Cameron Iron Works Usa, Inc.

Cooper Cameron Corporation

Other

Cameron Iron Works, Inc.

Cooper Industries, Inc.

Cameron International Corporation

Gerald S. Baker

Gerald S Baker

William M Taylor

Guerry L Hahn

Larry E McDonald

Klaus Biester

William Robert Gardner

Loc Gia Hoang

David H Theiss

Brian Hart

Clint A Davis

Thomas G Cassity

Danny K Wolff

David Garnham

Charles T Weber

Alfred W Wedel

Robert H Carter

William C Montgomery

David R Mefford

Craig Beierwaltes

() A travel multiplying device () has at least one outer pipe (), one inner pipe () and one intermediate pipe () positioned between them, which can be moved relative to each other in the longitudinal direction () each by a particular distance of travel (-) with at least one cut-out formed (-) between facing surfaces () of each pipe (), which cut-outs show different gradients () relative to a transverse plane () through the pipes (), and which are coupled with each other by at least one movement linking element (-) to link the movements of the pipes. By such a travel multiplying device, a small movement of one element is transformed into a magnifying movement of another element in a simply designed and reliable manner.

Travel multiplying device

In accordance with one exemplary embodiment, the present invention provides a sensor system for detecting a change in condition. The system includes a radioactive source. This system also includes at least one radiation detector configured to detect radiation from the radioactive source. Furthermore, the system includes a displacement assembly configured to physically displace in response to the change in condition and configured to change the radiation levels detected by the radiation detector in response to such displacement. Advantageously, this system facilitates non-intrusive communication of information across a physical barrier, via the measurement of changing radiation levels that change in response to a change in condition, for example.

Non-intrusive pressure gage

A seal assembly with an accumulator ring for protecting a seal from explosive decompression is disclosed. The accumulator ring and the seal are contained within a seal gland. The seal is made of a material that is susceptible to damage from explosive decompression. When exposed to a high-pressure fluid environment, the accumulator ring fills with a quantity of high-pressure fluid, either by permeation if it is solid or by permeation and/or vents and/or channels leading to a void if it is hollow. During an explosive decompression event, the accumulator ring expands to fill the remaining volume of the seal gland. Then, the accumulator ring exerts an axial compressive or supporting force on the seal for a sufficient amount of time to allow the seal to expel fluid contained in it and minimize the effects of explosive decompression thereto.

Seal assembly with accumulator ring

A connection for oilfield use is disclosed. It features male and female components held together by dogs actuable through one of the members and into the other. Different configurations of the connections envision a built-in preload to the connection when made-up. This is accomplished by a cantilevered component at the extremity of one of the components of the connection. Alternatively, the preload feature can be incorporated into the dog or other locking assembly that holds the components of the connection together. The connection is particularly useful in subsea chokes which have a removable insert which can be mounted to or removed from the choke body which is located subsea.

Preloading type connector

An actuation system is usable for a choke. The choke can be moved between open and closed positions by a variety of devices, including a stepping actuator. A rapid shutdown feature involving a hydraulically driven override allows the stem of the choke to be moved rapidly to close the choke. The actuator resumes its old position when the hydraulic shutdown mode is overridden, thus allowing the choke to return to its prior position before it was rapidly closed. Shutdown of the choke is rapid, while a return to its former position is gradual.

Fast-closing stepping actuator for a valve member

A clamping connector that can be remotely actuated and locked which is particularly useful in subsea applications for attaching subsea Christmas trees to marine wellheads. The clamping connector includes clamp halves linked by a locking stem. The locking stem is forced into a pre-stressed state by moving the locking stem from a first relaxed to a second pre-stressed position and retained in the second pre-stressed position by a locking collet. A locking collet through which the locking stem extends is moved from a first unlocked position to a second locked position wedged between the locking stem and one or the other of the clamp halves. When the locking collet is in the second locked position, it resists movement of the locking stem from the second pre-stressed position to the first relaxed position. The locking collet is then locked in the second locked position. The clamping connector of the present invention is characterized by a minimal height which is particularly advantageous over prior clamping connectors.

Remotely actuated and locked hub clamp

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 valve actuator with an emergency shutdown feature incorporates shutdown of the valve when a sensed line pressure is outside of high- and low-pressure trip points. The actuator can be manually tripped. The actuator can be tripped in the event of a fire or, incorporating a solenoid, a trip can be accomplished with an appropriate signal. Once tripped, the actuator requires manual reset. The normal open and closed operation of the valve cooperates with a clutching mechanism which is part of the trip system. The preferred embodiment of the clutching system is a torsion spring or springs which normally allow movement in one direction but not in the other unless acted upon by the tripping system.

Valve actuator with emergency shutdown feature

A tubular joint has a pair of tubular members (10, 12) with end hubs (14, 16) in opposed relation and secured by a clamp (22). A primary seal ring (40) has external tapered sealing surfaces (42, 44) engaging internal tapered sealing surfaces (28, 30) on the hubs (14, 16) to provide a primary seal. Secondary sealing surfaces (32, 36) on the hubs (14, 16) are engaged by O-rings (62, 64) as shown in FIG. 4 to seal against external fluid flow to the seal ring (40). O-rings (62, 64) permit internal fluid flow outwardly from the seal ring (40) as shown in FIG. 3.

Metal seal ring for tubular joint

A ladder leveling device is provided with an integrally formed tubular guide, a locking mechanism, a support shaft and a pivot foot. The tubular guide is attached to a ladder through its base portion. A guide bore is provided in the tubular guide for receiving the support shaft which may slide within the guide bore. A locking mechanism is housed in a lock portion of the tubular guide. The locking mechanism locks the support shaft in a fixed position relative to the tubular guide. The lock portion of the tubular guide protects the locking mechanism from foreign objects and reduces the risk of accidental release. A hole is provided on the side and rear surfaces of the lock portion for operating the locking mechanism and further increasing the safety and ease of use of the invention.

Ladder leveling device

A ladder leveler device to level and stabilize a ladder on an uneven surface, comprising a generally rectangular shaped base plate having a plurality of threaded holes located on each wide end, a plurality of hollow jack screws complimentary to and threading through the plurality of threaded holes on each wide end, a plurality of Allen head bolts reposing freely within the hollow jack screws, washers and lock-nuts on the plurality of Allen head bolts, a square tubular guide attaching longitudinally to the center of the rectangular shaped base plate, a square tubular shaft which is slidable within the square tubular guide, a plurality of longitudinally aligned holes in the center of one longitudinal side of the square tubular shaft, a restraint on one end of the square tubular shaft, a longitudinal cut-out in the center of the side of the square tubular shaft opposite the longitudinal side with the plurality of longitudinally aligned holes, a pivoting foot securing to the square tubular shaft by means of a bolt, a plurality of spacers and a locknut, and a spring biased pin means attaching to the center of the square tubular guide having a circular shaft extending through the square tubular guide, the longitudinal cutout, the plurality of longitudinally aligned holes, and a complimentary hole on the square tubular guide opposite where the spring biased pin means is mounted.

Ladder leveler

The improved valve of the present invention is a self-contained emergency safety shutdown valve which does not require the attendance of an individual or an outside power source for its emergency shutdown. The valve illustrated is a gate valve with the gate movable between positions opening and closing flow through the valve and having a stem which is controlled by a ball shaft extending through a rotary ball nut with means for preventing rotation of ball nut in one direction and means urging stem, gate and ball shaft in a direction closing flow through the valve. The control means controlling the release of the rotation preventing means is controlled by both high and low pressure responsive devices which are interconnected to a plunger for operating the release and to a plunger for sensing the pressure downstream of the valve. At any time the sensed pressure is beyond either the low or high pressure set points, the plunger is moved to operate the release and the gate is returned by the urging means to its closed position. A means is provided by which the release means it held in the release position until manually released but is easily manually release so that the gate may be opening while the control means is ineffective to cause shutdown until normal flow conditions are established.

Self-contained emergency shutdown valve

A fire safe valve which includes a body having an inlet, an outlet, a valve chamber communicating with the inlet and the outlet and having an opening, a bonnet secured to the body and having a bore therethrough with the opening of the bore communicating with the valve chamber opening and defining a back seat surrounding the bore, a valve member, a valve stem connected to the valve member and extending through the bonnet bore, a backseating shoulder on the valve stem, an actuator, the valve stem connecting to the actuator to move the valve member within the valve chamber to open and close flow through, the valve, a temperature sensitive material retaining the valve stem shoulder spaced from said bonnet bore seat during normal operations and allowing additional movement of the valve stem responsive to excessive temperatures to bring the valve stem shoulder into engagement with the bonnet bores seat to backseat and prevent flow of fluids within the valve from escaping therefrom. A heat transmitting jacket is connected between a position close to the heat sensitive means and a position spaced therefrom to ensure the early transmission of heat to the temperature sensitive material when remote portions of the valve are subjected to fire. The jacket includes heat pipes mounted in spaced ring for the transmission of heat.

Fire safe valve

A temperature sensitive valve having a body with an internal valve chamber being open through said body, an inlet extending into the valve chamber, a control outlet communicating with said valve chamber, and a bleed outlet communicating with said valve chamber, a bonnet having a bore secured to said body in surrounding relationship to the opening of the valve chamber through the body, a control sleeve positioned in said valve chamber and in said bonnet bore, means for sealing between the control sleeve and the interior of the valve chamber above and below the entry of said inlet into the valve chamber, said control sleeve defining a first valve seat in its lower portion, a second valve seat surrounding the entrance of the bleed outlet into said valve chamber, a valve member extending through said valve sleeve and having valve seat engaging surfaces for engaging said first and second valve seats, a first temperature sensitive material supporting said valve member in position out of engagement with said first valve seat, a second temperature sensitive material supporting said control sleeve in a first position and allowing it to move to a second position when exposed to temperature above a preselected temperature, said first temperature sensitive material upon reaching a elevated temperature which is less than said preselected temperature to release support of the valve member so that it moves out of engagement from said second valve seat and into engagement with said first valve seat to close flow between said inlet and said control outlet and open flow between said control outlet and said bleed outlet, said second temperature sensitive material releasing support of the control sleeve so that it moves to bring said valve member into engagement with said first valve seat when it reaches said preselected temperature and means biasing said valve member and said control sleeve so that excess pressure in said control outlet will move said control sleeve to open said second valve seat and allow such pressure to be bled from the valve chamber.

Temperature sensitive control valve

A manual operator which is useful when used with a valve or other type of device to provide either manual operation of the valve in one direction or to provide a stop against the movement of the valve away from one of its extreme positions. The device includes a ball nut, screw shaft and balls positioned in facing grooves in the nut and shaft so that relative rotation has very low friction. Thus rotation of one of the nut or screw shaft results in axial movement of the screw shaft so that it can move or provide a stop. Aligned adjacent exterior surfaces are provided on a rotating part of the device and one a stationary part of the device which surfaces are engaged by a locking spring which can be release from such surfaces when it is desired that the manual operator cause an axial movement of screw shaft. In one form of the invention the screw shaft rotates and the ball nut is stationery. In another form the ball nut rotates and the screw shaft is stationary. In a third form two locking springs are provided to lock against inadvertent relative rotation in both directions. In still another form of the apparatus, it is applied to a blowout preventer ram tail rod so that the axial movement of the tail rod is translated into rotation of a ball nut and a spring engages a surface rotating with the ball nut and a stationary aligned surface to prevent relative rotation in one direction to lock the tail rod with the piston in its inner or ram closed position.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Gerald S Baker