Patent ID: 9702109
Date: 2017-07-11
CPC Classifications: E02B,E02D,E21B

Claim:
1. A device comprising a rigid support structure held immersed in a subsurface by floats and anchored to the bottom of the sea by tension legs, said support structure supporting a plurality of arch-shaped support and guide elements, referred to as “troughs”, in a bottom-to-surface connection installation between a single floating support and the bottom of the sea, the installation having a plurality of flexible lines comprising flexible pipes extending to the bottom of the sea where said flexible pipes are connected to wellheads, to equipment, or to the ends of undersea pipes resting on the sea bottom, said flexible lines being supported by said plurality of troughs: wherein said support structure is connected to a base resting on or anchored to the sea bottom by a total number of n tension legs tensioned substantially in parallel by said floats, where n is not less than six, each of a total number of p said tension legs from the n tension legs, where p is not less than n−2, being connected at one end to a distance-varying device, said distance-varying device being connected to said base, or to said support structure, and each of the other ends of the p tension legs being fastened to an attachment element secured to said support structure or to said base, said distance-varying device being connected to or integral with said support structure or said base and suitable for being actuated to vary the distance between said attachment element and said base or said support structure to which said attachment element is fastened or connected; and wherein no end of the tension legs is directly attached to said floats and wherein a top end of said tension legs is fastened at a top attachment element secured to said support structure or to said distance-varying device, a bottom end of said tension legs being fastened at a bottom attachment element secured to said distance-varying device or to said base, wherein said distance-varying device is suitable for: varying a distance between said top attachment element and said support structure when said distance-varying device is secured to said support structure; or varying a distance between said bottom attachment element and said base when said distance-varying device is secured to said base; and wherein said support structure presents a longitudinal shape of substantially rectangular horizontal section, the device having at least six tension legs, each tension leg being connected to said distance-varying device, and said support structure having at least six top attachment elements, with four of the top attachment elements defining four corners of a rectangle, two other top attachment elements being arranged inside a circle that circumscribes said rectangle, at or in the vicinity of two long sides of the rectangle, the four corner attachment elements being arranged in a proximity of the longitudinal ends of said support structure.