US 11,852,265 B2
Laying tower and method for laying pipelines on a bed of a body of water
Pierre Emmanuel D'Huart, San Donato Milanese (IT); Michel Baylot, San Donato Milanese (IT); and Alessio Mameli, San Donato Milanese (IT)
Assigned to SAIPEM S.P.A., San Donato Milanese (IT)
Appl. No. 17/276,418
Filed by SAIPEM S.p.A., San Donato Milanese (IT)
PCT Filed Sep. 18, 2019, PCT No. PCT/IB2019/057868
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 1, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/058877, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 26, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 102018000008685 (IT), filed on Sep. 18, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0163138 A1, May 26, 2022
Int. Cl. F16L 1/19 (2006.01); F16L 1/20 (2006.01); B63B 35/03 (2006.01); F16L 1/225 (2006.01)
CPC F16L 1/207 (2013.01) [B63B 35/03 (2013.01); F16L 1/19 (2013.01); F16L 1/225 (2013.01)] 33 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
20. A laying method for laying a pipeline on a bed of a body of water, the method comprising:
keeping a free end of the pipeline in a designated position with a first U-shaped clamp arranged in a supporting structure of a laying tower;
joining a multiple joint to the free end of the pipeline in the laying tower above the first U-shaped clamp;
clamping the pipeline with a second clamp, wherein the second clamp is movable along a designated path which extends along a first section above the first U-shaped clamp and along a second section below the first U-shaped clamp and partly below the supporting structure, wherein when the multiple joint has a length corresponding to a length of the first section, the second clamp is above the first U-shaped clamp and when the multiple joint has a length corresponding to a length of the second section, the second clamp is below the first U-shaped clamp;
releasing the first U-shaped clamp from the pipeline;
arranging the first U-shaped clamp from a first position along the path to a second position remote from the path; and
laying the pipeline by a stroke of the second clamp along a portion of the path.