Oil States Rubber Company

Cecil T Keller

Robert J Von Bose

Fred G Britton

An improved flange connector construction for remote actuation to connect flanges on prefabricated sections of an offshore drilling platform support structure. A flange on the end of a first prefabricated section has a downwardly extending annular skirt which supports a plurality of clamp dogs spaced about the inner circumference of the skirt. Each clamp dog is moveable in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the annular skirt and is rotatable between a first retracted position generally tangent to the skirt and a second extended position generally radial of the skirt. The first prefabricated section is moveable to telescopically receive a flange on a second prefabricated section in the annular skirt on the first prefabricated section. After the flange on the second prefabricated section is positioned inside the skirt on the first prefabricated section, the dogs are remotely actuatable by a drive motor secured to the first prefabricated section and connected in driving relation with a ring gear which is drivingly connected to rotate externally threaded drive shafts through torque limiting clutches. Each of the clamp dogs is secured to one of the drive shafts such that the clamp dogs are individually tightened to a predetermined torque to clampingly secure the flange on the second prefabricated section to the end of the first prefabricated section. A plurality of female flange connectors are secured to one end of the main legs of the first prefabricated section and adapted to engage a plurality of male flanges secured on the ends of mating main legs in the second prefabricated section.

Flange connector

A tube closure for use in a pile or leg connectable to the inside of a pile or leg between the ends of a pile or leg to divide the pile or leg into separate compartments to permit control flooding of each compartment. A locking ring is installed in the inside of the pile or leg to allow engagement of locking dogs with the pile or leg to limit longitudinal movement of the closure system through the pile or leg. The locking dogs are operably connected to a hub which when lifted moves the locking dogs away from the locking ring to disengage the system. An inflatable rubber packer is formed around the closure to seal off the area between the closure and the inner wall of the pile or leg. Once the piling or leg is in location, the rubber packer is deflated and the system is removed by a wire line which lifts a hub secured to the dogs to move the dogs out of engagement with the locking ring before lifting the assembly from its position. A valve is provided to allow equalization of the hydrostatic pressure across the plug by flooding prior to removal of the closure.

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Arlington, TX, United States of America

Cecil T Keller