U.S. patent application number 10/836789 was filed with the patent office on 2005-11-03 for clamp for bundling, servicing and supporting cables, wire lines and other control lines.
Invention is credited to McClure, Lawrence M., Whitefield, William H..
Application Number | 20050242253 10/836789 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35186123 |
Filed Date | 2005-11-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050242253 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
McClure, Lawrence M. ; et
al. |
November 3, 2005 |
Clamp for bundling, servicing and supporting cables, wire lines and
other control lines
Abstract
A body is molded from elastomer, preferably polyurethane, and
has a hinge at one end of the body between the two arms which make
up the body. A pair of metal inserts are embedded within the arms
of the body, respectively, and are positioned such that three bolts
can be turned to bring the two arms closer together to clamp
whatever control lines are positioned between the two arms. The two
arms are molded such that there is a slight separation of the two
arms until the three bolts are torqued up to cause the elastomer
arms to distort and firmly clamp the control lines being clamped.
The two inserts, as well as the three bolts, are preferably
fabricated from stainless steel but may also be fabricated from
other metals, or from very hard plastic.
Inventors: |
McClure, Lawrence M.; (Katy,
TX) ; Whitefield, William H.; (Houston, TX) |
Correspondence
Address: |
THE MATTHEWS FIRM
2000 BERING DRIVE
SUITE 700
HOUSTON
TX
77057
US
|
Family ID: |
35186123 |
Appl. No.: |
10/836789 |
Filed: |
April 30, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/230.5 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F16L 3/1091
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/230.5 |
International
Class: |
E02D 005/62 |
Claims
1. A clamp for bundling a plurality of control lines, comprising: a
unitary elastomer body having first and second arms, each of said
arms having first and second ends, and an elastomer hinge, which is
integral to said first and second arms and which is integrally
formed between a first end of said first arm and the first end of
said second arm; a first insert embedded within said first arm and
a second insert embedded within said second arm; plurality of
partially threaded fasteners located within said elastomer body
which, when tightened, pulls said first and second arms together to
thereby clamp a plurality of control lines between said first and
second arms.
2. The clamp according to claim 1 wherein said elastomer body is
molded polyurethane and said first and second inserts are
fabricated from a material which is harder than said elastomer
body.
3. The clamp according to claim 1 wherein said elastomer body is
molded polyurethane and said inserts are fabricated from metal.
4. The clamp according to claim 1 wherein said elastomer body is
molded polyurethane and said inserts are fabricated from stainless
steel.
5. The clamp according to claim 1 wherein said fasteners are metal
bolts, each having a threaded first end and which are fabricated
from stainless steel.
6. The clamp according to claim 5 wherein said plurality of
threaded fasteners comprises three stainless steel bolts.
7. The clamp according to claim 1 wherein said first arm, said
second arm and said hinge are molded as a single piece.
8. The clamp according to claim 1 wherein said first arm, said
second arm and said hinge are molded as a single piece of
polyurethane having a given hardness and said inserts are
manufactured from a hard plastic having a greater hardness than
said given hardness.
9. The clamp according to claim 8 wherein said fasteners are
fabricated from a material which is harder than the hardness of
said polyurethane body
10-12. (canceled)
13. A clamp for bundling a plurality of control lines, comprising:
a unitary elastomer body having first and second arms, each of said
arms having first and second ends, and an elastomer hinge, which is
integral to said first and second arms and which is integrally
formed between a first end of said first arm and the first end of
said second arm; a first thru-port in said elastomer body having a
configuration defined by said first and second arms, wherein said
configuration is distorted by causing said first and second arms to
come together, and which is distorted even more by forcing said
arms one against the other.
14. The clamp according to claim 13, wherein said first thru-port
configuration is circular prior to being distorted, but which
becomes oval shaped as a result of the distortion.
15. The clamp according to claim 14 wherein a second thru-port in
said elastomer body has a configuration defined by said first and
second arms, wherein said configuration is distorted by causing
first and second arms to come together and which is distorted even
more by forcing said arms one against the other.
16. The clamp according to claim 15 wherein said second thru-port
has one or more control lines bundled therein.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates generally to the field of clamping
devices for securing hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical control
hose bundles and various other control lines, such as a wire line
and also control mechanisms for being able to control subsurface
equipment from a offshore rig or offshore vessel. However, the
invention has other applications, and can be used to clamp hoses,
control lines and the like in various other applications.
[0002] One or more hoses or tube bundles used in oil well drilling
and production is typically made up of a plurality of individual or
single line electrical lines or pneumatic or hydraulic hoses
bundled together to make a compact design and having a plastic
outer sheath. The diameter of the hose bundle varies with respect
to the desired number and size of hoses utilized. Typically in an
offshore drilling operation such a bundle is used to transmit
hydraulic or pneumatic fluid under pressure from control equipment
located on an offshore oil well platform to a wellhead control
system, or to a control pod for a sub-sea blowout preventer stack.
The hose or tube bundle is flexible and generally extends for
several hundred up to several thousand feet or more. Because the
tube bundle is flexible and must extend several hundred feet or
more from a surface platform to a control pod or a blowout
preventer stack, it is necessary to attach the tube bundle to some
type of support structure, which may be a cable, choke or kill
lines or some supporting member of various tubulars such as a
riser.
[0003] It is known to attach the tube bundle to a series of clamps
spaced along the extended cable. A type of control hose clamp known
includes two clamping sections, often pivotally connected by an
exterior hinge and having an over-center or off-center latch
securing the control bundle and the wireline between the two
sections. Such control bundle clamps are manufactured in various
sizes to conform to the various sizes of tube bundles utilized.
[0004] As offshore platforms and floating drilling rigs have
ventured into deeper waters, the environment has become more of a
problem to operating sub-surface through control hose bundles. The
currents may be worse because of depth or even because of the area
and the temperature of the water may even be a negative factor to
the life of the control hose bundle. A light polyurethane that is
utilized as the outer coating on such tube bundles has a tendency
to get torn up. The tube bundles are extremely expensive, and since
it may be necessary to shut down a drilling rig if a control hose
bundle is damaged to the extent that the control pod may not be
operable, maintaining the integrity of the bundles is a very
important consideration.
[0005] In the known type of hose bundle clamps, the metal arms of
the clamp often will degrade the tube hose bundle around the
clamped portion as the marine forces cause flexing of the
intermediate sections of the control bundles. The effective weight
of the clamp becomes a very big factor when using the clamps in
very deep water. It is a very well known fact that solid metal
weighs essentially the same whether in the open air or submerged in
water. If one places a metal clamp every twenty to thirty feet
along a depth of five to ten thousand feet, such clamps may add an
additional twenty pounds of weight at each of those twenty-foot
locations. This additional weight can be a very negative factor.
The elastomer body clamps, according to the present invention,
having metal inserts embedded in elastomer bodies, weigh
considerably less when submerged in water than in open air. As an
example, the clamp may weigh twenty points in the open air and five
pounds when submerged in water. This differential is of course
governed by the amount of water displaced by the elastomer clamp
having metal inserts embedded therein.
[0006] It is also known in the prior art that the prior art clamps
used frequently are more complex and are manufactured from a
multiplicity of pieces.
[0007] It is also known that with prior art clamps, they frequently
fail to provide a uniform clamping pressure upon hoses or control
lines being clamped.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is an isomeric, pictorial view of the clamp according
the present invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the clamp illustrated in FIG.
1;
[0010] FIG. 3 is an elevated, isometric view of a metal insert
which is used in the clamp according to FIGS. 1 and 2;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the flange located on the clamp
illustrated in FIG. 3;
[0012] FIG. 5 is a side, elevated view of the insert illustrated in
FIG. 3;
[0013] FIG. 6 is a elevated, isometric view of a second metal
insert which is used in the clamp according to FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the top flange of the insert
illustrated in FIG. 6;
[0015] FIG. 8 is a side, elevated view of the insert illustrated in
FIG. 6;
[0016] FIG. 9 is an end view of the insert illustrated in FIG.
6;
[0017] FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the clamp illustrated in FIG.
1, having in dotted lines the metal inserts and passageways through
the body of the clamp illustrated in FIG. 1;
[0018] FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the mold which is used to mold
the clamp illustrated in FIG. 1, and having the inserts illustrated
in FIGS. 3 and 6 positioned within the mold prior to pouring the
elastomer mixture into the mold;
[0019] FIG. 12 illustrates a top plan view of the two inserts which
are placed into the mold illustrated in FIG. 11;
[0020] FIG. 13 is an elevated view of one of three pins which are
used to hold one of the inserts in the mold illustrated in FIG.
11;
[0021] FIG. 14 is an elevated view of one of three pins which are
used to hold a second insert which is placed into the mold
illustrated in FIG. 11;
[0022] FIG. 15 is a top plan view of an artist's conception of the
clamp according to FIG. 1 and showing the two inserts in place
within the elastomer body of the clamp and also showing three bolts
which are used to position the two halves of a clamp according to
the invention together; and
[0023] FIG. 16 is a side view of one of the three bolts which are
used to hold the two halves of the clamp together according to the
present invention.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
[0024] Referring now to the drawings in more detail, FIG. 1 is a
pictorial, isometric view of the clamp 10 in accordance with the
present invention. The main body 12 of the clamp 10 is basically of
molded elastomer construction but has a pair of metal inserts
enclosed within the body 12 which are illustrated further
hereinafter. The body 12 has, in the preferred embodiment, four
thru-ports 14, 16, 18 and 20. The large thru-port 18 is typically
used to bundle an umbilical of a plurality of electrical, pneumatic
and hydraulic lines (not illustrated). It should be appreciated
that any number of thru-ports can be included in the mold for the
clamp 10 and the four thru-ports 14, 16, 18 and 20 are shown merely
for purposes of illustrating the invention. The thru-port 20 can be
used to clamp around a wireline (not illustrated). The thru-port 16
can, by way of example, be used to clamp around a winch cable (not
illustrated).
[0025] The clamp 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 also includes
three bolts 22, 24 and 26 which are used to pull the two halves 28
and 30 closer together to clamp around the cables or control lines
in using the clamp 10 in operation. It should be appreciated that
the term "arm" is sometimes used herein as being synonymous with
each of the two halves 28 and 30. This is especially the case when
the claims call for first and second arms which are joined together
at their first ends by the elastomer hinge 32.
[0026] The clamp 10 has a molded elastomer hinge 32 which is an
integral part of the molded elastomer body 10. In using the clamp
10, illustrated in FIG. 1, before the bolts 22, 24 and 26 are used
to tighten up the two halves 28 and 30 to clamp around the cables
or other lines held within the thru-ports 16, 18 and 20, or even
before the bolts are even partially threaded into the body 12, the
halves 28 and 30 can be easily rotated around the pivotal hinge 32
to open up the two halves 28 and 30 as desired to clamp around the
cables or other lines.
[0027] The present invention contemplates that the body of the
clamp, including the two arms and the integral hinge, are molded
from an elastomer. As used herein, the word "elastomer" and any
derivatives of that word are meant to include any thermo-setting
material, either natural or synthetic, including natural and
synthetic rubber, nitrile rubber, butyl rubber, polysulfide rubber,
TPO rubber and polyurethane rubber. Although the preferred
embodiment of this invention relates to the use of a polyurethane
elastomer to mold the body, other such elastomers will also
function to serve as the body of the clamp, according the present
invention.
[0028] Referring now to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, there is illustrated an
insert 40. The insert 40 includes a top flange 42 and a lower
flange 44 and a plate 46 between the two flanges 42 and 44. The top
flange 42 is illustrated as a top-plan view in FIG. 4 but it should
be appreciated that the lower flange 44 and the top flange 42 are
identical except as to their location with respect to the plate 46.
The flange 42 has a pair of extension arms 48 and 50 and a
semicircular center portion 54 between the two ends 48 and 50. The
plate 46 has three thru-ports 60, 62 and 64 which pass through the
plate 46 of the insert 40 for receiving bolts 22, 24 and 26,
described hereinafter.
[0029] FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 illustrate a second insert 70 which has a
pair of flanges 100 and 102 and having a plate 104 between the two
flanges. Flange 100 has two extending arms 94 and 96 and a
semicircular portion 98 there between. The first end portion of the
plate 104 has a pair of thru-ports 80 and 82 and the other end
portion of the plate 104 has a thru-port 84. The thru-ports 80, 82
and 84 are constructed to line up with the thru-ports 60, 62 and
64, illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5.
[0030] The thru-ports 60, 62 and 64 are threaded and are sized such
as to be slightly undersized with respect to the male thread 304 of
bolt 300, illustrated in FIG. 16. Because the internal thread of
thru-ports 60, 62 and 64 is slightly undersized, the bolts such as
bolts 300 have to be torqued up to pass through the thru-ports and
can thus not easily fall out of the thru-ports 60, 62 and 64. This
is a major advantage in that if the bolts were able to fall out of
the clamps, they could fall where they should not, such as into the
wellbore or any of the other areas underneath where the clamps are
being used or stored. This type of thread assembly is generally
referred to as having a "captive thread" and as such, prevents the
bolts either from being easily removed from the thru-ports 60, 62
and 64 or being inserted into such thru-ports.
[0031] It should be appreciated that the insert 70 of FIG. 6 is
essentially identical to the insert 40 of FIG. 3 other than for the
fact of having a threaded boss welded into and lined up with each
of the thru-ports 80, 82 and 84 to threadedly receive a bolt.
Although not illustrated, the thru-ports 82 and 84 also have such a
boss such as the boss 110 to threadedly receive a bolt, as
hereinafter described.
[0032] Although some parts of the inserts are welded together, they
may also be made by well known casting processes.
[0033] Referring now to FIG. 9, the insert 70 is illustrated as an
elevated, end view, in which the threaded boss 110 is more clearly
illustrated. In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the
boss 110 extends from the plate 104 out to the extreme dimension of
the flange 100, as illustrated in FIG. 9. Again, it should be
appreciated that the thru-ports 80, 82 and 84 each have a boss such
as the boss 110.
[0034] Referring now to FIG. 10, there is illustrated a top plan
view of the clamp 10, according the present invention as
illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, but which in FIG. 10 illustrate in
dotted lines, the inserts 40 and 70 embedded within the elastomeric
body 12 of FIGS. 1 and 2. A thru-port 120 leading through the
elastomeric body 12 is aligned with the thru-port 60 in the insert
of FIG. 3. A thru-port 122 in the elastomer body 12 is aligned with
the thru-port 62 illustrated in FIG. 3. A thru-port 124 is aligned
with the thru-port 64 illustrated in FIG. 4. The thru-port 62 in
FIG. 10 is aligned with a thru-port 63 in the molded elastomer body
12. A thru-port 64 in the insert 40 is aligned with a thru-port 65
in the molded elastomer body 12.
[0035] A thru-port 66 in the molded elastomer body 12 is aligned
not only with the thru-port 61 but also with the thru-port 80 and
also with the boss 110 which is not illustrated in this figure. In
a similar way, a thru-port 71 in the molded elastomer body 12 is
aligned with the thru-port 82 illustrated in FIG. 6 into a threaded
boss which is also not illustrated in this figure.
[0036] A thru-port 124 in the molded elastomer body 12 is aligned
with the thru-port 64 illustrated in FIG. 5 which in turn is
aligned with a thru-port 65 in the molded elastomer body 12.
[0037] Another thru-port 67 in the molded elastomer body 12 is
aligned not only with the thru-port 65 but also with the thru-port
84 illustrated in FIG. 6 and also with a boss similar to boss 110
but which is not illustrated in this figure.
[0038] Referring now to FIG. 11, there is illustrated a mold 200
which is used for manufacturing the clamp 10 illustrated in FIG.
10. The mold 200 has a rectangular shaped body 202, machined out of
solid steel, and having end walls 204 and 206 and side walls 208
and 210. In order to mold a clamp 10 such as is shown in FIG. 10,
and which has a nominal height of four to five inches, the mold
body 202 should be at least as high as the clamp 10. A partial
cavity 212 formed in the top surface of the mold body 202 has the
same configuration as the exterior profile of the clamp 10
illustrated in FIG. 10. Thru-ports 220, 222 and 224 are formed
through the side wall 208 leading into the cavity 212 wherein the
thru-ports 220, 222 and 224 all have a slightly larger diameter
than the diameter of the pin 226, illustrated in FIG. 13.
[0039] The thru-ports 230, 232 and 234 are formed on the other side
wall 210 and lead from the exterior of the mold body 202 into the
lower section of the cavity 212. The thru-ports 230, 232 and 234
are a larger diameter than the diameter of the thru-ports 220, 222
and 224, and are sized to have a slightly larger diameter than the
diameter of the pin 236 in FIG. 14.
[0040] The two inserts, such as the inserts 70 and 40, illustrated
in FIG. 12, are suspended within the interior of the cavity 212, as
illustrated in FIG. 11, and the three pins 226 are inserted into
the thru-ports 220, 222 and 224 to go into the three bosses which
are located on the insert 70. In a similar way, three of the pins
236 are inserted into the three thru-ports 230, 232 and 234 which
in turn go into the thru-ports 60, 62 and 64, illustrated in FIG.
5. The six pins together hold the two inserts 40 and 70 in place
within the cavity 212 and allow the elastomer material to go not
only above the inserts 70 and 40, but to go around and under the
inserts 70 and 40 so that the inserts 70 and 40 are totally
embedded within the elastomer material.
[0041] In addition, plugs are inserted into the mold at the
position shown as 250, 252 and 254. A much larger plug, which is
sized to correspond to the thru-port 18 used to clamp the
umbilical, is used to plug up the thru-port 18. In addition,
spacers 260, 262, 264 and 266 are used to make sure that the two
sides of the elastomer body 12 illustrated in FIG. 11 are not
joined together anywhere except at the end which is identified as
the hinge 32, such as is illustrated in FIG. 10. In molding the
clamp 10 according to the present invention, after the inserts 40
and 70 have been degreased, grit blasted and bonding agent applied,
and have been inserted into the mold cavity 212, illustrated in
FIG. 11, the mold is then preferably heated to 215 degrees
Fahrenheit in an oven (not illustrated). The curing oven is then
set for 225 degrees Fahrenheit and the mold with the inserts 40 and
70 held in place within the cavity 212, is placed within the
casting oven to allow the temperatures to stabilize.
[0042] The preferred castable elastomer polymer material which is
to be used in the clamp 10 according to the present invention
involves the use of a polyurethane elastomer, available from
Anderson Development Company, under the order number 80-5 and which
is mixed with mboca, also available from Anderson Development under
their ordering number Curcen 442. After determining the total
volume to be filled in the mold around, and under and over the
inserts to complete the manufacture of the clamp according the
present invention, it is best to use 18.5 grams per cubic inch of
volume to determine the total amount of the mixture of the polymer
and mboca which is required to fill the mold cavity. After making
the determination of the amount of materials to use, the polymer
should be heated to 210 degrees Fahrenheit and the mboca should be
heated to 230 degrees Fahrenheit. When the polymer reaches 210
degrees, it should be placed into a vacuum chamber for ten minutes
to remove any trapped gases. After that vacuum process, the polymer
and mboca should be blended together using a mixer and a drill for
approximately two minutes, or whenever the two fluids are
completely blended together. The combination of the polymer and the
mboca is then poured into the hot mold cavity and a timer should be
set for the correct demold time, usually about 45 minutes. When the
45 minutes is up, the mold should be pulled from the oven, and the
clamp according to the present invention should be removed from the
mold. The demolded clamp should then be put into a post-cure oven
for sixteen hours at 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Thereafter, the clamp
should be removed from the post-cure oven after sixteen hours and
cooled down to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Following standard QC
procedures, the molded part should be cleaned up and a calibrated
durometer tester check should be used for reading of 80 to 86
durometer on the A-scale. After these procedures, the clamp should
be inspected for individual defects and the finished clamp should
be then compared with the design prints for final approval and
shipped out to the customer, or stored, as desired, but only after
the three bolts 22, 24 and 26 have been threaded into the clamp
10.
[0043] The two inserts 40 and 70, which are illustrated in FIGS. 3
and 6, are preferably manufactured from 316 stainless steel, but
can also be made from very hard plastic, or from any other metals
which can be chosen to stand up to the environment found when
operating in salt water from the side of an offshore rig or from a
floating vessel, or such other environment in which the clamps are
to be used.
[0044] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention
contemplates the use of a molded polyurethane elastomer body to
allow the two arms to freely pivot around the hinge 32, and the two
inserts and the three bolts which are used to pull and hold the two
arms close together in the clamping position, are preferably
manufactured from steel or some other such hard metal, it should be
appreciated that when working on an offshore rig, or a floating
drill vessel, or in any other such dangerous environment, the
safety rules sometimes require a "no spark" environment. In such an
environment, the inserts and/or the bolts used in the thru-ports
60, 62 and 64 can be manufactured, if desired, from extremely hard
plastic such as high density polyurethane, fiberglass, nylon, orlon
and the like, and mixtures thereof, because to overstate the
obvious, the plastic bolts do not spark when coming into contact
with the plastic inserts. In an alternative embodiment, the inserts
could be made from hard plastic but not the bolts, and vice
versa.
[0045] Referring now to FIG. 15, there is illustrated what is
essentially an artist's conception of the clamp 10, according to
the present invention, showing the two inserts 40 and 70 embedded
within the elastomer body 12 and showing the three bolts 22, 24 and
26, which are used to pull the two halves of the clamp together
which are pivoted around the integral elastomer hinge 32.
[0046] Referring now to FIG. 16, there is illustrated a bolt which
can be used with the clamp 10, according to the present invention.
In the preferred embodiment, the bolt is a 3/4.times.31/2 heavy hex
bolt available from American National Standard which preferably is
manufactured from 316 stainless steel. The bolt 300 has a hex head
302 and a threaded-end portion 304 which threadedly engages each of
the bosses used with the present invention such as, for example,
the boss 110, which has a female thread to match the male thread
304 of the bolt 300 illustrated in FIG. 16.
[0047] The thread bolt 300 has a shank portion 301 between the hex
head 302 and the threaded portion 304 which has a lesser diameter
than the threaded portion 304. This assists in keeping the bolt 300
as a captive within the clamp 10 because it allows bolt 300 to flop
around after the threaded portion 304 has been threaded through the
thru-ports 60, 62 or 64.
[0048] In the operation of the clamp illustrated in FIGS. 1-16
herein, the two halves of the clamp 10, illustrated such as in FIG.
1, is opened up by hand and are swung open around the integral
hinge 32. It should be appreciated that the hinge 32 preferably has
no metal parts embedded within the hinge itself and when the two
halves are opened, the hinge should operate many, many, many times
without failure.
[0049] It should be appreciated that the clamp, according to the
present invention, uses a hinge 32 which is believed to be somewhat
new and improved over other hinges known in the clamping art, quite
aside from the remainder of this invention. The thru-port 14
illustrated in FIG. 10, for example, which is not used to clamp any
control lines or other lines such as thru-ports 16, 18 and 20, is
deliberately left open after the two arms of the clamp have been
closed together by turning the three bolts. The application of
additional torque to one or more of the three bolts causes the
hinge 32 to be deformed downwardly, much as is shown by the dotted
line 33. This causes the two clamping arms to be brought into
intimate contact and creates a strong clamping force on whatever
control lines are held in the thru-ports 16, 18 and 20. This action
essentially causes hinge 32 to collapse which is believed to be the
reason the elastomeric hinge 32 operates so well.
[0050] After the two halves are swung open, whatever cables, hoses
or lines, as desired, should be within the thru-ports 16 and 20 and
also within the enlarged thru-port 18 for the umbilical. The two
halves are then rotated back together, pivoted around the hinge 32,
are then, because the bolts 22, 24 and 26 are already captured
within the thru-ports 60, 62 and 64, the three bolts are then
threaded through the three bosses on the other side of the clamp
and continued turning of the bolts into the threaded bosses causes
the two halves of the clamp to be moved closer and closer together
until the two halves are caused to deform, including the
deformation caused by the collapse of the hinge 32, to fully grasp
whatever cables and lines are being secured by the clamp. These
clamps will find particular utility in deep water operations, for
example, where water may vary between one hundred and ten thousand
feet deep beneath the offshore rig or floating vessel and it will
be common practice to use these clamps every twenty to thirty feet
along the length thereof between the offshore rig and the sea floor
where the control lines are being used and are being
controlled.
[0051] Accordingly, it should be appreciated the there has been
described a new and improved clamp which can be used for bundling,
securing and supporting cables, wirelines and other control lines.
The clamp according to the present invention, in its preferred
embodiment, includes steel or other hard metal inserts which are
fully embedded and encapsulated by an elastomer body molded around
said steel structures to prevent damage to such structures and to
any control lines being bundled by the clamp.
[0052] The clamp also has features of using an elastomeric hinge
having no metal, no moving parts and will not corrode, but will
collapse when the two arms of the clamp are forced tightly
together, which causes the hinge to distort and more firmly clamp
the control lines passing though the clamp.
[0053] The invention is also characterized by the ability of the
clamp to be used in a non-sparking environment such as may be found
on an offshore barge or drilling vessel, or even on land drilling
rigs where sparks cannot be tolerated.
[0054] The clamp is also characterized as being self-contained and
having no parts or fasteners which can fall off and be lost in the
wellbore or other areas.
[0055] Finally, the clamp has the ability to change the hardness of
the elastomer body and also to change the size of the clamp and
also the ability to increase or decrease the force applied to the
bundles being clamped. The invention is also characterized by there
being no galvanic action because the only exposure on the outside
of the clamp is exposure to a nonmetallic, elastomeric body.
* * * * *