Abb Vetco Gray Incorporated

Vetco Offshore, Inc.

Thomas F Sweeney

Norman Brammer

Thomas A Fraser

Glen H Cuiper

Amin Radi

Brian K Phillips

George Gibson Chalmers

James L Bell, Jr

Mark T Thatcher

Brian L Kirk

Karl Schnakenburg

A metal seal for a wellhead assembly has upper and lower legs extending in opposite directions from each other and a rib extending radially outward from a junction of the legs. A first conical band on the upper leg extends uninterrupted from the rib a selected distance toward a tip of the upper leg. A second conical band on the upper leg extends uninterrupted from the tip of the upper leg toward the first conical band. An annular recess is located between the first and second conical bands. The lower leg also has two conical seal bands separated by a recess.

Gasket with multiple sealing surfaces

A subsea wellhead connector has an upper body that abuts the rim of a wellhead member. A hydraulic wellhead connector is carried by the upper body and extends over the wellhead member. The hydraulic wellhead connector carries dogs for moving into an engaged position with a profile on the exterior of the wellhead member. The mating or complementary stepped profile at the top or rim of the wellhead housing is designed to engage at three surfaces. The first surface is the flat surface at the inner diameter. The second surface is the tapered surface at the step. The third surface is the flat surface on the rim from the tapered surface to the outer diameter of the rim. The profiles are dimensioned with bias toward initial contact at the outer diameter flat on the rim of the well housing, second contact is at the inner diameter flat on the rim of the well housing, and the third contact is at the tapered step. Additionally, after preload, a lower portion of the lower body of the wellhead connector engages a stepped profile at the outer diameter of the wellhead, thereby creating a secondary load path for reacting to the applied bending moment.

Wellhead connector with additional load shoulders

An adjustable wellhead connector is secured to the lower end of a BOP and riser assembly and has a housing which surrounds a groove profile on the upper outer surface of a first wellhead housing. The housing has a window on its inner surface which contains a removable first locking member. The first locking member has a groove profile on its inner diameter which mates with the groove profile on the first wellhead housing. The first locking member is movable between inner and outer radial positions which correspond to locked and unlocked positions, respectively. The first locking member is moved by a hydraulic system contained within the housing. The wellhead connector may be readily adapted to connect to a second wellhead housing having a different outer diameter than the first wellhead housing by replacing the first locking member with a second locking member. The second locking member enables the wellhead connector to connect a riser to the second wellhead housing.

Adjustable wellhead connector

A seal assembly for a wellhead housing and wellhead connector will seal even if the primary sealing surface becomes damaged. The wellhead connector and the wellhead housing each have primary sealing surfaces. A seal ring with upper and lower conical surfaces will seal against the surfaces of the wellhead connector and the wellhead housing. The wellhead housing also has a secondary sealing surface that extends down from the primary sealing surface. In the event that the primary sealing surface becomes damaged, a seal is utilized that has a support section and a lower seal surface. The support section does not sealingly contact the damaged primary seal surface on the wellhead housing. The lower seal surface engages the secondary seal surface of the wellhead housing to perform sealing.

Wellhead housing seal assembly for damaged sealing surfaces

A pipe connector with helically threaded (49, 57) frustoconical pin (10) and box (30) surfaces. The connector is axially (78) snapped together, but is rotated for disengagement. Centralizing surfaces (150, 152) on each thread form abut opposing crests (62, 54) to maintain concentrically, thereby detering disengagement under bending moments.

Pipe connector

A marine riser coupling assembly includes bolted flanges (26, 28) with a raised face (30) around the inner edge and a raised face (32) around the outer edge. In the area of the bolt holes (38), there is a recess (34) between the two raised faces around the entire circumference. Bending strain of bolts (42) is thereby reduced.

Growing community of inventors

Tomball, TX, United States of America

Thomas F Sweeney