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.

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.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a flexible unbonded pipe comprising an inner liner capable of forming a barrier against outflow of a fluid which is conveyed through the pipe, and one or more armouring layers on the outer side of the inner liner. The flexible unbonded pipe comprises at least one polymer layer and at least one film layer, the polymer layer being bonded to the film layer via one or more bondings selected from the group of chemical bondings and physical bondings. The film layer may preferably be a metal film layer. The polymer layer may preferably be cross-linked polyethylene. The interfacial bonding between the polymer layer and the film layer should preferably be sufficiently strong to prevent creation of gas pockets between the layers when subjected to an increased pressure of aggressive fluids on the film side of the pipe.

Abstract: A flexible pipe for transporting a fluid in a marine environment. The pipe comprises a liner for confining the fluid, an armoring layer surrounding the liner, and an outer protective sheath surrounding the armoring layer and allowing radial expansion and contraction of the armoring layers. The outer protective sheath comprises at least two protective layers of helically wound composite wires with essentially opposite winding angles and locally held together, providing a relatively flexible yet fixed structure of the outer sheath. The outer sheath is held together in an array of discrete spots or along linear or curved paths. Flexibility is maintained because the stiffness in shear in the wires of adjacent protective layers may be made much larger in areas being locally held together than outside these areas. This allows a change of angles between the wires of two adjacent layers of the outer protective sheath during elongation or shortening of the pipe.

Abstract: The invention relates to a flexible pipe for transportation of fluids and gasses, e.g. useful in water transportation, and in offshore transportation of crude oil e.g. from seabed to an installation or between installations. The flexible pipe of the invention comprises a new type of armouring layers which is made from a combination of one or more profiled wires and one or more metal strips. A folded strip is an endless unit with at least one fold and a width which in unfolded condition is at least 6 times its thickness, such as at least 10, such as at least 15, such as at least 25 times its thickness or even up to 100 or 500 times its thickness. A profile is a preshaped non-folded cross sectional profile. The profile may preferably have a width of less than 6 times its thickness. The term ‘endless’ is used to indicate that the tapes and profiles are very long compared to their other dimensions.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a flexible unbonded pipe comprising an inner liner capable of forming a barrier against outflow of a fluid which is conveyed through the pipe, and one or more armouring layers on the outer side of the inner liner. The flexible unbonded pipe comprises at least one polymer layer and at least one film layer, said polymer layer being bonded to said film layer via one or more bondings selected from the group of chemical bondings and physical bondings. The film layer may preferably be a metal film layer, such as aluminum film, stainless steel film or duplex film. The polymer layer may preferably be cross-linked polyethylene. The interfacial bonding between the polymer layer and the film layer should preferably be sufficiently strong to prevent creation of gas pockets between the layers when subjected to an increased pressure of aggressive fluids (hydrogen sulphides, methane and carbon dioxide) on the film side of the pipe.

Abstract: The invention relates to a flexible pipe comprising a plurality of layers surrounding a longitudinal axis of the pipe, the plurality of layers comprising from inside and radially outwards an internal sheath, a pressure vault and one or more tensile armouring layers. The pressure vault comprises at least one helically wound folded metal strip, which folded metal strip is interlocked with itself in consecutive windings or interlocked with another helically wound metal strip. The at least one folded metal strip is folded along both of its edges to form protruding edge sections of two or more strip material layers, each of said protruding edge sections protruding in one of the directions towards or away from the longitudinal axis of the pipe. The pressure vault of the flexible pipe of the invention has a high strength while simultaneously being very flexible.

Abstract: A flexible, typically un-bonded, armored pipe, and a method manufacturing a flexible pipe. The pipe has a center axis and comprises an inner liner surrounded by a radial armoring and an axial armoring, the radial and axial armoring each comprising at least one armoring layer of armoring profiles wound with winding angles ?i relative to the center axis. The winding angle of the innermost armoring layer ?innermost is larger than the winding angle of the outermost armoring layer ?outermost. The outer radial armoring layer has sufficient strength and flexibility to prevent prohibitively large radial deformations of underlying axial armoring layers without considerably increasing the radial contact pressure on underlying axial armoring layer. At least one fibrous layer, comprising at least two fibrous cords wound on an underlying layer, surrounds the outermost armoring layer. The flexible pipe is useful in terrestrial and/or subsea transport of fluids at elevated temperature and/or pressures.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a flexible unbonded pipe comprising an inner liner capable of forming a barrier against outflow of a fluid which is conveyed through the pipe, and one or more armouring layers on the outer side of the inner line. The flexible unbonded pipe comprises at least one polymer layer and one film layer, said polymer layer being bonded to said film layer. The film layer may preferably be a metal film layer, such as aluminum film, stainless steel film or duplex film. The polymer layer may preferably be cross-linked polyethylene. The interfacial bonding between the polymer layer and the film layer should preferably be sufficiently strong to prevent creation of gas pockets between the layers when subjected to an increased pressure of aggressive fluids (hydrogen, sulphides, methane and carbon dioxide) on the film side of the pipe. Thereby, it is possible to protect armour layer(s) from aggressive fluids.

Abstract: The invention relates to a pipe system comprising a pipe, a gas sensing station and a remote output system. The pipe comprises a pipe gas cavity, such as an annulus, extending lengthwise in part or all of the length of the pipe; the gas sensing station comprises a sensing gas cavity which is in gas communication with the pipe gas cavity: The sensing gas cavity comprises a photoacoustic spectroscope. The pipe system comprises at least one optical feeding fiber for feeding light to the photoacoustic spectroscope and a transmission path for transferring a signal from the photoacoustic spectroscope to the remote output system, the transmission path from the gas sensing station to the remote output system is an optical transmission path. The pipe may for example be a flexible pipe e.g. an umbilical or a pipe for the transportation of crude oil from a well to an off shore or on shore station, for example a ship or a platform. The gas sensing station may be integrated in the pipe, e.g.

Abstract: The invention relates to a use of a duplex steel for the production of an armouring layer of a flexible pipe comprising at least one unbonded armouring layer and at least one unbonded sealing layer wherein the duplex steel comprises in weight percent 0.01-0.05% by weight of carbon (C) at least 0.15% by weight of nitrogen (N) 20.0-23.0% by weight of chromium (Cr) up to 3.0% by weight of nickel (Ni) up to 1.0% by weight of molybdenum (Mo) 3-6% by weight of manganese (Mn) up to 1.0% by weight of copper (Cu) incidental impurities and balance being iron (Fe).

Abstract: For use in the manufacture of reinforcement layers for flexible pipes which are capable of absorbing compressive or tensile forces, and which are used for the transport of oil and gas, a thermoplastic material is applied to a strength-imparting layer. The strength-imparting layers are reeled on reels, and following unreeling they are laminated by application of heat and in direct continuation applied to the flexible pipe. The strength-imparting layer expediently consists of a polymer which is reinforced with at least 20% by volume of fibres. The thermoplastic material is of a reversible type, i.e. it may change from being relatively soft, but non-sticky to being sticky by changes in temperature. The use of the method according to the invention allows manufacture of very strong reinforcements for flexible pipes which cannot be manufactured using a solid material, such as steel, since high preforming bending forces are required in the shaping.

Abstract: The invention relates to a pipe system comprising a) a pipe, b) a fluid sensing station and c) a remote light detector system. The pipe comprises a flow channel and an annular fluid cavity surrounding the flow channel. The fluid sensing station comprises a sensing fluid cavity which is in fluid communication with the annular fluid cavity, and the sensing fluid cavity comprises a light emitter and a light receiver placed at a distance from each other. The light emitter and the light receiver are optically connected to each other and optically connected to the remote light detector system. The invention also relates to a fluid sensing system for sensing a fluid in an annulus cavity of a pipe, said fluid sensing system comprises a fluid sensing station and a remote light detector system. The fluid sensing station comprises a sensing fluid cavity comprising a light emitter and a light receiver placed at a distance from each other and optically connected to each other.

Abstract: For use in the manufacture of reinforcement layers for flexible pipes which are capable of absorbing compressive or tensile forces, and which are used for the transport of oil and gas, a thermoplastic material is applied to a strength-imparting layer. The strength-imparting layers are reeled on reels, and following unreeling they are laminated by application of heat and in direct continuation applied to the flexible pipe. The strength-imparting layer expediently consists of a polymer which is reinforced with at least 20% by volume of fibres. The thermoplastic material is of a reversible type, i.e. it may change from being relatively soft, but non-sticky by changes in temperature. The use of the method according to the invention allows manufacture of very strong reinforcements for flexible pipes which cannot be manufactured using a solid material, such as steel, since high performing bending forces are required in the shaping.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the production of a polymer layer of a flexible unbonded offshore pipe. The process comprises the steps of shaping a polymer material by extrusion into or onto a supporting unit in an extrusion station and cross-linking said extruded polymer material, said polymer material comprising a polyethylene and a peroxide for providing a cross-linking of the polymer material. The peroxide has an activation temperature substantially above the temperature of the polymer material during the extrusion thereof. The cross-linking of the extruded polymer material is carried out by exposing the extruded polymer material to electromagnetic waves, selected from the group consisting of infrared radiation and microwave. The invention also relates to a flexible unbonded offshore pipe comprising such polymer layer.

Abstract: The invention relates to a flexible pipe comprising a plurality of layers surrounding a longitudinal axis and an at least partly integrated sensor arrangement. The plurality of layers comprising an internal sheath and one or more armouring layers, at least one armouring layer comprising at least one folded metal strip helically wound around said longitudinal axis of the pipe, at least a part of said sensor arrangement being placed in a fold of said folded metal strip, the sensor arrangement preferably comprises an optical fibre which is placed in the fold of said folded metal strip. By this flexible pipe with a sensor arrangement, the sensor arrangement may be incorporated into the armouring layer in a simple and safe way.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of providing a duplex stainless steel strip for an armouring layer of a flexible pipe, said method comprising providing at least two duplex stainless steel pieces each having an end-face, welding said end-faces of said two pieces of duplex stainless steel together to form a welded interface section using resistance welding, such as dual upset welding or flash welding, and providing a controlled cooling of said welded interface section. The duplex stainless steel strip should preferably be heated to a temperature of at least about 1100° C., preferably at least about 1200° C., such as at least about 1500° C. in said interface section, and the controlled cooling of said welded interface section preferably comprises prolonging the cooling of the interface section preferably at least for the cooling from about 800° C. to about 600° C., more preferably at least for the cooling from about 1100° C. to about 600° C.

Abstract: The invention relates to a flexible pipe comprising at least one polymer layer, and at least one armouring 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; lllite; 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.

Abstract: A reinforced flexible pipeline (1), which has an inner liner (3) whose inner side engages an inner reinforcement layer (2) that may be formed by a so-called carcass, and on whose outer side at least a strength-imparting reinforcement layer (4, 5, 6, 7) is provided, has an additional barrier layer (9, 10, 11) which is arranged between the inner liner and the inner reinforcement layer. The additional barrier layer is thermally insulating and/or chemically protecting. The additional barrier layer may be formed as a tape (9) which is wound around the inner reinforcement layer, or may be composed of locking profiles (10, 11) which are wound around the flexible pipeline in a helix. The additional barrier layer (9, 10, 11) may be made completely or partly of a polymer which may be thermoplastic, or is cross-linked completely or partly. Hereby, the pipe may be protected against temperatures above e.g. 13° C. and may also be protected against attacks from methanol that contains water.

Abstract: A pipe structure comprising a length of a flexible pipe connected to an end fitting, the flexible pipe comprising an armour layer and an underlying pipe layer the armour layer, the underlying pipe layer having an outer surface around which armouring wires of an armouring layer are helically wound. The pipe structure provides a coupling between a flexible pipe comprising armouring wires and an end fitting, the coupling exerting a relatively low bending or flexure strain on the wires during normal operation of the flexible pipe. The transition path of an armouring wire between the flexible pipe and the end fitting comprises a straight-line-section between a wire-pipe-exit-point where the wire extends away from its underlying pipe layer and a straight-line-end-point on a support unit of the end fitting where the armouring wire in question has its first tangential point of contact.