Armco Inc.

Hughes Tool Company LLC

Cameron Iron Works, Inc.

National Oilwell, Inc.

Edward M Galle

William S Cowan

Bruce H Burr

George E Dolezal

Paul C Berner, Jr

Leon B Stinson

Kevin Gendron

An improved electrical transmission system for transmitting electrical power and data signals within a well bore having a string of tubular members suspended within it, each tubular member having a receiving end adapted for receiving data signals and a transmitting end for transmitting data signals, said receiving end and transmitting end being electrically coupled by a flexible printed planar conductor of the type having at least one substantially planar conductive band disposed between at least two layers of electrically insulating material.

Conductor system for well bore data transmission

Connecting a tubular string to a subsea installation. The tubular string includes a short first section and a longer second section. The length of the first section is approximately one-half the depth between the lowermost guide ring of a fixed platform and the top of the subsea installation. One end of the first section is provided with a connector and the other end with a connector and a funnel. The first section is lowered through the guide rings and connected to the subsea installation. One end of the second section is provided with a connector and the second section is lowered through the guide rings and into the funnel. Since the two adjacent ends are about midway between the subsea installation and the lowermost guide ring, the adjacent ends are easily bent into alignment by the camming action resulting when the end of the second section slides along the inside tapered surface of the funnel when the axes of the platform and subsea installation are offset.

Remotely installing a tubular string

A subsea wellhead structure including a casing hanger having an exterior downwardly facing shoulder for landing within a well bore, a central bore, means for connecting a casing thereto, an upper exterior surface tapering downwardly and outwardly, and an external surface below said shoulder tapering downwardly and inwardly for centering said hanger on landing, a seal assembly with a metal seal sleeve having downwardly extending fingers, an internal metal annular bulbous sealing surface and an external metal cylindrical sealing surface, means for latching said seal sleeve in sealing position, a protector sleeve and means for releasably securing said protector sleeve to said seal assembly and said latching means, the latching means including retaining means preventing premature setting or movement of the latching means prior to the setting of said sealing means.

Subsea wellhead structure

A hanger apparatus for suspending an upright inner pipe from an outer pipe including a pair of load-bearing rings interposed between the two pipes. The inner and outer pipes have opposed frustoconical load-bearing shoulders receiving the rings therebetween. In one embodiment, both rings engage the inner and outer pipes, with an upper ring being driven outwardly into a locking position by a lower ring. In this case, the upper ring is split while the lower ring is solid. In a second embodiment, an outer ring engages both the inner and outer pipes while an inner ring is nested into the outer ring and engages the inner pipe. In this second embodiment, both rings are split.

Dual ring casing hanger

Disclosed herein is an earth boring bit of otherwise conventional construction except for the bearing and cutter retention. A snap ring is used to retain the cutter, the grooves that receive the ring and the ring construction being such that the ring is forced into the retainer groove when the cone is thrust inward. The ring cannot therefor accidentally return to its assembly position to permit cutter loss. This enables the use of exclusively frictional bearings and retainer means of exceptional strength and reliability.

Earth boring drill bit with snap ring cutter retention

A connector for male and female members, the connection being established by a stab-in action and being released by a rotational action. The connector includes a male member having an external helical groove, a female member having an internal helical groove, and a resilient helical coil received in the groove of one of the members and extending outwardly therefrom in the relaxed condition. The helical coil can have a circular or polygonal cross-section and has an end secured to the member carrying it to prevent gross displacement therebetween. The helical grooves in the male and female members having opposed, upwardly and inwardly tapering load-bearing surfaces receiving the helical coil therebetween in the connected condition. These tapering load-bearing surfaces can have the same or different angles of taper.

Helical coil stab-in connector

A tension connector, and offshore platform mooring system embodying the connector, characterized in that the connector can be made up remotely and released remotely. The connector comprises a male connector member, typically attached to a string of pipe which serves as a mooring element, and a female connector member, typically secured to an anchoring base at the bottom of a body of water. The connector is made up simply by inserting the male member downwardly into the female member by manipulating the pipe string. Advantageously, two remote release means are provided, one operating hydraulically, the other by manipulation of the pipe string.

Remotely operated underwater tension connector

In connectors, particularly for underwater well installations, for securing two members together under large clamping forces, an annular locking means is actuated by means including cam surfaces which coact through rolling antifriction members, the actuating means being so constructed and arranged as to reduce the lengths of the cam surfaces and better retain the antifriction elements.

Connectors for securing members together under large clamping force

Connector, particularly for use in underwater well installations, for securing members together under large clamping forces. The connector is characterized by two successive stages of actuation of a locking means, typically a split ring or set of arcuate segments, with the actuating force of the second stage being applied by camming surfaces via low friction means to establish a high compressive preload without use of especially large power devices.

A weight-set pack-off unit for sealing the annulus between inner and outer pipes, such as a mandrel casing hanger and a wellhead body in a well. The pack-off unit includes an expandable split ring receivable in a groove in the outer pipe to prevent upward movement of the pack-off unit relative to the outer pipe. The split ring is supported by a second ring which is shear-pinned to the pack-off unit and which moves the split ring into the locking position. The pack-off unit has a downwardly facing load-bearing shoulder in engagement with an upwardly facing load-bearing shoulder on the inner pipe, thereby increasing the unit's capacity to carry downward loads.

Weight-set pack-off unit

Disclosed herein is a drill bit for earth boring, including a lubrication system that eliminates necessity for a complex system to accomplish pressure compensation. Since the temperature of the earth generally increases with depth from the surface, a drill bit experiences increasing temperature with increasing depth. The coefficient of thermal expansion of lubricant inside a bit is greater than that of the metal defining the walls of the lubricant cavities. Internal bearing lubrication pressure control is achieved utilizing thermal expansion of the lubricant, seal displacement, and a pressure relief valve.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Edward M Galle