Device for laying submarine cables and pipes in areas covered with ice

Claim 1

A device for laying submarine pipes and cables in areas covered with ice, comprising a platform capable of being displaced over the surface of a layer of ice, a slide bar mounted on said platform so as to be inclined with respect thereto, said guide bar extending below the carrying surface of said platform by a length greater than the thickness of the layer of ice and including guide means for guiding the pipe in the course of its being laid, and a combustion chamber forming part of said slide bar, at least a part of the external wall of said chamber forming a wall of said slide bar which is in contact with the ice and transmits thereto a quantity of heat sufficient to bring about the melting thereof over a width sufficienT to effect the passage of said slide bar therethrough, wherein said combustion chamber contains a row of burners for burning fuel, an exhaust chamber for the exhaust of burnt fuel gases toward the atmosphere, and pipes for supplying said row of burners with a combustionsupporting medium and a combustible fuel, said pipes extending through said exhaust chamber to effect pre-heating of said combustion-supporting medium and said fuel.

Claim 2

A device for laying submarine pipes and cables in areas covered with ice, comprising a platform capable of being displaced over the surface of a layer of ice, a slide bar mounted on said platform so as to be inclined with respect thereto, said guide bar extending below the carrying surface of said platform by a length greater than the thickness of the layer of ice and including guide means for guiding the pipe in the course of its being laid, and a combustion chamber forming part of said slide bar, at least a part of the external wall of said chamber forming a wall of said slide bar which is in contact with the ice and transmits thereto a quantity of heat sufficient to bring about the melting thereof over a width sufficienT to effect the passage of said slide bar therethrough, wherein said combustion chamber contains a row of burners for burning fuel, an exhaust chamber for the exhaust of burnt fuel gases toward the atmosphere, and pipes for supplying said row of burners with a combustionsupporting medium and a combustible fuel, said pipes extending through said exhaust chamber to effect pre-heating of said combustion-supporting medium and said fuel.

Claim 9

A device for laying submarine pipes and cables in areas covered with ice, comprising guide means for guiding a pipe along a path over the surface of a layer of ice and supporting means for supporting said guide means on the ice, said guide means extending below said supporting means by a distance greater than the thickness of the ice and including heating means for melting ice coming into contact with said guide means, wherein said heating means includes a combustion chamber having at least one burner therein and an exhaust chamber communicating with said combustion chamber for exhausting burned gases to the atmosphere, said exhaust chamber including deflecting means for directing the flow of exhaust gases at the outlet of said chamber toward the outer surface of said guide means capable of contacting the ice.

Claim 10

A device for laying submarine pipes and cables in areas covered with ice, comprising guide means for guiding a pipe along a path over the surface of a layer of ice and supporting means for supporting said guide means on the ice, said guide means extending below said supporting means by a distance greater than the thickness of the ice and including heating means for melting ice coming into contact with said guide means, wherein said heating means includes a combustion chamber having at least one burner therein and an exhaust chamber communicating with said combustion chamber for exhausting burned gases to the atmosphere, said exhaust chamber including deflecting means for directing the flow of exhaust gases at the outlet of said chamber toward the outer surface of said guide means capable of contacting the ice.

Claim 11

A device for laying submarine pipes and cables in areas covered with ice, comprising a platform capable of being displaced over the surface of a layer of ice, a slide bar mounted on said platform so as to be inclined with respect thereto, said slide bar extending below the carrying surface of said platform by a length greater than the thickness of the layer of ice and including guide means for guiding the pipe in the course of its being laid, and a combustion chamber forming part of said slide bar, at least a part of the external wall of said chamber forming a wall of said slide bar which is in contact with the ice and transmits thereto a quantity of heat sufficient to bring about the melting thereof over a width sufficient to effect the passage of said slide bar therethrough, said combustion chamber communicating at the upper part thereof with the atmosphere, and further including deflecting means for directing the flow of exhaust gases at the outlet of said chamber toward the icy surface, said combustible fuel and said combustion-supporting medium being introduced into said combustion chamber through at least one orifice provided in the wall of said combustion chamber over a part of the wall which is not in contact with the ice.

Claim 12

A device for laying submarine pipes and cables in areas covered with ice, comprising a platform capable of being displaced over the surface of a layer of ice, a slide bar mounted on said platform so as to be inclined with respect thereto, said slide bar extending below the carrying surface of said platform by a length greater than the thickness of the layer of ice and including guide means for guiding the pipe in the course of its being laid, and a combustion chamber forming part of said slide bar, at least a part of the external wall of said chamber forming a wall of said slide bar which is in contact with the ice and transmits thereto a quantity of heat sufficient to bring about the melting thereof over a width sufficient to effect the passage of said slide bar therethrough, said combustion chamber communicating at the upper part thereof with the atmosphere, and further including deflecting means for directing the flow of exhaust gases at the outlet of said chamber toward the icy surface, said combustible fuel and said combustion-supporting medium being introduced into said combustion chamber through at least one orifice provided in the wall of said combustion chamber over a part of the wall which is not in contact with the ice.