Vetco Gray Inc.

Abb Vetco Gray Incorporated

Eugene A Borak, Jr

Charles D Bridges

Mahesha Udipi

Henry X He

Anton J Dach, Jr

Vicki Deck Corso

Bobby L Ferguson

Kwong Onn Chan

Alfredo Olvera

Vanson Huynh

Jose A Alvarado

Jim Hwang

Jean Brunjes

A reinforced wellhead member for use during fracing operations. The wellhead member is preloaded at a flange section by creating compressive stresses via a ring that interacts with a tightening nut on a bolt. The bolt is rigidly attached to an adapter which may also be modified to create stresses on the flange of the wellhead member. The induced stresses counter the tensile stresses experienced by the flange during fracing operations, allowing a standard wellhead member to be utilized.

Reinforced frac tubing head

A technique is provided for terminating tubing. In the technique, a tubing termination assembly is used to terminate control line tubing from a downhole safety valve at a wellhead component. The tubing termination assembly utilizes a seal ring to form a seal around control line tubing extending from a port through a wellhead component. A seating surface is provided in the seal ring, rather than in the wellhead component, to which a seal member is abutted to form the seal with the control line tubing. The seal ring also comprises a threaded portion to enable a threaded member to urge the seal member against the seating surface.

System and method for terminating tubing

An assembly for connecting a drilling adapter to a wellhead comprising external threads on an end portion thereof.

Independent wellhead drilling adapter

An isolation sleeve extends from an adapter into the bore of a tubing head to isolate high pressure frac fluid from the body of the tubing head. The isolation sleeve may be moved into and out of the bore by a hydraulic transfer piston or it may be installed and retrieved by a running tool. The isolation sleeve has a seal carrier on its lower end. The seal of the seal carrier may seal to a secondary packoff in the tubing head, on the outer diameter of the conduit, or to the rim of the conduit. The seal carrier may be movable relative to the sleeve to energize the seal.

Wellhead isolation sleeve assembly

A wellhead system diverter spool contains an internal sleeve that can be axially shifted internal to the spool with a handling tool. The sleeve permits access to outlets in the spool when required. When higher pressures are required, the internal sleeve is shifted downward to close off access to the outlets without change out of equipment or changing the BOP stack riser system. The low pressure lines connected to the outlets can remain installed but are isolated from the higher pressure BOP stack pressures.

System, method, and apparatus for accessing outlets in a two-stage diverter spool assembly

An outer tubing hanger is secured to an outer string of tubing and landed in a wellhead housing. A Christmas tree is connected to the wellhead housing. While in a first mode, an isolation tube extends between the tree and the outer tubing hanger for conveying well fluid flowing up the outer string of tubing. The isolation tube is removed while in a second mode, and an inner tubing hanger secured to an inner string of tubing lands in the outer tubing hanger production passage. An upper portion of the inner tubing hanger extends into sealing engagement with the tree production passage for flowing well fluid up the inner string of tubing while in the second mode.

Nested velocity string tubing hanger

Methods and devices are described for efficiently installing sea-borne wellhead components and tying back sub-sea wellhead components with them. In specific aspects, a single running and setting tool is used to land a tubing head housing upon the stem of a floating platform and tension and pressure testing casing string risers extending between a subsea wellhead and a floating vessel.

One-trip wellhead installation systems and methods

A casing hanger lands on a load shoulder in a wellhead to seal and support a string of casing. The casing hanger has a lower ring for landing on the load shoulder, the lower ring having an upward facing surface. A plurality of circumferentially spaced recesses are in the upward facing surface of the lower ring, each of the recesses having a base. A seal is located on the lower ring and has a plurality of holes that register with the recesses in the upward facing surface of the lower ring. A slip assembly bowl has a wedging surface that carries a plurality of slip members. The slip members grip the casing and cause the bowl to transmit downward forces from the casing to the seal to axially compress and energize the seal. Fasteners extend from the lower ring through apertures provided in the seal into threaded apertures provided in a downward facing surface of the bowl to secure the lower ring to the slip assembly but allow relative axial movement between the bowl and the lower ring. A plurality of substantially cylindrical stop members are located in the holes in the seal and in the recesses of the lower ring. The stop members are secured into threaded holes formed in the shoulder ring and contact the bases of the recesses to limit the compression of the seal to a predetermined amount.

Casing hanger seal positive stop

A running tool is used to install a tubing hanger without entangling the continuous control lines. The tubing hanger running tool is made up of a central mandrel, an outer housing, a setting member, and an actuator. The mandrel has a lower end for securing to a tubing hanger. The outer housing surrounds the mandrel and is connected to the setting member. The actuator moves the setting member axially with respect to the mandrel so that the setting member can set the lock element on the tubing hanger, securing the tubing hanger to the tubing head. The setting member has openings which allow the control lines from the tubing hanger to be fed through to the outside of the running tool so that they are not entangled during the placement of the tubing hanger.

Tubing hanger running tool

An all-metal seal assembly is located between the exterior of a string of casing and the bore of a lower wellhead housing. The seal assembly has abase seal member with inner and outer legs that define a U-shaped cross-section extending upward into the bore. Each leg is provided with a set of seal bands for sealing against the bore and casing, respectively. When an upper wellhead housing is landed on top of the lower wellhead housing, an energizing ring is forced into the U-shaped cross-section and spreads the legs apart from each other, thereby moving the two sets of seal bands into sealing engagement with the bore and the casing.

Metal-to-metal casing packoff

A guidance system comprising two guide tubes is lowered into a well with a conductor. The guide tubes are connected together by partitions which are about 100 feet apart and divide the conductor into two halves. Each partition comprises two symmetrically formed, semi-cylindrical sections facing in opposite directions. A threaded collar is secured to the upper end of each of the guide tubes. The collars are then landed on a lower plate at the upper end of the conductor. An upper plate is secured to the upper end of the conductor on top of the lower plate. The operator lowers a string of drill pipe through holes in the plates into the conductor to drill a first smaller diameter well at the bottom of the conductor. After drilling to the desired depth, the operator runs a first string of casing down the conductor and through the new well bore. The casing is located on one side of each partition and cemented in place. The operator then lowers the drill pipe down the other side of the partitions and repeats the drilling and casing of a second well. After each well is cased, the operator pumps cement down one of the guide tubes to cement the interior of the lower end of the conductor.

Close proximity wellheads

A lower casing hanger including a cylindrical block with two holes is landed on a shoulder in the bore of a wellhead housing. The first hole has shoulders that are inclined relative to the axis of the housing. The second hole is smooth and has a constant diameter. A first string of casing is run through the first hole and a C-shaped annular slips is placed around the casing. The outer surface of the slips has shoulders for engaging the shoulders on the lower casing hanger. The casing is lowered until the shoulders engage, thereby preventing further downward movement of the casing. An upper casing hanger then is placed on top of the lower casing hanger. The upper casing hanger has two holes that align with the holes in the lower casing hanger. The second hole has shoulders that mate with exterior shoulders on a second slips. A second string of casing is run through the second hole and the second slips is placed around the second casing. The assembly is lowered through the second hole until the shoulders engage to prevent further downward movement of the second casing. A gasket is placed on top of the upper casing hanger and a top plate is placed on top of the gasket for deforming the gasket against the casings.

Dual casing hanger

A split tubing hanger for a well has two semi-cylindrical tubing hanger bodies. A seal has a ring portion which seals the tubing hanger bodies to the bore of a tubing head. The seal also has a diametrical band portion which joins the ring portion. The band portion seals between the two tubing hanger bodies. The bodies are run separately and land on a landing shoulder in the bore of the tubing head. The landing shoulder has upward extending tabs which engage recesses in the load shoulders of the tubing hanger bodies. The landing shoulder is a landing ring which is split and locates within a groove formed in the bore of the tubing head. An anti-rotation device prevents the landing ring from rotating relative to the tubing head.

Growing community of inventors

Cypress, TX, United States of America

Eugene A Borak, Jr