Submerged floatable hoses for transporting oil and other liquids on the sea

摘要

1,048,961. Pipes; pipe joints. BRIDGESTONE TIRE KABUSHIKI KAISHA. Feb. 10, 1964 [Feb. 13, 1963 (2)], No. 5405/64. Headings F2G and F2P. A method of conveying oil or other liquid over an expanse of water using a hose pipe consisting of two substantially coaxial tubes 1 and 2 with an interspace 3 between them comprises, when the liquid is to be conveyed, filling the interspace with air so as to cause the hose to float, and, when the conveyance of the liquid is completed, either replacing the air with water or evacuating the air in said interspace to cause the hose to submerge. As shown, the interspace between the inner tube through which oil may be passed and the outer floater tube is sealed by an end flange 4, adapted to be connected, for example, to a similar flange of another length of pipe and having sleeves 5 and 6 secured to the outer and inner tubes respectively, an opening 31 being provided in the flange through which air or water can be fed in or extracted by a pump. In a modified arrangement, Fig. 3 (not shown), a separate pipe 7 is used to extract or feed fluid to the interspace. The hose is of rubber, reinforced with wires or fibres as necessary, the outer tube being sufficiently flexible when it is intended to merely evacuate the interspace to sink the hose so that the outer tube collapses about the inner tube on evacuation of the interspace. As illustrated in Fig. 4 (not shown), the hose, shown in both its floated and submerged positions, A and B, respectively, is connected between a ship 10 and a buoy 9, the latter being connected to a permanently submerged pipe 13 and being provided with a pump and the necessary control valves.