US 12,326,202 B2
End connection assembly and method for producing the same
Sylvain Routeau, Saint Cloud (FR); Philippe Espinasse, Bihorel (FR); Stein Rune Rasmussen, Kongsberg (NO); and Juliette Stephant, Suresnes (FR)
Appl. No. 16/959,996
Filed by FMC Kongsberg Subsea AS, Kongsberg (NO)
PCT Filed Jan. 2, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/050039
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 2, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/134917, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 11, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 20180012 (NO), filed on Jan. 4, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0062937 A1, Mar. 4, 2021
Int. Cl. F16L 1/26 (2006.01); F16L 33/01 (2006.01); E21B 43/013 (2006.01)
CPC F16L 1/26 (2013.01) [F16L 33/01 (2013.01); E21B 43/0135 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
6. A method of producing an end connection assembly for pull-in and coupling of a flexible tubular pipe to an inboard hub of a subsea structure using a tie-in tool, the flexible tubular pipe comprising a plurality of superposed flexible layers, the method comprising:
connecting an end fitting to an end section of the flexible tubular pipe in a sealed manner to form a termination of the flexible tubular pipe in which at least one flexible layer of said plurality of flexible layers is anchored;
at a location radially outside of the at least one flexible layer, providing the end fitting with an engagement surface on the end fitting for interacting with pull-in engagement means of the tie-in tool, wherein the engagement surface has a fixed axial position relative to the flexible tubular pipe, and wherein the engagement surface circumferentially encloses said at least one flexible layer of the flexible tubular pipe; and
mounting on the end fitting a collet connector assembly for releasably coupling the end connection assembly to the inboard hub, the collet connector assembly comprising a plurality of collet fingers;
wherein the step of connecting the end fitting to the end section of the flexible tubular pipe comprises the steps of:
connecting a first section of said end fitting to an outer layer of said plurality of superposed flexible layers in a sealed manner;
connecting a second section of said end fitting to an inner layer of said plurality of superposed flexible layers in a sealed manner; and
connecting the first section to the second section in a sealed manner to thereby define a sealed annular volume between the first and second sections within which an end of at least one intermediate layer of said plurality of superposed flexible layers is enclosed;
wherein the step of providing the end fitting with the engagement surface comprises providing the first section with the engagement surface such that the engagement surface circumferentially encloses said at least one intermediate layer of said plurality of superposed flexible layers; and
wherein the step of mounting the collet connector assembly on the end fitting comprises mounting the collet fingers of the collet connector assembly in an annular recess which is formed on a cylindrical portion of the second section that extends distally of the first section.