National Oilwell Varco, L.p.

Geoffrey Pickett

Frank Benjamin Springett

Matthew Franchek

Seyed Mohammad Parvasi

Svein Ove Aanesland

A sealing apparatus includes a moveable seal holder with a cavity and includes a seal assembly disposed at least partially in the cavity. The seal assembly includes a resilient seal member including a fluid-facing end with a fluid-facing end surface, and the seal assembly includes an actuator plate configured to reciprocate between a first and a second position relative to the protective plate. The first actuator plate includes a fluid-facing end surface and a first camming surface. The seal assembly further includes a first protective plate disposed between the seal member and the first actuator plate. The actuator plate is configured to compress the seal member and to move the fluid-facing end surface of the seal member outward from a resting position when the actuator plate is in the second position.

Valve having protected, moveable seal and seal assembly therefor

A method of sealing a wellbore with a blowout preventer (BOP) is disclosed. The method involves providing the BOP with a BOP seal. The BOP has BOP parameters and a fluid flowing through the BOP has fluid parameters. The method also involves simulating erosion of a BOP seal using a BOP model based on the BOP parameters and the fluid parameters, measuring erosion of the blowout preventer seal by performing a lab test of the blowout preventer seal in a tester according to the blowout preventer model, validating the simulating by comparing the simulated erosion with the measured erosion, determining an erosion rate of the blowout preventer seal based on the validated simulating, defining closing parameters based on the determined erosion rate, and operating the blowout preventer rams according to the defined closing parameters.

Method of closing a blowout preventer seal based on seal erosion

A dual gradient drilling system comprises a primary riser that is coupled to a drilling rig and a subsea wellhead and an auxiliary riser that is coupled to the drilling rig and to the primary riser by a fluid conduit that is disposed at a point between the drilling rig and the wellhead. The fluid conduit provides fluid communication between the primary riser and the auxiliary riser. A pump system is disposed within the auxiliary riser and is in fluid communication with the fluid conduit. A drive string is disposed within the auxiliary riser and is coupled to the pump system so as to operably couple the pump system to the drilling rig.

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Sugar Land, TX, United States of America

Geoffrey Pickett