Hydril Company

Stephen P Simons

Douglas W Carlson

Kenneth D Young

William D Breach

A combination of a rubber or other elastomer part and a plastic or metal part is bonded by both chemical and mechanical means. The mechanical means is in the form of molded rivets integrally manufactured in the molding process as part of the elastomer. Appropriate mating holes are made in the plastic or metal parts to receive the rivets during the molding process or at least before the rivets are cured. Conventional chemical bonding materials for the circumstance are employed with the rivet bonding to provide dual bonding strength. The parts of a blowout preventer, such as at the T-seal and the upper seal, are disclosed as preferred examples of locations that are subject to high pressure and temperature where an elastomer part is bonded to a plastic or a metal part.

Rubber riveting of molded parts

A packing element for an annular blowout preventer includes an annular elastomeric body disposed about a longitudinal axis that is adapted to be compressively displaced inwardly towards the axis. A plurality of the metallic inserts are embedded in the body in generally circular fashion spaced apart in respective radial planes extending from the axis for reinforcing the body. Each of the inserts include upper and lower flanges, and a web element extending between the flanges. The web element includes leading and trailing edges, each having outer arcuate surfaces that are substantially semicircular in cross-section for distributing the loads applied to a bond line between the insert and the elastomeric body during the operation of the packing element. A central rib extends between the leading and trailing edges. The rib is thinner than the edges so that the web element exhibits a substantially dumbbell shaped cross section, somewhat similar to an I-beam construction, for efficient reinforcement of the elastomeric body. The shape of the web element increases the volume of the elastomeric body and decreases the volume of the metallic inserts in the packing element to reduce the loads applied to the bond line between the insert and elastomeric body.

Blowout preventer packing element with metallic inserts

A high pressure seal material, such as for a lateral 'T' seal of a shear ram blowout preventer, is disclosed wherein the seal material is preferably nitrile rubber and includes uniformly dispersed synthetic, non-cellulosic fibers in parallel alignment to resist rollover action occurring transverse to the applied compressive force by orienting the aligned fibers parallel to the axis of the applied force. The material is made in a milling process that aligns and maintains the alignment of the fibers. The milled sheet is then cut into appropriately shaped pieces. The pieces are rotated 90.degree., plied and cured to make the final material, which curing can be done in a suitable mold so that the final product is in its desired final shape.

Fibrous seal for blowout preventer

A pipe protector has been designed to provide free flow and low energy. The outside surface has a bilateral asymmetrical pattern when comparing the approximate top half of the pipe protector to the bottom half of the pipe protector. The pattern has raised figures surrounded by communicating channels.

Free flow low energy pipe protector

A safety sub is disclosed for retaining drilling fluid in the kelly or equivalent and other components of the mud system located above the drill string when pressure drops in the drill string, such as when the circulation pump is turned off in adding a new joint to the drill string. The safety sub includes a pressurized elastomeric cartridge with an elastomeric closure having an asymmetrical wall thickness, preferably achieved by the removal of a chord of material from its external circumference. When internal drilling pressure drops, the external pre-charge pressure closes the elastomeric material by inwardly collapsing the thinner wall portion of the closure. The metallic end pieces of the cartridge are bonded to the elastomeric material during the molding process.

Safety sub with asymmetrical wall elastomeric closure for retaining

There is disclosed a ram type blowout preventer with rams having ram front packings disposed within a recess extending across the front face of each ram body and including a seal strip of elastomeric material, metal plates above and below the strip of elastomeric material, and strips of non-elastomeric, relatively rigid material between the seal strip of elastomeric material and the top and bottom metal plates.

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Kingwood, TX, United States of America

Stephen P Simons