Weatherford/lamb, Inc.

Weatherford Holding U.s., Inc.

Darryl A Bourgoyne

Don M Hannegan

Thomas Floyd Bailey

James W Chambers

Timothy L Wilson

Adam T Bourgoyne, Jr

Tammy T Bourgoyne

A floating rig or structure for drilling in the floor of an ocean using a rotatable tubular includes a seal housing having a rotatable seal connected above a portion of a marine riser fixed to the floor of the ocean. The seal rotating with the rotating tubular allows the riser and seal housing to maintain a predetermined pressure in the system that is desirable in underbalanced drilling, gas-liquid mud systems and pressurized mud handling systems. The seal is contemplated to be either an active seal or a passive seal. A flexible conduit or hose is used to compensate for relative movement of the seal housing and the floating structure because the floating structure moves independent of the seal housing. A method for use of the system is also disclosed.

Method and system for return of drilling fluid from a sealed marine riser to a floating drilling rig while drilling

A holding member provides for releasably positioning a rotating control head assembly in a subsea housing. The holding member engages an internal formation in the subsea housing to resist movement of the rotating control head assembly relative to the subsea housing. The rotating control head assembly is sealed with the subsea housing when the holding member engages the internal formation. An extendible portion of the holding member assembly extrudes an elastomer between an upper portion and a lower portion of the internal housing to seal the rotating control head assembly with the subsea housing. Pressure relief mechanisms release excess pressure in the subsea housing and a pressure compensation mechanism pressurize bearings in the bearing assembly at a predetermined pressure.

Internal riser rotating control head

A system and method provides a barrier between two different fluid densities in a riser while drilling in deepwater. An internal housing and a rotating control head are positioned in a first housing when a blowout preventer is in the sealed position. When the blowout preventer is in the sealed position about the internal housing, a pipe can be rotated for drilling with the pressure of the fluid in the open borehole at one density and the fluid above the seal at another density. When the blowout preventer seal is in the open position, the threadedly connected bearing assembly and internal housing can be removed relatively quickly from the riser.

A floating rig or structure for drilling in the floor of an ocean using a rotatable tubular includes a seal housing having a rotatable seal connected above a marine riser fixed to the floor of the ocean. The seal rotating with the rotating tubular allows the riser and seal housing to maintain a predetermined pressure in the system that is desirable in underbalanced drilling, gas-liquid mud systems and pressurized mud handling systems. A flexible conduit or hose is used to compensate for the relative movement of the seal housing and the floating structure since the floating structure moves independent of the seal housing. A method for use of the system is also disclosed.

An apparatus for controlling a subsea borehole fluid pressure is proposed for use with a conductor casing positioned below the mudline and within a normal pore pressure environment. The apparatus includes a pump for moving a fluid through a tubular into a borehole. The fluid, before being pumped, exerts a pressure less than the pore pressure of an abnormal pore pressure environment. The fluid in the borehole is then pressurized by the pump to at least a borehole pressure equal to or greater than the pore pressure of an abnormal pore pressure environment. A pressure housing assembly allows for the drilling of a borehole below the conductor casing into an abnormal pore pressure environment while maintaining the pressurized fluid between a borehole pressure equal to or greater than the pore pressure of the abnormal pore pressure environment, and below the fracture pressure of the borehole in the abnormal pore pressure environment. Advantageously, a method is provided for drilling a borehole into the subsea abnormal pore pressure environment.

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Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America

Darryl A Bourgoyne