US4685833A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Offshore structure for deepsea production
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1986-09-25
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Granted: 1987-08-11
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Expires: 2006-09-25
Abstract
Abstract An offshore structure for deepsea production of this invention is designed for achieving economy both in installation and in operation. It consists mainly of a base to be founded on a sea-bed, a buoyant body having a separator segregated from the sea for storing and separating the produced fluids and an elongate tensioned member for connecting the base and the buoyant body and transporting the produced fluids from the well through the base to the separator near the surface of the sea. The separator has a compartmentalized outer wall for controllably variable ballasting and deballasting.
Inventors
- 👤 William T. Iwamoto
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 19:16
CPC Classifications
B; B63; B63B; B63B35/00; B63B35/44; B63B35/4406; E; E21; E21B; E21B33/00; E21B33/02; E21B33/03; E21B33/035; E21B33/037; E21B43/00; E21B43/01
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
114 words
An offshore structure for deepsea production comprising a base founded on a sea-bed, a buoyant body of double-wall structure having an outer wall and a containment means which is integrally a part of said buoyant body and is enveloped by said outer wall such that the pressure therein is maintained independently of the pressure outside said buoyant body, said containment means and said outer wall defining therebetween a controllably ballastable and deballastable space, a leg connected to said base and to said buoyant body so as to substantially prevent vertical motions of said buoyant body, and a production riser connecting said containment means with a subsea production tree which is independent of said base.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
114 words
An offshore structure for deepsea production comprising a base founded on a sea-bed, a buoyant body of double-wall structure having an outer wall and a containment means which is integrally a part of said buoyant body and is enveloped by said outer wall such that the pressure therein is maintained independently of the pressure outside said buoyant body, said containment means and said outer wall defining therebetween a controllably ballastable and deballastable space, a leg connected to said base and to said buoyant body so as to substantially prevent vertical motions of said buoyant body, and a production riser connecting said containment means with a subsea production tree which is independent of said base.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
13 words
The structure of claim 1 wherein said base contains a wet production tree.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
13 words
The structure of claim 1 wherein said buoyant body contains a dry tree.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
The structure of claim 1 wherein said leg is connected to said base and to said buoyant body respectively by a universal joint means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
17 words
The structure of claim 1 futher comprising a means for controllably ballasting and deballasting said containment area.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
13 words
The structure of claim 1 wherein said buoyant body includes a rotatable turret.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
12 words
The structure of claim 1 wherein said containment means is vertically elongate.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
31 words
The structure of claim 1 wherein said containment means is adapted to control the level of tension to said base through said leg by adjusting buoyancy thereof through ballasting or deballasting.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
The structure of claim 1 wherein said base is founded over a well and said leg is aligned to said well.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
27 words
The structure of claim 5 wherein said ballasting and deballasting means is adapted to control the tension to said base and said leg to approximately uniform levels.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
44 words
The structure of claim 1 further comprising level indicators for controlling the tension to said base and said leg to approximately uniform levels by balancing the weight of ingress and egress of liquids in said containment means by deballasting and ballasting said space, respectively.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
77 words
An offshore structure for deepsea production comprising a base founded on a sea-bed, a buoyant body supporting a production riser assembly, said buoyant body including a container connected through said production riser assembly to a subsea production tree which is independent of said base, said container being integrally a part of said buoyant body, and a leg connected to said base and to said buoyant body so as to substantially prevent vertical motions of said buoyant body.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
77 words
An offshore structure for deepsea production comprising a base founded on a sea-bed, a buoyant body supporting a production riser assembly, said buoyant body including a container connected through said production riser assembly to a subsea production tree which is independent of said base, said container being integrally a part of said buoyant body, and a leg connected to said base and to said buoyant body so as to substantially prevent vertical motions of said buoyant body.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
33 words
The structure of claim 12 wherein said buoyant body includes controllably ballastable and deballastable chambers with an enclosure maintaining its interior in a pressure-noncommunicating relationship with the exterior surroundings of said buoyant body.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
24 words
The structure of claim 12 wherein said leg is connected to said base and to said buoyant body respectively by a universal joint means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
31 words
The structure of claim 13 further comprising level indicators for controllably ballasting and deballasting said containment means to control the tension to said base and said leg to approximately uniform levels.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
15 words
The structure of claim 13 wherein said production riser assembly connects to said containment means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
15 words
The structure of claim 1 wherein said leg is tubular and encloses said production riser.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
20 words
The structure of claim 1 wherein said space between said containment means and said outer wall is divided into compartments.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1990-08-10 | 1991-02-09 | 1991-08-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1994-08-10 | 1995-02-09 | 1995-08-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1998-08-10 | 1999-02-09 | 1999-08-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |