Hydril Company

Kenneth W Colvin

Kenneth L Pelata

Charles P Peterman

Kenneth D Young

Joseph L Frederick

James D Mott

William Lyle Carbaugh

James A Burton

Riley G Goldsmith

Keith C Mott

Andyle Gregory Bailey

Danny K Wolff

Julian D Keithahn

John Mark Danna

Michael J Tangedahl

Keith C Mott, Deceased

A system for drilling a subsea well from a rig through a subsea wellhead below the rig includes a wellhead stack which is mounted on the subsea wellhead. The wellhead stack includes at least a subsea blowout preventer stack and a subsea diverter. A drill string extends from the rig through the wellhead stack into the well to conduct drilling fluid from the rig to a drill bit in the well. A riser which has one end coupled to the wellhead stack and another end coupled to the rig internally receives the drill string such that a riser annulus is defined between the drill string and the riser. A well annulus extends from the bottom of the well to the subsea diverter to conduct fluid away from the drill bit. A pump has a suction side in communication with the well annulus and a discharge side in communication with the rig and is operable to maintain a selected pressure gradient in the well annulus.

Offshore drilling system

A rotating diverter for isolating fluid in a well from other fluid above the well is provided. The rotating diverter includes a housing body which has a bore running through it. A retrievable spindle assembly which includes a spindle and a bearing assembly is disposed in the bore. The bearing assembly supports the spindle for rotation. The spindle is adapted to receive and seal around a tubular member, and rotation of the tubular member rotates the spindle within the bore. A lock member is disposed in the housing body to secure the retrievable spindle assembly to the housing body.

Rotating subsea diverter

A positive-displacement pump includes multiple pumping elements, each pumping element having a pressure vessel with a first and a second chamber and a separating member disposed between the first and second chambers. The first chambers and the second chambers are hydraulically connected to receive and discharge fluid, wherein the separating members move within the pressure vessels in response to pressure differential between the first and second chambers. A valve assembly having suction and discharge valves communicates with the first chambers. The suction and discharge valves are operable to permit fluid to alternately flow into and out of the first chambers. A hydraulic drive alternately supplies hydraulic fluid to and withdraws hydraulic fluid from the second chambers such that the fluid discharged from the first chambers is free of pulsation.

Subsea mud pump with reduced pulsation

A ram for a blowout preventer for coil tubing is disclosed. It includes a ram body having a flat face with a semi-circular cavity therein for engaging the flat face of an oppositely facing ram having a semi-circular cavity in its face. A seal member is carried by the ram to engage a seal member carried by the opposite facing ram to prevent the flow of fluid between the rams and a section of coil tubing extending vertically between the rams and encircled by the semi-circular cavities in the faces of the rams. An integral elastomeric pipe guide is carried by the ram to urge the tubing to the center of the preventer. A plurality of slip segments are mounted on the ram in the semi-circular cavity on opposite sides of the seal member to engage the tubing and hold the tubing from moving downwardly or upwardly relative to the ram.

Blowout preventer ram for coil tubing

A ram of a ram-type blowout preventer is enclosed within an enclosure so that the piston driving the ram is placed parallel to a stationary magnetizable waveguide tube. A transverse ring-like magnet assembly surrounds the tube and is attached to a carrier that, in turn, is attached to the tail of the piston. The magnet assembly longitudinally magnetizes an area of the tube where it is located. A wire running through the tube is periodically interrogated with an electrical current pulse, which produces a toroidal magnetic field about the wire. When the toroidal field intersects with the longitudinally magnetized area, a magnetostrictive acoustical return pulse is reflected back up the tube for detection by a transducer located outside of the enclosure. The time that the acoustical pulse travels from the magnetic field intersection compared to the timing of the electrical pulse on the wire is a measure of distance since the pulse time essentially travels at the speed of light. Thus, the position of the ram is absolutely determined. From the position information from successive pulses, ram velocity and acceleration information can be developed. The measurements are continuous and absolute and are not incremental.

Position instrumented blowout preventer

An annular blowout preventer packer unit is disclosed having an annulus of elastomeric material in which is embedded metallic drive inserts provided in an outward circle about the axis. Metallic lead inserts are provided in an inward circle about the axis. The top and bottom plates of the drive inserts have two angled longitudinal forward surfaces which interface with reverse angled adjacent longitudinal rearward surfaces of the top and bottom plates of the lead inserts, respectively. When the BOP piston is closed, the drive inserts cause the lead inserts to advance inwardly a greater radial distance than the advance of the drive inserts. The result is that less stroke may be required to close the blowout preventer, and a controlled, predictable, uniform movement of the lead inserts is achieved. The drive inserts top plates are broad across their rearward longitudinal surface operably covering the area behind the lead inserts on closure of the packer unit. The shape of the drive inserts allows the lead inserts to be driven to a smaller diameter without opening up the back side and causing outer diameter elastomer loss to the unit.

Annular blowout preventer packing unit

Two embodiments of a surface controller system apparatus and their method for use with a surface controlled subsurface safety valve are disclosed. Both surface controller systems are responsive to an emergency shutdown signal for enabling closing of the subsurface safety valve when the well surface safety systems are shut-in. Once the subsurface Safety Valve has been shut-in up the system, the safety control system must be manually reset before the subsurface valve can be reopened. Both safety control system provides an enclosed reservoir or accumulator for receiving the hydraulic control fluid when the subsurface valve closes and for containing well blow-outs through either one or both control fluid conduits operably connecting the controller system with the subsurface valve. The enclosed systems are also arranged that any internal leakage of the surface control system will operate to shut-in the well with the subsurface valve. Undesired pressure buildup, effecting possible operation of the subsurface valve in either of the normal or vent control lines also automatically operates to shut-in the subsurface safety valve.

Growing community of inventors

Humble, TX, United States of America

Kenneth W Colvin