National Coupling Company, Inc.

Other

Hunting Energy Services, Inc.

National Coupling Inc.

Robert E Smith, Iii

Frank Harold Hollister

Chris Roy

Timothy Goggans

Scott Stolle

Richard R Watson

Dane Tipton

Josh Williams

Nathan Zepeda

Max Stetzer

Thomas Rogala

Stephen L Wells

F Harold Hollister

Virgil E Mosley

Jonathan Michael Durham

Brandon Beau Beaver

A subsea wellbore monitoring system of the present disclosure includes hanger, plug, and monitoring assemblies. The hanger assembly installs on landing in the wellhead, engages the lock profile, and has a hanger seal sealing in the wellhead. The plug assembly is supported in the hanger assembly and has a plug seal to seal in the landing. Ports of the plug assembly communicate with a bore envelope and an annulus envelope. The monitoring assembly has pressure monitors that communicate with the ports and measure pressure measurements related to the envelopes. The hanger and plug seals can be elastomeric and/or metal elements. The hanger and plug seals are preferably expandable or can be energized outward so the seals can pass any shoulders and profiles when installed in the wellbore and can then seal against the internal surfaces.

Subsea wellhead monitoring system

An undersea hydraulic coupling member having a ring-shaped seal with multiple sealing surfaces extending radially inwardly therefrom is disclosed. The multiple sealing surfaces help guide the probe of the male coupling member into the female member without the risk of drag or galling of the receiving chamber or metal seal retained therein. The seal has an interfit with reverse inclined shoulders in the female member to restrain the seal from moving radially inwardly due to vacuum or low pressure. The seal also includes an internal biasing element to restrain the seal from moving radially inwardly during de-mating of the coupling members.

Hydraulic coupling with dovetail seal having multiple radial sealing surfaces and inner biasing element

A regulator valve has a check valve manifold for use in subsea control circuits. For example, the regulator valve having the check valve manifold can be used in a circuit between a directional control valve and an actuator for a gate valve. The check valve manifold can have a flange that attaches to the regulator valve to communicate with the supply-side and outlet-side of the regulator valve. Internal communication inside the manifold includes a check valve. If the pressure in the circuit downstream of the regulator valve needs to be vented, the check valve can open to allow the pressure to bleed from the outlet-side back to the supply-side without needing to pass through the internal pressure control valve of the regulator.

Regulator having check valve manifold for use in subsea control circuit

A female undersea hydraulic coupling member is equipped with a plurality of pressure-energized metal seals configured to seal between the body of the female member and the probe of a corresponding male hydraulic coupling member in response to ambient hydrostatic pressure and/or hydraulic fluid pressure. Pressure-energized metal seals may also be provided to seal between the body of the female coupling member and a removable seal retainer or seal cartridge. In one particular preferred embodiment, the pressure-energized seals are back-to-back metal C-seals separated by annular seal supports having a generally T-shaped cross section and retained on one or more shoulders in the body of the female member by a removable seal cartridge.

Undersea hydraulic coupling with multiple pressure-energized metal seals

A regulator valve has a check valve manifold for use in subsea control circuits. For example, the regulator valve having the check valve manifold can be used in a circuit between a directional control valve and an actuator for a gate valve. The check valve manifold can be a flange that attaches to the regulator valve to communicate with the supply and outlet of the regulator valve. Internal communication inside the manifold includes a check valve. If the pressure in the circuit downstream of the regulator valve needs to be vented, the check valve can open to allow the pressure to bleed from the outlet back to the supply without needing to pass through the internal pressure control valve of the regulator.

A gate valve controls fluid communication from an inlet to an outlet relative to a reference pressure. A body defines a passage disposed in communication with the inlet, and an outlet port disposed in the passage communicates the passage with the outlet. A piston disposed in the passage is movable therein between first and second positions relative to the outlet port. The piston is movable in a first direction from the first position to the second position in response to an inlet pressure at the inlet. A gate disposed on the piston is biased transversely toward the outlet port. The gate moved by the piston adjusts flow from the passage to the outlet port. A pressure compensator disposed opposite the piston biases the piston in a second opposite direction from the second position to the first position. The pressure compensator has a chamber in communication with the reference pressure.

Pressure-compensated, subsea chemical injection valve

A probe seal for a female hydraulic coupling member has both internal and external pressure-energized seals. The outer wall or opposing ends of the seal have one or more pressure-energized seals for sealing between the body of the probe seal and the body of a coupling member in which the probe seal is installed. Annular, L-shaped, T-shaped or angled grooves in the inner wall of the seal form cavities and sealing projections that can be urged in an inward, radial direction by fluid pressure within an associated cavity to increase the sealing effectiveness between the body of the seal and the probe of a male hydraulic coupling member inserted in the receiving chamber of the female coupling member.

Pressure-energized probe seal for female hydraulic coupling member

A subsea hydraulic system comprises a dual (or dual action) check valve on a port for connection to a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The check valve provides backpressure to flow in either direction. This keeps hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic system, and seawater out. If flow needs to return to the ROV, it may flow out the port, subject to a selected back pressure.

Subsea bop control system with dual-action check valve

A pilot-actuated spool valve comprises a generally cylindrical valve cage having a central axial cavity open at both ends and a plurality of generally radial openings connecting the central axial cavity to the external cylindrical surface of the cage; a valve sleeve sized to slide within the central axial cavity of the cage and having a first sealing surface at a first end and a second sealing surface at an opposing second end; a piston responsive to fluid pressure at a pilot inlet of the valve; a piston rod connected at a first end to the piston and having a threaded second end opposite the first end; and a cap nut in threaded engagement with the second end of the piston rod securing the valve sleeve to the piston rod. The cap nut is sized and configured to provide a clearance gap between the cap nut and the valve sleeve when the cap nut is fully tightened onto the threaded second end of the piston rod.

Pilot-actuated spool valve having rod retainer

A sliding metal seal valve comprises one or more non-circular (oblate) metal seals. Use of non-circular (oblate) sliding metal seals, permits the rotor of a rotary sliding metal seal valve to have a smaller diameter which permits a smaller overall valve size. Reduced rotor diameter also reduces the torque required to turn the rotor, permitting smaller actuator motors to be used. Axially sliding valves such as bar valves may also employ such non-circular sliding metal seals to permit a reduction in the width of such valve.

Subsea valve with non-circular sliding metal seals

A female hydraulic coupling member has a pressure-energized C-seal having an internal cavity that is positioned to seal between the body of the coupling and the probe of a corresponding male hydraulic coupling member inserted in the receiving chamber. A metal sleeve lines at least a portion of the receiving chamber to resist galling. The main portion of the sleeve has an inside diameter (i.d.) and an outside diameter (o.d.) with a first end of the sleeve abutting a shoulder in the central axial bore of the coupling member. An opposing second end of the sleeve has an annular, axial extension with a larger i.d. and a smaller o.d. than the main portion of the sleeve. At least a portion of the extension projects into the internal cavity of the pressure-energized C-seal so as to retain and position it.

Growing community of inventors

Missouri City, TX, United States of America

Robert E Smith, Iii