Patents Assigned to Hydril LLC
  • Patent number: 7717478
    Abstract: A threaded connection between adjacent tubular members includes a pin member providing an external wedge thread and a box member providing an internal wedge thread, wherein the internal wedge thread corresponds with the external wedge thread. Further, the threaded connection includes at least one interruption along a helical thread length of one of the external wedge thread and the internal wedge thread and at least two regions along an axial length of the threaded connection where the external wedge thread and the internal wedge thread form a thread seal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Hydril LLC
    Inventor: Harris A. Reynolds, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7686350
    Abstract: Threaded connections including a pin member and a box member and are mismatched. The pin member and the box member have wedge threads formed thereon with a gap formed between pin and box load flanks and/or pin and box stab flanks of the threaded connection. The mismatch may comprise different flank angles and/or different flank profiles between corresponding flanks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Hydril LLC
    Inventors: Harris A. Reynolds, Jr., Robert S. Sivley, IV
  • Patent number: 7607333
    Abstract: A tubular connection and methods of manufacturing a box member. The tubular connection includes a box member that includes an internal thread and a pin member that includes an external thread. The external thread is adapted to threadedly engage the internal thread. A substantially helical groove is formed on an outer surface of the box member. The method of manufacturing the box member includes selecting an outer diameter for a box member that causes the tool joint to have a greater than a selected bending strength ratio. A helical groove is formed on the outer diameter of the box member such that the helical groove reduces the bending strength ratio to be about the selected bending strength ratio. An internal thread is formed on an internal surface of the box member. Another method of manufacturing the box member includes forming an internal thread on an internal surface of a cylinder and forming a substantially helical groove on an outer surface of the cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2009
    Assignee: Hydril LLC
    Inventors: Robert S. Sivley, IV, Harris A. Reynolds, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7578039
    Abstract: A method for making-up a wedge thread connection comprising a pin member and a box member includes applying a pipe dope to at least one of the pin member and the box member, wherein the pin member and the box member comprise corresponding wedge threads, reducing the viscosity of the pipe dope at least temporarily, and rotating the pin member relative to the box member to make-up the wedge thread connection, wherein the rotation occurs while the viscosity of the pipe dope is at least temporarily reduced. A collar to be used with a tong assembly in making-up a threaded connection between a pin member and a box member includes at least one power unit configured to temporarily reduce the viscosity of pipe dope applied to at least one of the pin member and the box member, and an inner surface having a selected diameter to correspond to an outer diameter of at least one of the pin member and the box member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2009
    Assignee: Hydril LLC
    Inventors: Harris A. Reynolds, Jr., Robert S. Sivley, IV
  • Patent number: 7575255
    Abstract: A threaded connection includes a pin member providing a single external thread comprising a first external portion and a second external portion, a box member providing a single internal thread comprising a first internal portion and a second internal portion, and a radial metal-to-metal seal to seal between the pin member and the box member, wherein the first and second internal portions threadably correspond with the first and second external portions, and wherein the first internal and external portions are characterized by a first wedge ratio and the second internal and external portions are characterized by a second wedge ratio, wherein the first wedge ratio is less than the second wedge ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Assignee: Hydril LLC
    Inventors: Harris A. Reynolds, Jr., David Llewellyn Mallis
  • Patent number: 7527304
    Abstract: A tubular connection is provided with a first thread on a first step having an initial makeup location and a second thread on a second step, the second thread being a wedge thread and having a selected clearance on stab and load flanks at the initial makeup location of the first thread.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: Hydril LLC
    Inventors: David Llewellyn Mallis, Robert S. Sivley, IV, Harris A. Reynolds, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7500698
    Abstract: A threaded connection includes a pin member including a continuous external wedge thread having a first pin step, a mid pin step, and a second pin step and a box member including a continuous internal wedge thread having a first box step, a mid box step, and a second box step. The first pin step and the first box step correspond at a first wedge ratio, the mid pin step and the mid box step correspond at a transition wedge ratio, and the second pin step and the second box step correspond at a second wedge ratio. Upon selected make-up of the pin member with the box member, a clearance exists between corresponding thread flanks of at least a portion of the threaded connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2009
    Assignee: Hydril LLC
    Inventor: Harris A. Reynolds, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7497481
    Abstract: A method of treating a threaded connection that includes determining a treating time sufficient to form a thickness of a hopeite coating, coating at least a portion of the threaded connection with phosphating compound for a period of time sufficient to form the thickness of the hopeite coating is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: Hydril LLC
    Inventor: Harris A. Reynolds, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7478842
    Abstract: A threaded connection includes a first tubular, a second tubular, and a coupling. The first and second tubulars include external threads, a pin nose, a pin nose surface, a pin shoulder surface, and a pin seal surface located between the pin nose and pin shoulder surfaces. The coupling includes two internal threads corresponding to the external threads of the first and second tubulars and an inner seal support. Upon selected make-up, the pin noses overlap and contact occurs between the pin nose seal surfaces and the inner seal support is in an overlapping axial position with respect to the pin noses such that a diametrical gap exists therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2009
    Assignee: Hydril LLC
    Inventors: Harris A. Reynolds, Jr., Robert S. Sivley, IV
  • Publication number: 20080196888
    Abstract: A method to determine movement of a wellhead component includes sensing a relative position of the wellhead component with a magnetostrictive sensor over a selected interval of time. The method includes sending a signal from the magnetostrictive sensor to a data acquisition device and recording the relative position of the wellhead component with the data acquisition device with respect to the selected interval of time. Further, the method includes comparing the recorded position of the wellhead component with operations data to determine if the relative position is desirable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2008
    Publication date: August 21, 2008
    Applicant: HYDRIL LLC
    Inventors: Robert Arnold Judge, David Dietz, Eric Milne