Other

Nl Industries

Stewart & Stevenson Oiltools, Inc.

Norman A Nelson

Bill M Brock, Jr

Leo Jude Marquette

A gate valve, seat, and face seal therefor, the valve including a valve body defining a longitudinal flowway and a valve element mounted in the valve body and movable transverse to the flowway between open and closed positions. The valve seat mounted in the valve body includes a seat body having an axially facing annular contact face for opposition to the valve element and an annular groove extending axially thereinto, the annular groove in turn having inner and outer side walls. The face seal comprises an annular elastomeric seal body having a base portion disposed in the annular groove and a sealing portion which, in a relaxed condition, projects axially outwardly from the annular groove. The seal body further has an annular auxiliary sealing formation extending about its outer diameter and sealing engaging the outer side wall of the annular groove.

Valve assembly, seat and seal

The invention pertains to a connector for connection to a wellhead in generally coaxial alignment therewith. The connector includes a generally tubular main body and latches carried by the main body for radial extension and retraction with respect thereto to engage the wellhead and latch the connector to it. A set of circumferentially spaced support members are also carried by the main body longitudinally adjacent the latches for radial extension and retraction at least partially independently of the latches. The support members and main body have abutting slide surfaces extending parallel to the path of movement of the support members, while the support dogs and the latches have abutting support surfaces inclined with respect to said path of movement for wedging the latches longitudinally as the support members are extended. An actuator on the main body is operatively associated with the latches and support members to extend them successively toward the wellhead.

Wellhead connector

A gate valve and seat therefor, the valve including a valve body defining a longitudinal flowway and a valve element mounted in the valve body and movable transverse to the flowway between open and closed positions. A valve seat is mounted in the valve body for limited axial floating movement with respect to the valve body, the seat comprising a seat body having a generally axially facing contact face for engagement with one side of the valve element. The contact face has an annular groove therein intermediate its radially inner and outer extremities, and the seat body further has at least one vent communicating with the annular groove and extending outwardly therefrom to the radially outer extremity of the seat body.

Valve assembly and seat

A connector for subsea wellhead bodies comprises a connector body adapted to be connected to a subsea wellhead body in generally coaxial alignment therewith. Latches carried by the connector body are engageable with the wellhead body to so connect the bodies. An actuator is operatively associated with the latches and longitudinally extendible for extending the latches into such engagement with the wellhead body. A lock assembly is provided for selectively locking the actuator in its longitudinally extended position. The lock assembly comprises inner and outer lock portions, the outer portion telescopically receiving the inner portion with a tight interference fit. The lock portions are oriented generally parallel to the path of movement of the actuator. One of the lock portions is connected to the connector body, while the other is connected to the actuator. Means are provided for selectively introducing pressurized fluid between the inner and outer lock members to forcibly radially separate them and allow relative telescopic movement therebetween.

Lockdown mechanism for wellhead connector

A well casing hanger assembly for releasably connecting first and second well casings to and from each other in a well by longitudinal movement of the first member. The first member includes an annular recess in its peripheral surface and a stop shoulder is positioned at each end of the recess and a resiliently expandable and contractible locking ring is positioned in the recess for engagement with a locking notch on the second member. A protrusion is positioned in the recess and initially coacts with an opening in the locking ring. An improved releasable holding means is provided for initially preventing the locking ring from moving axially on the first member until the locking ring expands and engages the second member. The releasable holding means includes first and second tapered surfaces on the first member for engaging and restraining downward movement of the first member relative to the locking ring until the locking ring expands into the locking notch and thereafter act to positively force the locking ring into the set position. The locking ring may include coacting tapered surfaces for coacting with the first and second tapered surfaces and may include a C-shaped release ring positioned in the opening which includes a tapered surface coacting with the second tapered surface.

Well casing hanger assembly

A blowout preventer is disclosed as including a ram-type seal element which can be compressed and deformed to seal around a variety of pipe sizes. The seal element is molded from a resilient rubber material and includes a generally semicircular section to sealingly engage pipes. A plurality of metallic support elements are embedded in the seal to support the rubber material for deformation essentially only in a radial inward direction to conform to the drill string pipe size, when force is applied to the seal by the ram hydraulic system.

Blowout preventer having a variable ram seal

A modular underwater support platform having interconnecting elements is lowered into position by a conductor pipe which in turn is connected to and supported from a drill pipe. Releasable hydraulic connections connect the platform to the conductor pipe and connect the conductor pipe to the drill pipe. After the hydraulic connection between the platform and the conductor pipe is released, the drill pipe drills a hole in the subsea floor for receiving the conductor pipe. The conductor pipe is positioned in the hole, and locked to the platform for supporting the platform. A base may be connected to the bottom of the support platform which includes hydraulic cylinder and piston assemblies for leveling the support platform. Hydraulic control lines are positioned on the support platform and adapted to be in communication with the hydraulic connections when the conductor pipe is locked to the platform for hydraulically releasing the connections allowing the removal of the drill pipe.

System for connecting an underwater platform to an underwater floor

A method of and apparatus for measuring and monitoring the annulus pressure between coaxial well conduits by providing a pressure measuring means which is adapted to be positioned in the well in the annulus and which is movable in response to pressure, and measuring means measuring the movement of the movable pressure measuring means, and transmitting the measurement to the well surface. Pressure measuring means may include a movable element exposed to the pressure in the annulus and a pressure charge chamber acting on the element opposing the movement caused by the pressure in the annulus. The pressure chamber and movable elements may be annular and surround the exterior of the interior conduit. The measuring means includes sensor means adapted to be moved in the well in the interior of the interior conduit to a position adjacent but spaced from the pressure measuring means for providing measurements by signal waves. The measuring means may include a stop shoulder for location the measuring means at a predetermined location in the interior conduit.

Method of and apparatus for measuring annulus pressure in a well

A modular underwater well platform system comprising a plurality of modular units which are assembled and connected to the underwater floor based on results obtained as drilling of wells progresses and which allows flexibility in the positioning, size, and location of the platform while reducing the expense and time required for manufacturing and construction of the platform. A first guide base is provided connected to the underwater floor by the initial exploratory well pipe and the base includes a plurality of connecting and supporting frames directed outwardly in various directions and having interconnecting elements for allowing interconnection with additional modular guide bases in any of the various directions. After an exploratory well or wells has been drilled through an opening in the first base and when the results of the first wells indicate the location at which the platform is to be constructed, one or more spacer members having first and second ends, the first end of which includes interconnecting elements may be connected to one of the interconnecting elements of one of the frames of the first guide base for extending the base of the platform in the desired direction. One or more additional guide bases may be connected to the second ends of the spacing members and supported from the underwater floor. The platform base can then be extended in any desired direction with the modular components as indicated by the results of further drilling. The interconnecting elements between the guide bases and the spacer members may include vertical telescoping members and locking means. The guide bases may include vertical guide means for coacting with and supporting upper support structures from the guide bases for building up the drilling structure to the desired height.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Norman A Nelson