mating face; a connection pipe comprising flanges; a guide pipe comprising a hang off face; a hang off structure underneath a flange of the connection pipe comprising a coned section with a surface contacting the connection pipe, a spline having parts fitting into the connection pipe, hang off segments attached to the hang off structure, the segments providing a load transferring surface; and an adapter fastened to the flexible joint housing comprising a mating surface complementary to a mating surface of the flexible joint housing; support regions; a coned section above a support region, ending at a distance from the hang off structure and in contact with the connection pipe; at least one of the support regions and the flexible joint housing being in contact with the guide pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: APL TECHNOLOGY AS
    Inventor: Sigmund Askestad
  • Publication number: 20190359292
    Abstract: A rail system for large turret bearing includes a turret bearing support structure, a rail support ring provided with a L-shaped cross section including an inward directed wedge mating face, at least two rings of radially elongated segment bolt holes, and an outermost ring of wedge bolt holes, a plurality of rail segments together forming a complete circle with an outer radius slightly smaller than the radius of the wedge mating face of the rail support ring. Each segment includes a sloped outer wedge mating surface, a downward facing contact surface with threaded bolt holes corresponding to the bolt holes in the rail support ring, an upper largely horizontal surface, and an inner largely vertical surface. The rail system includes trapeze shaped wedges each with at least one bolt hole and corresponding bolt(s), adapted to be tightened down between the wedge mating face of the support ring and the sloped outer wedge mating surface of the segments, and rail bolts for fastening the rail segments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 17, 2017
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Applicant: APL TECHNOLOGY AS
    Inventor: Sigmund ASKESTAD
  • Patent number: 10422456
    Abstract: A hollow tube connector is used to make detachable fluid-tight connection of two connector parts. The tube connector includes a first connector part, wherein a first of its two axial ends is configured to connect to a pipeline on a vessel, and a second connector part, wherein a first of its two axial ends is configured to connect to a pipeline on an STP-buoy. The coupling surfaces of the second axial ends include a non-crossing groove circumferentially around the contact surfaces, and a groove located on one of the contact surfaces and having a mirror-imaged groove located on the other contact surface. The two opposite grooves form an encompassing cavity upon contact of the contact surfaces. At least one of the contact surfaces is tapered relative to an axis perpendicularly to a center axis and forms a pre-tensioned abutment which increases the resistance to relative motions between the contact surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: APL TECHNOLOGY AS
    Inventor: Sigmund Askestad
  • Patent number: 8418639
    Abstract: A mooring system for a vessel and a method of mooring a vessel are provided. The mooring system comprises a turret structure; a swivel unit mounted on the turret structure; a bearing assembly for rotatably mounting the turret structure at deck level of the vessel such that the turret structure extends into a moonpool of the vessel and such that the swivel unit is disposed above deck level; a plurality of conduits for fluid communication disposed in the turret structure; a buoy structure retrievable into the moonpool of the vessel and connectable to the turret structure; a locking assembly for mechanically locking the buoy structure to the turret structure; and wherein the turret structure is rotatable as one to align the conduits to corresponding riser valve structures on the buoy structure prior to mechanically locking the buoy structure to the turret structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: APL Technology AS
    Inventors: Alan Hooper, Balakrishna Menon, Camelia Dragu