Vetco Gray Inc.

Abb Vetco Gray Incorporated

Ge Energy Oilfield Technology, Inc.

Amin Radi

Lionel J Milberger

Norman Brammer

John Edward Nelson

Fife Baker Ellis

Thomas A Fraser

Helene Claire Climent

Thomas F Sweeney

Robert Allen Voss

Ian Douglas Calder

Michael E Capesius

An integrated nuclear sensor includes a scintillator connected directly to the photocathode of a photomultiplier tube. The scintillator may be thermally fused to the photocathode. The scintillator can be supported within a scintillator housing by a potting layer that is formed from an elastomer. The scintillator can include a reflector or a reflective coating applied to the outside surface of the scintillator. The reflective coating can be a vapor deposition coating applied to the scintillator.

Integrated nuclear sensor

Systems, computer readable medium, program code, and methods for monitoring and managing a plurality of marine riser assets are provided. An example of a system includes a computer and a computer readable medium containing a program code of instructions that when executed by the computer, cause the computer to perform operations for tracking the subsea deployment and retrieval of each of a plurality of riser joints. The operations can include receiving riser joint identification data from a riser joint identification indicator connected to the respective riser joint during the operational deployment thereof, and identifying the respective riser joint being operationally deployed to thereby track the deployment thereof. The operations can also include receiving riser joint identification data from the riser identification indicator of the respective riser joint during retrieval thereof, and identifying the respective one or more riser joints being retrieved to thereby track the retrieval thereof.

Riser lifecycle management system, computer readable medium and program code

Methods, systems, and program product for monitoring and managing a plurality of marine riser assets are provided. An example of a method includes tracking the subsea deployment and retrieval of each of a plurality of riser joints. This can include deploying the plurality of riser joints from a vessel to form an operationally deployed marine riser string, reading riser joint identification data from a riser joint identification indicator connected to the respective riser joint during the operational deployment thereof, and identifying the respective riser joint being operationally deployed to thereby track the deployment thereof. The method can also include retrieving one or more of the operationally deployed riser joints, reading riser joint identification data from the riser identification indicator of the respective riser joint during retrieval thereof, identifying the respective one or more riser joints being retrieved to thereby track the retrieval thereof.

Riser lifecycle management system, program product, and related methods

A system, program product, and method for monitoring and managing a plurality of marine riser assets is provided. The system can include one or more floating vessels each carrying a shipboard computer, a plurality of riser assets to be tracked and monitored, a riser asset identification sensor positioned to identify select riser assets being deployed to establish a riser string, one or more riser joint instrument modules positioned along the length of the riser string to provide riser asset load data, a centralized data warehouse to store riser asset identification and loading data for riser assets deployed at multiple remote vessel locations, and a riser lifecycle management server and riser lifecycle management program product adapted to monitor riser asset conditions, issue automated service alerts based on actual use information, maintain routine and non-routine maintenance records, manipulate and categorize riser assets, and automatically generate an accurate riser system configuration as was actually deployed for any particular drilling/completion operation.

A riser assembly for offshore drilling has an inner conduit suspended within an outer riser. A seal assembly seals an annular space between the inner conduit and the riser at the lower end of the inner conduit. The seal assembly has a pressure area that is independent of the inner conduit, so that any forces acting on the assembly due to pressure in the annulus below the seal assembly pass through the assembly to the riser and not to the inner conduit.

Underbalanced marine drilling riser

A subsea wellhead assembly allows communication between a production tubing annulus and a conduit in fluid communication with a platform above. The wellhead assembly has a tubing hanger that is held relative to a tubular wellhead member of a subsea well by a tubing hanger support. A string of tubing extends from the tubing hanger into the well, defining an annulus around the tubing. The conduit communicates with the tubing annulus through a tubing annulus passage. The tubing annulus passage has a portion extending through the tubing hanger support. The wellhead member supports a valve block located between the tubing hanger support and the riser. The tubing annulus passage has another portion that registers with the portion of the passage in the tubing hanger support. The conduit stabs into valve block portion of the tubing annulus passage when the riser connects to the upper end of the valve block.

Tubing annulus communication for vertical flow subsea well

A wellhead assembly has an inner wellhead that lands in an outer wellhead, the inner wellhead having first and second internal passages. Each passage has an upper opening at the outer surface of the inner housing and a lower opening at the inner surface. An external shoulder of a casing hanger lands on an internal shoulder of the inner housing, the lower opening of the first passage being below the internal shoulder, the lower opening of the second passage being above the internal shoulder. The casing hanger has a substantially-vertical passage located in its sidewall, an upper port registering with the lower opening of the second passage, a lower port being located below the external shoulder for communicating with the annulus. Valve assemblies at the upper openings control the flow of heavy fluid injected into a casing annulus through the second passage and of cuttings injected into the annulus through the first passage.

Cuttings injection and annulus remediation systems for wellheads

A stacking arrangement for wellhead tubular members wherein the adjoining ends of the tubular members are specially shaped to prevent or limit outward radial deflection and the damage associated therewith. A casing hanger is provided with an upper longitudinal end having an inwardly sloped inner bearing surface and an inwardly sloped outer bearing surface. An outwardly sloped engagement surface adjoins the two bearing surfaces and is designed to be captured radially within a complimentary shaped surface on a running tool or other engaging member landed atop the casing hanger. A grooved section is provided to assist removal of trash from the upper end of the casing hanger.

Casing hanger system with capture feature

A running tool is used to install a load shoulder and a wear bushing in a subsea wellhead. A subsea wellhead has a locator shoulder, and grooved upper and lower profiles. The running tool has a cylindrical wear bushing that lands on a locator shoulder provided in the bore above a grooved lower profile in a wellhead housing. The running tool also carries a load shoulder ring and a split lock ring. The installation process consists of preparing the tool before running the tool subsea. Flowby ports on the running tool remain open during installation to speed the trip-in operation. The flowby ports are closed by lowering the central mandrel after the running tool lands. Then a portion of the wear bushing is moved downward, which in turn pushes the load shoulder out into the lower grooved profile to retain the load shoulder ring and wear bushing with the wellhead.

Apparatus and method for remotely installing shoulder in subsea wellhead

An adjustable wellhead connector is secured to the lower end of a BOP and riser assembly and has a housing which surrounds a groove profile on the upper outer surface of a first wellhead housing. The housing has a window on its inner surface which contains a removable first locking member. The first locking member has a groove profile on its inner diameter which mates with the groove profile on the first wellhead housing. The first locking member is movable between inner and outer radial positions which correspond to locked and unlocked positions, respectively. The first locking member is moved by a hydraulic system contained within the housing. The wellhead connector may be readily adapted to connect to a second wellhead housing having a different outer diameter than the first wellhead housing by replacing the first locking member with a second locking member. The second locking member enables the wellhead connector to connect a riser to the second wellhead housing.

Adjustable wellhead connector

Using additional load shoulders on wellhead casing hangers when multiple casing hangers are needed increases the capacity of the casing hangers to withstand loads. The shoulders of the casing hangers are not required to land simultaneously. Either the upper or lower set of shoulders may contact prior to the other, with the first set to make contact plastically or elastically deforming to allow the other set to land. Other tubular members, such as a test plug may be inserted to pressure test the shoulders of the casing hanger for a casing string that is supported by the casing hanger.

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Nassau Bay, TX, United States of America

Amin Radi