Abb Vetco Gray Incorporated

Vetco Gray Inc.

Richard W Slyker

Donald R Petrash

Charles Edward Jennings

Norman Brammer

Herman O Henderson, Jr

A diverter body having an upper portion, a central portion and a lower portion is secured to the upper end of a riser and lands in a housing. The central portion has lateral flow openings that axially align with a lateral flowline outlet in the housing. A pair of identical gallery seals locate above and below the lateral flowline outlet. The upper gallery seal is located between the upper portion, the central portion and the housing. The upper gallery seal has upper and lower metal rings and a central elastomer sandwiched therebetween. An outer diameter of the elastomer seals against the housing bore. The rings are symmetric and are mated to the elastomer along interfaces which are S-shaped in cross-section to form shoulders. The shoulders face radially inward. An annular cavity and a pair of flexible annular lips are formed along the inner diameter portion of the elastomer. A passage extends through the diverter bodies and communicates with the cavity. Hydraulic fluid is pumped through the passages to pressurize the cavities and energize the elastomers, forcing the outer diameter portions of the elastomers outward to seal against the bore.

Diverter flow line seal

A test tool having a body, a mandrel, a ball valve with an actuating mechanism and a bore is lowered on a string of drill pipe and landed in a wellhead housing. A retainer ring with internal threads is carried by the mandrel and engages threads on the body. The retainer ring has a slot which is engaged by a tab on the mandrel, causing the retainer ring and the mandrel to rotate together. The ball valve engages a drive plate which couples with a clutch so that the drive plate may rotate relative to the clutch. A rocker arm engages the drive plate and the mandrel to open and close the ball valve in response to rotation of the mandrel. The test tool is lowered through a riser into a wellhead on pipe below a blowout preventer. The blowout preventer closes around the pipe to form a seal and fluid is pumped down a line to test the blowout preventer. After this test, rotation of the mandrel closes the ball valve automatically. As the mandrel rotates, the retainer ring disengages the body, so that the mandrel and the pipe may be lifted above the BOP. The blowout preventer is moved to a fully closed position and fluid is once again pumped down to test the blowout preventer.

BOP isolation test tool

A split wear bushing for a subsea well assembly provides a standoff for the drill pipe to avoid damage to the casing near where it secures to the casing hanger. The split wear bushing has an outer wear bushing that locks into the casing hanger. An inner wear bushing lands in the bore of the outer wear bushing. The inner wear bushing has an inner diameter that is smaller than the inner diameter of the casing to provide a standoff. The inner wear bushing is carried on a wear bushing sub. An engaging shoulder on the wear bushing sub contacts the inner wear bushing during each trip of the drill string to pull the inner wear bushing from the outer wear bushing. The inner wear bushing relocks to the outer wear bushing on the return trip. A retrieval lock enables the outer wear bushing to be retrieved along with the inner wear bushing for the final trip.

Split wear bushing for a drilling rig

A packoff assembly for sealing between a casing hanger and a wellhead for a subsea well uses a tapered wedge. The tapered wedge locates between inner and outer seal rings formed of metal. When moved downward, the wedge member pushes the seal rings outward to form a metal seal. The seal rings are formed separate from and carried on a base member. The wedge member extends down into a cavity in the base member. Pins connect the wedge member to the base member to retain the seal ring, but allow longitudinal movement of the wedge movement relative to the base member. An elastomeric seal locates between the upper ends of the seal rings and a drive member which moves the wedge member downward.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Richard W Slyker