Patents Assigned to National Oilwell Varco Denmark I/S
  • Patent number: 9772053
    Abstract: The invention relates to an unbonded flexible pipe with a longitudinal axis and which comprises from inside outwards a carcass formed by metal windings with gaps between neighboring windings, at least one covering tape and an inner sealing sheath of a polymer extruded onto the covering tape. The covering tape is helically wound with a winding direction defining a tape length direction and a tape width direction perpendicular to the tape length direction. The covering tape comprises lengthwise continuous filament yarns arranged in the tape length direction of the covering tape. The covering tape has a thickness direction perpendicular to the tape length direction. The warp yarns have a thickness determined in the thickness direction of the covering tape of about 100 ?m or less, such as of about 50 ?m or less, such as from about 5 to about 25 ?m.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO DENMARK I/S
    Inventor: Inger-Margrete Procida
  • Patent number: 9701369
    Abstract: The invention relates to an offshore top site system comprising a subsea facility, a floating unit arranged above the subsea facility and at least one transportation line extending between the subsea facility and the floating unit. The transportation line comprises a catenary riser section and comprises an uppermost end and a top site section with a lowermost end. The catenary riser section and the top site section are in flow connection with each other. The transportation line further comprises a connecting portion preferably arranged within a vertical floating unit zone and between the top site section and the uppermost end of the riser section. The connection portion is pivotally connected to the floating unit. The connection portion is preferably pivotally connected to the floating unit such that at least a major part of pulling force from the riser section is alleviated by the connection to the floating unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO DENMARK I/S
    Inventor: Morten Storgaard Nielson
  • Patent number: 9587773
    Abstract: A unbonded flexible pipe with a length and a longitudinal axis is described. The pipe comprises an innermost sealing sheath defining a bore, at least one armor layer surrounding the inner sealing sheath and at least one optical fiber containing layer, wherein the optical fiber containing layer comprises at least one tape and at least one optical fiber arranged with a length of at least about 3 times the length of the flexible pipe. In an embodiment the optical fiber is incorporated into the at least one tape of said optical fiber containing layer to provide an integrated fiber tape where advantageously the optical fiber is arranged with S-shaped folds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO DENMARK I/S
    Inventors: Alexandros Nokkentved, Bo Asp Moller Andersen, Niels Juul, Nicky Weppenaar, Kristian Glejbol
  • Patent number: 9580972
    Abstract: An unbonded flexible armored pipe for transportation of fluids. The pipe has a center axis and a length and includes a carcass and an innermost sealing sheath with an inner surface surrounding the carcass. The carcass includes at least one elongate armor element wound to surround the center axis with a winding angle to the center axis defining a winding direction and a supporting surface facing towards the inner surface of the innermost sealing sheath and with a supporting surface radius Sr. The supporting surface includes a primary surface area and a plurality of restraining regions in the form of orifices in and/or protuberances and/or indentations from the primary surface area, wherein the restraining regions each have a length determined along the winding direction of the elongate armor element which is up to about Sr times ?.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO DENMARK I/S
    Inventors: Christian Ditlev Cappeln, Christian Emil Skaaning
  • Patent number: 9562633
    Abstract: The invention relates to a flexible pipe comprising an axis and a tubular innermost sealing sheath surrounding said axis, said innermost sealing sheath being surrounded by at least one outer armoring layer. The innermost sealing sheath has an inner side which is the side of the innermost sealing sheath comprising said axis. On the inner side of said innermost sealing sheath the flexible pipe comprises at least one carcass comprising a plurality of annular armoring members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO DENMARK I/S
    Inventors: Mads Thygesen, Rasmus C. Ostergaard, Kim Steen Olsen, Kristian Glejbol, Morten Storgaard Nielsen
  • Patent number: 9523446
    Abstract: The invention relates to an unbonded flexible pipe for subsea transportation of fluids. The pipe has a length and comprises a tubular inner sealing sheath defining a bore and an axis of the pipe. In a pipe length section it comprises a second sealing sheath surrounding the inner sealing sheath and forming an annulus between the inner sealing sheath and the second sealing sheath. The annulus provides a primary maintaining passage along the length of the pipe length section with a first and a second end. The pipe comprises at least one secondary maintaining passage along the length of the pipe with a first and a second end. The secondary maintaining passage is arranged with an axial distance which is larger than the axial distance of the inner sealing sheath.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO DENMARK I/S
    Inventors: Kristian Kassow, Kristian Glejbøl
  • Patent number: 9482372
    Abstract: The invention relates to a flexible unbonded pipe for sub sea fluid transfer. The pipe comprises an inner sealing sheath defining a bore and a center axis. Inside the inner sealing sheath the pipe comprises a carcass. The pipe further comprises a pair of reinforcement layers consisting essentially of helically wound elongate armoring elements of fiber reinforced polymer material. The elongate armoring elements of the innermost of the pair of reinforcement layers are wound in a first winding direction with an angle ? to the center axis, and the elongate armoring elements of the outermost of the pair of reinforcement layers are wound in a second winding direction with an angle ? to the center axis, wherein ???f?/2, ? is about 65° or less. The pipe preferably comprises an anti-creep layer placed between the inner sealing sheath and the innermost of the pair of reinforcement layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO DENMARK I/S
    Inventor: Kristian Glejbol
  • Patent number: 9482373
    Abstract: The invention relates to an unbonded flexible pipe with a length and a longitudinal axis. The pipe comprises an inner sealing sheath defining a bore, a pressure armor layer, an intermediate sealing sheath and a tensile armor. The pressure armor layer comprises at least one elongate metal element arranged with pressure armor gaps and is arranged in an annulus provided between the inner sealing sheath and the intermediate sealing sheath. The tensile armor is arranged on the outer side of the intermediate sealing sheath. Either the intermediate sealing sheath forms a drainage layer or the unbonded flexible pipe further comprises a drainage layer arranged in the annulus. The drainage layer comprises at least one drainage path arranged along the length of the pipe, wherein the drainage path is in fluid communication with the pressure armor gaps. The drainage layer optionally comprises a perforated tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO DENMARK I/S
    Inventor: Kristian Glejbol
  • Patent number: 9458956
    Abstract: The invention relates to a flexible armored pipe for transportation of fluids, comprising an inner sealing sheath and at least one displacement reduced armor layer comprising a plurality of elongate elements comprising at least a female type elongate element comprising at least one recess in each opposite side and a male type elongate element comprising at least one protruding tongue in each opposite side and wherein each of the female type and the male type elongate elements are substantially symmetrical in a symmetry line substantially normal to the inner sealing sheath when the pipe is in a non-bended state and where said protruding tongues of said male type elongate element windings are engaged in said recesses of adjacent female type elongate element windings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2016
    Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO DENMARK I/S
    Inventors: Jonas Gudme, Kristian Glejbol, Christian Ditlev Cappeln
  • Patent number: 9395022
    Abstract: The invention relates to a unbonded flexible pipe and a method for manufacturing such pipe. The unbonded flexible pipe has a length and a center axis along its length, and comprises an internal sealing sheath around its center axis, a carcass arranged inside the internal sealing sheath, and at least one armor arranged around the internal sealing sheath. The carcass comprises at least one helically wound elongate carcass reinforcement element providing a plurality of carcass reinforcement element windings along the length of the pipe wherein the carcass reinforcement element windings surround and/or are surrounded by a polymer structure, which polymer structure locks said carcass reinforcement element windings relative to each other. Accordingly the carcass reinforcement element windings need not be directly interlocked with each, but are mainly or totally locked to each other by the polymer structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2016
    Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO DENMARK I/S
    Inventor: Kristian Glejbol
  • Patent number: 9315245
    Abstract: The invention relates to an offshore system for transferring fluid at least partly below sea surface. The offshore system comprises a flexible transporting unit and a first movable structure fix-point with a nominal position and a second structure fix-point arranged at a distance to seabed and at a lower position relative to the sea surface than the first structure fix-point. The flexible transporting unit is fixed to respectively the first structure fix-point and the second structure fix-point to provide a catenary liftable length section of the flexible transporting unit extending between the first structure fix-point and the second structure fix-point, wherein the catenary liftable length section has a touch down point at seabed at nominal position and where the distance to the second structure fix-point can be increased sufficiently to lift the catenary liftable length section from the seabed to form a catenary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO DENMARK I/S
    Inventor: Claus Dencker Christensen
  • Patent number: 9303463
    Abstract: The invention relates to a riser for transporting fluid between an upper facility and a subsea facility. The riser has a center axis and a length along the center axis and comprises an unbonded flexible metal armored riser section and an unbonded flexible composite armored riser section arranged in fluid connection to each other. The metal armored riser section comprises at least two cross-wound tensile armor layers each comprising a plurality of helically wound elongate metal armor elements wound with a winding angle of about 60 degree or less relative to the center axis. The composite armored riser section comprises at least one tensile armor layer comprising a plurality of helically wound elongate composite armor elements wound with a winding angle of about 60 degree or less relative to the center axis. The invention also relates to an offshore system comprising such riser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO DENMARK I/S
    Inventors: Kristian Glejbol, Niels J. Rishoj Nielsen
  • Patent number: 9188254
    Abstract: An unbonded flexible pipe for transportation of fluids and comprising a tubular inner sealing sheath defining a bore. At least one armor layer surrounds the inner sealing sheath and a carcass is arranged in the bore to support the inner sealing sheath. The carcass comprises at least one profiled elongate element, which is helically wound to form directly and/or indirectly engaging elongate element windings along the length of the pipe. The carcass provides a quasi fluid permeable inner wall of the bore with discontinuities between successive turns of the wound elongate element(s). The discontinuities have an average width in the axial direction of the pipe which is about 3 mm or less when the pipe is in an unloaded and unbent condition, and the pipe can bend with a minimum bending radius of about 10 m or less in an unloaded condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO DENMARK I/S
    Inventors: Jonas Gudme, Karsten Gorm Nielsen
  • Patent number: 9188256
    Abstract: The invention relates to an unbonded flexible pipe comprising an internal sheath, at least one armor layer surrounding said internal sheath and a bore defined by said internal sheath, the flexible pipe further comprising a fiber sensor arranged in said bore. By arranging the fiber in the bore of the unbounded flexible pipe, new opportunities for sensing desired properties of the unbounded flexible pipe is provided. The fiber sensor may preferably be a pressure fiber sensor. The unbonded flexible pipe may preferably be an offshore pipe, such as a riser for transportation of hydrocarbons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO DENMARK I/S
    Inventors: Mikael Kristiansen, Nicky Weppenaar
  • Publication number: 20150275586
    Abstract: The invention relates to a riser for transporting fluid between an upper facility and a subsea facility. The riser has a center axis and a length along the center axis and comprises an unbonded flexible metal armored riser section and an unbonded flexible composite armored riser section arranged in fluid connection to each other. The metal armored riser section comprises at least two cross-wound tensile armor layers each comprising a plurality of helically wound elongate metal armor elements wound with a winding angle of about 60 degree or less relative to the center axis. The composite armored riser section comprises at least one tensile armor layer comprising a plurality of helically wound elongate composite armor elements wound with a winding angle of about 60 degree or less relative to the center axis. The invention also relates to an offshore system comprising such riser.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2013
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicant: National Oilwell Varco Denmark I/S
    Inventors: Kristian Glejbøl, Niels J. Rishoj Nielsen
  • Publication number: 20150240971
    Abstract: The invention relates to an unbonded flexible pipe with a longitudinal axis and which comprises from inside outwards a carcass formed by metal windings with gaps between neighbouring windings, at least one covering tape and an inner sealing sheath of a polymer extruded onto the covering tape. The covering tape is helically wound with a winding direction defining a tape length direction and a tape width direction perpendicular to the tape length direction. The covering tape comprises lengthwise continuous filament yarns arranged in the tape length direction of the covering tape. The covering tape has a thickness direction perpendicular to the tape length direction. The warp yarns have a thickness determined in the thickness direction of the covering tape of about 100 ?m or less, such as of about 50 ?m or less, such as from about 5 to about 25 ?m.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 15, 2013
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Applicant: National Oilwell Varco Denmark I/S
    Inventor: Inger-Margrete Procida
  • Patent number: 9057465
    Abstract: The invention relates to an unbonded, flexible pipe having a length and comprising a tubular inner sealing sheath, at least one metal armor layer and an outer sealing sheath. The unbonded, flexible pipe comprises at least one insulated length section comprising a fluid permeable thermally insulating cover surrounding the outer sealing sheath in the insulated length section. The thermally insulating cover is further surrounded by a liquid permeable jacket, and preferably the thermally insulating cover is liquid permeable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO DENMARK I/S
    Inventor: Kristian Glejbøl
  • Patent number: 9040136
    Abstract: The invention relates to a flexible pipe comprising at least one polymer layer, and at least one armoring layer unbounded to said polymer layer, wherein at least one polymer layer is a cationic clay containing polymer layer of a polymer material comprising a polymer matrix and from about 0.1 to about 5% by weight of at least one cationic clay silicate. Preferred cationic clay silicates comprise kaolinite; smectite; Illite; chlorite; and synthetic cationic clays. The cationic clay silicate may e.g. be an organo-cationic clay. The cationic clay silicate may preferably be exfoliated and/or intercalated in the polymer matrix. The polymer layer may preferably comprise an inner liner, a thermally insulating layer, an anti-wear layer and/or an outer sheath or a sub-layer thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2015
    Assignee: NATIONAL OILWELL VARCO DENMARK I/S
    Inventor: Inger-Margrete Procida
  • Publication number: 20150136008
    Abstract: The invention relates to an offshore top site system comprising a subsea facility, a floating unit arranged above the subsea facility and at least one transportation line extending between the subsea facility and the floating unit. The floating unit has a bottom facing downwards and an outer periphery of the bottom defining a horizontal periphery of a vertical floating unit zone VF. The transportation line comprises a catenary riser section has a length of at least about 1500 m and comprises an uppermost end and a top site section with a lowermost end. The catenary riser section and the top site section are in flow connection with each other. The transportation line further comprises a connecting portion preferably arranged within the vertical floating unit zone VF and between the top site section and the uppermost end of the riser section. The connection portion is pivotally connected to the floating unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Publication date: May 21, 2015
    Applicant: National Oilwell Varco Denmark I/S
    Inventor: Marten Storgaard Nielsen
  • Patent number: 9012001
    Abstract: The invention relates to an unbonded, flexible pipe having a length and comprising from inside out, a tubular inner sealing sheath, at least one metal armor layer and an outer sealing sheath of a sealing material. The unbonded, flexible pipe comprises at least one stiffened length section comprising a stiffening cover partially or totally surrounding the outer sealing sheath in the stiffened length section. The stiffening cover comprises a layer of a stiffening material having a flexural modulus which is higher than the flexural modulus of the sealing material, wherein the flexural modulus is determined according to ISO 178.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: National Oilwell Varco Denmark I/S
    Inventors: Claus Dencker Christensen, Inger-Margrete Procida, Martin Damgaard Christensen