Cooper Industries, Inc.

Cameron Iron Works, Inc.

Ronald G Pettus

Edmund A Fisher

Thomas R Schmitz

Emanuel Schnitzer

Roy E Bartholomew

A balanced sleeve control choke includes a choke with inlet and outlet flow passages intersecting in a cylindrical flow chamber. A balanced external sleeve and cage trim configuration which vents downstream pressure to a balance chamber within the choke body includes an external sleeve with a wear sleeve of tungsten carbide shrink fitted therein is reciprocable within the flow chamber to control flow between the inlet and outlet flow passages. The external sleeve is closed at one end with a stem extending therefrom which is reciprocated by a handwheel operated travelling nut assembly. The external sleeve telescopes over a flow cage of composite construction secured within the flow chamber with a portion of the flow cage constructed of tungsten carbide with pressure balancing ports therethrough. The external sleeve has ports disposed within its wall which communicate downstream pressure to a balance chamber disposed thereabout. The flow cage has a seal neck extending from a closed upper end with a seal assembly disposed thereon which seals within the external sleeve and acts in conjunction with the balance chamber to eliminate any pressure forces on the travelling nut assembly.

Balanced sleeve control choke

A fail-close hydraulically actuated control choke includes a choke with inlet and outlet flow passages intersecting in a cylindrical flow chamber. A reverse acting trim configuration which utilizes downstream pressure to assist in closing includes a flow cage with a wear sleeve of tungsten carbide shrink fitted therein is reciprocable within the flow chamber to control flow between the inlet and outlet flow passages. The flow cage is closed at one end with a stem extending therefrom which is reciprocated by a fail-close hydraulic actuator. The hydraulic actuator includes a pressure responsive piston in combination with a torque operated driving mechanism. The driving mechanism is positioned within the piston and includes a traveling nut assembly to allow manual positioning of the stem and flow cage independently of the position of the piston. The pressure responsive piston is double acting with a boost pressure supplied to the closing side of the piston and a signal pressure supplied to the opening side of the piston. A loss of signal pressure causes the boost pressure to shift the piston, stem and cage to a closed position. Restoration of the signal pressure moves the cage to its original flow controlling position without requiring a resetting of the flow cage position. Additionally, should the hydraulic circuits or pressure responsive piston become inoperable, the torque operated driving mechanism can still reposition the cage as needed.

Fail-close hydraulically actuated control choke

The improved remotely actuated collet connector of the present invention is suitable for joining tubular members with similar or different end preparations or profiles and includes a housing to support the connector from a first tubular member, a plurality of collet fingers or segments mounted within the housing and around the exterior of the first tubular member, an actuator ring surrounding the fingers to move the fingers to release or latch position, pressure responsive means for moving the actuator ring, each of the collet fingers having a first engaging surface and an adapter secured to the finger and having a second engaging surface, said first engaging surfaces mating with the end profile of the first tubular member and said second engaging surfaces of said adapters mating with the end profile of the second tubular member so that when the collet fingers are moved to latch position they secure the first and second tubular members together. A seal ring having a configuration to mate with the internal end sealing surface of the first and second tubular members is positioned to seal between the end sealing surfaces of the members when they are secured together.

Collet connector

A flotation riser having a series of annular chambers with a riser string extending in free-standing relation through said chambers, means for supplying gas to the chambers to control buoyancy, means to supply gas to a plurality of the lowermost chambers to provide an emergency supply of deballasting gas, and means for remotely releasing said supply of gas into the chambers above to render the flotation riser free-standing to permit release from the floating platform during emergencies. A method of storing emergency deballasting gas and for emergency deballasting of the chambers to render the flotation riser freee-standing including the steps of supplying gas to the lowermost chambers, retaining the gas in said lowermost chambers, and remotely releasing the gas and conducting it to higher chamber to deballast such chambers sufficient so that said flotation riser is free-standing.

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Ronald G Pettus