OA18144A - Device and method for placing a tubular junction sleeve for a pipe comprising an internal liner - Google Patents

Description

DEVICE AND METHOD FOR FITTING A TUBULAR JUNCTION SLEEVE FOR A PIPE INCLUDING AN INTERNAL LINER

The present invention relates to the field of pipes produced by assembling unitary steel pipe elements, comprising an internal plastic lining protecting the steel walls of said pipe from corrosion.

The present invention relates more particularly to a device and a method for placing a tubular connecting sleeve made of plastic for the assembly of pipes from said unitary pipe elements and for carrying out an electro-fusion. , said sleeve being applied and secured to said liner by electrofusion by the Joule effect at the junction between the end-to-end ends of two unitary pipe elements as described in particular in WO 2012017171.

The present invention relates more particularly to pipes conveying corrosive fluids, in particular underwater pipes conveying pressurized sea water intended to be injected into oil field wells, and more particularly still to connecting pipes resting on the water. seabed or bottom / surface connection pipes.

The present invention relates more particularly still to the connection of two unitary pipe elements with internal jackets, and more particularly still elements 24 m or 48 m in length installed on oil fields in the deep sea, by 2000 to 3000 m, or even more, from laying vessels equipped with J-laying towers.

In known manner, the ends of said pipe elements are assembled end to end by welding and the internal liner to

The interior of said pipe elements stop at a significant distance, for example 100 to 300 mm from the end of said pipe elements, so that the heating of the steel wall during the welding of their ends , does not damage said liner. The problem which then arises is to ensure protection against corrosion of the unsheathed zone between the end of the liner of the pipe element N and the end of the liner of the following pipe element N + 1.

The Applicant's patent WO 2006/042925 is known, which describes such an assembly of pipes coated with an internal lining. The so-called “Swagelining” internal lining method.

The term “jacket” or “internal lining” used below corresponds to a coating also known in the art under the name of “liner”.

In WO 2012/017171, the applicant has described an improved method of assembling two steel pipe elements coated with an internal lining, using a tubular junction sleeve, which is both more mechanically reliable in terms of sealing while being simple and inexpensive to produce, especially in the case of on-site assembly from a ship at sea, of reduced length pipe elements suitable for fitting from a ship at sea.

To do this, the tubular junction sleeve is interposed between 2 steel pipe elements with an internal thermoplastic material lining assembled end to end, the ends of the two pipe elements being welded to one another. Said tubular junction sleeve made of thermoplastic material, preferably identical to that of said sleeve, is inserted inside the pipe at the level of the end-to-end ends of the two pipe elements, so that the end parts at the ends of said sleeve are, in part at least, in sealed contact respectively with end portions at the ends of said internal linings of the two pipe elements. Said tubular junction sleeve has at each of said end parts of the sleeve at the level of said sealed contact zone with the end parts of said liners a heating wire by Joule effect, preferably arranged in a spiral, on the outer surface of each said end part at the ends of said sleeve. Said sealed contact zone is a zone of fusion welding together of the constituent materials of each said end part of the sleeve and respectively each said end part of said liner in contact with one another and traversed by said heating wire.

This sealing of the sleeve / jacket contact is important in order to avoid any contact between seawater and the area of the weld opposite said tubular sleeve. Such direct contact could indeed lead, in the event of water penetration between the sleeve and the pipe, when the pipe is a water injection pipe, to electrochemical corrosion phenomena of the steel pipe and of the pipe. welding insofar as said mechanical connection between the sleeve and the liner is not necessarily tight.

It is understood that said melting zone is obtained by electrically supplying said heating wire by the Joule effect creating heating of said zone at the level of the interface of said contact surfaces of the end parts of the sleeve and of the liner. Said fusion welding zone, (hereinafter abbreviated “fusion zone”) fusion is therefore carried out in this case by the known process called “electrofusion”, which makes it possible to produce a particularly reliable and resistant sealed contact zone.

Said heating wire is applied to an outer surface of an end portion of the sleeve with one end of a heating wire joining the inner surface of said sleeve at an electrical connector which makes it possible to more easily achieve the power supply of the heating wire from inside the pipe when assembling the pipe as explained below.

Said sleeve may be prefabricated with a said heating wire already applied to its surface, which is easier to achieve than the in situ application inside said pipe elements of a heating wire applied on the surface of said internal jackets of the pipe element in situ inside the pipe before the insertion of said sleeve inside said pipe element.

In another embodiment, the heating wire is not applied in a spiral, that is to say does not produce a plurality of turns arranged successively in the direction of their axis of revolution to traverse said melting zone, but said wire makes at least one turn around said axis of revolution of the fusion zone by making a plurality of back and forth movements between the two ends of said fusion zone in said axial direction of revolution of revolution of said fusion zone .

A method of making a pipe with such a joining sleeve comprises assembling pipe elements comprising a said liner with a terminal portion of reduced thickness at each end, and a said tubular joint sleeve inserted only at each end. one end of each said pipe element and projecting therefrom, the protrusion of said sleeve defining a male end of each said pipe element adapted to be assembled with an end devoid of said sleeve defining a female end of another said pipe element. conduct. For this assembly, the following steps are carried out in which:

1) said female end without a tubular connecting sleeve of a pipe element is introduced and forcibly inserted around the male end comprising a tubular sleeve of fixed joint which protrudes from the other pipe element, in the direction longitudinal (XX ¹ ) axially, until said end part of the sleeve of the said male end of said pipe element is in contact with said end part of the liner of said female end of said pipe element to be assembled, one of the two pipe elements being an end element of a pipe being assembled, then

2) said heating wire of said end part of the sleeve is supplied with electricity, preferably by simultaneously exerting a pressure of said end part of the sleeve against said end part of the sleeve in contact with one another, to produce a said area electro-fusion welding at at least part of the interface of the surfaces of each said end part of the sleeve and each said end part of the sleeve in contact with one another and traversed by the double spiral of heating wire on the surface of the sleeve, to produce a so-called melt-tight contact zone, 15 and

3) the peripheral external welding of the ends of the two pipe elements end to end is carried out.

In WO 2012/017171, said pressure is exerted against the internal surface of the sleeve at the level of its said end part by introducing inside the sleeve a device comprising an inflatable cell, initially at least partially deflated, said cell comprising or cooperating. on its surface with an electrical power supply connector which is positioned so that said electrical connector of the cell can cooperate with the electrical connector on the internal surface of the sleeve including the terminals of the heating wire when inflating said cell, then said cell is inflated.

More precisely, in WO2012 / 017171 with reference to FIGS. 9A-9E, an expandable mandrel 20 is used which enables the electro-fusion of the seal between the tubular sleeve 3 and the internal jacket 2 at the level of the surface of revolution 2a. . The mandrel 20 ·> ι comprises a rigid core 21 in the form of a rim, an expandable membrane, in the form of an air chamber 22 which can be inflated by means of an umbilical 23 supplied with compressed air, said umbilical bringing also the electric current to a power connector 20a. Thus, the mandrel 20 is introduced inside the tubular junction sleeve 3, so as to position the connector 20a opposite the complementary connector 7 of said tubular junction sleeve. Then, the mandrel is inflated, and the electric current is injected which melts the entire area covered by the heating wire. The expansion of the mandrel makes it possible to guarantee compactness in the fusion plane, as well as the absence of air bubbles, the latter being detrimental to a good seal at the level of the fusion surface.

On the other hand, said mandrel does not make it possible to carry out the insertion and the positioning of the said junction sleeve prior to the electro-fusion welding, the operations of fitting the sleeve being difficult to carry out. Finally, it appears necessary to be able to control the quality of the weld produced by electro-fusion.

The aim of the present invention is to overcome these problems and drawbacks and more generally to improve the device and method for placing such a tubular plastic junction sleeve for the sealed assembly of a pipe comprising an internal lining, said sleeve being applied and secured to said liner by electro-fusion by the Joule effect.

To do this, the present invention provides a device useful for the positioning of a tubular junction sleeve inside the end of a first steel pipe element with an internal jacket of thermoplastic material and useful for the installation. 'end-to-end assembly of the end of this first pipe element equipped with a said sleeve with the end without said sleeve of a second pipe element with an internal jacket of thermoplastic material, said ends thus end to end of the two pipe elements ¹ being intended to be welded to one another, said sleeve having at each end a tubular wall end part, preferably of reduced thickness compared to the thickness of the adjacent running part of the tubular wall of said sleeve, said sleeve having at least one, preferably each of said end portions of the sleeve, a heating wire by Joule effect disposed, preferably in a spiral, on the outer surface ne of said end part of said sleeve capable of creating by heating a sealed contact zone by melting together the constituent materials of at least part of said end part of the sleeve and respectively an end part of said sleeve in contact with one another the other, and traversed by said heating wire, said sleeve positioning device comprising a mandrel of longitudinal axis (XX ') supporting on the surface at least a first inflatable chamber comprising a peripheral wall expandable radially by inflation, said first wall comprising at least a first electrical connector adapted to be connected to one end of a said heating wire, and said mandrel also supporting an umbilical comprising at least one compressed air supply duct for the inflation of said first inflatable chamber and a electrical supply conduit connected to said first electrical connector.

According to the invention, said mandrel further supports on the outer surface a second inflatable chamber comprising a peripheral wall expandable radially by inflation, spaced from said first inflatable chamber in said longitudinal direction and said mandrel further supports a weld control device, said umbilical passing through the interior of said mandrel and comprising conduits for supplying electricity, and preferably also water, to said welding control means.

Preferably, said weld control device is arranged in the longitudinal direction of the mandrel upstream or downstream of the two said first and second chambers, preferably on the other side of said first chamber than said second chamber. In other words, said first chamber is disposed between said weld control device and said second chamber.

The method of positioning and implementing the sleeve with the device according to the present invention is facilitated by the fact that said second chamber makes it possible to:

- facilitate guiding and allow easier longitudinal displacement of the device according to the invention inside a pipe and / or a sleeve, because the two said first and second chambers are partially inflated to a diameter slightly smaller than that of the pipe or respectively of the sleeve, the two chambers being spaced apart in the longitudinal direction so as to abut the wall of the pipe and of the sleeve and thus maintain the mandrel in the axial direction of the pipe or of the sleeve despite the counterweight represented by said weld control device, and

- Fixing the device according to the invention inside said sleeve, and thus stabilize the mandrel relative to said sleeve to adjust its position before carrying out said electro-fusion, by maximum inflation of said second inflatable chamber, the latter thus being pressed and secured to the internal wall of the sleeve, despite the counterweight represented by said weld control means, the position adjustment consisting in pre-positioning said first chamber opposite said end portion of the sleeve to be welded and the connection its electrical connector after inflation of the first chamber, and

- stabilize the device according to the invention relative to said sleeve by maximum inflation of the two said first and second chambers thus pressed and secured to the internal wall of the sleeve, during the production of said electro-fusion and then during the mobile implementation of said welding control means.

Preferably, the two said first and second inflatable chambers extend over a length 11 and respectively 12 and are spaced by a distance d in the longitudinal direction of the mandrel such as when a said first inflatable chamber is in radial expansion plating against the end part of the sleeve, in particular when the latter is placed against the end part of the internal lining of the pipe to perform electro-fusion, the second inflatable chamber is located opposite and can come to press against a part of the tubular internal wall of said sleeve.

It is understood that the position of the weld control device is then outside the sleeve. And, when said control means are arranged opposite an electrofusion end part, at least the first inflatable chamber, preferably the two first and second radially expanding inflatable chambers can come to rest against the internal wall of the muff.

Preferably, said weld control device comprises:

- at least one ultrasound probe, and

- at least one water injection nozzle supplied with water via a conduit passing through said umbilical, and

- Preferably visual inspection means, preferably a camera.

The camera makes it possible to position the device in view of the weld and to place the ultrasonic weld control module correctly in line with the weld to be controlled and then inspect the weld.

More particularly, said ultrasonic probe and / or said water injection nozzle is (or are) capable of being rotated (s) vis-à-vis the end portions of said sleeve after electro -melting, along an axis of rotation disposed in the longitudinal axis of said mandrel. It is understood that they are mounted (s) on said mandrel in a motorized manner to do this.

Ultrasonic probe weld control devices are known. These devices consist of a piezoelectric emitter made of ceramic material which emits an ultrasonic acoustic wave for a short time which is transmitted through the mass of steel and metal of the pipe and the weld and is reflected on the opposite surface of the pipe. conduct. In general, said transmitter also acts as a sensor, the signal corresponding to the received wave being transmitted by electronic processing means to a computer. As part of the control of a plastic weld, the wave propagates and is reflected on any obstacle or defect encountered. Obstacles include: the cables needed to supply power for electro-fusion, the plastic / plastic interface in the absence of welding, and the plastic / steel interface. The greater the echo of the interface between the plastic and the steel, the better the quality of the weld.

Ultrasound probes are also known comprising a series of transceivers and which are called multibeam probes or “phased array”. The operating structure is described in EP 1 899 721, in particular so as to improve the control of the weld, the different transmitters can emit waves in different directions which makes it possible to extend the geographical inspection area.

These devices are generally implemented manually by an operator and are moved against and near the weld on the one hand, axially in translation from front to back in the weld area, and on the other hand, over the entire circumference of the periphery of the pipe in said weld zone, as in WO 01/71338.

When operating from inside the pipe, an operator has great difficulty in manually positioning the ultrasonic probe with precision, not only because of the distance of the weld area to be inspected from the end of the pipe. , but also because of the difficulty of correctly visualizing the exact position of the weld to be checked, which then makes it very difficult to highlight critical weld defects. This problem is all the more accentuated as the diameter of the internal pipe is smaller. In addition, when the operator locates a defect, he does not know with extreme precision the exact positioning of said defect, due to the very fact that he operates manually. In EP 1 899 721, an independent motorized carriage moved inside the pipe is used.

Preferably, said mandrel also supports reversible means of closing the passage between the mandrel and the internal wall of the sleeve or of the pipe, said sealing means being arranged in said longitudinal direction of the mandrel so that said control means welding are arranged between said closure means and at least one said first or second chamber.

It is understood that said reversible closure means can thus either close the passage between the mandrel and the internal wall of the sleeve when the part of the mandrel supporting said closure means is positioned inside said sleeve; or thus close the passage between the mandrel and the pipe when the part of the mandrel supporting said closure means is positioned inside the pipe. These closure means are said to be reversible in that they can be actuated to close the passage as described above and actuated inversely to reopen said passage and allow the longitudinal displacement of the device according to the invention.

More particularly, said reversible sealing means consist of a third inflatable chamber comprising a peripheral wall which can be expanded radially by inflation.

More particularly still, said expandable wall of said second inflatable chamber comprises at least one electrical connector suitable for being connected to the end of said heating wire.

We understand that:

said first and second inflatable chambers are arranged in an annular or toric manner around the cylindrical mandrel or a rigid core forming a rim around the mandrel, and

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- Said electrical connectors are connected or able to be connected to an electrical supply conduit contained in said umbilical and passing through said first and second inflatable chamber or chambers containing it, and said inflatable chambers are also connected to air supply conduits tablet contained in said umbilical.

In a particular embodiment, said inflatable chambers are formed by a flexible or semi-rigid tubular casing with circular cross section arranged around said cylindrical mandrel and along the same longitudinal axis XX 'as said mandrel, the circular edges at each longitudinal end of each said envelope joining the outer wall of said mandrel so that under the effect of the inflation of said chamber, said envelope takes on a convex convex shape in axial longitudinal section forming the radially expanded wall of said chamber.

The present invention also provides a method of placing a tubular junction sleeve at one end of a unitary pipe element with an internally lined thermoplastic material in order to secure a said sleeve at the end part of a said sleeve. , said sleeve having at each end an end portion of a tubular wall, preferably of reduced thickness compared to the thickness of the adjacent running portion of the tubular wall of said sleeve, said sleeve having at least one, preferably each , of said end parts of the sleeve a heating wire by Joule effect arranged, preferably in a spiral, on the outer surface of said end part of said sleeve and a sealed contact zone is created by heating by melting together the constituent materials of a part of the sleeve. less than said end portion of the sleeve and respectively an end portion of said liner in contact with each other, and traversed by said wire ch auffant, using a sleeve placement device according to the invention.

More particularly, the following steps are carried out, preferably on the deck of a laying vessel or on land:

I ¹

1.1) said sleeve positioning device is positioned inside said sleeve so that at least one said first inflatable chamber is in position vis-à-vis a first end part of the sleeve with its first connector facing one end of said heating wire, the other of said first and second inflatable chambers facing the internal wall of the running part of the sleeve and at least said second inflatable chamber is inflated so as to secure the sleeve positioning device with said sleeve by pressing the expandable wall of said second chamber against the internal wall of said tubular sleeve, and

1.2) the assembly thus formed of the sleeve and of said sleeve positioning device is moved in the longitudinal direction (XX ¹ ) axially which is inserted inside an open end without a sleeve of an element pipe, until said first end portion of the sleeve contacts said end portion of the liner of said end of said pipe member, and

1.3) said first inflatable chamber is inflated in order to press it against the internal wall of said first end sleeve portion such that said first electrical connector is connected, preferably by means of a complementary electrical connector, to one end of a said heating wire, and

1.4) said heating wire is supplied with electricity, by simultaneously exerting a pressure of said end sleeve part against said end sleeve part in contact with one another by inflating said first inflatable chamber to produce a said welding zone by electro-melting of the constituent materials of at least part of said end part of the sleeve and respectively an end part of said liner in contact with one another, and through which said heating wire runs, and

1.5) said first and second inflatable chambers are deflated, and said sleeve positioning device is moved in translation so that said weld control device is disposed opposite said sleeve end portion corresponding to said zone of electro-fusion welding, and

1.6) the two first and second inflatable chambers are inflated again, which are pressed against and secured against the internal wall of the sleeve, and said weld control device is actuated to control said weld, preferably by carrying out injection of water on said end portion of the sleeve, and

1.7) said first and second chambers are deflated and said sleeve positioning device is moved in translation in order to evacuate it.

It will be understood that said pipe element obtained is found with a sleeve part on the side of the second free end part outside the pipe element corresponding to said male end of step a) of the method for producing conduct below.

In step i.6), the water makes it possible to ensure better transmission of the ultrasonic waves to the plastic to be inspected.

The present invention also provides a method for producing a pipe using a sleeve fitting device according to the invention, in which the assembly of unit pipe elements comprising a said lining is carried out, preferably with an end portion of reduced thickness at each end, and a said joining tubular sleeve inserted and secured at only one end of each said pipe member and protruding therefrom, the protrusion of said sleeve defining a male end of each said pipe element adapted to be assembled with an end 30 devoid of said sleeve defining a female end of another said pipe element, said sleeve having at each end an end portion of a tubular wall, preferably of reduced thickness relative to the thickness of the adjacent running part of the tubular wall of said sleeve, said sleeve having at least one, preferably each, of said par end ties of the sleeve a heating wire by Joule effect arranged, preferably in a spiral, on the outer surface of said end part of said sleeve capable of creating by heating a sealed contact zone by melting together the constituent materials of at least part of said end part of the sleeve and respectively an end part of said liner in contact with one another, and through which said heating wire runs, carrying out the following steps in which:

a) a sleeve positioning device is introduced inside a said unitary pipe element so that said first inflatable chamber is arranged with its first electrical connector facing the end of a heating wire at an end portion of said sleeve which is attached thereto, and said sleeve positioning device is fixed inside said sleeve by inflating a said second inflatable chamber against the internal wall of said sleeve, and

b) before or after step a), the sleeve part forming said male end of a pipe element is introduced and forcibly inserted into the female end of the other pipe element, in the longitudinal direction (XX ¹ ) axially, until said end part of the sleeve of said male end of said end pipe member is in contact with said end part of the liner of said female end of said pipe member to be assembled, and

c) the outer peripheral welding of the ends of the two pipe elements is carried out end to end, and

d) the inflation of a said first inflatable chamber is carried out and its said first electrical connector is connected to the end of the heating wire at the level of said end part of the sleeve which is opposite it, and said power is supplied. electrically heated wire, by simultaneously exerting pressure from said sleeve end part against said sleeve end part in contact with one another to produce a said electro-fusion weld zone at at least one part of the interface of the surfaces of each said end part of the sleeve and each said end liner part in contact with one another and through which the heating wire runs on the surface of the sleeve, to produce a said sealed contact zone by merger, and

e) said first and second inflatable chambers are deflated and said sleeve placement device is moved in translation.

More particularly, the following steps are carried out in which:

al) a first pipe element equipped with a said sleeve at one of its ends is lowered into a pipe laying tower of a pipe laying vessel, up to near the end of the upper terminal pipe element the pipe under assembly partially submerged at the bottom of the tower, and

a.2) a said sleeve placing device (20) is lowered with said first and second chambers at least partially deflated, which is secured to a said sleeve fixed to one of said first or second pipe element, by inflation of a said second chamber which is pressed against the internal wall of the sleeve in its current part, said first chamber being arranged opposite a free end portion of said sleeve with its first connector facing -screw from one end of said heating wire,

a.3) the first chamber is inflated which is pressed against the end part of said sleeve such that said electrical connector is connected, preferably via a complementary electrical connector, to one end of said heating wire, and

b) after or before step a.3), the two pipe elements are assembled by introducing and forcibly inserting the part of a sleeve forming a said male end of a pipe element into the end female without the sleeve of the other pipe element,

c) said welding is carried out of the ends of the two pipe elements end to end, and

dl) said heating wire is supplied with electricity, while simultaneously exerting a pressure of said end sleeve part against said end sleeve part in contact with one another by inflating said first chamber to produce a said welding zone by electro-fusion, and

d.2) said first and second chambers are deflated, and said mandrel is moved in translation so that said weld control means are arranged opposite said electro-welded sleeve end portion, and

d.3) the two first and second chambers are inflated, which come to press against the internal wall of the sleeve and secure it, and

d.4) said weld control means are actuated to control said weld, preferably by simultaneously injecting water on said end part of the sleeve.

More particularly still, in step d.4), the following operations are carried out in which:

d.4.1) said closure means are actuated in closing so that a sealed compartment is formed delimited by said first inflatable chamber and said closure means closing the passage inside the pipe, sealed compartment within which said weld control means are arranged to control said weld, and

d.4.2) said sealed compartment is filled with water and said weld control means actuated to control said weld, and

d.4.3) then, said reversible shutter means are actuated in opening.

More particularly still, before step a), steps ii) to i.7) of the method of placing a tubular junction sleeve are carried out at one end of a unitary pipe element according to l The invention, preferably on the deck of the ship or on land, for fixing a said sleeve in the terminal part of a said pipe element before its assembly with another said pipe element.

The term “internal” and “external” is understood here to mean, internal and respectively external to the pipe, to the sleeve or to the lining as the case may be.

It is understood that the term “running part of the sleeve” here means the central part of the sleeve situated between the two end parts at the two longitudinal ends of the sleeve.

As explained below, said end portions of the sleeve of the liner may be in contact with one another, at the level of external surfaces of revolution of said end parts of the sleeve in contact with internal surfaces of revolution of said liners or at the level of flat annular surfaces of the front ends in cross section of said end parts of the sleeve and of said liner. Said surfaces of revolution of said end portions of the sleeve and of the liner have the same axis of revolution as said pipe.

Said sealed contact zone extends over the entire periphery of the outer surfaces of revolution of said end parts of the sleeve and of said inner surfaces of revolution of said end parts of the liner in contact with one another, that is to say over 360 ° around their axis of revolution XX '. On the other hand, said sealed contact zone may extend over just part of the lengths in the axial direction of said surfaces of revolution of the end portions of the sleeve and liner in contact with one another.

It is understood that said surfaces of revolution of said end portions of the sleeve and of the liner have the same axis of revolution as said pipe and that said sleeve in position inside said pipe.

In a known manner, each said pipe element comprises an internal liner of plastic material, preferably thermoplastic, terminating at a certain distance I from the end of said pipe element, preferably at least part of the outer surface of each part. terminal at the ends of the internal liner can be locked by gluing against the corresponding internal surface of the steel wall of the pipe, using an adhesive preferably of the epoxy or polyurethane type.

In a still known manner, the sleeve extends in an axial longitudinal direction XX 'and of the pipe over a length covering at least the lengths of pipe not covered with said liners, that is to say at least twice said distance I.

It is understood that the outer surface of the running part of the sleeve adjacent to said end sleeve portion is located opposite the parts of the inner walls of the ends of said assembled pipe elements not covered with said liner.

It is understood that the end parts at the ends of the sleeve have surfaces of identical or complementary shapes to the surfaces of the end parts at the ends of said liners with which they are in contact.

According to a first variant embodiment, the wall of the sleeve at the level of at least one said end part of the sleeve is substantially of the same thickness as that of the adjacent running part of the sleeve opposite the unsheathed pipe, and substantially of the same thickness as that of a said end portion of said liner and that of the adjacent running part of said liner, said fusion weld zone being located at the level of the straight front ends of the sleeve and said liner in abutment against one another the other.

It is understood that said straight front ends form annular planar surfaces extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction XX 'of the sleeve and of the pipe and are formed by the section in right cross section of said ends.

In this embodiment, the spiral formed by the heating wire is flat, and the latter progresses around said front surface or section of the end of the sleeve such that the diameter of its concentric turns located all in the same plane , increases from its said first end which is closest to the internal surface of the sleeve towards its said second end closest to the adjacent external surface of the sleeve situated opposite the internal wall of the pipe.

In a second variant embodiment which is more particularly advantageous for reduced thicknesses, in particular less than 10 mm, said internal liner has at least one end an end portion of reduced thickness compared to the thickness of the main part of said liner, defining a concave shape with an internal surface of revolution of internal diameter greater than that of the main part of said liner, and said sleeve has at least one end a terminal part of reduced thickness compared to the thickness of the adjacent main part of said sleeve, said end portion of the sleeve defining a convex shape capable of overlapping the concave end portion of reduced thickness of said liner with which it is in contact, said end portion of the sleeve defining an outer surface of revolution of outer diameter smaller than that of the adjacent running part of the sleeve and a cylindrical internal surface sensitive lement of the same internal diameter as that of said running part of the liner and running part of the sleeve, said Joule effect heating wire running all around the periphery of said outer surface of revolution around its axis of revolution (XX ') and at least part of the length of said end portion in the direction of said axis of revolution (XX ').

It is understood that, by virtue of their complementary shapes, said end part of the sleeve and end part of reduced thickness of the liner allow the sleeve to be inserted against the internal surface of the end part of reduced thickness of the liner by simple force-fitting of said sleeve in the axial longitudinal direction XX 'inside said duct member and the outer surface of said reduced sleeve end portion in contact with the inner surface of reduced liner thickness end portion have an identical shape and are arranged relative to each other to match their identical contour.

In a first sub-variant of this second variant, said internal surface of the terminal portion of reduced thickness of the liner and external surface of the terminal portion of reduced thickness of the sleeve covered with said heating wire, in contact against each other. others are of the same frustoconical shape with the same axis XX 'as the said sleeve and said pipe.

It will be understood that, by virtue of their complementary concave and respectively convex shapes, said internal surface and frustoconical external surface have an apex angle of substantially the same value. In this embodiment with a frustoconical contact surface, said end portions of reduced thickness of the sleeve and of the liner in contact have a thickness increasing from the k

ends of the sleeve and respectively of the liner, towards the adjacent running part of the sleeve and respectively of the liner, and the spiral of the heating wire progresses with turns increasing in diameter from its said first end located on the side of the terminal part of the sleeve of smaller thickness towards its said second end located on the side of the terminal part of the sleeve of greater thickness.

In a second sub-variant of this second variant, said internal surface of the terminal portion of reduced thickness of the liner and external surface of the terminal portion of reduced thickness of the sleeve, in contact with one another are likewise cylindrical shape with the same axis XX 'as said sleeve and said pipe, preferably the end of the terminal portion of reduced thickness of the sleeve covered with said heating wire abutting against a shoulder delimiting the internal surfaces of said running part and end portion of reduced thickness of the liner.

In this embodiment with a cylindrical contact surface, said terminal portions of reduced thickness of the sleeve and of the liner in contact have a preferably substantially constant identical thickness, and the double spiral of the heating wire progresses turns of constant diameter from its said first end located on the side of the terminal portion of the sleeve of smaller thickness towards its said second end located on the side of the terminal portion of the sleeve of greater thickness.

When the internal surface of the terminal portion of reduced thickness of the sleeve is conical or cylindrical, the double spiral formed by the heating wire is three-dimensional, that is to say of helical shape because its turns are spaced in the longitudinal direction of the sleeve .

In the various embodiments referred to above with a contact surface of the end parts of the sleeve and front liner, <>

conical or cylindrical, the contact surface has a cone-type topology whose half angle at the vertex a is between 0 and 90 ° for the conical surface, and of fictitious cone type with a half angle at the top a = 90 ° for the conical surfaces. front ends with a straight section, and a = 0 ° for the cylindrical surfaces, so that in all cases said first spiral end is located on the side of the tip of the cone or of the fictitious cone.

Preferably, as described in WO 2012/017171, a heating wire wound in a double spiral is used, the two free ends (not spiraled) of the wire being located on the same side of the double spiral, to join the internal surface of the sleeve. as close as possible to said internal surface. Thus, in the case where the wire is implemented on an external surface of revolution, it is possible to implement a heating wire whose two free ends are located on the same side of the electro-fusion zone, namely the opposite side with respect to said metal weld. Thus, a pressurized fluid will not be able to access said metal weld by traveling through the thickness of the sleeve to the melting zone, but can only travel through the interface between the sealed contact zone or melting zone and inside the pipe.

The embodiment with a heating wire wound in a double spiral is advantageous in that it makes it possible to ensure a more complete and more reliable sealing of the contact surface between said end parts of the sleeve and of the liner in order to avoid any risk. contact of said weld with water when said pipe conveys water and thus avoid any risk of invasion of the area between the external surface of the sleeve and the internal surface of said pipe elements, which would not fail to create a narrowing of the internal diameter of the sleeve, that is to say of the passage section of the fluid, and therefore disturbances in the flow of the fluid inside the sleeve, not to mention the risk of contact of said weld with water, when said pipe conveys water.

Indeed, the fact that the two non-spiraled free ends of the wire start from the first end of the double spiral on the side of the part of the non-sealed interface opening only on the internal surface of the sleeve, a pressurized fluid cannot not travel through the thickness of the sleeve to the second end and will not be able to access said weld, but will only be able to travel through the interface and in the channels of the ends of the wire between said first ends of the double spiral and the inside the pipe.

More particularly, the pipe to be produced is a connecting pipe either resting on the seabed, or a bottom / surface connection suitable for being laid in an underwater environment at great depth, preferably up to 3000 m, and said pipe elements have a length of 20 to 50 m, an internal diameter of 10 to 60cm and said sleeve has a length of 45 to 150cm. It is more particularly a pipe for injecting pressurized water into oil field wells, which pressure is always greater than 5 MPa and more particularly 25 to 70 MPa (250 to 700 bars). This type of pipe as mentioned above is particularly stressed at said welds so that they must be protected as much as possible from any corrosion by contact with seawater, especially in the case of bottom-surface connections, because in this case, the pipe is perpetually in motion due to the effects of the swell of the wind and of the current exerted on the support floating on the surface and therefore subjected to extreme fatigue stresses. In addition, the properties of the fluid conveyed can lead to having to include significant sacrificial steel excess, having a strong impact on the installation of these pipes. The installation of a plastic liner eliminates this need.

According to one embodiment, said sleeve is produced by assembly by fusion welding, preferably by electro-fusion, of the surfaces of the ends in contact with one another of at least 2 tubular parts of said sleeve comprising at least :

t

- a first tubular sleeve part comprising a main sleeve part and a central sleeve part of external diameter and preferably of internal diameter, of reduced dimension (s) relative to the external diameter, and preferably respectively internal diameter , of the adjacent running part, more preferably said first tubular sleeve part being obtained by machining a tubular sleeve of greater thickness, and

- at least a second tubular sleeve portion comprising the tubular end sleeve portion preferably having a shorter length than said first tubular portion in the axial direction XX 'of the sleeve, and preferably having a cylindrical internal surface, and more preferably still, said second sleeve part being obtained by molding, and

- the ends of two said first and second assembled tubular sleeve parts have identical or complementary shapes at their contact zone, of which at least one of said surfaces is covered with a said heating wire by Joule effect, and of which the terminals end preferably open onto the internal surface of said tubular sleeve portion.

This embodiment comprising several tubular sleeve parts makes it possible to limit the production of molded parts to relatively smaller parts, which makes it possible to avoid using extremely expensive large-sized molds.

Said concave and convex complementary shapes of the two tubular sleeve parts assembled by electro-fusion may, as for the end sleeve and liner parts, have identical surfaces of shape:

- conical or cylindrical for the ends of said tubular sleeve parts of reduced thickness, or:

- So-called front plane annular, the tubular sleeve parts being assembled by their edges extending in a plane perpendicular to said longitudinal direction XX 'of the sleeve.

Said sleeve may be constituted by the assembly by electro-fusion welding of a said first tubular sleeve portion assembled at each end to a said second first tubular sleeve portion, each said second tubular sleeve portion comprising a free end comprising a said end sleeve portion.

In one embodiment with a particularly mechanically reliable assembly, said first tubular sleeve part and said second tubular sleeve part have at their assembled ends complementary shapes, respectively concave and respectively convex, the conical internal surface of said first tubular sleeve part. or said tapered outer surface of said second tubular sleeve portion being covered with said spiral heating wire. This embodiment is more particularly advantageous and to achieve a said assembly by electro-fusion of the two said first and second tubular sleeve part in situ by first of all introducing said second tubular sleeve part which is assembled by electro-fusion. merging with an internal liner end portion of a pipe element, then assembling said first tubular sleeve portion and said second tubular sleeve portion. Indeed, in this case the bevelled end to be assembled of said first tubular sleeve part wedges like a wedge in the acute angular space, with the concave conical internal surface wedged in abutment against the convex conical external surface of the end of said second tubular part of the sleeve.

Preferably, said sleeve has, in a central part, an external diameter smaller than the external diameters of the running parts adjacent to said central part so as to provide an annular space between the sleeve and the wall of said pipe elements, and it is placed, if necessary , an annular thermal protection piece capable of protecting the sleeve during welding of the ends of the pipe elements, said running parts of the sleeve preferably having an external diameter substantially identical to the internal diameter of the uncovered ends of said lining of the assembled pipe elements.

This embodiment is particularly advantageous in that it makes it possible to create an annular space of sufficient size to accommodate a said annular thermal protection part of the sleeve, which will prevent the deterioration of the sleeve during the welding of the steel ends of said. pipe elements to be assembled, thus protecting the sleeve on its outer surface opposite said ends of the pipe elements to be welded together.

Also preferably, the tubular wall of said sleeve has a substantially constant thickness, in its said adjacent running parts, and substantially equal to the thickness of the running part of said internal liner, and said central part of the sleeve, preferably of reduced thickness is capable of deforming to adopt an internal diameter substantially identical to the internal diameter of the rest of the sleeve under the effect of an internal pressure of the fluid circulating inside the pipe in operation of at least 1 MPa, and the thermal protection part is itself also deformable under the same pressure conditions, preferably to adopt a thickness less than 5 mm, more preferably less than 2 mm, said thermal protection part preferably still being made of ceramic fibers.

Methods of producing internal lining elements of pipe elements on the one hand and of assembling the pipe elements clad in an internal lining using a tubular sleeve are described in WO 2006/042925 and will find to apply according to the. >

The present invention, in particular, the internal lining can be carried out with a method comprising the following steps comprising:

1- said internal lining by introducing, through a first end of a pipe element, a pipe made of flexible and elastic thermoplastic material in the form of a pipe with a circular section or bent in the shape of a bean, intended to form said jacket, and in the pulling inside said pipe member to the second end of the pipe member, then the traction is released to allow its radial expansion and bonding against the inner surface of the wall of said pipe member, and

2- the cutting and machining of the ends of said lining pipe so as to form said end parts of reduced thickness of said internal liner and an unsheathed end part of the steel wall of said pipe element at each of its ends .

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the light of the detailed description which follows, with reference to the following figures in which:

• Figure IA is a sectional side view of the assembly of a pipe according to the invention, using a tubular junction sleeve between two pipe elements or unit lengths of lined pipes according to the invention , • Figure IB shows a side view of an installation vessel equipped with a so-called J-laying tower, • Figures 1 to 9 represent different stages of installation and welding of the sleeve 3 at one end of a pipe element with a device according to the present invention shown schematically,

J • Figures 10 to 21 show different stages of assembly of two pipe elements with installation and welding of the sleeve 3 at one end of a first pipe element at the end without the sleeve of a second pipe element with a device according to the present invention shown schematically;

• Figures 22 and 23 show a device 20 for placing a sleeve which comprises two chambers capable of performing electro-fusion.

In Figure IA, there is shown a pipe 1 according to the invention comprising at least 2 pipe elements li, 1 ₂ with internal lining 2 in polyethylene or polypropylene assembled end to end, in which the ends of the two pipe elements are welded 5 to each other. Each pipe element comprises an internal lining of thermoplastic material 2 of axis XX 'coinciding substantially with the axis of the pipe elements li, 1 ₂ , having at each end a conical end part of half-angle at the top a 2a d' reduced thickness compared to the thickness of the main part 2b of said lining, defining an internal surface of revolution of greater internal diameter than that of the main part 2b of said lining and ending at a certain distance L from each end of said element of conduct. The outer surface of each said end part 2a of the inner liner is optionally locked by gluing 2c of the end of the liner at or near said end part of reduced thickness 2a of the liner against the corresponding inner surface of the steel wall of the pipe, using an adhesive, preferably of the polyurethane or two-component epoxy type.

A tubular junction sleeve 3 made of thermoplastic material, preferably identical to the thermoplastic material of the internal lining 2, of axis XX 'coinciding substantially with the axis of the pipe elements li, 1 ₂ , of the same external diameter, just slightly less than internal diameter of the pipe, is inserted inside each of the end-to-end ends of the two pipe elements, so as to overlap said end parts of the two liners 2a, 2b by means of a device 20 according to the invention as described below with reference to Figures 1 to 9.

More precisely, in FIG. 1A, the internal liner 2 has at each end of the pipe element an end portion of reduced thickness 2a compared to the thickness of the running part 2b of said liner, defining a concave shape with a surface tapered internal half-angle at the apex a, of greater internal diameter than that of the running part 2b of said liner, and said sleeve 3 has at each longitudinal end an end part 3a of reduced thickness compared to the thickness of the adjacent running part 3b of said sleeve, said end part 3a of the sleeve defining a convex shape capable of overlapping the end part of reduced thickness of said liner 2a with which it is in contact, said end part 3a of the sleeve defining a frustoconical outer surface 3 -2 of an external diameter smaller than that of the adjacent running part 3b of the sleeve, of the same angle at the apex a as said frustoconical internal surface of said concave end portion of said liner. The end portions of the conically shaped sleeve define an internal cylindrical surface 3-1 substantially of the same internal diameter as that of said running part 2b of the liner and running part 3b of the sleeve.

In FIG. 1A, the sleeve presents in a central part 3c, that is to say approximately halfway in its axial longitudinal direction XX ', a reduced external diameter smaller than the external diameters of its running parts 3b adjacent to said central part 3c so as to provide an annular space 7, and an annular part 8 for thermal protection of the sleeve is placed during the welding of the ends of the pipe elements, said running parts 3b of the sleeve having an external diameter substantially identical to the internal diameter of the uncovered ends of said lining of the assembled pipe elements.

The tubular wall of said sleeve has a substantially constant thickness in its central part 3c and its adjacent running parts 3b, and substantially equal to the thickness of the running part 2b of said internal liner 2, and said central part 3c of the sleeve is able to fit. deform to adopt an internal diameter substantially identical to the internal diameter of the rest of the sleeve under the effect of an internal pressure of the fluid circulating inside the pipe in operation of at least 1 MPa, and the thermal protection part 8 is itself also deformable under the same internal pressure conditions inside the pipe to adopt a reduced thickness, preferably a thickness of less than 5mm, more preferably less than 2mm, said thermal protection piece being more preferably Made of ceramic fibers in a form similar to cotton wool.

We understand that:

- the central part of the sleeve due to its substantially constant thickness, has a reduction in the external diameter as well as the internal diameter during installation, the pipe being empty and at atmospheric pressure and when it is subjected to pressures corresponding to pressure values less than 1 MPa (10 bars),

- as soon as the internal pressure exceeds 1 MPa (10 bars), the thicknesses in particular of the order of 5 to 20mm and the rigidity of the plastic material such as polyethylene or polypropylene allow an increase in the internal and external diameters of the central part by deformation, for example when a fluid circulates inside the pipe and the sleeve, in particular pressurized water, as is the case in water injection pipes for oil wells greater than 5 MPa, in particular from 25 to 70 MPa.

Due to the fact that the pressure Po on the outside of the jacket is much lower than the internal pressure Pmax, the latter has the effect of vigorously pressing the constricted central part 3c of the tubular junction sleeve 3 against the wall of the steel pipe , the ceramic fiber screen 8 also being crushed and then only having a residual thickness of no more than 1 to 2mm.

The sleeve 3 has a central part 3c of reduced external diameter which will come back to press inside the pipe as soon as the internal pressure exceeds 1 to 1.5 MPa (10 to 15 bars) thanks to the flexibility of the thermoplastic material. To improve the deformability of this central part 3c and of the adjacent transition zones, the thickness of these zones will advantageously be reduced with respect to the thickness of the running part 3b of the sleeve, by a proportion of 5 to 50%. Likewise, this central zone 3c as well as the transition zones have been shown for the clarity of the drawings with connections at a sharp angle, but we prefer fillets with a large radius of curvature, so as to avoid the appearance of initiation of fractures by cracking in these areas.

In Figure IA, there is shown a heating wire 4 forming a spiral, preferably a double spiral formed of two parts of wire arranged side by side forming two substantially equidistant spirals joining at a common end formed by a hairpin loop. as described in WO 2012017171. Each spiral runs through said outer surface 3-2 of each said end portion of the sleeve. The two free ends of the wire have a power supply terminal joined side by side at a common electrical connector 4a at the internal surface 3-1 of the sleeve.

In FIGS. 1 to 9, the various stages of placing a tubular junction sleeve 3 are shown at the level of one end of a pipe element li with the aid of a positioning device 20. sleeve. These operations can be carried out on land or on the ship's deck in a horizontal position.

A device 20 for placing a sleeve 3 according to the invention is equipped in FIGS. 1 to 9 with a mandrel 20a of cylindrical shape extending in an axial longitudinal direction XX 'comprising a longitudinal cylindrical central orifice within which is disposed an umbilical 20b which also serves as the handling wire of the device 20.

In Figures 1 to 21, the device 20 comprises a first inflatable chamber 21 equipped with electrical connectors 21a, arranged in the longitudinal direction XX 'at a distance d from a second inflatable chamber 22. The first chamber 21 is interposed in the direction longitudinal between on the one hand, the second chamber 22 and on the other hand the welding control device 23 also supported by the mandrel 20a. The mandrel 20a further supports a third inflatable chamber forming an expandable wall 24 disposed in the direction XX 'so that the weld control means 23 are interposed between the first inflatable chamber 21 and the third inflatable chamber 24.

The first and second chambers are spaced apart by a distance d such that when the second chamber 22 is disposed opposite the restricted central part 3c of the sleeve, the first chamber 21 is disposed opposite. from one end of the sleeve at its terminal portion of reduced thickness 3a. The weld control device 23 is then located outside the sleeve. The weld control device 23 is arranged in the longitudinal direction so that when the second chamber 22 is placed, facing the opposite end of the sleeve as shown in FIG. 6, the device for weld control 23 is disposed vis-à-vis the first end of the sleeve, and is thus able to control the electro-fusion welding of this first end 3a of the sleeve with a jacket end of a pipe element in which the sleeve 3 has been inserted and welded, as described below.

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Thus, the ends furthest in the longitudinal direction of said second chamber 22 and of said weld control device 23 are substantially at the same distance as the length L of the sleeve, the three elements 21, 22 and 23 being able to be included in the interior of said sleeve.

In FIG. 1, a device for placing the sleeve 20 according to the present invention has been inserted such that, as shown in the figure, when the second inflatable chamber 22 is inflated to the maximum, the latter is press against the wall of the restricted central part 3c of the sleeve. The assembly of the device 20 and of the sleeve 3 is thus secured and can be moved in horizontal translation towards the open end without the sleeve of a pipe element li, until it abuts against the end 2a of the liner 2 of the pipe element li as shown in figure

3. At this time, as shown in Figure 4, the electrical connectors 21a of the first inflatable chamber 21 are arranged opposite corresponding electrical connectors 4a of the heating wire at one end of the sleeve, as shown in the figures. 3 and 4. At this stage, the first inflatable chamber 21 can be inflated so as to come to rest against the end part 3a of the sleeve in abutment against the end 2a of the liner and the electric current is injected into the heating wire 4 this which melts the entire zone 3a of the external surface 3-2 of the sleeve covered by the heating wire, and thus makes it possible to carry out an electro-fusion welding of the contact plane between the tubular junction sleeve 3 at its end 3a and the end 2a of the jacket 2. The first chamber 21 is expanded with a pressure which makes it possible to guarantee excellent compactness in the fusion plane as well as the absence of air bubbles detrimental to a good seal. ity at the fusion surface.

Then, to carry out the steps of controlling the quality of the weld, the first and second chambers 21 and 22 are deflated, and they are moved in translation in the reverse direction, up to the position of FIG. 6 in which the welding control means 23 are opposite the electro-welded end of the sleeve and the internal lining of the pipe element li.

Said first and second inflatable chambers 21 and 22, in the deflated position, remain relatively close to the walls of the sleeve so that the guiding of the device 20 in longitudinal translation inside the sleeve can be done easily. Advantageously, this guidance can be carried out manually or by a carriage or other guiding means in longitudinal translation.

In FIGS. 7 and 8, the steps for carrying out the control of the weld are shown. In a first step, the device 20 is re-secured with the sleeve 3 by inflating the first inflatable chamber 21 and the second chamber 22, facing the restricted central part 3c and the opposite end part 3a of the sleeve. 3. Then, water is injected through the nozzles 23a against the electrowelded end of the sleeve into the compartment 27 delimited by the first chamber 21 and the third chamber inflated to a maximum 24 inside which the means d are positioned. ultrasonic emission and welding control 23. Then, the emission of ultrasonic waves is carried out with the ultrasonic sensors 23b intended to check the quality of the weld produced by electro-fusion. The water injection is carried out simultaneously with the local ultrasound emission in order to ensure the good transmission of the ultrasonic waves. Once the weld control has been carried out, the device 20 can be evacuated in translation after having first deflated all the inflatable chambers. Thus, is ready to be placed a pipe element li equipped at one of its ends with a tubular junction sleeve 3 forming a male part ready to be embedded in the female part without a tubular junction sleeve of a second element driving.

FIGS. 10-21 show the assembly between two unit lengths of jacketed pipe, during the on-site installation which is carried out on board a laying vessel 10 equipped with a J-shaped laying tower 10a, as shown in Figure IB. A new jacketed pipe element I2 equipped with a tubular sleeve 3 at one of its ends is transferred, in a known manner, from the horizontal position to the oblique position corresponding to the inclination of the tower to then be positioned in the axis the terminal driving element li of the end of the train being laid. Said pipe element to be assembled I2 is then moved axially towards the terminal pipe element li in suspension. A sleeve part 3 forming a male end of one of the two pipe elements enters the female end without the sleeve of the other pipe element to be assembled, until the end part 3a of the sleeve comes in. contact with the end part 2a of the liner inside the other pipe element. The two pipe elements being close to the vertical, a manipulator arm allows the end part 3a of the sleeve to fit completely against the end part of the liner to reach the configuration of Figure 13 where the two pipe elements li, I2 are maintained at a distance of a few mm, for example thanks to this same manipulator arm, not shown, so as to be able to perform, in a known manner, the welding 5 by means of an orbital welding robot 5a known to those skilled in the art. 'art. In the figures, there is shown the walls of the chamfered steel pipes spaced a few mm apart during welding, the screen 8 consisting of a ceramic foam mattress limits the heat transfer and protects the thermoplastic sleeve throughout the process. welding. And, in the right part, the weld 5 is shown as finished.

In one embodiment shown in Figures 10-21, a new terminal pipe element I2 is equipped with a tubular junction sleeve 3 at its lower end thus forming a male end lowered towards the upper female end of a first pipe element li without sleeve forming>

the upper terminal pipe element of a pipe in the course of installation held fixed in suspension at the foot of the tower.

In a first step, the sleeve positioning device 20 is lowered by the umbilical 20b so that the first inflatable chamber 21 is positioned opposite the end part 3a of the lower end of the sleeve 3. with the connectors 21a facing the connectors 4a of the heating wire of the terminal part 3a. Thus, the second inflatable chamber 22 is located opposite the central part 3c of the sleeve 3, as shown in FIG. 11. At this moment, the second chamber 22 is inflated so as to secure the device 20 with the sleeve 3. the device 20 is now lowered with the element of line 1 ₂ to the recessed male end of the sleeve projecting from the end of the element of line 1 ₂ to the interior of the female part of the non-liner 'pipe element li, so that the end parts 3a of the sleeve 3 abut against the end part 2a of the liner 2 of the pipe element li as shown in Figure 13.

At this stage to achieve the electro-fusion, the first inflatable chamber 21 is inflated, by connecting the connectors 21a with the connectors 4a of the heating wire on the internal wall of the sleeve and the electric current is injected into the heating wire so to perform electro-fusion between the end parts 3a of the sleeve 4 and end part 2a of the liner 2, the electricity being routed in a conduit inside the umbilical 20b.

Then, to carry out the control of the weld, the two chambers 21 and 22 are deflated and the device 20 is raised in longitudinal translation XX 'so that, as shown in FIG. 16, the weld control means 23 are located in vis-à-vis the ends 2a-3a previously electro-welded. At this stage, it is now the first inflatable chamber 21 which is opposite the central part of reduced diameter 3c of the sleeve 3, while the second inflatable chamber 22 is located opposite the upper terminal part 3a of the sleeve already electro-welded (on the ship's deck) before the lowering of the element 1 ₂ . At this stage, a new securing of the device 20 with the sleeve 3 is made by inflating the two chambers 21 and 22 against the internal wall of the sleeve 3. Then, the expansion of the third inflatable chamber 24 is carried out to produce a sealed wall. at the lower end of the mandrel 20a so as to delimit a sealed compartment 27 between the wall 24 and the first inflatable chamber in the expansion position 21. Before carrying out the welding test, an injection of water is carried out in the compartment 27 via the nozzles 23a. The water being conveyed inside the umbilical 20b. In FIG. 19, the electro-fusion zone is then checked by the emission of sound waves via probes 23b placed against the plastic. Then, one can deflate the various inflatable walls, 21, 22, 24, and reassemble the device 20 for a subsequent implementation by assembling a new pipe element.

In Figures 22 and 23 there is shown an embodiment in which the two chambers 21 and 22 are equipped with electrical connectors 21a and 22a, placed in such a way that they can be positioned simultaneously with regard to the electrical connectors 4a at both ends. of the same sleeve 3, all of the two chambers 21 and 22 being of a length greater than the sleeve 3 so that the two chambers can coincide and press against the two ends of the sleeve simultaneously.

Alternatively, one can descend a new pipe element 1 ₂ already equipped with a tubular junction sleeve 3 at its lower end, but the lower end without a sleeve thus forms a female end of said new pipe element is lowered towards the 'male upper end of a first pipe element li equipped with a tubular junction sleeve 3 at its upper end, this first pipe element li forming the upper terminal pipe element of a pipe in the course of installation held fixedly suspended at the foot of the tower.

Claims (15)

40 CLAIMS 1. Device (20) useful for placing a tubular junction sleeve (3) inside the end of a first steel pipe element (li, 1 ₂ ) with an internal lining of material. thermoplastic (2) and useful for the end-to-end assembly of the end of this first pipe element equipped with a said sleeve with the end devoid of said sleeve of a second pipe element with internal lining of thermoplastic material (2), said ends thus end to end of the two pipe elements being intended to be welded (5) to each other, said sleeve having at each end a tubular wall end portion (3a), preferably d 'reduced thickness compared to the thickness of the adjacent running portion (3b) of the tubular wall of said sleeve, said sleeve (3) having at least one, preferably each, of said end portions (3a) of the sleeve a wire heating by the joule effect (4) arranged, preferably in a spiral, in a surface this outer (3-2) of said end part (3a) of said sleeve capable of creating by heating a sealed contact zone by melting together the constituent materials of at least part of said end part of the sleeve and respectively an end part of said liner in contact with one another, and traversed by said heating wire, said sleeve positioning device (20) comprising a mandrel (20a) of longitudinal axis (XX ') supporting at least surface a first inflatable chamber (21) comprising a peripheral wall expandable radially by inflation, said first wall comprising at least a first electrical connector (21a) adapted to be connected to one end of said heating wire, and said mandrel (20a) supporting also an umbilical (20b) comprising at least one compressed air supply duct for inflating said first inflatable chamber (21) and an electrical supply duct connected to said first electrical connector. rique (21a), said sleeve positioning device (20) being characterized in that said mandrel (20a) further supports on the outer surface a second inflatable chamber (22) comprising a peripheral wall expandable radially by inflation, spaced apart at said first inflatable chamber (21) in said longitudinal direction and said mandrel further supports a weld control device (23), said umbilical (20b) passing through the interior of said mandrel (20a) and comprising power supply conduits , and preferably also in water, of said welding control means. 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that said weld control device (23) is arranged in the longitudinal direction of the mandrel upstream or downstream of the two said first and second chambers, preferably on the other side of said first chamber as said second chamber. 3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said welding control device (23) comprises: - at least one ultrasound probe (23a), and - at least one water injection nozzle (23b) supplied with water by a conduit passing through said umbilical, and - Preferably means for visual inspection of the weld, preferably a camera (23c). 4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that said ultrasonic probe (23a) and / or said water injection nozzle (23b) is (or are) capable of being moved (s) in rotation. (27) facing the end parts of said sleeve after electro-fusion, along an axis of rotation disposed in the longitudinal axis of said mandrel. 5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said mandrel (20a) further supports reversible sealing means (24) of the passage between the mandrel and the internal wall of the sleeve or of the pipe, said closure means (24) 42 being disposed in said longitudinal direction of the mandrel so that said weld control means (23) are disposed between said reversible sealing means (24) and at least one said first or second chamber (21, 22). 6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that said reversible sealing means (24) consist of a third inflatable chamber comprising a peripheral wall which can be expanded radially by inflation. 7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said expandable wall of said second inflatable chamber (22) comprises at least one second electrical connector (22a) adapted to be connected to the end of said heating wire. 8. Device according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the two said first and second inflatable chambers (21, 22) extend over a length 11 and respectively 12 and are spaced by a distance d in the longitudinal direction of the mandrel such as when a said first inflatable chamber is in radial expansion plating against the end part of the sleeve, in particular when the latter is placed against the end part of the internal lining of the pipe to achieve electro-fusion , the second inflatable chamber is opposite and can come to be pressed against a part of the tubular internal wall of said sleeve. 9. Device according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that said inflatable chambers (21, 22, 24) are formed by a flexible or semi-rigid tubular envelope with circular cross section arranged around said cylindrical mandrel (20a) and along the same longitudinal axis (XX ') as said mandrel, the circular edges at each longitudinal end of each said casing joining the outer wall of said mandrel so that under the effect of the inflation of said chamber, said casing takes on a convex domed shape in 43 axial longitudinal section forming the radially expanded wall of said chamber. 10. A method of placing a tubular junction sleeve (3) at one end of a unitary pipe element (li, 1 ₂ ) with an internal lining of thermoplastic material (2) to fix a said sleeve. in end part (2a) of said liner, said sleeve having at each end a tubular wall end part (3a), preferably of reduced thickness compared to the thickness of the adjacent running part (3b) of the tubular wall of said sleeve, said sleeve (3) having at least one, preferably each of said end parts (3a) of the sleeve, a heating wire by Joule effect (4) arranged, preferably in a spiral, on the outer surface (3 -2) of said end part (3a) of said sleeve and by heating a sealed contact zone is created by melting together the constituent materials of at least part of said end part (3a) of the sleeve and respectively an end part ( 2a) of said sleeve in contact with each other , and traversed by said heating wire, using a device according to one of claims 1 to 9. 11. The method of claim 10, characterized in that the following steps are carried out, preferably on the deck of a laying vessel (10) or on land: ii) positioning said sleeve positioning device (20) inside said sleeve (3) so that at least one said first inflatable chamber (21) is in position vis-à-vis a first end portion (3a) of the sleeve with its first connector (21a) facing one end of said heating wire, the other of said first and second inflatable chambers (21, 22) facing the internal wall of the running part (3b) of the sleeve and at least said second inflatable chamber is inflated so as to secure the sleeve positioning device (20) with said sleeve in 44 pressing the expandable wall of said second chamber against the inner wall of said tubular sleeve, and 1.2) the assembly thus formed of the sleeve and of said sleeve positioning device (20) is moved in the longitudinal direction (XX ') axially which is inserted inside an open end devoid of sleeve d 'a pipe element (li), until said first end part (3a) of the sleeve is in contact with said end part (2a) of the liner of said end of said pipe element, and 1.3) said first inflatable chamber is inflated in order to press it against the internal wall of said first end sleeve part such that said first electrical connector (21a) is connected, preferably via a complementary electrical connector (4a), at one end of a said heating wire (4), and 1.4) said heating wire (4) is supplied with electricity, by simultaneously exerting a pressure of said end sleeve part against said end sleeve part in contact with each other by inflating said first inflatable chamber (21) to making a said zone of welding by electro-fusion of the constituent materials of at least part of said end part of the sleeve and respectively an end part of said liner in contact with one another, and through which said heating wire passes, and 1.5) said first and second inflatable chambers are deflated, and said sleeve positioning device is moved in translation so that said weld control device (23) is disposed opposite said sleeve end portion corresponding to said electro-fusion welding zone, and 1.6) the two first and second inflatable chambers are inflated again, which are pressed against and secured against the internal wall of the sleeve, and said weld control device is actuated to 45 controlling said weld, preferably by injecting water on said end part of the sleeve, and i.7) said first and second chambers are deflated and said sleeve placing device (20) is moved in translation in order to evacuate it. 12. A method of producing a pipe (1) using a device according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the assembly of unit pipe elements (li, 1 ₂ ) comprising a said liner (2), preferably with a reduced thickness end portion (2a) at each end, and a said tubular junction sleeve (3) inserted and fixed at only one end of each said pipe element (li, 1 ₂ ) and projecting therefrom, the protrusion of said sleeve defining a male end of each said pipe element (li) adapted to be assembled with an end devoid of said sleeve defining a female end of another said pipe element (1 ₂ ), said sleeve having at each end a tubular wall end portion (3a), preferably of reduced thickness compared to the thickness of the adjacent running portion (3b) of the tubular wall of said sleeve, said sleeve (3) exhibiting at least one, preferably each, d said end parts (3a) of the sleeve a heating wire by Joule effect (4) arranged, preferably in a spiral, on the outer surface (3-2) of said end part (3a) of said sleeve capable of creating a contact zone by heating sealed by melting together the constituent materials of at least part of said end part of the sleeve and respectively an end part of said liner in contact with one another, and through which said heating wire passes, by carrying out the following steps in which : a) a sleeve positioning device (20) is introduced inside a said unitary pipe element so that said first inflatable chamber (21) is arranged with its first electrical connector facing each other end of a heating wire at an end portion (3a) of said sleeve attached thereto, and said sleeve setting device (20) is fixed inside said sleeve by inflation a said second inflatable chamber (22) against the inner wall of said sleeve, and b) before or after step a), we introduce and insert by force the 5 sleeve part forming said male end of one pipe member (1 ₂ ) in the female end of the other pipe member, in the longitudinal direction (XX ¹ ) axially, until said end part ( 3a) of the sleeve of said male end of said terminal pipe member is in contact with said portion 10 terminal (2a) of the lining of said female end of said pipe element to be assembled, and c) said welding (5) of the ends of the two pipe elements end to end is carried out, and d) the inflation of a said first inflatable chamber is carried out and its said first electrical connector (21a) is connected to the end of the heating wire at the level of said end part (3a) of the sleeve which is opposite it , and supplying said heating wire (4) with electricity, simultaneously exerting pressure from said sleeve end part against said liner end part in contact with each other to make a said electro-weld zone. fusion at at least part of the interface of the surfaces of each said end part (3a) of the sleeve and each said end part (2a) of the liner in contact with each other and traversed by the heating wire on the surface of the sleeve, to produce a so-called sealed contact zone by fusion, and e) said first and second inflatable chambers are deflated and said device (20) for placing the sleeve (3) is moved in translation. 13. The method of claim 12, characterized in that 30 performs the following steps in which: al) a first pipe element (1 ₂ ) equipped with a said sleeve at one of its ends is lowered into a pipe laying tower (11) of a laying vessel (10), to the proximity of the the end of the upper terminal pipe element (li) of the pipe being assembled partially submerged at the bottom of the tower, and a.2) a said sleeve placing device (20) is lowered with said first and second chambers at least partially deflated, which is secured to a said sleeve fixed to one of said first or second pipe element, by inflation of a said second chamber which is pressed against the internal wall of the sleeve in its running part, said first chamber being disposed opposite a free end portion of said sleeve with its first connector facing each other. facing one end of said heating wire, a.3) the first chamber (21) is inflated which is pressed against the end part (3a) of said sleeve such that said electrical connector (21a) is connected, preferably via a complementary electrical connector (4a), at one end of said heating wire, and b) after or before step a.3), the two pipe elements are assembled by inserting and forcibly inserting the part of a 20 sleeve forming a said male end of a pipe element in the female end without a sleeve of the other pipe element, c) said welding (5) of the ends of the two pipe elements end to end is carried out, and Dl) said heating wire (4) is supplied with electricity, simultaneously exerting a pressure of said end sleeve part against said end sleeve part in contact with one another by inflating said first chamber (21) to making a so-called electro-fusion welding zone, and W d.2) said first and second chambers are deflated, and said mandrel is moved in translation so that said weld control means (23) are arranged opposite said end portion (3a) of the electro-welded sleeve, and d.3) the two first and second chambers are inflated, which come to press against the internal wall of the sleeve and join together, and d.4) said weld control means (23) are actuated to control said weld, preferably by first injecting water on said end part of the sleeve. 14. The method of claim 13, characterized in that in step d.4), the following operations are carried out in which: d.4.1) said closure means (24) are actuated (26) in closing so that a sealed compartment (27) delimited by said first inflatable chamber (21) and said closure means (24) are formed. the passage inside the pipe, sealed compartment (27) within which are arranged said weld control means (23), to control said weld, and d.4.2) said sealed compartment (27) is filled with water and said weld control means (26) actuated to control said weld, and d.4.3) then, said reversible shutter means (24) are actuated in opening. 15. Method according to one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that before step a), steps ii) to i.7) of the method of claim 10 are carried out, preferably on the deck of the ship. or on the ground, to fix a said sleeve in the terminal part of a said pipe element (li) before its assembly with another said pipe element.