Smith International, Inc.

Mcevoy Oilfield Equipment Co.

Other

Charles D Morrill

Michael J Best

John M Des Lierres

Louis E Copeland

Robert D Barnett

Andre H Drouin

A flangeless, disc-like seal plate is disclosed for insertion between opposing flowline hubs for sealingly connecting, blocking or rerouting fluid flow between various fluid carrying lines within said flowline hubs. For connecting flow lines, straight throughbores within the seal plate are provided with V-seals in channels on said seal plate around the throughbores, as well as O-ring seals around said V-seals and another O-ring near the periphery of the disc itself. No seals or seal grooves are necessary on the hub faces. For connecting hydraulic control lines, the seal plate is equipped with transverse channels interconnecting various throughbores but may also be provided with blind ports for totally blocking off certain control lines at the plate. Within said throughbores, fluid diverter plugs are inserted which are either equipped with protruding caps for opening up corresponding check valves housed within hub lines or flush plugs such that said check valves remain closed after clamp-up. Through this arrangement various lines may either be blocked, be fluidly connected, or have their fluid flow rerouted internally without rearranging the alignment between the lines within the flowline bundle.

Flowline connector seal

A temporary hub cover for the hubs of flow lines, hydraulic lines, and electrical conduits and the mating hubs of the underwater production unit includes a body enclosing the hub, plungers within the body for releasably engaging into detents on the hub to hold the cover on the hub, and a trigger mechanism operable from a remote location to release the engagement between the cover and hub whereby the cover can be removed from the hub. A connector tool is lowered through the water and supports means for operating the trigger mechanism upon downward movement of the connector tool.

Apparatus for connecting underwater flow line hubs

A remote, automatic make-up, stab-in sealing system for providing metal-to-metal seals between a projecting structure and a surrounding bore telescopically receiving the projecting structure is disclosed. The sealing system includes the projecting structure, such as a pipe hanger or pack-off nipple. The sealing system further includes apparatus having the bore for receiving the projecting structure, such as a wellhead or tubing hanger. The sealing system also includes a seal assembly. The seal assembly includes at least one frusto-conical shaped metal gasket, a split ring and an actuator ring. The rings force the frusto-conical shape metal gasket into metal-to-metal sealing engagement with the walls of both the projecting structure and the bore as the projecting structure is telescopically received by the bore.

Remote automatic make-up stab-in sealing system

Underwater flow lines, control lines and electrical conduits are connected to mating hubs on an underwater manifold center or other production unit by utilizing hydraulically powered means for pulling the lines toward the mating hubs and aligning them therewith, lock-down means actuated from the surface being utilized to lock the lines in axial alignment with the hubs, and a seal member being lowered from the surface and inserted between the facing hubs, with a split clamp being used to draw the hubs into sealing engagement with the seal means.

Connection of underwater lines

A temporary hub cover for the hubs of flow lines, hydraulic lines, and electrical conduits and the mating hubs of the underwater production unit includes a body enclosing the hub, plungers within the body for releasably engaging into detents on the hub to hold the cover on the hub, and a trigger mechanism operable from a remote location to release the engagement between the cover and hub whereby the cover can be removed from the hub.

Protective cover for underwater flow line hub

The underwater flowline connector includes a cable puller, cable cutter, alignment device, and flowline bundle for remotely pulling and aligning an outboard hub with a subsea inboard hub disposed on an underwater unit. The cable puller is located atop the underwater unit and includes a plurality of hydraulic cable grippers alternatingly engaging and releasing the pull-in cable connected to the flowline bundle to pull the bundle with outboard hub to the underwater unit. Pulling by the cable puller cntinues until the flowline bundle has reached the porch of the underwater unit. During its final ascent along a ramp of the porch, the flowline bundle rights itself because of a self-righting moment on the bundle caused by attaching the cable above the center of gravity of the flowline bundle. The flowline bundle is attached to the alignment device using a universal joint. The alignment device has central hydraulic extension cylinder mounted on the universal joint to engage and lock the flowline bundle. Another hydraulic cylinder, operating on a rack and pin gear assembly, is used for rotating the flowline bundle, in either direction for vertical alignment on the unit. The lateral extension cylinder retracts the universal joint causing the backplate of the flowline bundle to abut the aligment device, thus aligning the faces of the inboard and the outboard hubs parallel to one another. The lateral extension cylinder on the alignment device is also used for final lateral alignment of the outboard hub with the inboard hub. Once pull-in and alignment is completed, a hydraulic cable cutter mounted beneath the cable puller is actuated to sever the flowline pulling cable.

Underwater flowline connector

A balanced high pressure rising stem gate valve has lubricated metal-to-metal seal means between the bonnet part of the valve body and the valve actuating stem and between the chamber part of the valve body and the balancing stem. Each seal means includes plural, e.g. three dished elastic metal ring gaskets with a high temperature resistant and chemical resistant ring of solid lubricant, tetrafluoroethylene or graphite between each adjacent pair of metal gaskets. Each metal gasket is softer than the stem and is of rectangular cross-section and the edge at the inner periphery on the concave side is rounded. Each seal means is disposed in an annular pocket in the adjacent part of the valve body extending around the stem. Each pocket is closed by an annular plug screwed into the pocket far enough to flatten out the dished metal rings sufficiently for the inner and outer peripheries of each ring to engage the stem and pocket respectively with enough pressure to cause plastic deformation of the inner peripheral edge on the concave side and the outer peripheral edge on the convex side, and to deform the elastic solid lubricant rings into engagement with the stem and pocket, and to prevent movement of the seal relative to the pocket when the valve is in use despite variations in the temperature of the valve and the pressure of the fluid therein and thereabout. The valve stem sealing arrangement may also be employed for packing off lock screws and in other situations wherein relatively movable parts are to be sealed both during and after relative motion.

Extreme temperature, high pressure balanced, rising stem gate valve with

A remote, automatic make-up, stab-in sealing system for providing metal-to-metal seals between a projecting structure and a surrounding bore telescopically receiving the projecting structure is disclosed. The sealing system includes the projecting structure, such as a pipe hanger or pack-off nipple. The sealing system further includes apparatus having the bore for receiving the projecting structure, such as a wellhead or tubing hanger. The sealing system also includes a seal assembly. The seal assembly includes at least one frusto-conical shaped metal gasket, a split ring and an actuator ring. The rings force the frusto-conical shaped metal gasket into metal-to-metal sealing engagement with the walls of both the projecting structure and the bore as the projecting structure is telescopically received by the bore.

A valve has a metal-to-metal seal system between the flow bores of the valve body housing and each of the valve seat hubs. Each seal system includes an elastic dished metal ring gasket and a retainer ring. Each metal gasket is softer than each of the seat hub and the valve housing, is of rectangular cross-section, and the edge at the inner periphery on the convex side is flattened. Each seal system is disposed on an annular groove cut in the outer periphery surface of the end of the seat hub. One side of the metal ring gasket is located adjacent to the shoulder of the seat hub formed by the groove cut into the outer periphery end of the seat hub. The retainer ring is reciprocably mounted on the seat hub groove adjacent to the other side of the metal ring gasket and extends beyond the end of the seat hub prior to activation of the seal system. Each seal system is activated by insertion of the seat hub on which it is mounted into the corresponding bore of the valve housing until the end of the seat hub contacts a stop shoulder in the bore. The stop shoulder of the valve bore causes the retainer ring to advance towards the seat hub shoulder far enough to flatten out the dished metal ring gasket sufficiently for the inner and outer peripheries of the ring gasket to engage the wall of the groove of the seat hub and the wall of the bore respectively with enough pressure to cause plastic deformation of the inner peripheral edge on the concave side and the outer peripheral edge on the convex side of the gasket. The retainer ring also prevents substantial movement of the seal relative to the seat hub and housing when the valve is in use despite variations in the temperature of the valve and the pressure of the fluid therein and thereabout.

Metal-to-metal seat hub seals

A tool for preloading a marine riser connection having a first member, a second member and a nut having a lug extending therefrom, the connection being made up by rotating the nut with respect to the first member so as to place the nut in tension, such tension operating to hold the first and second members together in compression, is disclosed. The tool includes a lug holder for holding the lug, a block for engaging a reference member attached to the first member, and a device for forcing the lug holder and block apart so that the nut is rotated with respect to the first member.

Marine riser tool

An oil well pipe suspension apparatus including a wellhead having a pipe hanger supported therein and a christmas tree supported thereon, a frusto-conical metal gasket providing a metal-to-metal seal between the hanger and the wellhead, and an 'X' cross section resilient metal gasket providing a metal-to-metal seal between the hanger and the christmas tree.

Seal

A marine riser including a uniquely designed three element connection structure and associated connecting and releasing means for the inhibiting of fatigue failure caused by moments and axial loads resulting from relative motion between the fixed ocean bottom and a floating drilling platform or ship, such as a semisubmersible rig. The system includes a preloaded connection including a female member and a male member coaxially aligned and held in compression by a nut placed in tension. The connection holds riser pipe sections together. The connection is preloaded through a tool to a degree such that when a load equal to the yield strength of the pipe section material is applied to the pipe sections joined by the connector, the compressed faces of the male and female members do not separate from each other. The degree of preload would be sufficient to maintain the contact between the compressed faces under expected working loads of the pipe sections. The tool operates in conjunction with lugs located on the nut and a flange or platform with mounting holes located on the male member. A lock is provided on the nut to prevent the disengagement of the male and female members after they are brought into compression by the nut. The position of the lock relative to the nut lugs determines the sustained preload of the connection. Seals are provided between the male and female member to prevent leakage of fluid between the interior of the riser connector and the surrounding environment. The connector also includes provision for the support and connection of sections of kill and choke lines.

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Bellaire, TX, United States of America

Charles D Morrill