Abstract: A valve device for controlling or metering a fluid includes a housing, a flow duct formed in the housing, and a valve body arranged in the flow duct. The valve body has a sealing section which, when the valve device is closed, rests on a sealing seat on the housing. The sealing section and sealing seat together form a sealing region. When the valve device is closed, a decay chamber is defined immediately upstream of the sealing region in the flow duct. The decay chamber is bounded by a baffle wall that is tilted with respect to the normal to the sealing region at an angle of at most 15° in the flow direction to 60° counter to the flow direction.

Abstract: A blowout preventer (“BOP”) includes a housing comprising a vertical bore extending through the housing and a packer assembly movably positioned within the housing and configured to form a seal within the housing. The packer assembly includes an elastomeric body comprising an elastomeric material, an exterior insert at least partially positioned within the elastomeric body, and an interior insert at least partially positioned within the elastomeric body to diminish extrusion of the elastomeric body when forming the seal.

Abstract: A choke valve comprising: a body having an axial through hole and a radial entry port; a valve seat coaxially housed in the body axial through hole on a first side of the radial entry port; a pressure balanced valving member axially reciprocable within the body axial through hole between a first sealing position bearing against the valve seat and a second position spaced away from the seat; an actuator housing operably connected to the valving member; and a detachably connected reinforcement member detachably connected to the actuator housing and increasing the axial load that the actuator housing can take before failure of the actuator housing.

Abstract: A hydraulic lifting apparatus and a method is described that raises and lowers caps, such as night caps, lift caps, and other similar items, about a cap sub engaged to a wellhead. The apparatus includes a cap sub, vertical support member, a horizontal support member, a base member, and a hydraulic cylinder. The lifting device is attached to a wellhead assembly through a cap sub. The base member is attached to the cap sub through an enlarged ring. The base member also includes an elongated projected portion. The vertical support member is rotatably retained within a bore in the elongated projected portion. The proximal end of horizontal support member is connected to the upper end of the vertical support member. The hydraulic cylinder, which includes a hydraulic head and a hydraulic piston, is connected to the distal end of the horizontal support member. The vertical support member is capable of being rotated about the base member.

Abstract: A choke valve body of a valve apparatus includes a lower stem that terminating at a lower end thereof with a plug. A conduit traverses a lower portion of the lower stem between at least one plug aperture traversing the plug to at least one top aperture traversing an upper end of the lower portion. The lower portion is slidably retained within the valve chamber between closed and open positions. A bonnet fixed with the valve body has a bonnet chamber for receiving the lower portion, and a bore with at least one annular seal for slidably retaining an upper portion. A yoke assembly is fixed with the bonnet, terminates at an upper end with a drive mechanism, and includes an upper stem with a threaded upper end that is driven between raised and lowered positions by the drive mechanism, the upper stem fixed with the lower stem.

Abstract: In a subsea system where subsea devices are operated using a pressurized fluid from one or more accumulators, the method of providing flow of pressurized fluid to operate a device which is greater than the flow from an accumulator providing the flow, comprising discharging the accumulator to drive one or more motors, driving one or more pumps by the one or more motors, the one or more pumps having a larger displacement than the one or more motors such that the one or more pump outputs a greater volume of fluid than the motor consumes, and delivering the output of the one or more pumps to operated the subsea device.

Abstract: An angle-cut shear ram blowout preventer system containing an angle-cut shear ram inside a ram housing with a ram housing bore. A ram cylinder pressure housing can be secured to the ram housing, wherein the ram cylinder pressure housing can be fluidly connected to a hydraulic pressure source or a pneumatic pressure source. A piston in the ram cylinder pressure housing can be fluidly connected to the hydraulic pressure source or the pneumatic pressure source. A taper can be extended from the ram housing bore into a through bore to simultaneously sever a pipe in a well and seal the well once the pipe is severed without requiring additional downhole tools.

Abstract: A choke valve comprising: a body having an axial through hole and a radial entry port; a valve seat coaxially housed in the body axial through hole on a first side of the radial entry port; a pressure balanced valving member axially reciprocable within the body axial through hole between a first sealing position bearing against the valve seat and a second position spaced away from the seat; an actuator housing operably connected to the valving member; and a detachably connected reinforcement member detachably connected to the actuator housing and increasing the axial load that the actuator housing can take before failure of the actuator housing.

Abstract: A capture device for a bore hole of a fluid source, has a base plate (6) that can be anchored at the floor, over the bore hole, and has a bore hole opening (8) through which fluid can be streamed out of the bore hole. An ascending pipe (2) is arranged over the bore hole opening (8). Guide baffles (9) are arranged around the bore hole opening (8), and have blades (10) fixed to the top of the base plate (6) so that the guide baffles (6) can be pivoted and displaced. The blades (10) encompass the longitudinal end (3) of the ascending pipe (2) that faces the bore hole opening (8) like a flower and overlap one another, whereby fluid flowing from the bore hole opening (8) can be captured via the blades (10) and discharged to the ascending pipe (2).

Abstract: An internal blow out preventer for use in a drill string, comprising a housing having an outer valve closure element and where the outer valve closure element is configured to be moved between an open and a closed position, wherein the outer valve closure element is provided with an inner valve closure element that is configured to be moved between an open and a closed position inside the outer valve closure element.

Abstract: Systems and methods for replacing equipment at a wellsite, the wellsite having a subsea stripper installed proximate a subsea borehole. The system has at least one seal assembly portion, at least one seal replacement arm and an actuator. The seal assembly portion(s) is (are) positionable in the subsea stripper and replaceable therefrom. The seal assembly portion(s) has (have) a packer extendable within the subsea stripper to form a seal about the subsea stripper. The seal replacement arm(s) is (are) for replacing the seal assembly portion(s) through a door of the subsea stripper. The actuator is for remotely actuating the seal replacement arm(s) to engage the seal assembly portion(s) whereby the seal assembly portion(s) is (are) remotely replaceable.

Abstract: Wellhead-based systems, apparatus, and methods for controlling a well are provided. During a failure of an emergency system such as a blowout provider, a wellhead based emergency control apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention can be employed to control the well. A casing strings compression assembly can radially compress each of the casing strings and/or drilling pipe extending through the wellhead housing to restrict or stop well fluid passage. A casing strings penetrator of an emergency well fluid diversion assembly can also or alternatively be employed to form an aperture in the casing strings. A diverter, integral with or connected to the penetrator, is extended through an aperture in a side of the wellhead housing and one or more of the apertures cut by the penetrator to divert well fluid from within the wellhead housing through a passageway in the diverter and to an external conduit.

Abstract: A test system and a method for testing a multiplexed BOP control system (6) wherein the multiplexed BOP control system (6) comprises a first and a second redundant central control unit (10, 20) with respective first and second operator consoles (30, 31), wherein the central control units (10, 20) are arranged for being connected via a first signal transmission system (40) to respective first and second redundant subsea control systems (11, 21) arranged for being connected to BOP valves (50) and BOP sensors (55) in a subsea BOP (1), and the test system comprises a control system signal simulator (42) arranged for being connected between one or more of the control units (10, 20) and one or more of the subsea control systems (11, 21), and further arranged for entirely or partly replacing the first signal transmission system (40) and providing simulated signals (41) between one or more of the control units (10, 20) and one or more of the subsea control systems (11, 21).

Abstract: An internal blow out preventer for use in a drill string, comprising a housing having an outer valve closure element and where the outer valve closure element is configured to be moved between an open and a closed position, wherein the outer valve closure element is provided with an inner valve closure element that is configured to be moved between an open and a closed position inside the outer valve closure element.

Abstract: A packing unit for a blowout preventer includes an elastomeric, annular body configured to be disposed about a longitudinal axis of the blowout preventer and configured to be displaced radially inward towards the longitudinal axis upon actuation of the blowout preventer. The elastomeric, annular body includes a first section having a first set of material properties and a second section having a second set of material properties. The packing unit includes a plurality of rigid inserts distributed at equal radial distances from each other within the elastomeric annular body and about the longitudinal axis of the blowout preventer.

Abstract: Blowout preventer (BOP) and method for sealing a well. The BOP includes a body having first and second conduits, the first conduit being substantially perpendicular on the second conduit; a piston extending through the first conduit and being configured to reciprocate inside the first conduit, the piston having a body portion, a neck portion and a head portion in this order; a ram block disposed on the piston and configured to move with the piston inside the first conduit for closing the second conduit; and a shim configured to fill a gap between a back region of the ram block and the body portion of the piston.

Abstract: A gas pipe system provided with a gas source and downstream of the gas source a gas pipe with a gas pipe end, which in use is connected to a processing module, wherein the gas pipe system is arranged for conducting a gas from the gas source to the processing module, wherein the gas pipe system comprises at least one gas pipe component with an outer jacket comprising an outer jacket inner space, which is at least partly of a material having a relatively low bursting pressure, wherein the at least one gas pipe component is provided with a protection against overpressure occurring in an outer jacket inner space in order to prevent breaking of the outer jacket at the overpressure. The invention further relates to a gas pipe component provided with such a protection for use in such a gas pipe system.

Abstract: An apparatus to allow backup or alternate fluid flow routes around malfunctioning BOP control components using a remotely installed removable hydraulic hose connection. The backup fluid flow route sends pressure-regulated hydraulic fluid to a BOP operation via an isolation valve rigidly attached to the BOP, then to a hose connected to an intervention panel on the BOP and finally through a valve that isolates the primary flow route and establishes a secondary flow route to allow continued operation. To increase reliability, the backup components route from a spare BOP function and are rigidly fixed to the BOP.

Abstract: A blowout preventer which, in certain aspects, has a main body with a main top, a main bottom, and a main bore therethrough from the main top to the main bottom, at least one breech assembly secured to the main body, ram apparatus movable within the breech assembly and the main body, the breech assembly having a chamber for enclosing part of the ram apparatus, the chamber having a side opening, a sleeve around the breech, and the sleeve movable with respect to the breech assembly to uncover the side opening to permit access to ram apparatus within the chamber of the breech.

Abstract: A union assembly useful in a fluid flowstream includes a body portion, a pressure indicating device and a removable cover. The body portion includes a bore, an access opening and pressure indicating device cavity in fluid communication, and a first plurality of threads disposed around the access opening. The removable cover includes a passageway and a second plurality of threads disposed around the passageway. Engagement of the first and second pluralities of threads will secure the removable cover to the body portion for use of the union assembly without any additional mechanism connecting the removable cover with the body portion. When the union assembly is assembled, a cut-out portion on the removable cover is disposed at least partially around the pressure indicating device, whereby the pressure indicating device must be disengaged from the body portion before the removable cover may be disconnected.

Abstract: A valve installation apparatus includes a vertically adjustable support having a top end and a bottom end. A substantially horizontal arm is provided having a first end and a second end. The first end of the arm is pivotally secured near the top end of the support for movement about a substantially vertical pivot axis. An annular valve support assembly is mounted to the second end of the arm. The valve support assembly has a stationary portion and a rotatable portion. The stationary portion is adapted to mate with and support a valve. The rotatable portion is adapted to mate with a tubular member, so that fluids flowing from the tubular member pass through the valve support assembly to the valve.

Abstract: A throttling choke valve having a wear sleeve lining the interior surface of the cylindrical passage downstream of the valve sealing mechanism. A preferred embodiment of the wear sleeve has a removable retainer ring that fits between the wear sleeve and the fluid outlet. The retainer ring has a distal end that opens into the pipeline. At the distal end of the retainer ring the thickness of the wall of the retainer is decreased such that the interior surface is curved outward toward the interior surface of the pipeline.

Abstract: There is described herein an apparatus for charging a fluid line through a coupler such as a penetrator. The apparatus comprises a body formed from a sidewall defining a bore positioned along the longitudinal axis and extending therethrough. The first end of the body forms a substantially flat face. There is a stem positioned within the bore of the body and being movably mounted in the body for movement from a first position to a second position with respect to the body. There is a valve means attached to the apparatus for filling the body with hydraulic fluid. The substantially flat face of the body is fastened to a coupler. There is also an adjustment means attached to the stem for adjusting the position of the stem within the body. A method for charging a downhole hydraulic system is also described. There is also a method for installing a tubing hanger having a production string depending therefrom in a subsea wellhead while maintaining a hydraulically actuated downhole valve in an open position.