Apparatus and method for terminating flexible pipe body

1. An end fitting for terminating flexible pipe body, comprising:

an end fitting core portion;

an end fitting termination portion surrounding and supporting a common end point of layers of a flexible pipe; and

a removable spacer ring member locatable between the core portion and the termination portion for maintaining a whole anterior end surface of the core portion and an opposed whole posterior end surface of the termination portion in a spaced apart relationship;

wherein:

the spacer ring member is a ring like body having a radially innermost edge surface and a radially outermost edge surface and a posterior side surface, spaced apart from an anterior side surface;

the radially innermost edge surface and radially outermost edge surface of the spacer ring member each comprise a respective cylindrical surface;

the radially innermost edge surface of the spacer ring member is approximately aligned with an innermost surface of at least the end fitting core portion;

the anterior side surface is substantially parallel with the posterior side surface, and the posterior side surface and the anterior side surface each extend from the radially innermost edge surface to the radially outermost edge surface; and

the entire radially outermost edge surface defines an outer surface that is an external surface of the end fitting.

2. The end fitting as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the anterior side surface extends substantially perpendicular to the radially innermost edge surface and the radially outermost edge surface.

3. The end fitting as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the posterior edge surface of the spacer ring member is stepped.

4. The end fitting as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the spacer ring member is a single integral member.

5. The end fitting as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the spacer ring member is a multi-component member.

6. The end fitting as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the spacer ring member comprises a cover element at a radially outermost region of the spacer ring member.

7. The end fitting as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ring like body is manufactured from a corrosion resistant material.

8. The end fitting as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

at least one heater element and/or cooler element supported in the spacer ring member for controlling a temperature or temperature profile over time of an underlying region of a fluid retaining layer.

9. The end fitting as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

the spacer ring member comprises at least one sensor element locatable against or proximate to an underlying fluid retaining layer.

10. The end fitting as claimed in claim 9 , further comprising:

the spacer ring member comprises a first sensor element and a further sensor element each arranged to detect motion of an underlying fluid retaining layer in respective orthogonally aligned directions.

11. The end fitting as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:

the spacer ring member comprises a test passage that extends from an external test port through a body portion of the spacer ring member, from the radially innermost edge surface to the radially outermost edge surface, to an observation port.

12. The end fitting as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical surface of the radially innermost edge surface of the spacer ring member has a radius that substantially equals a radius of an outer surface of a fluid retaining layer of a flexible pipe terminated at a first end by the end fitting.

13. The end fitting as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical surface of the radially innermost edge surface of the spacer ring member is configured to extend over a portion of a flexible pipe body.

14. An end fitting for terminating flexible pipe body, comprising:

an end fitting core portion;

an end fitting termination portion surrounding and supporting a common end point of layers of a flexible pipe; and

a removable spacer ring member locatable between the core portion and the termination portion for maintaining a whole anterior end surface of the core portion and an opposed whole posterior end surface of the termination portion in a spaced apart relationship;

wherein:

the spacer ring member is a ring like body having a radially innermost edge surface and a radially outermost edge surface and a posterior side surface, spaced apart from an anterior side surface;

the radially innermost edge surface of the spacer ring member comprises a cylindrical surface that is configured to extend over a portion of a flexible pipe body;

the anterior side surface is substantially parallel with the posterior side surface, and the posterior side surface and the anterior side surface each extend from the radially innermost edge surface to the radially outermost edge surface;

the radially innermost edge surface of the spacer ring member is approximately aligned with an innermost surface of at least the end fitting core portion; and

the radially outermost edge surface of the spacer ring member defines an outer surface that is an external surface of the end fitting and is configured such that no portion of the flexible pipe body extends over any portion of the outermost edge surface of the spacer ring member.

15. A method for terminating flexible pipe body, comprising:

during a pipe body terminating stage of operation, providing the spacer ring of the end fitting of claim 1 between the core portion of the end fitting and the termination portion of the end fitting, thereby maintaining the whole anterior end surface of the core portion in a spaced apart relationship from the opposed whole posterior end surface of the termination portion.