Cooper Cameron Corporation

Cooper Industries, Inc.

Bp Exploration Operating Company Limited

David Garnham

Hans Paul Hopper

Brian Hart

Gerald S Baker

Danny K Wolff

Craig Duell

A method of drilling an offshore underwater well comprising the steps of installing a riser conduit so that it is substantially vertically supported at a production deck. The riser conduit deviates progressively further from the vertical with increasing sea depth, so that its end can be anchored at the seabed by a skid either at an oblique angle so that drilling into the seabed can be carried out at the oblique angle, or horizontally, so that the riser conduit can extend some considerable distance across the seabed before drilling is carried out.

Method and apparatus for drilling an offshore underwater well

Apparatus for drilling an offshore underwater well

A high torque rotating actuator is disclosed. The high torque rotating actuator has a variable helix angle that allows the actuator to generate greater torque near the end of its travel when it is needed to close a valve or operate a choke. The high torque rotating actuator is designed for use with valves and chokes. In a second embodiment, a high torque rotating actuator is configured to give a shorter overall assembly. As in the preferred embodiment, a variable helix angle is used to generate greater torque near the end of its travel when it is needed to close a valve or operate a choke.

High torque rotating actuator

A wellhead assembly in which an in-line tree (10) is landed within a wellhead housing (3). The in-line tree has a vertical production through bore (11), two hydraulically or electrically controllably in-line valves (13A, 13B) in the vertical production bore, and a lateral bore (16) leading from the vertical production through bore. A horizontal tree (20) having a vertical through bore (23) is landed on the wellhead housing (3) so that the in-line tree (20) is within the vertical bore. The horizontal tree has a lateral bore (24) which is aligned with the lateral bore (16) of the in-line tree. The in-line tree (10) can be run in and retrieved through the horizonal tree (20). Alternatively the horizontal tree (20) can be removed from the wellhead housing (3) without a BOP if the in-line valves (13A, 13B) are closed.

Wellhead assembly

A valve assembly has a body portion (11) which can be removably receivable in a receptacle (10). The body carries the valve element such as a gate which controls fluid through a flowpath in the body. The openings of a flowpath in the receptacle accommodate annular sealing members (23, 24) which are movable axially in the opening. Means such as a lever arrangement (32, 33) are coupled to each sealing members and are contactable by the body (11) on its insertion in the receptacle such that the sealing members are moved axially toward the body to seal around the flowpath openings of the body.

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Rothwell, United Kingdom

David Garnham