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4574241 Marine surveying apparatus and method for locating pipelines buried under the seabed
Volume 17/Numberll/November1986
NEW PATENTS
This Section contains abstracts (without graphics) of recently issued United States patents and published patent applications filed from over 30 countries under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. This information was obtained from recent additions to the Pergamon PATSEARCH ® online database in accordance with interest profiles developed by the Editors. Further information about Pergamon PATSEARCH® can be obtained from Pergamon InfoLine Inc., 1340 Old Chain Bridge Road, McLean, Virginia 22101 U.S.A. Copies of complete patents announced in this Section are available from Pergamon InfoLine Inc. for $8 per copy. Payment with order is required. Orders outside North America add $2 for air postage. Order by patent number for Pergamon InfoLine only.
4574241 MARINE SURVEYING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR LOCATING PIPELINES BURIED UNDER THE SEABED C L Jack Stelly A marine pipeline surveying apparatus useful for locating buried pipelines includes a barge having a work deck with a dolly mounted on the work deck for movement on the deck upon a provided track. A slot in the barge can be provided so that workers can move completely around the dolly. The dolly provides a gimbal type articulating support for supporting a hollow casing during operation. The gimbal support allows the articulating movement to compensate wave action on the barge so that the wave action is not transmitted to the casing. During operation a magnetometer placed in the casing bore can be used to roughly position the barge and casing above the pipeline to be located. Then the barge can be anchored in position over the pipeline as dictated by the magnetometer rough positioning. The magnetometer is then removed from the casing bore and the casing provides a guide for a probe rod such as a jet probe which is placed within the casing. The probe can then repeatedly penetrate the seabed to locate the buried pipeline by physically contacting the pipeline thereby giving both plan and profile position of the pipeline,
A paravane handling system which includes a wing-shaped paravane (40) connected by four lines to a hitching device (28) which in turn is connected by a main line (26) to a winch onboard a vessel (10). The main line (26) is arranged to have air gun cable arrays attached thereto for surveying the ocean floor. Vessel (10) also includes a drum retrieval winch (18) for controlling a retrieval line (20) which is connected to a latching mechanism (24) arranged to run along the main line (26) and engage with the hitching device (28) of the paravane (40). A unidirectional stop (42) is released when the latching mechanism (24) is pulled back toward the vessel (10) and allows the lower two paravane lines (34) and (36) to slacken so that the paravane (40) assumes a horizontal position and planes along the surface of the water as it is pulled back to vessel (10) by the retrieval line (20). The paravane (40) also includes a winch device (78) which is remotely controllable by an operator onboard the vessel (10) to change the length of the rear paravane lines (36) and (38) to the hitching device (28) and thereby change the angle of incidence of the paravane relative to the water. Another paravane construction (100) includes remotely controllable rudder devices (108) and (110) for varying the angle of incidence and therefore the direction of travel of the paravane. A propeller driven generator (88, 130) supplies power to the controlled elements of the respective paravane constructions.
4577297
PARAVANE HANDLING SYSTEM
METHOD FOR ENHANCING RECORDED MARINE SEISMIC REFLECTION SIGNALS HAVING UNDULATING WATER BOTTOM DISTORTIONS
Michael J Chiles, Harvey M Bahh assigned to VMW Industries Inc
Cynthia T Kalkomey, Thomas Mason, Keh Pann assigned to Mobil Oil Corporation
4574723
NEW PATENTS
This Section contains abstracts (without graphics) of recently issued United States patents and published patent applications filed from over 30 countries under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. This information was obtained from recent additions to the Pergamon PATSEARCH ® online database in accordance with interest profiles developed by the Editors. Further information about Pergamon PATSEARCH® can be obtained from Pergamon InfoLine Inc., 1340 Old Chain Bridge Road, McLean, Virginia 22101 U.S.A. Copies of complete patents announced in this Section are available from Pergamon InfoLine Inc. for $8 per copy. Payment with order is required. Orders outside North America add $2 for air postage. Order by patent number for Pergamon InfoLine only.
4574241 MARINE SURVEYING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR LOCATING PIPELINES BURIED UNDER THE SEABED C L Jack Stelly A marine pipeline surveying apparatus useful for locating buried pipelines includes a barge having a work deck with a dolly mounted on the work deck for movement on the deck upon a provided track. A slot in the barge can be provided so that workers can move completely around the dolly. The dolly provides a gimbal type articulating support for supporting a hollow casing during operation. The gimbal support allows the articulating movement to compensate wave action on the barge so that the wave action is not transmitted to the casing. During operation a magnetometer placed in the casing bore can be used to roughly position the barge and casing above the pipeline to be located. Then the barge can be anchored in position over the pipeline as dictated by the magnetometer rough positioning. The magnetometer is then removed from the casing bore and the casing provides a guide for a probe rod such as a jet probe which is placed within the casing. The probe can then repeatedly penetrate the seabed to locate the buried pipeline by physically contacting the pipeline thereby giving both plan and profile position of the pipeline,
A paravane handling system which includes a wing-shaped paravane (40) connected by four lines to a hitching device (28) which in turn is connected by a main line (26) to a winch onboard a vessel (10). The main line (26) is arranged to have air gun cable arrays attached thereto for surveying the ocean floor. Vessel (10) also includes a drum retrieval winch (18) for controlling a retrieval line (20) which is connected to a latching mechanism (24) arranged to run along the main line (26) and engage with the hitching device (28) of the paravane (40). A unidirectional stop (42) is released when the latching mechanism (24) is pulled back toward the vessel (10) and allows the lower two paravane lines (34) and (36) to slacken so that the paravane (40) assumes a horizontal position and planes along the surface of the water as it is pulled back to vessel (10) by the retrieval line (20). The paravane (40) also includes a winch device (78) which is remotely controllable by an operator onboard the vessel (10) to change the length of the rear paravane lines (36) and (38) to the hitching device (28) and thereby change the angle of incidence of the paravane relative to the water. Another paravane construction (100) includes remotely controllable rudder devices (108) and (110) for varying the angle of incidence and therefore the direction of travel of the paravane. A propeller driven generator (88, 130) supplies power to the controlled elements of the respective paravane constructions.
4577297
PARAVANE HANDLING SYSTEM
METHOD FOR ENHANCING RECORDED MARINE SEISMIC REFLECTION SIGNALS HAVING UNDULATING WATER BOTTOM DISTORTIONS
Michael J Chiles, Harvey M Bahh assigned to VMW Industries Inc
Cynthia T Kalkomey, Thomas Mason, Keh Pann assigned to Mobil Oil Corporation
4574723