Patent ID: 6981821

Claim:
A method of retrofitting an undersea pipeline to permit passage therethrough of a device, wherein the pipeline includes: a main pipeline having an interior first passageway through which the device is intended to pass; and a branch fitting defining an interior second passageway in fluid communication with the first passageway through a first opening in the branch fitting, the branch fitting having a second opening spaced from the first passageway, the branch fitting further having a first inner surface defining a continuation of the first passageway surrounding the first opening at which the device may become jammed, and a connecting structure initially connecting the branch fitting to a branch pipeline through the second opening, said method comprising the steps of, without lifting the main pipeline above water: disconnecting the branch pipeline from the connecting structure of the branch fitting to expose the second opening; inserting an insertion shoe through the second opening into the first opening, the insertion shoe including a plate sized to cover the first opening and having a second inner surface structured to match the first inner surface when the insertion shoe is installed; and installing the insertion shoe in the first opening such that the plate covers the first opening and the second inner surface matches the first inner surface so that the device may pass through the first passageway and past the installed insertion shoe without becoming jammed.