Exxon Production Research Company

Louis M Regan

Thomas W Childers

Joseph A Burkhardt

Roy E Anderson

A metal seal plug for use in sealing a tubing run is disclosed. The plug includes upper and lower tubular housings connected together for limited movement therebetween by an inner mandrel. The lower housing contains a locking unit which when actuated locks into a recess formed in the tubing to lock the plug in the tubing. The upper housing contains an actuator for actuating the locking unit when the upper housing is forced down with respect to the lower housing. The lower housing also contains a metal seal ring which engages metal sealing surfaces on the tubing and on the lower housing to seal off the space between the plug and the tubing. The distance between the locking unit and the metal seal ring and the distance between the recess and the sealing surface on the tubing run are selected to ensure that the metal seal ring is properly loaded when the plug is locked in the tubing. Initially, shearable means releasably secures the mandrel to the upper tubular member to prevent movement between the upper and lower housings. The lower end of the plug may be a closed nose member or a diverter to be positioned in a curved tubing run of a Y-spool.

Growing community of inventors

Beaumont, CA, United States of America

Louis M Regan