Patent ID: 9188254
Filing Date: 2015-11-17
Classification: F16L

Abstract:
1. An unbonded flexible pipe for the transportation of fluids, the pipe has a length and comprises a tubular inner sealing sheath defining a bore with a center axis along the length of the pipe, at least one armor layer surrounding the inner sealing sheath and a carcass arranged in said bore and supporting the inner sealing sheath, said carcass is the innermost layer of the pipe and comprises at least one profiled elongate element, helically wound to provide elongate element windings along the length of the pipe, the profile of the at least one elongate element is such that the elongate element windings engage with adjacent elongate element windings directly and/or indirectly, the elongate element(s) being helically wound with a winding angle to the center axis of at least about 80 degrees, thereby providing a quasi fluid permeable inner wall of the bore with discontinuities between successive turns of the wound elongate element(s), wherein said discontinuities have an average width in the axial direction of the pipe which is about 3 mm or less when the pipe is in an unloaded and unbent condition, and where the number of discontinuities is sufficient to allow the pipe to bend with a minimum bending radius of about 10 m or less, when the pipe is in an unloaded condition, and wherein the discontinuities along the length of the pipe allow the pipe to bend with a minimum bending radius which is smaller in one length section of the pipe than in another length section of the pipe.