Abstract: A valve having a body with a valve chamber therein, an inlet into the valve chamber, an outlet from the valve chamber and an opening to the valve chamber aligned with the outlet, a bonnet secured to the body covering the opening, and having a tubular projection, a valve seat insert having a valve seat positioned in said outlet, a valve member, means for moving the valve member toward and away from the valve seat to control flow from the valve, means for releasably securing the valve seat insert to the bonnet tubular projection.

Abstract: A wellhead assembly having a wellhead member with an internal shoulder providing an upper outer shoulder and a lower inner seat, and a plurality of pins threaded therethrough and a landing bowl of arcuate segments connected and biased apart at their facing ends to seat on the upper shoulder so that a tubing string may be run therethrough and moved inward by said pins to be above the lower inner seat for seating thereon to support a tubing string in tension therebelow.

Abstract: A well annulus sealing assembly having a body with a seal ring assembly including a resilient ring with thin metal end caps, and radial energizing means including a body with a first outer surface and an enlarged outer surface with means for moving the seal ring assembly from the first outer surface to the enlarged outer surface.

Abstract: An improved valve having a body with an inlet, an outlet, a valve chamber, a valve seat, a valve member movable in the valve chamber toward and away from said valve seat, a stem connected to said valve member a bonnet connected to and forming a part of the body a part of the body in the stem extending therethrough and an improved sealing assembly for sealing around the stem including a seal ring of extrudable material and means providing a space into which said seal ring extrudes to form a sealing lip extending toward the pressure and responsive to pressure exerted on the sealing assembly. Also the improved sealing assembly includes mating tapered wedging and seal rings having a small angle mating taper wedge the rings into sealing engagement with the walls against which they are to seal.

Abstract: A subsea wellhead assembly for areas subject to iceberg scouring including an upper conductor in a well bore and a lower conductor in the well bore with the upper end of the lower conductor being within the lower end of the upper conductor and connected thereto by a weak connection and the upper end of the lower conductor being below the maximum iceberg scour depth and means for connecting said conductors, said connecting means having sufficient strength to withstand bending loads during drilling and being removable for installation of production equipment.

Abstract: The method of forming a lining in the cavities of a body by application of powdered metal consolidated and bonded thereon by a hot isostatic pressing process. A space lining the cavities in the body is provided by tubular members, one intersecting with the other or in close spaced relation thereto, powdered metal fills the space, a vacuum is drawn on the space, the body is subjected to forming conditions and then the body cavities are machined to their final shape with such machining generally removing the tubular members.

Abstract: A completion system or tree system for a subsea well having an anchor base on bottom surrounding a well bore, a conductor pipe lining the upper end of the well bore and connecting to the anchor base, a guide base landed on the anchor base and having an upwardly facing funnel positioned in the opening of the anchor base, and a production string extending through the conductor pipe and bending to a substantially horizontal position slightly above the guide base with the start of its gradual bend being below the funnel and with sharp bend production tubing bending immediately avove the funnel since no high profile guide base is present on the anchor base.

Abstract: A tubular joint having two tubular members having an inner end tapered to provide sealing surfaces, means for joining the tubular members together with the tapered end surfaces adjoining each other, and a seal ring having an inner surface and tapered outer surfaces mating with the tapers of the tapered end surfaces and at least one port through the ring from the mid point of one of its tapered outer surfaces to its inner surface.

Abstract: An improved method of completing a well having production and service strings of different sizes including the steps of running the production string on a main tubing hanger while controlling the well with a variable bore blowout preventer and running the service string into the tubing hanger while controlling the well with a dual bore blowout preventer.

Abstract: A well tool for running, cementing and washing a well housing or casing hanger including a tubular body, a cementing stinger on the lower end of the body, a well housing releasably supported on the body, a hollow skirt having inwardly facing ports and positioned in surrounding relationship to the upper end of the housing, a washing fluid supply to the skirt, a pressure responsive valve in the washing fluid supply, the support for the well housing including a pressure responsive release and the pressure responsive valve and the release are connected so that the supply of washing fluid under pressure to the connection opens the valve and actuates the release for the washing step and the step of retrieving the well tool.

Abstract: An adjustable conductor guide assembly for a sub-sea well which includes an outer ring supported on an inner guide with the axes of the ring and guide being laterally offset so that rotation of the outer ring on its support changes the position of the axis of inner guide. The improved method of aligning a conductor guide with a sub-sea well head includes the steps of supporting the conductor guide assembly on a platform installed over the well head, lowering a tool through the guide and rotating the conductor guide assembly to align the axis of the guide as close as possible with the well head, locking the conductor guide assembly in its set position and retrieving the tool. The improved tool includes a body fo passing through the guide, means for engaging the conductor guide assembly to lift and rotate such assembly, means for limiting the amount of angular movement during rotation and a string on which the body is mounted.

Abstract: An annular blowout preventer having a housing with a vertical bore therethrough, a packer within the housing including a resilient annulus and upper and lower series of irising metal inserts adapted to increase the support for the annulus when it is deformed axially and extended radially to constrict the vertical bore, a support ring in the annulus under the outer ends of the irising metal inserts to support against upward movement of the inner ends of the inserts on closing of the annulus and an annular piston movable in the housing to apply an axial deformation load to the packer to move it to closed position sealing the bore.

Abstract: An improved annular blowout preventer having a housing, an annular packer mounted in the housing, and a piston mounted in the housing for the application of an axial force to the annular packer; the annular packer includes a resilient annulus with a circular series of rigid interengaging inserts embedded in its upper face with the inner ends of the inserts being thicker than the outer ends so that the inner ends of the inserts move inward as the resilient annulus is moved and interengaging side projections and recesses with shoulders to ensure substantially uniform inward movement of the inner ends of the inserts to a preselected inner support position for the resilient annulus.

Abstract: The operator of a lift truck or other load supporting vehicle (11) having a tiltable mast (12, 12a) is alerted as the mast (12, 12a) tilts beyond a predetermined orientation by a temporarily slowing of the rate of tilting movement. Return motion of the mast (12, 12a) may be unimpeded. The operator is reliably made aware when the mast (12, 12a) reaches a predetermined limit but may continue the tilting motion when that is necessary for such purposes as traveling the vehicle (11) under overhead obstructions. In systems where the mast (12, 12a) is tilted by fluid motors (20, 20a), the automatic tilt speed reduction may be realized with a valve (33, 33a) which temporarily introduces a one way flow restriction (49) into the fluid flow path (28, 28a) between the motors (20, 20a) and pressurized fluid source (27, 27a), the valve (33, 33a) being actuated by inclination sensing mechanism (23, 23a).

Abstract: An improved blowout preventer having a body with a vertical bore and opposed aligned guideways extending out from the bore, a pair of studs secured to the body, one at each side of each guideway and extending into the bonnets closing the guideways, a cylinder in each bonnet, a piston in each cylinder, a rod extending from each piston and connecting to a ram in its guideway, pressure responsive means connecting between the body and each bonnet for urging the bonnets toward and away from the body, nuts rotatable and captured in the bonnets and threaded onto the studs to retain the bonnets in position on the body and means for supplying hydraulic pressure to the cylinders to move the rams and to the pressure responsive means to move the bonnets. In one form of the invention, the studs coact as a part of the pressure responsive means for urging the bonnets toward the body and are hydarulically tensioned thereby.

Abstract: There is disclosed apparatus for connecting separate ends of fluid conduits, without radially flexing or bending either end, by using a telescoping joint, a flange connector, a metal-to-metal seal assembly, and a lock for the metal-to-metal seal.

Abstract: A tubing hanger landing and orienting tool for a subsea wellhead having a mandrel connected to the tubing hanger, a sleeve surrounding a portion of the mandrel and being axially movable thereon, a liquid filled chamber between the sleeve and the mandrel, a shoulder on the sleeve adapted to seat in the wellhead, relative movement of the sleeve and the mandrel after seating of the sleeve in the wellhead causing a change of volume in the chamber, means controlling the volume in the chamber to cushion the landing of the tubing hanger, pressure responsive extendible lug in the mandrel which when extended coacts with a cam and slot surface within an orienting spool to orient the tubing hanger in the wellhead, and means for applying pressure from said chamber to extend said lug after seating of the sleeve in the wellhead.

Abstract: An improved heat resistant seal assembly for sealing across an annular recess between the interior of a wellhead member and the exterior of a tubular member including a heat resistant seal ring in the recess, a pressure responsive ring for moving the seal ring into sealing position in the recess, latching means to retain the pressure responsive ring in set position and spring means between the seal ring and the pressure responsive ring to maintain a sealing force on the seal ring.

Abstract: A packoff for sealing between an external cylindrical surface and a member therearound having a resilient ring, metal seal rings on the end surfaces of the resilient ring, the exterior of the resilient ring being concave to provide an annular recess, means for injecting and pressurizing plastic packing in said annular recess to cause sealing engagement of said metal seal rings and means to prevent leakage of pressure from the annular recess, and the inner and outer flanges on said metal seal rings providing a metal-to-metal seal.

Abstract: A rotary indexing table for use with a milling machine which has a reduced height and includes a base plate, a top plate, bearing means for mounting the top plate for rotation, means for clamping the top plate to prevent its rotation, a rotary union for transmitting hydraulic pressure to the top of the top plate to accommodate fixtures mounted on the top plate, an air chamber under the top plate so that the top plate rotates freely when air pressure is held in the chamber and indexing means to locate preselected positions of the top plate.