UK manufacturer Scour Prevention Systems has been granted a full US patent for its scour prevention mattresses (SPM), which is designed to protect offshore structures, cables and pipelines.
The US patent was funded by a £7200 grant from the Score programme, a £6m support scheme for small and medium-sized companies developing innovative technologies in offshore renewable energy.
The anti-scour product is already patented for other countries, including the UK, Japan and China.
SPM is constructed from a matrix of old vehicle tyres, which is designed to trap sediment and form a stable protective layer on the seabed or over cables and pipelines.
Scour Prevention Systems said its product has already been used to prevent scour and associated damage at subsea cable and foundation structures in the North Sea and is being considered for new projects offshore Africa and South-east Asia.
Scour Prevention Systems’ Sarah Niddrie-Webb said: “We are delighted with the award of this patent for the US and are now free to openly work with key industry partners, industry bodies, agents and distributors, as well as directly to the end users.”
Image: Pixabay
US welcome for UK scour
By EBS