US 11,891,241 B2
Subsea fluid storage unit
Morten Saeterdal, Klepp St. (NO); and Sigbjorn Daasvatn, Hornnes (NO)
Assigned to SUBSEA 7 NORWAY AS, Stavanger (NO)
Appl. No. 17/259,039
Filed by Subsea 7 Norway AS, Stavanger (NO)
PCT Filed Jul. 8, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/068294
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 8, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/011727, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 16, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1811237 (GB), filed on Jul. 9, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0269234 A1, Sep. 2, 2021
Int. Cl. B65D 88/78 (2006.01); B63B 25/16 (2006.01); B65D 88/00 (2006.01); B65D 88/74 (2006.01); B65D 90/04 (2006.01); E21B 43/01 (2006.01); B63G 8/42 (2006.01); B65D 88/18 (2006.01); B65D 90/24 (2006.01); E21B 43/017 (2006.01)
CPC B65D 88/78 (2013.01) [B63B 25/16 (2013.01); B63G 8/42 (2013.01); B65D 88/005 (2013.01); B65D 88/18 (2013.01); B65D 88/744 (2013.01); B65D 90/24 (2013.01); B63G 2008/425 (2013.01); B65D 90/046 (2013.01); E21B 43/017 (2013.01); E21B 43/0122 (2013.01)] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A subsea fluid storage unit, comprising:
a variable-volume inner tank having a rigid top panel and a peripheral wall that is extensible and retractable in a vertical direction;
a side wall that surrounds and is spaced from the peripheral wall of the inner tank in a horizontal direction to define a floodable gap that surrounds the tank between the peripheral wall and the side wall;
an upper housing part that extends over and is spaced from the rigid top panel of the inner tank in the vertical direction and cooperates with the side wall to enclose the inner tank; and
a seawater inlet/outlet communicating with the floodable gap;
wherein the upper housing part overlaps the side wall in the horizontal direction and wherein a skirt of the upper housing part extends substantially parallel to the side wall on an external side of the side wall such that the side wall is received telescopically within the skirt, and wherein the rigid top panel is sandwiched between the upper housing part and the side wall.