Fixed turret subsea hydrocarbon production terminal

Patent · Tue Nov 24 00:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:5785058

Jansen, M B

An offshore oil production terminal system is described which includes a transfer structure having a nonrotatable turret anchored to the sea floor and a rotatable portion fixed to a dedicated storage vessel, and also a fluid conduit extending from the seabed up through the turret to a fluid swivel and from the rotatable portion of the fluid swivel to the vessel, which facilitates use of a moderate cost fluid swivel. A choke located on the nonrotatable turret, decreases the high pressure of oil from the seabed (e.g., 2000 psi) to a moderate pressure (e.g., 200 psi) for passage through the fluid swivel, so that a moderate pressure fluid swivel can be utilized. The turret has a control deck at the same level as the vessel deck, to facilitate entry of personnel to operate controls directly connected to valves at the seabed without requiring rotational joints between the controls and the devices they operate. Power to produce pressured hydraulic fluid for controlling valves and the like, is obtained by flowing moderate pressure air (e.g., 200 psi) through a fluid swivel on top of the turret to an air-motor-hydraulic pump combination on the fixed turret, to produce high pressure hydraulic fluid (e.g., 3000 psi) for control system operation.

• Assignee: Amtel Inc
• Patent Number(s): US 4301840
• OSTI ID: 5785058
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 18 Jun 1979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
42 ENGINEERING
OFFSHORE PLATFORMS
DESIGN
HYDRAULIC CONTROL DEVICES
HYDRAULIC EQUIPMENT
MOORINGS
PRESSURE CONTROL
PUMPS
ROTATION
TANKER SHIPS
TRANSPORT
VALVES
CONTROL
CONTROL EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
FLOW REGULATORS
MOTION
SHIPS
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production
423000 - Engineering- Marine Engineering- (1980-)