Patent ID: 8806735

Claim:
A method of spooling a marine pipeline comprising a plurality of bi-metallic pipe sections onto a reel, the method comprising at least the steps of: (I) locating a plug at one end of the first pipe section; (ii) filling the first pipe section with a fluid; (iii) locating a second plug at the other end of the first pipe section; (iv) pressurising the fluid in the first pipe section; (v) locking the second plug to maintain the pressurised fluid in the first pipe section; (vi) spooling the first pipe section onto the reel; (vii) locating a first plug at one end of the second pipe section; (viii) filling the second pipe section with a fluid; (ix) locating a second plug at the other end of the second pipe section; (x) pressurising the fluid in the second pipe section; (xi) locking the second plug to maintain the pressurised fluid in the second pipe section; (xii) joining the first pipe section beyond its first or second plug with the second pipe section beyond its first or second plug to provide a joint; (xiii) filling the first and second pipe sections beneath the joint with a fluid; (xiv) moving at least one plug of the first pipe section across the joint; (xv) moving one plug of the first pipe section to the location of one plug of the second pipe section, and optionally withdrawing the first and second plugs of the second pipe section from the second pipe section; (xvi) spooling the second pipe section onto the reel; and (xvii) repeating steps (vii) to (xvi) with another second pipe section.