Underwater pipeline connecting method and apparatus

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF CONNECTING AN UNDERWATER PIPELINE TO A SUBMERGED WELLHEAD FROM A FLOATING PLATFORM ABOVE SAID WELLHEAD, SAID WELLHEAD HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN COMMUNICATING WITH A WELL BORE PENETRATING EARTH STRATA BELOW A BODY OF WATER, WHICH COMPRISES (A) CONNECTING FLEXIBLE GUIDE MEANS FROM A LOCATION ADJACENT SAID WELLHEAD TO SAID FLOATING PLATFORM, (B) LOWERING ONE END OF A PIPELINE VERTICALLY DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID FLOATING PLATFORM ALONG SAID FLEXIBLE GUIDE MEANS SO THAT THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID PIPELINE ADJACENT SAID ONE END THEREOF IS IN A VERTICALLY DISPOSED POSITION WHEN SAID ONE END LENDS ADJACENT SAID WELLHEAD, (C) RETAINING SUPPORT OF THE OTHER END OF SAID PIPELINE ON SAID PLATFORM DURING SAID LOWERING OPERATION, SAID ONE END OF PIPELINE TERMINATING AT SUBSTANTIALLY A RIGHT ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS, (D) PROGRESSIVELY MOVING SAID PLATFORM ON THE WATER SURFACE AND CONTINUING THE LOWERING OF SAID PIPELINE FROM SAID PLATFORM UNTIL SAID AXIS OF SAID PIPELINE IS ROTATED FROM SAID VERTICALLY DISPOSED POSITION TO A GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED POSITION, (E) SECURING SAID PIPELINE IN SAID HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED POSITION TO PLACE THE OPENING IN SAID PIPELINE AT A KNOWN DISPLACED LOCATION RELATIVE TO AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH SAID OPENING IN SAID WELLHEAD, (F) THEN LOWERING AND GUIDING ALONG FLEXIBLE GUIDE MEANS A WELLHEAD CONTROL ASSEMBLY ADAPTED TO BE INDEXED BY SAID FLEXIBLE GUIDE MEANS TO REGISTER WITH THE OPENING IN SAID WELLHEAD AND SAID ONE END OF SAID PIPELINE, AND (G) SECURING SAID WELLHEAD CONTROL ASSEMBLY TO SAID WELLHEAD AND SAID ONE END OF SAID PIPELINE TO PERMIT CONTROL OF FLUID FLOW BETWEEN SAID PIPELINE AND SAID WELL BORE.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF CONNECTING AN UNDERWATER PIPELINE TO A SUBMERGED WELLHEAD FROM A FLOATING PLATFORM ABOVE SAID WELLHEAD, SAID WELLHEAD HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN COMMUNICATING WITH A WELL BORE PENETRATING EARTH STRATA BELOW A BODY OF WATER, WHICH COMPRISES (A) CONNECTING FLEXIBLE GUIDE MEANS FROM A LOCATION ADJACENT SAID WELLHEAD TO SAID FLOATING PLATFORM, (B) LOWERING ONE END OF A PIPELINE VERTICALLY DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID FLOATING PLATFORM ALONG SAID FLEXIBLE GUIDE MEANS SO THAT THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID PIPELINE ADJACENT SAID ONE END THEREOF IS IN A VERTICALLY DISPOSED POSITION WHEN SAID ONE END LENDS ADJACENT SAID WELLHEAD, (C) RETAINING SUPPORT OF THE OTHER END OF SAID PIPELINE ON SAID PLATFORM DURING SAID LOWERING OPERATION, SAID ONE END OF PIPELINE TERMINATING AT SUBSTANTIALLY A RIGHT ANGLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS, (D) PROGRESSIVELY MOVING SAID PLATFORM ON THE WATER SURFACE AND CONTINUING THE LOWERING OF SAID PIPELINE FROM SAID PLATFORM UNTIL SAID AXIS OF SAID PIPELINE IS ROTATED FROM SAID VERTICALLY DISPOSED POSITION TO A GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED POSITION, (E) SECURING SAID PIPELINE IN SAID HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED POSITION TO PLACE THE OPENING IN SAID PIPELINE AT A KNOWN DISPLACED LOCATION RELATIVE TO AND SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH SAID OPENING IN SAID WELLHEAD, (F) THEN LOWERING AND GUIDING ALONG FLEXIBLE GUIDE MEANS A WELLHEAD CONTROL ASSEMBLY ADAPTED TO BE INDEXED BY SAID FLEXIBLE GUIDE MEANS TO REGISTER WITH THE OPENING IN SAID WELLHEAD AND SAID ONE END OF SAID PIPELINE, AND (G) SECURING SAID WELLHEAD CONTROL ASSEMBLY TO SAID WELLHEAD AND SAID ONE END OF SAID PIPELINE TO PERMIT CONTROL OF FLUID FLOW BETWEEN SAID PIPELINE AND SAID WELL BORE.