Standard Oil Company (indiana)

The Standard Oil Company

Amoco Corporation

Amoco Production Company

Pierre A Beynet

J Thomas Von Aschwege

Tommy M Warren

James F Brett

Johnce E Hall

Martin B Jansen, Jr

John B Farr

James E Lucksinger

Kenneth A Blenkarn

Emil K Williams

Sam A Billington

David A Dixon

Newell Pottorf

Disclosed is a method for disconnecting a marine riser assembly from a subsea wellhead when the marine riser assembly contains substantially gas, the marine riser assembly comprising a riser and a wellhead connector having an internal shoulder for abutting against the top of the subsea wellhead. The method comprises equalizing the pressure acting on the internal shoulder of the wellhead connector and the seawater pressure acting external to the wellhead connector.

Method for disconnecting a marine drilling riser assembly

A vibration dampening assembly, such as a dynamic balancing apparatus, is connected to a drill bit, a downhole motor or drillstring to exert a variable force to counteract vibration inducing forces. The dynamic balancing apparatus includes a support body which supports a plurality of freely movable masses so that the masses move to a position for opposing an imbalance force which rotates with, and at the same speed as, the drill bit, downhole motor or drillstring.

Self-balancing drilling assembly and apparatus

This invention is an improvement over the simple riser pipe terminator, which has been applied at the mudline and at the platform level, to resist very large stresses in the riser pipes when a vertically moored platform (VMP) or other similarly tethered structure is subjected to wind, tide and current. A second or short terminator is used with the terminator to form a multiterminator which results in the length and weight of the terminator assembly for a given site being greatly reduced from that of the prior art terminator. Thus, the cost of construction of the terminator assembly is drastically reduced with the use of our invention. Also disclosed is a novel bearing arrangement between the structure VMP and the terminator assembly.

Multiterminators for riser pipes

This invention is an improvement over the simple terminator, which has been applied at the mudline, and at the platform level, to resist very large stresses in the riser pipes when the vertically moored platform (VMP) is subjected to wind, tide and current. A second or short terminator is used with the terminator to form a multiterminator which results in the length and weight of the terminator assembly for a given site being greatly reduced from that of the prior art terminator. Thus, the cost of construction of the terminator assembly is drastically reduced with the use of our invention. Also disclosed is a novel bearing arrangement between the VMP and the terminator assembly.

This invention concerns an impact wrench for breaking a threaded connection between a first section of pipe and a second section of pipe. It includes an arcuate gripping member having an exterior gripping means for gripping the inside of the first section of pipe and an impact tool for directing multiple sudden distinct forces of torque through said gripping means to the first section. It also includes a second arcuate gripping member for gripping the interior of the second section of pipe which is connected to the first and means for the second arcuate gripping member to receive the reaction torque from the impact tool.

Downhole impact wrench

This invention involves a modification of the prior art subsea drilling system in which a carousel is positioned on a central post surrounded by a coaxial circular array of well slots and is adapted to be rotated by drill pipe through conventional means, from the floating platform. The carousel utilizes a fixed support platform spaced from the axis of rotation a distance equal to the radius of the array of well slots. The platform has its own well slot and a bearing concentric with the well slot. A well slot platform, or support post platform, is journaled in this bearing and supports a plurality of guide posts on a circle centered at the axis of the well slot. The support posts support cables hanging from the drilling vessel, which are used to guide the drill bit down from the surface to the carousel well slot. The carousel is adapted to revolve while supported by circular rails concentric with the central guide post. Means are provided, such as two gears of equal diameter, one fixed to the template concentric with the turning post, the other fixed to the well slot platform, with an intervening pinion so that as the carousel revolves in one direction by a selected angle, the well slot platform and support rods will rotate through an equal angle with respect to the carousel, in the reverse direction. Thus the guide posts and guide cables will always remain with the same azimuth as that of the drill ship. In this way the twisting and tangling of the support cables is avoided.

Carousel for vertically moored platform

An improved system for anchoring a floating vessel which is anchored only by parallel and essentially vertical conduits. The anchoring load is carried by units of concentric pipes including an outer riser pipe and inner strings of casing. Drilling wells and/or production of oil and gas or like operations are conducted through these casings. The tension of the inner casing string is transmitted to the floating vessel through the upper end of the outer riser pipe. The system prevents excessive buildup of stresses in the upper end of the inner casing due to the bending caused by excursions caused by the waves, the wind and the current.

Vertically moored platform anchoring

This invention relates to a floating production system for offshore development of oil and gas wells which employs an underwater buoy to decrease tension on flexible riser pipes used to connect a subsea pipeline to the floating vessel. The underwater buoy utilizes a cradle assembly having a drag balancing tail assembly to counteract the twisting moment applied to the cradle by current drag forces.

Flexible riser underwater buoy

Special J-slot connectors have been devised for connecting concentric riser pipes and casing from a structure at the surface of a body of water to corresponding concentric casings set in the sea floor. This can be called a 'tieback tool' for sealingly securing a first tubular member suspended from a vessel floating on a body of water to a casing hung in the wellbore in the bottom of the body of water. Special multiple axially aligned J-slot means are also provided together with means to assure proper 'makeup' of the J-slots. Means are also provided for proper alignment of circumferentially spaced J-slot connectors. Special self-emergizing seals are also disclosed.

VMP Casing tieback

Method and apparatus are described to reduce the tension required on a riser pipe used in offshore drilling between a floating vessel and a subsea wellhead. Heavy drilling fluid is circulated down a drill pipe and up the annulus between the drill pipe and the borehole wall to a point just above a subsea wellhead. From this point, a separate drilling fluid return conduit extends to the floating vessel. Means are provided to maintain a constant level of an interface between the heavy returning drilling fluid and the lightweight fluid which can be confined within the riser pipe.

Drilling fluid bypass for marine riser

An unarticulated riser pipe for connecting a subsea pipeline to facilities on a floating platform. The riser pipe has a vertical section which is rigidly attached to a horizontal section which provides flexibility. Means are provided to maintain the tension on the vertical section. In one embodiment, a subsea frame aids in connecting the horizontal and vertical sections and then to set a limit on permitted motion of the riser pipe.

Pipeline riser for floating platforms

A downhole seismic source for use when drilling a borehole in the earth using a rotating drill string through which a drilling fluid is circulated. In one embodiment, a section of the drill string has a slot in it and a sleeve rotatably surrounding the slot with a plurality of spaced-apart slots arranged to align with the slot in section of drill pipe during rotation of the sleeve with respect to the section. In operation this generates a controlled seismic signal. In another embodiment the bit is modified to have a fluid passage with a valve therein that opens and closes in a selected pattern during rotation of the drill bit.

Downhole seismic source

This invention relates to a structure floating on a body of water, and particularly a structure for drilling or producing wells from below the water. Buoyant members support at least a part of the structure above the surface of the water. The structure is connected to anchors in the floor of the body of water by a series of parallel leg members. Each leg member is composed of a plurality of elongated members, such as large diameter pipe usually called risers. These risers are parallel. Vertically spaced spacers are provided along the risers of each leg to (1) maintain the risers a fixed distance apart and (2) change the natural or resonant frequency of the individual riser pipes to be greater than the flutter frequency caused by the motion of the water past the risers.

Growing community of inventors

Tulsa, OK, United States of America

Pierre A Beynet