Abstract: A ram-type blowout preventer for use in the drilling of onshore and offshore wells, having secondary plastic injection sealing means whereby, on failure of the conventional ram seal, a well closure may still be ensured for protection of human life, equipment and the environment.

Abstract: A flow line switch having a housing and a rotor mounted within the housing, an annular piston between the rotor and the housing and adapted to slide axially in the annulus between the rotor and housing, means for supplying and venting fluid to and from opposite ends of the annulus for movement of the piston, the rotor having a passageway extending therethrough adapted to connect to at least one port through the housing at one end and selectively to one of at least two ports at the other end and stop means at the extremities of travel of the piston to assure communication between the preselected ports.

Abstract: A blowout preventer with an aligning apparatus having a housing with a vertical bore therethrough and a blowout preventer in one portion of the housing with guideways extending outward from the bore, aligning guideways in the housing spaced from and parallel to the blowout preventer guideways, an aligning ram in each of the aligning guideways with a piston for extending and retracting the aligning ram, each aligning ram having a carrier slidable in the aligning guideway with a cam surface and a jaw having a mating cam surface and mounted on the carrier with the respective cam surfaces being in engagement, the outer surface of the jaw being substantially perpendicular to the axis of the aligning guideways and adapted to engage tubing within the housing bore, the cam surfaces of opposing aligning rams being angled to cause the opposing jaws to move transversely in the aligning guideways when they come into engagement with tubing to cause the tubing to be moved with the jaws into the preferred position for closi

Abstract: A stem operated valve having a body and a bonnet secured to the body, a valve member movably positioned within the body, and a stem secured to the valve member and extending into the bonnet, a seat on the bonnet surrounding the stem, a shoulder on the stem adapted to engage the seat, a stem packing positioned outward of the stem shoulder and bonnet seat, a fusible material at the outer end of the bonnet and stem supporting the stem with its shoulder spaced from the bonnet seat during normal operations and holes in the bonnet through which the fusible material exits when the valve is exposed to fire whereby the stem shoulder engages the bonnet seat to seal around the stem.

Abstract: There is disclosed a pressure relief valve having a part which is movable to a first position for returning the closure member thereof to closed position, and thus resetting the valve, automatically in response to a predetermined low pressure level of fluid within the flowway, and to a second position which permits the closure member to move to open position automatically in response to a pressure level of the fluid to be contained which is less than that at which the valve is set to open.

Abstract: A choke suitable for use in the wellhead of a production well including a body having an inlet, an outlet and a seat, a valve member or gate adapted to move relative to said seat to restrict flow therethrough, a pressure responsive operator connected to move the gate with respect to the seat, a manual operator connected to said pressure responsive operator, means releasably connecting said manual operator to said gate to manually move said gate and for releasing said manual operator from said gate to allou said pressure responsive operator to move said gate and a control on the exterior of said manual operator connected to said releasable connecting means.

Abstract: An apparatus for indicating at the surface, the subsea well head pressure including; a reservoir, a subsea hydraulic transmitter, a pump to pump hydraulic fluid from reservoir to the subsea hydraulic transmitter, a pressure gauge connected at the surface in the line from the pump to the transmitter, means connecting the transmitter to said reservoir, means for connecting the transmitter to the well head whereby well head pressure is delivered to the transmitter, the transmitter being located on the subsea well head equipment, a flow controlling restrictor connected between the pump and the pressure gauge and the transmitter, the transmitter having a body with a bore at one end and a counterbore at the other end, a piston slidable in said bore and connected to a diaphragm in the counterbore, the piston being exposed to well head pressure, the diaphragm being exposed to pump pressure on one side and to hydrostatic head on the other side with opposite sides of the diaphragm having equal areas to compensate for h

Abstract: A subsea production chamber including a vessel having a cylindrical shell with a head secured to each end of said shell, a plurality of tubular members secured vertically through said shell with each end of each of said members being open on the exterior of the shell and positioned to receive subsea guide posts, a flange secured to said shell, a spool for connecting to a production well, said flange being secured to said spool for connecting said production well into said vessel, a hatch opening into said vessel, and a connector extending through said vessel to conduct production flow to external production flow lines.

Abstract: A subsea flowline connector for connecting a flowline through a port in a subsea atmospheric chamber vessel to a subsea christmas tree within the chamber including an actuator assembly within the chamber with at least one arm extending through the vessel adjacent the port, a carriage supported on the end of a flowline, a piston secured to the flowline and supported on the carriage, a receptacle on the piston to engage the arm, a flowline passage through the piston, actuation of said actuator moving said arm into engagement with said receptacle and pulling said piston into engagement with the port, a valve controlled bleed line to bleed pressure from said port as the piston has moved therein and a lock for retaining the piston within the port.

Abstract: A hanger for supporting tubing in a well head including a tubular body adapted for connection to a casing head and having a tapered and upwardly facing seat, a tubular hanger positioned within the body and supported on the seat, a downwardly converging annular space between facing portions on the exterior of the hanger and on the interior of the body, a metal seal ring positioned within the converging space, a seal actuator sleeve positioned between the hanger and the body and being movable axially to engage the seal ring, and a wedging screw extending through the body. The wedging screw engages the seal actuator sleeve and wedges the seal actuator sleeve onto the seal whereby the seal is forced into sealing engagement in the converging space between the hanger and the body.

Abstract: A subsea wellhead apparatus adapted to provide a connection from the wellhead to a subsea flowline, such apparatus including a christmas tree connected to the subsea wellhead near the sea floor, a pressure actuated connector having means for engaging a hub on the subsea flowline and by moving axially completing a connection from a flowline loop extending from the christmas tree to the connector to the subsea flowline, the loop being in a plane which is at a substantial angle to the axis of movement of the connector.

Abstract: A multiple position valve which has a set of nesting actuating pistons whose strokes are limited to properly position the valve. The varying pilot pressure applied to the nested pistons is opposed at the opposite end of the valve by a fixed supply pressure exerted on a single piston. Pilot pressure as it is increased moves the nested piston until each one reaches the end of its stroke so that a predetermined pilot pressure will move the nested pistons to a certain seating of selected pistons and thereby position the valve at its desired position.

Abstract: A riser structure for connecting from a floating structure to a subsea wellhead for drilling or production which has an upper flexible steel section and a lower flexible section connecting from the wellhead to the upper steel section, the lower section, cantilevered from the wellhead, having an increasing flexibility in the upward direction and having a greater flexibility near its upper connection than the upper section. The lower section is preferably of a more flexible material, such as titanium, with a thinner wall at its upper end than at the lower end.

Abstract: There is disclosed a riser pipe having telescoping sections which are held in retracted position by a part which is adapted to sever upon application of a predetermined tensile load, and a fluid-actuated connector at its lower end which is adapted to be released from connection with a blowout preventer stack at the upper end of an underwater wellhead automatically in response to extension of said sections upon severance of said part.

Abstract: There is disclosed a flex joint for connecting the upper end of wellhead equipment including a blowout preventer stack with the lower end of a riser pipe which includes means for use in sensing and producing a signal representing the angle between and relative direction of the longitudinal axes of the stack and pipe.

Abstract: A casing hanger for supporting a casing from a casing head within a well bore having a split ring with sealing means attached thereto, a plurality of gripping assemblies supported from the split ring and each of said assemblies including a body with an inwardly facing recess and an exterior surface which tapers downward and inward, to seat in the casing head bowl a plurality of gripping dogs having a generally horizontal gripping edge extending radially inward from the body, and a deformable backing positioned within the space between the outer edge of said dogs and the body recess, the backing partially filling the space behind the dogs and having space into which the backing may move on deformation, the backing providing varying areas in support of each gripping dog and being relatively yieldable.

Abstract: A shear ram assembly for a blowout preventer having a pair of opposed shear blades, means for moving the shear blades across the pipe opening of the blowout preventer, a shoulder on one ram spaced below the shearing plane of the blades, a face seal mounted in a recess above said shoulder and below said shearing plane, the leading face of the lower blade coacting with said shoulder to bend a sheared pipe section remaining in its path on said shoulder so that there is no pipe or debris between said leading face and said face seal.

Abstract: A shear ram assembly for a blowout preventer having a pair of rams with opposed shear blades, means for moving the shear blades across the pipe opening of a blowout preventer, a face seal on one of said rams and a shoulder above said face seal, the forward face of the shear blade of the other ram coacting with the shoulder to move a cut pipe section out of its path and also being shaped to enter into sealing engagement with the face seal, and a debris drain through the blade of said one ram to allow debris to move out of the path of the sealing face of the shear blade of the other ram toward the face seal.

Abstract: A shear ram assembly for a blowout preventer having a pair of rams with opposed shear blades, means for moving the shear blades across the pipe opening of the blowout preventer, one of the rams having a shoulder spaced from the shearing plane of the blades, a face seal mounted in a recess in the ram having the shoulder and positioned so that the blade on the other ram bends the cut pipe around the shoulder and then seals against said face seal, and means for preventing metal parts from collecting in front of said face seal.

Abstract: An underwater Christmas tree for controlling flow from an offshore well is disclosed as having a master valve which is controlled by fluid pressure within a flow-line extending from a production bore of the tree, and means for receiving and releasably retaining a TFL tool in the production bore intermediate the location at which control pressure is sensed and the intersection of the production bore with an auxiliary bore of the tree through which wireline tools are run. Since the TFL tool limits flow therepast, flowline pressure may be maintained at a level necessary to maintain the master valve open independently of fluid pressure within the auxiliary bore.