Armco Inc.

John E Lawson

A self-levelling underwater structure receivable on an upright support implanted in the floor of a body of water and including a hollow unit fitting over the upright support and having a pivot device thereon engaging the upright support so that the hollow unit gravitates to a level position, and a securing assembly for securing the hollow unit to the upright support in the levelled position. A locking assembly is also provided to prevent relative axial movement of the hollow unit and the upright support once the structure is levelled.

Self-levelling underwater structure

A connector for coupling a plurality of flowlines in a catenary bundle in fluid-flow relationship with a plurality of wellheads supported on a submerged buoyant support. The connector comprises a first member that is rigidly coupled to the submerged support, has a plurality of conduits extending therefrom to the wellheads, and has an open-ended member with a rotational orientation member therein; and a second member that is coupled to the end of the flowline bundle, is receivable on the first member and has an elongated stinger thereon receivable in the annular open-ended member on the first connector member. The stinger has a second orientation member for mating with the orientation member in the open-ended member. Run from the surface through the open-ended member and attached to the end of the stinger is a hauling wireline used to bring the first and second connector members into engagement, at which time they are rotationally oriented and locked together. In addition to the flowlines, the connector can couple control lines carried by the catenary bundle to the wellheads to actuate, e.g., valves thereon.

Multiple flowline connector

A flowline receiving and guiding unit characterized by having a generally tubular base member adapted to be landed upon the upper end portion of an upright support, typically a pile, secured in the floor of a body of water. The unit includes an elongated curved tubular structure, typically of J-tube configuration, so positioned that when the unit has been landed the upper end of the curved tubular structure is upright and occupies a predetermined position relative to the pile.

Apparatus for connecting underwater flowlines

In installation of a flowline and connection thereof to an underwater installation equipped with guide lines extending from the installation to an operational base at the surface of the body of water, a pile or other upright support is first installed in a predetermined location adjacent the underwater installation, and all operations necessary to install the flowline and connect the flowline to the underwater installation are then carried out with the aid of the guide lines and employing apparatus installed on the pile.

Method for installing and connecting underwater flowlines

Hanger apparatus for suporting pipe in a well, the apparatus including both an annulus check valve, via which communication is established with the annulus between the suspended pipe and surrounding casing, and a pressure fluid by-pass, via which communication with a down-hole device such as a safety valve is established. Opening of the check valve and establishment of communication via the by-pass are accomplished by a simple stabbing operation with, e.g., a handling tool or a production upper body. Alternately, the check valve is opened by hydraulic pressure delivered via the production upper body.

Well devices with annulus check valve and hydraulic by-pass

Combination tension connector and flex joint for underwater tension elements, such as the tension elements of a leg of a tension leg platform. The flex joint is of generally ball and socket type, with the ball member connected to the lower end of the tension element and the socket member connected to an upwardly projecting annular portion of the male member of the connector.

Combination connector and flex joint for underwater tension elements

A method and apparatus for remotely establishing an underwater well under conditions of great water depth including a drilling guide structure located on the floor of the body of water; a single handling and guiding string extending upwardly from the drilling guide structure and maintained in tension by an elongated buoy; a series of drilling guide arm units, flowline guide arm units and wellhead guide arm units to be lowered down the string, oriented relative to desired well positions and then retrieved once the wells have been drilled and the wellheads and flowlines secured in place; and a production gathering assembly to be lowered down the string, oriented relative to the wellheads and flowlines, and then coupled to these wellheads and flowlines. The orientation is accomplished between an orientation member on the outer surface of a tubular member extending upwardly from the guide structure and orientation members on the inner surfaces of open-ended members in the drilling guide arm units, flowline guide arm units, wellhead guide arm units and the production gathering assembly.

Method and apparatus for deep underwater well drilling and completion

A remotely operated valve, typically for use as a downhole safety valve, adapted to be connected in-line between two pieces of well pipe or other fluid-conducting members, the valve being rack-and-pinion operated and characterized by including a combined piston and rack member with the piston concentric with a through bore of the valve and with the rack eccentric with respect to the through bore, the eccentric disposition of the rack and associated support members making it possible to achieve a dependably operable valve of minimum transverse dimensions without increased complexity or cost of manufacture.

Remotely operated valve

A template levelling system and method for levelling a drilling or production template adjacent the bottom of a body of water on a plurality of suspension joints implanted in the floor of the body of water. The template has a plurality of passageways therein receiving the suspension joints which extend upwardly above the template. The template carries a pair of pivotable guideposts on opposite sides of each passageway. The levelling system includes a jacking assembly lowered by a handling string and including a hydraulic jack with an inner member slidably received in an outer member, a tension beam pivotally coupled to the inner member, a pair of tension joints pivotally and releasably coupled to the tension beam and engageable with the template guideposts, and a support beam receiving the outer member therein and releasably coupled to the tension joints via a pair of hydraulic slips assemblies.

Subsea template levelling system and method

Underwater well apparatus in which the handling string for manipulating a handling tool to, e.g., orient and land a multiple string tubing hanger includes a power portion in the form of a single metal piece having a plain cylindrical outer surface to be presented to the blowout protectors, so that orientation of the handling string relative to the protectors is not necessary, and also having through passages for communicating with the tubing strings, and coupling means for attaching the handling tool to the handling string.

Underwater well installations and handling string joint therefor

Method and apparatus for multiple well completion, in which a multiple string tubing hanger or like component is equipped with a gapped flange to accept dependent splines on the handling tool and on the production upper body to establish precise orientation of the production upper body.

Method and apparatus for multiple well completion

In devices, such as well tools, components which must support heavy loads are connected by a simple fastening device capable of transferring the heavy load from one component to the other, with the load being accepted by the fastening means in compression, and with the fastening means occupying only a small radial space.

Fastener and devices in which load supporting members are secured thereby

In devices, such as well tools, where two telescopically related members are telescopically related, the two members are connected together by a split ring in such fashion that loads are transferred from one member to the other via the split ring with the split ring accepting the load in compression.

Split fastening ring and assemblies employing same

Method and apparatus for installing multiple strings of pipe in underwater wells in which, just prior to landing of the hanger for the multiple pipe strings, the weight of the strings is carried by a support ring releasably secured to a body member through an antifriction bearing so that rotational orientation can be accomplished.

Method and apparatus for installing multiple pipe strings in underwater

A coupling device, especially for well tools, for connecting a load, such as a tubing hanger from which tubing strings depend, to an upper member, such as a handling tool, from which the load is to be suspended, with capability of remote operation of the coupling device to disconnect the load and to reconnect. To provide heavy load capability when only a relatively small space is available for the coupling, coupling segments of generally C-shaped radial cross section are employed, the segments being actuated by a piston moved axially of the coupling.

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London, United Kingdom

John E Lawson