| 摘要 |
A system for laying a submarine pipeline using releasable floats at spaced points along the pipeline. Three recovery systems for the released floats are disclosed. According to a first system, the adjacent pairs of floats are linked together in a chain by cables so that, after recovery of the first released float, the remaining floats may be collected simply by pulling the cables. According to a second system, after release from the pipeline, each float is moored to the pipeline by an extensible cable that pays out under tension until the float reaches the surface; afterwards, a suitably equipped recovery vessel can pick up the floats which are disposed at the surface in a generally uniform pattern. According to a third system, each float is connected by a cable to a separate reel on a turntable on the lay vessel; after release of a float, a power chuck engages that floats associated reel and reels the float in on the cable. In the first system, the floats are collapsible bags, and a one-way valve is used to exhaust the air in the bag without admitting water. Two different means are disclosed for actuating release of the floats, one upon contact with the marine bottom and the other in response to a cable passing through releasable latches and connected to the ship. |
