Abstract: A rotating drilling head seals around drill pipe while drilling. The drilling head has an outer housing that mounts to the rig floor. An inner housing is rotatably mounted in the outer housing. An annular bladder is mounted in the inner housing. An annular elastomeric gripping member is mounted in the bladder. The inner housing having a passage for delivering hydraulic fluid pressure to the outer surface of the bladder to cause the bladder to deform inwardly, thereby forcing the gripping member to deform inwardly to grip and rotate with a drill pipe. The gripping member has a first end secured to the inner housing for rotating the inner housing as the drill pipe rotates and a second end that is free to move axially to allow the bladder to elongate in response to the deformation by the bladder.

Abstract: A wellhead assembly has an inner wellhead that lands in an outer wellhead, the inner wellhead having first and second internal passages. Each passage has an upper opening at the outer surface of the inner housing and a lower opening at the inner surface. An external shoulder of a casing hanger lands on an internal shoulder of the inner housing, the lower opening of the first passage being below the internal shoulder, the lower opening of the second passage being above the internal shoulder. The casing hanger has a substantially-vertical passage located in its sidewall, an upper port registering with the lower opening of the second passage, a lower port being located below the external shoulder for communicating with the annulus. Valve assemblies at the upper openings control the flow of heavy fluid injected into a casing annulus through the second passage and of cuttings injected into the annulus through the first passage.

Abstract: Revision of a part specification document, such as a drawing, a part specification, or a bill of materials, prompts execution of an automated notification process. A unique part number associated with the revised part specification document is employed in searching open purchasing documents for purchase orders or request for quotes containing the part number. Electronic mail addresses for outside supplier contacts are kept in the database and linked to the supplier master of the open purchasing documents containing the part number. An electronic mail notification of the part specification document revision is generated and transmitted to each electronic mail address identified as being associated with an open purchasing document containing the subject part number.

Abstract: A subsea wellhead assembly has a tubing hanger with a tubing annulus passage and a production passage. A metal-sealing shuttle valve is mounted in the tubing hanger for blocking upward flow through the tubing annulus passage. The shuttle valve has a retention mechanism that prevents the shuttle from moving to the open position when fluid pressure is applied from above. The retention mechanism is released by the running tool after testing has been completed, causing the shuttle to close. The tree has an engaging member that can be stroked downward into the tubing hanger annulus passage to move the shuttle valve to the open position for communicating with the annulus.

Abstract: A tool is used for installing a string of casing in a well. The casing is supported by a casing hanger that lands on a landing shoulder of the wellhead assembly. A running mechanism is releasably secured to the casing hanger for landing the casing hanger and setting a casing hanger seal. A profile is formed in the wellhead assembly above the landing shoulder. The tool includes a body having an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion being secured to the running mechanism. A mandrel is mounted to the body for axial movement relative to the body, the mandrel having a threaded upper end for securing to a running string of conduit. A cam surface is formed on the mandrel. A plurality of dogs are mounted to the upper portion of the body in sliding engagement with the cam surface for movement in response to axial movement of the mandrel into engagement with the profile. While in the engaged position, the dogs resist upward movement of the casing hanger during cementing of the string of casing.

Abstract: A frame is used to land on a base and soft land a connector receptacle on the end of a flowline to a mandrel protruding from the base. After the frame lands on the base, the frame and the receptacle are pushed toward the base, which causes frame latching members to latch the frame to the base. The frame holds the base and the receptacle is still above the mandrel. The frame and receptacle are pushed further towards the base and the connector receptacle abuts the mandrel. The connector receptacle moves relative to the frame as the frame is pushed closer to the base, which causes an actuator on the frame to move dogs on the receptacle to engage the mandrel and lock the receptacle to the mandrel. The frame can move away from the mandrel and continue to be latched to the base while disengaging the receptacle from the mandrel.

Abstract: A subsea production system and method includes a wellhead field having multiple wellheads and utilizes a stackable guide funnel system for sequential tying back of those wellheads. A storage frame retains several guide funnels that are nestably stacked one upon the other. The frame is made up of a plurality of guide members that are secured to the exposed tubular conductor of a wellhead. A pair of annular rings surrounds portions of each of the guide members. A riser having a riser connector is lowered to the central location. The riser connector latches onto the uppermost guide funnel within the frame. The riser, together with the affixed funnel, is then lifted upwardly, removing the affixed funnel from the frame. The riser is then moved laterally through the sea until the funnel and riser are proximate a second wellhead within the wellhead field.

Abstract: The wellhead assembly has a production tree with multiple safety barriers. A tubing hanger lands and seals in the bore of the tree. The tubing hanger has a lateral production flow passage that registers with a lateral passage in the tree. A tubing annulus passage extends upward from the tubing annulus to an exterior port. A second portion of the tubing annulus passage extends upward from the exterior port into the bore above the tubing hanger seal. The external port may be used for gas injection. If so, two closure members are located in the upper portion of the tubing annulus above the seal. The upper closure member may be either a check valve or a removable plug.

Abstract: A wear bushing has a lower portion that is landed on a casing hanger in a wellhead housing. An upper portion of the wear bushing has a shear ring in a locking profile that locks the wear bushing to the casing hanger. A locking ring resides in a bore of the wear bushing and has passages for fluid flow. The inner surface of the locking ring has teeth for engaging the teeth of a running tool when the tool is moved upward relative to the wear bushing. A plurality of locking keys extend radially inward through the bore of the wear bushing beneath the locking ring. A beveled ridge on the tool mates with the locking ring. The wear bushing is mounted to the tool which is joined to a drill string. With the locking keys locked on the tool, the wear bushing is lowered down the well into the wellhead housing. The wear bushing is landed on the casing hanger and the locking pins are pressed upward as they contact a seal assembly. The wear bushing is rotated until the locking pins align and fall into slots.

Abstract: Keel joint assemblies are described that permit a degree of rotational movement of a riser within the keel of a floating vessel and greatly reduce the amount of stress and strain that is placed upon the riser, as well. Keel joint assemblies described provide a limiting joint between the riser and the keel opening that permits some angular rotation of the riser with respect to the floating vessel. Additionally, the limiting joint permits the riser to move upwardly and downwardly within the keel opening, but centralizes the riser with respect to the keel opening so that the riser cannot move horizontally with respect to the keel opening. In described embodiments, the limiting joint is provided by a single annular joint that allows that riser to move angularly with respect to the can. In some embodiments, the keel joint assembly incorporates a cylindrical stiffening can that radially surrounds a portion of the riser and is disposed within the keel opening.

Abstract: A subsea well system has a flowline jumper that extends between components on the sea floor. The jumper has connectors on each end for connecting to the two components. At least a portion of the jumper is buoyant and sufficiently flexible to cause it to assume a vertical arcuate configuration when installed. One end of the jumper has a connector that has a mandrel that guides into a mating socket formed on the end of an arm. The arm is mounted to a ring that can be rotated to various orientations.

Abstract: A section of pipe for well operations has a cylindrical fiber composite pipe body and a pair of metallic end fittings. The end fittings differ from each other in that they are provided with mating key features to ensure proper angular or rotational alignment between two abutting sections of pipe. Each pipe is also provided with an optical fiber for data transmission. A fiber optic coupling is located at each end of the optical fiber for sending and receiving data transmissions via optical signals. Multiple strings of pipe are abutted end to end to complete both mechanical and data interfaces. At the junction of each pair of adjacent pipes, the end fittings axially and rotationally align. The flanges of the end fittings are fastened together with bolts such that data transmission takes place between the optical fibers.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A plug retrieval and installation tool is used with a subsea well having a production tree, a tubing hanger, a passage that extends vertically through the tubing hanger and the tree, and a plug located within a plug profile in the passage within the tubing hanger. The plug retrieval device has a housing and connector that is lowered on a lift line onto the upper end of the tree. An axially extensible stem in the housing is driven by drive mechanism into the production passage of the tubing hanger. A retrieval member mounted to the stem engages the plug and pulls it upwardly in the passage while the stem is being moved upward. The connector, drive mechanism and retrieval member are powered by an ROV.

Abstract: Devices and methods for selectively emplacing a wear bushing in a wellhead housing and removing it therefrom. A drill string-mounted running tool is used to selectively engage the wear bushing during emplacement and removal. The wear bushing need not be removed each time the drill string is tripped into or out of the well. In addition, the drill string may continue to be lowered after the wear bushing is landed since the running tools described can easily pass through the bushing.

Abstract: A subsea wellhead assembly has the capabilities of communicating from the outer surface of an outer wellhead housing to a casing annulus. Seals between the outer and inner wellhead housings define an annular chamber when the inner wellhead housing lands. The outer wellhead housing has a communication port formed through one of its sidewalls. The inner wellhead housing has a passageway extending from the annular chamber to the bore of the inner wellhead housing. The casing annulus located radially inward of the inner wellhead housing is in communication with the outer surface of the outer wellhead housing through the passageway, the annular chamber between the seals, and the communication port.

Abstract: A susbsea well has communication passages to enable annulus pressure surrounding inner and intermediate strings of casings to be monitored at the surface. The passages both have outlets that allow communication to the tree assembly for monitoring. In one embodiment, the passage outlets are located in the bore of the high pressure well head housing and communicates to the tree assembly along an isolation sleeve. In another embodiment, the passage outlets are located on the exterior of the high pressure wellhead housing and communicate through a flying lead coming down from the tree. In another embodiment, the passage outlets are located on the exterior of the high pressure wellhead housing and communicate to an upward facing connection which is stabbed with a downward facing connection coming down from the tree.

Abstract: A subsea well apparatus has features for controlling and monitoring production fluid flow from a well. A christmas tree lands on a subsea wellhead, the tree having a tubular, open upper end. A first flow passage extends from a lower end of the tree to the upper end for communicating fluid with the well. A second flow passage extends downward from the upper end of the tree and has an outlet on a sidewall of the tree for communicating with a flowline. A production module lands on and is retrievable from the upper end of the tree, the module having a flow loop with one end in communication with the first flow passage and another end in communication with the second flow passage. At least one flow interface device is located in the loop of the production module. The flow interface device may be used to monitor or control the flow and may be a temperature or pressure sensor, a flow or multi-phase flow meter, or a choke.

Abstract: An anti-rotation device prevents an inner wellhead housing from rotating within an outer wellhead housing. The anti-rotation device provides spring loaded anti-rotational keys within the outer wellhead housing and mating slots formed within the inner wellhead housing. The keys face inwards to the inner wellhead housing, are circumferentially spaced apart around the outer wellhead housing, and located between the two tapered shoulders. As the inner wellhead housing lands in the outer housing, the inner wellhead housing pushes the keys of the outer wellhead housing to a retracted position. The inner wellhead housing is then rotated within the outer wellhead housing until the spring loaded keys align with the slots and extend into the slots of the inner wellhead housing. Any rotational force on the inner wellhead housing will be resisted by the anti-rotational mechanism.

Abstract: A bottom connector for the tendon of a tension leg platform uses a latch ring with an outer profile to engage a mating profile in a receptacle on the sea floor. The latch ring moves radially within a housing, relative to the receptacle, between an engaged position and a retracted position. The latch ring engages the receptacle by lowering the connector into the receptacle below the mating profile and then lifting it until the latch ring locks into the receptacle. The latch ring disengages the receptacle by lowering the connector beyond a recess located below the mating profile and then lifting the connector out of the receptacle. As the connector is lifted above the recess, a retaining ring is actuated by the recess to retain the latch ring in its retracted position.