Shell Oil Comapny

Seahorse Equipment Corporation

Sea Engineering, Inc.

Single Buoy Moorings Inc.

Modec International, LLC

Robert M Kipp

Ray R Ayers

Travis Randall Jordan

Vitold R Kruka

James W Stevens

Edward R Cadena, Jr

Oriol Rijken

Pieter G Wybro

Kent B Davies

James D Smith

Dale Richard Snyder

Dale R Snyder, Jr

Kent Davies

James R Koon

A floating, offshore drilling and/or production platform is equipped with a rail-mounted transport system that can be positioned at a plurality of selected positions over the well bay of the vessel. The transport system can move a drilling riser with a drilling riser tensioner system and a blowout preventer from one drilling location to another without removing them from the well bay of the vessel. Using the transport system, the drilling riser is lifted just clear of a first well head and positioned over an adjacent, second well head using guidelines. The transport system may then move the upper end of the drilling riser (together with its attached tensioner and BOP) to a second drilling location. A dummy wellhead may be provided on the seafloor in order to secure the lower end of the drilling riser without removing it from the sea while production risers are being installed.

Method and apparatus for drilling multiple subsea wells from an offshore platform at a single site

A method and apparatus for replacing a tendon flex bearing on a tension leg platform includes installing a tendon tensioning tool on the Length Adjustment Joint (LAJ) of a tendon and providing a supplemental buoyancy module on the tendon. The tendon tensioning tool is used to disengage the slips from the top tendon connector. The buoyancy of the supplemental buoyancy module may then be adjusted to support the tendon whereupon the tendon tensioning tool may be disengaged permitting removal and replacement of the tendon flex bearing. Following installation of the new (or refurbished) flex bearing, the steps of the procedure may be reversed to return the tendon to its normal operating state. In certain embodiments, top clamp actuation means is provided in the tendon tensioning tool for removing slips from the top clamp.

Method and apparatus for replacing a tendon flex bearing on a tension leg platform

A hawser system between a tension leg platform (TLP) and another vessel employs two lines, oriented in a V-shape, to restrict the vertical motion of a hawser near the bow of the other vessel which may be a semi-submersible tender assisted drilling vessel (TAD). Drilling operations may be performed from the TLP while the semi-submersible provides the supporting services for the drilling operation, e.g. drilling fluid and drill pipe storage. The restricted vertical motion of the hawsers significantly reduces the possibility of the hawsers contacting each other. A hawser system according to the invention couples the semi-submersible TAD vessel to the TLP and may be implemented without passing the hawsers through sheaves.

Method and apparatus for hawser connection in a TLP&#x2014;TAD system

A method for positive locking of a tension leg platform tendon bottom connector C in a tendon receptacle R contained in a tendon foundation pile P, the bottom connector and receptacle having mating locking elements. A vertical space S is provided in the foundation pile between the tendon receptacle and the soil level inside the pile sufficient to allow vertical entry and locking of the bottom connector and receptacle locking elements, and a material M of sufficient density is placed into the space beneath the tendon bottom connector in the tendon receptacle and the soil level inside the pile to limit downward vertical motion of the bottom connector and prevent accidental release of the locking elements. When required, a sufficient amount of the material may be removed to allow the requisite vertical motion of the bottom connector to release the locking elements.

Method for positive locking of tendon bottom connectors

A tendon for mooring a tension leg platform having an uppermost pipe segment with a reduced diameter compared to at least one of the lower pipe segments. The tendon is watertight and sealed from the ocean environment, preferably filled with air at one atmosphere of pressure. One or more interior bulkheads may be included to divide the tendon into multiple compartments. The reduced outer diameter of the uppermost pipe segment provides reduced drag due to waves and currents and accommodates smaller tendon support buoys and vortex fairings, while the greater diameter of the lower pipe segment provides for increased tendon buoyancy.

Tendon for tension leg platform

A method of providing a tendon guide surface to an installed pile is disclosed in which a tendon foundation guide cone assembly having a tendon guide surface is attached to a lowering unit and lowered to the pile. The tendon foundation guide cone assembly is then attached to the installed pile and released from the lowering unit. A tendon foundation guide cone assembly and a method for securing a tendon to the ocean floor are also disclosed.

Tendon foundation guide cone assembly and method

A method of providing a cathodic protection to an installed pile is disclosed in which a plurality of anodes are provided on a tendon foundation guide assembly which is attached to a lowering unit and lowered to the pile. The tendon foundation guide assembly is attached to the installed pile and at least one of the anodes is electrically connected to the pile. The tendon foundation guide assembly is then separated from the lowering unit. In another aspect of the invention, a tendon foundation guide assembly is disclosed for deployment upon the top of an installed pile for cathodically protecting the pile and a tendon receptacle inside the pile.

Tendon foundation guide cone assembly and anode

A remotely-operable large-diameter underwater tube or tendon connector for securing the hollow legs or tendons of a tension leg platform to an ocean-floor template anchor which is provided with a receptacle for each connector to be used. Each connector includes a latching assembly carried at the end of each tendon which is operated by manipulation of the tendon to alternatively latch the assembly in a receptacle, unlatch it and pull it out of the receptacle, reset the latching assembly, and subsequently latch the connector a second time and later re-releasing it a second time without taking it out of the water.

Tendon bottom connector for a tension leg platform

A hydrophone assembly for use in a marine streamer cable comprising a housing adapted to be mounted in the cable, such housing having a cavity containing a moldable material, an acoustic energy transducer positioned in the moldable material and a rigid body positioned adjacent to the housing such that the rigid body covers a portion of the cavity.

Shielded hydrophone assembly

A connector for joining pipe ends is provided having heat expandable or contractable memory metal rods individually connecting a wedge ring and gripping wedge collet. Each ring and collet are in abutting relationship and coact to grip a pipe end.

Memory metal connector

The present invention provides a pipeline connector which uses collected conical rings as a holding mechanism designed to penetrate a pipe surface as they are simultaneously flattened. Several rings are required to achieve the total required shear load transfer area. The penetrating rings preferably are separated by shorter, non-penetrating rings to increase the loading area, thus limiting the external pressure loading on the pipeline.

Belle-lock grip device

A marine seismic cable comprising a cable core, a housing adapted for holding an acoustic energy transducer, and a body of elastic material positioned between the cable core and the housing.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Robert M Kipp