Abstract: A pipe-laying vessel including a pipe-laying tower extending upwardly from the vessel, the tower including a first lower section extending upwardly from a proximal end to a distal end above the main deck of the vessel, and a second upper section movably mounted on the first lower section, and the tower having a first pipe-laying configuration for laying pipeline P in which the upper section is positioned above the lower section and pipe is passed from the upper section to the lower section when, in use, it is being laid, and a second stowed configuration in which the second upper section is moved relative to the lower section and the overall height of the tower is reduced.

Abstract: A supporting device configured to support a pipeline on the bed of a body of water having a frame connectable in a sliding manner to a pipeline extending along a longitudinal axis between a laying vessel and the bed of a body of water; at least one floating body connected to the frame; and at least one connecting mechanism connecting the frame to the floating body and configured to define a distance between the axis of the pipeline and the floating body, so as to apply a torque to the portion of pipeline at the frame.

Abstract: A fluidfoil comprises a main body and a fence, wherein the fence has different lean angles with respect to the main body at different chordwise positions, and wherein the fence is divided along its chordwise extent into at least two portions, where a first portion nearer a leading edge of the fence has a smaller lean angle than a second portion further from the leading edge, and wherein all portions are either anhedral or dihedral.

Abstract: A pipeline A/R method using a rope connected to the pipeline, the method including winding/unwinding the rope utilizing a hauling machine to exert pull on the rope; adapting a crawler pipeline tensioning device to grip the rope in the crawler tensioning device; and exerting additional pull on a portion of rope between the crawler tensioning device and the pipeline.

Abstract: A support for an underwater pipeline, in particular configured to elevate an underwater pipeline on a bed of a body of water, with a connecting frame configured to fit to a portion of underwater pipeline extending along a longitudinal axis; and at least two legs, which are hinged to the connecting frame, and movable between a contracted configuration and an extended configuration in which they extend crosswise to the underwater pipeline to rest on the bed of the body of water.

Abstract: A sensor system includes a sensor and a mast on which the sensor is mounted. The mast includes a core body and a shroud, wherein the shroud is provided about the core body, and the shroud is independently rotatable with respect to the core body under the influence, in use, of a fluid flow flowing past the shroud. The shroud is shaped so that, from at least one fluid flow direction, the shroud presents a different flow resistance in dependence upon the rotational orientation of the shroud. The rotational orientation of the shroud adjusts to reduce the flow resistance produced by the shroud to the fluid flow in response to the commencement of, or a change in the fluid flow direction to, one of the at least one fluid flow direction.

Abstract: A laying device configured to lay a pipeline on the bed of a body of water having a frame; a movable member mounted on the frame and configured to be placed in contact with a pipeline extending along a longitudinal axis and equipped with special parts; and at least one actuator configured to transmit rotation to the movable member to apply corrective torsion on the pipeline.

Abstract: A pipe-laying vessel including a pipe-laying tower extending upwardly from the vessel, the vessel including a welding station for joining a new pipestring to an end of the pipeline held by the tower, a clamp assembly on the tower for engaging a pipestring with a lower end adjacent to the end of the pipeline held by the tower and with the pipestring extending upwardly from its lower end alongside the tower, wherein the clamp assembly includes a pipestring clamp that serves both the function of a transfer clamp for transferring the pipestring from a position alongside the tower but displaced from the pipe-laying path to a position approximately aligned with the pipe-laying path, and the function of a line-up clamp for lining up the pipestring with the end of the pipeline.

Abstract: A supporting device configured to support a pipeline on the bed of a body of water having a frame connectable in a sliding manner to a pipeline extending along a longitudinal axis between a laying vessel and the bed of a body of water; at least one floating body connected to the frame; and at least one connecting mechanism connecting the frame to the floating body and configured to define a distance between the axis of the pipeline and the floating body, so as to apply a torque to the portion of pipeline at the frame.

Abstract: A support for an underwater pipeline, in particular configured to elevate an underwater pipeline on a bed of a body of water, with a connecting frame configured to fit to a portion of underwater pipeline extending along a longitudinal axis; and at least two legs, which are hinged to the connecting frame, and movable between a contracted configuration and an extended configuration in which they extend crosswise to the underwater pipeline to rest on the bed of the body of water.

Abstract: A sensor system is disclosed comprising a sensor and a mast on which the sensor is mounted. The mast comprises a core body and a shroud, whereby the shroud is provided about the core body and the shroud is rotatable with respect to the core body under the influence, in use, of a fluid flow flowing past the shroud. The shroud is shaped so as, from at least one fluid flow direction, it presents a different flow resistance in dependence upon its rotational orientation. The rotational orientation of the shroud adjusts to reduce the flow resistance produced by the shroud to the fluid flow in response to the commencement of, or a change in the fluid flow direction to, one of the at least one fluid flow directions.

Abstract: A laying device configured to lay a pipeline on the bed of a body of water having a frame; a movable member mounted on the frame and configured to be placed in contact with a pipeline extending along a longitudinal axis and equipped with special parts; and at least one actuator configured to transmit rotation to the movable member to apply corrective torsion on the pipeline.

Abstract: An electronic control system configured to control a variable-configuration lay ramp of a pipeline laying vessel, to lay a pipeline on the bed of a body of water, is configured to: acquire data including data related to the configuration of the lay ramp, data related to the laying vessel, and data related to the forces transmitted by the lay ramp and the laying vessel to the pipeline; generate a plurality of step sequences to change the configuration of the lay ramp from a first to a second work configuration; and select a best step sequence as a function of the plurality of step sequences and the acquired data, so as to minimize the stress induced in the pipeline at each intermediate configuration between the first and second work configuration.

Abstract: A stinger extends away from an end of a vessel, and a pipeline passes over the stinger as the pipeline is laid from the vessel. The inclination of the pipeline increases as the pipeline passes along the stinger and after leaving the stinger until the pipeline reaches an inflection point beyond the end of the stinger at which inclination is at a maximum. Inclination of the pipeline thereafter reduces until the pipeline touches down on the seabed. A method of S-laying the pipeline includes providing guides on the stinger that limit lateral movement of the pipeline relative to the stinger and moving the vessel and the stinger during S-laying to an orientation in which the longitudinal axis of the stinger is inclined to the path of the pipeline just laid. The vessel and the stinger are rotated about a vertical axis passing through or adjacent to the inflection point.

Abstract: A fluidfoil 32, 70 comprising a main body 38, 84 and a fence 40, 72, wherein the fence 40, 72 has different lean angles with respect to the main body 38, 84 at different chordwise positions.

Abstract: A method of detecting stall in an axial fan through acoustical measurements in air the air flow, includes measuring the sound emanating from the flow adjacent the fan, preparing a visual representation of the sound, comparing the visual representation with a library of fixed visual representations derived from a plurality of tests representative of the performance of the fan under a range of operating parameters, selecting the fixed visual representation most closely matching the visual representation of the said sound, and deriving a control signal from the selected fixed visual representation. The visual representations are formed by a symmetrised dot pattern (SDP) technique.

Abstract: A method of laying a pipeline on the bed of a body of water includes constructing, on a laying vessel, a pipeline having pipe sections of a designated or given thickness, and thicker pipe sections distributed along the pipeline; moving the laying vessel forward and laying the pipeline in the body of water as the pipeline is constructed; and propelling a train, configured to plug the pipeline, in steps inside the pipeline laid on the bed of the body of water; the step travel of the train being related to the position of the thicker pipe sections, and to the touchdown point of the pipeline on the bed of the body of water.

Abstract: An electronic control system configured to control a variable-configuration lay ramp of a pipeline laying vessel, to lay a pipeline on the bed of a body of water, is configured to: acquire data including data related to the configuration of the lay ramp, data related to the laying vessel, and data related to the forces transmitted by the lay ramp and the laying vessel to the pipeline; generate a plurality of step sequences to change the configuration of the lay ramp from a first to a second work configuration; and select a best step sequence as a function of the plurality of step sequences and the acquired data, so as to minimize the stress induced in the pipeline at each intermediate configuration between the first and second work configuration.

Abstract: A stinger extends away from an end of a vessel, and a pipeline passes over the stinger as the pipeline is laid from the vessel. The inclination of the pipeline increases as the pipeline passes along the stinger and after leaving the stinger until the pipeline reaches an inflection point beyond the end of the stinger at which inclination is at a maximum. Inclination of the pipeline thereafter reduces until the pipeline touches down on the seabed. A method of S-laying the pipeline includes providing guides on the stinger that limit lateral movement of the pipeline relative to the stinger and moving the vessel and the stinger during S-laying to an orientation in which the longitudinal axis of the stinger is inclined to the path of the pipeline just laid. The vessel and the stinger are rotated about a vertical axis passing through or adjacent to the inflection point.

Abstract: A pipeline A/R method using a rope connected to the pipeline, the method including winding/unwinding the rope utilizing a hauling machine to exert pull on the rope; adapting a crawler pipeline tensioning device to grip the rope in the crawler tensioning device; and exerting additional pull on a portion of rope between the crawler tensioning device and the pipeline.