PLATFORM WITH HOSE REEL

Description

Field of the invention

[0001] This invention relates generally to an offshore loading system for transferring hydrocarbon products via an offloading hose from a storage facility of a transport vessel such as a shuttle tanker. More specifically, the invention relates to a platform having a central region for production and/or processing and/or storage of hydrocarbons and a hose reel arranged adjacent to a service area.

Background of the invention

[0002] The production of hydrocarbons (e.g. crude oil and gas) from subsea reservoirs is facilitated by multiple large offshore production facilities located near one or more subsea wells.

[0003] Traditionally, the hydrocarbons have been transported from the offshore production facility to onshore storage facilities and further processing, via pipelines laid on the seabed. However, as hydrocarbons are being produced from reservoirs located in deeper and deeper waters and in regions where the seabed includes rough or uneven terrain such as steep cliffs and deep canyons, the use of seabed pipelines has become increasingly complex and prohibitively expensive.

[0004] Thus, a more economical and flexible system for transporting the hydrocarbons to onshore locations involve the use of offshore storage facilities at or near the production location, in combination with shuttle tankers. The offshore storage facility may comprise subsea storage cells integrated with a so-called Gravity Base Structure (GBS) platform or connected to a loading buoy of a fixed platform, or the offshore storage facility may be integrated in a so-called Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel which is maintained in position in a manner which is known in the art (e.g. moorings and/or thrusters controlled by dynamic positioning).

[0005] The hydrocarbons are transferred from the offshore storage facility (e.g. platform) to the carrier (e.g. a shuttle tanker) via a flexible transfer conduit, commonly referred to as a marine hose. The hose may be stored on a reel on the platform and connected to an on-board piping system, e.g. via a so-called "pipeline-end manifold" (PLEM). Before commencing discharge of hydrocarbons, the free end of the flexible hose is pulled across and connected to the shuttle tanker, in a manner known in the art.

[0006] Figure 1 illustrates the principle of a prior art hose reel station aboard a platform 1. A hose reel 3 is arranged near an edge of the platform. A hose 2, which may be connected to a shuttle tanker (not shown), extends through a guide structure 4 in a deck structure 6 which is partly cantilevered out from the platform hull 8. On the side of the reel 3 that faces the platform (and not out towards the sea) is a service area 5 in which the hose end portion 2' may be handled; e.g. pulled into and dismantled for maintenance. Immediately behind the service area is the platform process area 7.

Summary of the invention

[0007] The invention is set forth and characterized in the main claims, while the dependent claims describe other characteristics of the invention.

[0008] It is thus provided a platform, having a central region for production and/or processing and/or storage of hydrocarbons and a hose reel arranged adjacent to a service area, characterized in that the hose reel is arranged outside the central region and oriented with its axis of rotation (a-a) being directed towards the central region, and the service area is not between the reel and the central region.

[0009] In one embodiment, the reel is arranged in a region near an edge of the platform.

[0010] In one embodiment, the service area is outside the central region.

[0011] In one embodiment, the hose platform comprises a hose guide structure in the platform, comprising curved side walls and configured for providing lateral support for the hose.

[0012] In one embodiment, the platform comprises a spooling gear, having a guide funnel for the hose and motion control means for controlled movement along the guide structure.

[0013] In one embodiment, the motion control means comprise releasable locking means, whereby the hose guide structure may be locked in a fixed position along the guide structure.

[0014] In one embodiment, the guide structure outline generally corresponds to the axial extension of the reel, and the guide structure is arranged substantially parallel with the reel axis of rotation, whereby the outer portion of the guide structure provides lateral support for the hose. Preferably, the guide structure outline is rectangular, with the outer portion defining an end of the rectangle.

[0015] In one embodiment, the platform is an offshore storage facility for hydrocarbons and comprises a GBS or a floating structure.

[0016] The invention makes valuable deck space available for e.g. process equipment, in that the service area is now no longer extending into the process area. This gives considerable cost savings during platform construction.

[0017] Also, arranging the hose reel with its axis of rotation (and also the guide structure) pointing towards the central regions of the platform, as in the invention, makes it easier to transfer the forces imposed by the hose into the rigid deck structure - via the spooling gear and/or guide structure - than with the prior art arrangement where wide operating angles may require extra movable devices for arresting the loads imposed by the hose.

Brief description of the drawings

[0018] These and other characteristics of the invention will be clear from the following description of a preferential form of embodiment, given as a non-restrictive example, with reference to the attached schematic drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view of a part of a platform having a hose reel arrangement according to the prior art;

Figure 2 is a side view of a part of a platform, showing an embodiment of the hose reel arrangement according to the invention;

Figure 3 is a top view of the embodiment illustrated in figure 2;

Figure 4 is a side view of a part of a platform, showing the embodiment of the hose reel arrangement according to the invention, including the guide structure; and

Figure 5 is a view of a part of the platform, as seen along the hose reel axis, showing the embodiment of the hose reel arrangement according to the invention, including the guide structure.

Figure 6 is a side view of a spooling unit;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a spooling unit assembled on guide rails;

Figure 8 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the hose reel arrangement according to the invention, including the guide structure and the spooling unit, and

Figure 9 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the hose reel arrangement according to the invention, illustrating an alternative arrangement of the service area in relation to the hose reel.

Detailed description of a preferential embodiment

[0019] Referring initially to figure 2, a hose reel 30 is placed towards the edge of a platform 10. The platform 10, which may be a GBS or a floating structure known in the art, comprises a hull 80, a process area 70 and a deck 60, part of which is cantilevered out over the water W. The reel's axis of rotation is indicated by the dotted line a-a, and is pointing towards the process area 70 in one direction and out from the platform in the other direction. Figure 1 illustrates a situation where the hose is connected to e.g. a shuttle tanker (not shown). The hose 2 passes through a guide structure 40 in the deck 60. The hose is only shown partly, as the connection to the shuttle tanker is well known in the art.

[0020] In figure 3, which is showing the configuration of figure 2 as seen from above, it may be seen that the service area 50 is not located between the reel 30 and the process area 70, as is the case in the prior art (cf. figure 1). This frees up more, valuable, deck space for process equipment and/or the platform deck may be made smaller than platform decks of the prior art. In the process area 50, the hose end 2' may handled by personnel and connected to the required platform equipment (not shown).

[0021] Figures 4 and 5 illustrate how the guide structure 40 comprises curved side walls and provides lateral support for the hose.

[0022] In one embodiment, the guiding of the hose is advantageously provided by a spooling gear 90 (see figure 6), which comprises a guide funnel 93 for the hose and support-and-locking means (e.g. rollers) 91. Figure 7 illustrates the spooling gear arranged on a pair of tracks (e.g. rails) 92, and figure 8 shows the spooling gear and tracks arranged in relation to the deck opening (guide structure 40). As described above, the service area 50 and hose reel 30 are arranged outside of the process area 70. Figure 9 illustrates schematically a variant where the guide structure 40 and spooling gear 90 are arranged on the same side of the hose reel as the service area 50.

[0023] When the hose is being reeled out from, or onto, the hose reel, the spooling gear 90 is moved in a controlled manner (by motors, not shown) along the tracks 92, so as to guide the hose. When the hose reel is not rotating (e.g. in an offloading situation), the spooling gear is locked in position relative to the tracks (in a manner which per se is known in the art), such the roller motors, etc. do not take any loads during the offloading operation. Alternatively, the spooling gear may bear against one of the end portions of the guide structure 40 (e.g. as shown in figure 8).

[0024] Figure 8 also shows how the guide structure 40 outline generally corresponds to the axial extension of the reel (rectangular), and that the guide structure is arranged substantially parallel with the reel axis of rotation, whereby an outer portion 99 of the guide structure provides lateral support for the hose.

[0025] Although the description of the preferred embodiment refers to a hose, the skilled person understands that the invention is equally applicable to pipelines in general, including steel tubular pipelines as well as bonded and non-bonded flexible flowlines fabricated of composite materials.

Claims

1. A platform (10) comprising a hull (80) and a deck (60), the deck (60) having a central region (70) for production and/or processing and/or storage of hydrocarbons and a hose reel (30) arranged adjacent to a service area (50) of the deck (60),
characterized in that
the hose reel (30) is arranged outside the central region in a region near an edge of the deck (60) and oriented with its axis of rotation (a-a) being directed towards the central region (70), and the service area is not between the hose reel (30) and the central region (70), and that the deck (60) further comprises a hose guide structure (40) in the deck (60), comprising curved side walls and configured for providing lateral support for the hose (2).

2. The platform of claim 1, wherein the service area is outside the central region.

3. The platform of any of the preceding claims, further comprising a spooling gear (90), having a guide funnel (93) for the hose and motion control means (91, 92) for controlled movement along the guide structure.

4. The platform of claim 3, wherein the motion control means comprise releasable locking means, whereby the hose guide structure may be locked in a fixed position along the guide structure.

5. The platform of any of the preceding claims, wherein the guide structure (40) outline generally corresponds to the axial extension of the reel, and the guide structure is arranged substantially parallel with the reel axis of rotation, whereby the outer portion (99) of the guide structure provides lateral support for the hose.

6. The platform of claim 5, wherein the guide structure outline is rectangular, with the outer portion (99) defining an end of the rectangle.

7. The platform of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the platform is an offshore storage facility for hydrocarbons and comprises a GBS or a floating structure.

Ansprüche

1. Eine Plattform, umfassend einen Rumpf (80) und eine Platte (60), wobei die Platte eine zentrale Fläche (70) für die Herstellung und/oder Verarbeitung und/oder Lagerung von Kohlenwasserstoffen hat und eine Schlauchhaspel (30), welche an einen Betriebsbereich (50) der Platte (60) angrenzt, wobei
die Schlauchhaspel (30) außerhalb der zentralen Fläche in einem Bereich nahe der Begrenzung der Platte (60) angeordnet ist, und mit ihrer Rotationsachse (a-a) auf die zentrale Fläche (70) gerichtet ist und der Betriebsbereich nicht zwischen der Schlauchhaspel (30) und der zentralen Fläche (70) ist, und wobei die Platte (60) ferner eine Schlauchführungsstruktur (40) in der Platte (60) umfasst, umfassend gekrümmte Seitenwände und zur Bereitstellung einer seitlichen Stütze für den Schlauch (2) konfiguriert ist.

2. Die Plattform gemäß Anspruch 1, wobei der Betriebsbereich außerhalb der zentralen Fläche ist.

3. Die Plattform gemäß einem der vorherigen Ansprüche, ferner umfassend eine Spulvorrichtung (90), welche einen Führungstrichter (93) für den Schlauch und Bewegungskontrolleinheiten (91, 92) für die kontrollierte Bewegung entlang der Führungsstruktur hat.

4. Die Plattform gemäß Anspruch 3, wobei die Bewegungskontrolleinheiten eine lösbare Feststelleinheit umfassen, wobei die Schlauchführungsstruktur in einer festen Position entlang der Führungsstruktur arretiert werden kann.

5. Die Plattform gemäß einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei der Aufbau der Führungsstruktur (40) generell der axialen Erweiterung der Haspel entspricht und die Führungsstruktur im Wesentlichen parallel zur Rotationsachse der Haspel angeordnet ist, wobei der äußere Teil (99) der Führungsstruktur eine seitliche Stütze für den Schlauch bietet.

6. Die Plattform gemäß Anspruch 5, wobei der Aufbau der Führungsstruktur rechtwinklig ist, wobei der äußere Teil (99) das Ende des Rechtwinkels bestimmt.

7. Die Plattform gemäß einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei die Plattform eine ablandige ("off shore") Lagereinheit für Kohlenwasserstoffe ist und ein GBS oder eine schwimmende Struktur umfasst.

Revendications

1. Plateforme (10) comprenant une coque (80) et un pont (60), le pont (60) ayant une région centrale (70) pour la production et/ou le traitement et/ou le stockage d'hydrocarbures et un dévidoir à tuyau flexible (30) agencé de façon adjacente à une zone de service (50) du pont (60), caractérisé en ce que
le dévidoir à tuyau flexible (30) est agencé à l'extérieur de la région centrale dans une région près d'un bord du pont (60) et orienté avec son axe de rotation (a-a) étant dirigé vers la région centrale (70), et la zone de service n'est pas entre le dévidoir à tuyau flexible (30) et la région centrale (70), et que le pont (60) comprend en outre une structure de guidage de tuyau flexible (40) dans le pont (60), comprenant des parois latérales incurvées et configurées pour fournir un support latéral pour le tuyau flexible (2).

2. Plateforme selon la revendication 1, dans laquelle la zone de service est à l'extérieur de la région centrale.

3. Plateforme selon une quelconque des revendications précédentes, comprenant en outre un engin de bobinage (90), ayant un entonnoir de guidage (93) pour le tuyau flexible et des moyens de commande de mouvement (91, 92) pour un mouvement commandé le long de la structure de guidage.

4. Plateforme selon la revendication 3, dans laquelle les moyens de commande de mouvement comprennent des moyens de verrouillage libérables, la structure de guidage de tuyau flexible pouvant ainsi être verrouillée dans une position fixe le long de la structure de guidage.

5. Plateforme selon une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans laquelle le contour de la structure de guidage (40) correspond généralement au prolongement axial du dévidoir, et la structure de guidage est agencée de façon sensiblement parallèle à l'axe de rotation du dévidoir, la partie extérieure (99) de la structure de guidage fournissant ainsi un support latéral pour le tuyau flexible.

6. Plateforme selon la revendication 5, dans laquelle le contour de la structure de guidage est rectangulaire, avec la partie extérieure (99) définissant une extrémité du rectangle.

7. Plateforme selon une quelconque des revendications précédentes, dans laquelle la plateforme est une installation de stockage en mer pour hydrocarbures et comprend une structure gravitaire ou une structure flottante.

Drawing