Abstract: A subsea completion assembly for a subsea well including installed casing and a wellhead. The assembly includes a production casing forming a B annulus between the outside of the production casing and the installed casing. The assembly also includes an annulus access adapter installed in the wellhead, the adapter including a manipulatable valve controlling fluid communication with the fluid in the B annulus across the annulus access adapter. A property of the fluid in the B annulus can be monitored by fluid communicated across the annulus access adapter.

Abstract: A flexible coupling for well logging instruments includes a housing coupled at one longitudinal end to one end of a second housing. Each of the housings defines a sealed interior chamber. The housings are coupled to enable angular deflection between respective longitudinal axes thereof. A conduit extends between the housings. The conduit is sealingly engaged to each housing such that longitudinal ends of the conduit are substantially positionally fixed with respect to each housing. The conduit is formed from material and has dimensions selected to withstand at least a same hydrostatic pressure as each of the housings. The conduit includes a bending strain distribution feature configured such that at a maximum angular deflection between housings a bending strain in the conduit is at most equal to an elastic limit of the conduit.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for separating a multiphase fluid stream that includes a heavier fluid component and a lighter fluid component. The fluid flows along a first helical flowpath with a first pitch. The first helical flowpath is sufficiently long to establish a stabilized rotating fluid flow pattern for the stream. The uniform rotating fluid also flows along a second helical flowpath, the second helical flowpath having a second pitch greater than the first pitch. The lighter fluid is removed from a radially inner region of the second helical flowpath. The method and apparatus are particularly suitable for the separation of oil droplets from water, especially from water for reinjection into a subterranean formation as part of an oil and gas production operation. The method and apparatus are conveniently applied on a modular basis.

Abstract: An actuating device for displacing a control device, such as a gate valve or other control mechanism, in particular for use in oil or gas production systems, includes a motor-gear unit and a threaded spindle drive, which is operable by said motor-gear unit. The threaded spindle drive includes at least a threaded spindle and a screw nut. The threaded spindle is displaceable in an essentially axial-direction so as to displace the control device between an advance position and a retracted position. The threaded spindle drive further includes a position holding means holding the attained position of the threaded spindle. The position holding means is directly connected to a motor shaft of the motor-gear unit so as to apply a holding torque to said motor shaft.

Abstract: An optical inspection instrument includes a housing configured to move along the interior of a pipe string in a wellbore. The pipe has a cutting structure at its bottom end. The instrument includes a probe extending from a bottom end of the housing. The probe has an output from a light source and a light input to a video camera. The probe has a diameter selected to enable extension through an opening in the cutting structure. A method for inspecting a wellbore includes moving an instrument through an interior of a pipe string in the wellbore. The pipe has a cutting tool at its lower end. At least part of the instrument is moved outside the bottom end of the pipe through a port in the cutting tool. Optically transparent fluid is moved into the wellbore proximate an end of the instrument outside the pipe string. Objects proximate the fluid are inspected.

Abstract: A power and signal distribution system comprises a converter unit connected to a plurality of control units. The converter unit and the control units are arranged in areas difficult to access, for instance on the sea bed. The converter unit is connected to a remote monitoring and supplying device via at least one cable connection. Each control unit has assigned thereto at least one production apparatus for crude oil or natural gas corresponding gate valves, chokes, biops, actuators. In some embodiments, the power and signal distribution system the converter unit comprises a data separation device and a voltage converter. The converted voltage from the voltage converter is transmitted together with data/signals from the converter unit to at least one of the control units.

Abstract: A method of visually detecting a leak of a chemical emanating from a component. The method includes: aiming a passive infrared camera system towards the component; filtering an infrared image with an optical bandpass filter, the infrared image being that of the leak; after the infrared image passes through the lens and optical bandpass filter, receiving the filtered infrared image with an infrared sensor device; electronically processing the filtered infrared image received by the infrared sensor device to provide a visible image representing the filtered infrared image; and visually identifying the leak based on the visible image. The passive infrared camera system includes: a lens; a refrigerated portion including therein the infrared sensor device and the optical bandpass filter (located along an optical path between the lens and the infrared sensor device). At least part of a pass band for the optical bandpass filter is within an absorption band for the chemical.