Patents Assigned to Ensco International Incorporated
  • Patent number: 11566478
    Abstract: A system includes a first structure configured to be coupled to a tubular string extending to a seafloor, whereby the first structure comprises a drill floor. The system further includes a second structure configured to provide a lateral force to the first structure while allowing for vertical movement between the first structure and the second structure relative to the seafloor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2023
    Assignee: Ensco International Incorporated
    Inventor: Van Van Vu
  • Patent number: 11326404
    Abstract: A system includes a processing device configured to determine a tripping operation to be undertaken. The processing device is configured to also calculate a variable tripping speed for the tripping operation to vary a speed of the tripping operation. The processing device is further generate an output to control the operation of a portion of a continuous tripping system to implement the tripping operation at the variable tripping speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: Ensco International Incorporated
    Inventor: Ala Eddine Omrani
  • Patent number: 11118416
    Abstract: A device includes a first cavity sized to hold a first cassette of tubulars, a second cavity sized to hold a second cassette of tubulars, and a first lifting mechanism disposed in the first cavity. The first lifting mechanism when in operation lifts the first cassette of tubulars from a horizontal orientation to a vertical orientation with respect to a drill floor. The device also includes a second lifting mechanism disposed in the second cavity, wherein the second lifting mechanism when in operation lifts the second cassette of tubulars from the horizontal orientation to the vertical orientation and a drive mechanism that when in operation rotates the device by a predetermined amount to dispose the first cavity in a region directly proximate to the drill floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Ensco International Incorporated
    Inventor: Van Van Vu
  • Patent number: 11118413
    Abstract: A system, includes a movable platform slidingly coupled to one or more supports and configured to be selectively moved towards a drill floor and away from the drill floor. The system also includes a roughneck disposed on the movable platform and configured to make up or break out a threaded joint between a first tubular segment and a second tubular segment. The system additionally includes a support member disposed on the movable platform and configured to support one of the first tubular segment or the second tubular segment as the movable platform is selectively moved towards a drill floor or away from the drill floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Ensco International Incorporated
    Inventors: Richard Robert Roper, John Stokes Knowlton, Christopher Scott Stewart
  • Patent number: 11053765
    Abstract: A system, includes a first sensor configured to monitor a first characteristic of drilling fluid and generate a first indication based on the monitoring. The system also includes a second sensor configured to monitor a second characteristic of drilling fluid and generate a second indication based on the monitoring. The system further includes a processor configured to correlate the first indication with the second indication to generate a baseline value indicative of a characteristic of a well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: Ensco International Incorporated
    Inventors: Gilles Luca, Ala Eddine Omrani, Christopher Morris Johnston
  • Patent number: 10975637
    Abstract: Techniques and systems to provide automatic positioning of a tripping apparatus. A system may include a sensor configured to detect a physical characteristic of a tubular string moving past the sensor and generate a signal indicative of the physical characteristic. The system may also include a processing device configured to process the signal indicative of the physical characteristic, determine whether the processed signal is indicative of a deviation of the tubular string, and generate output data utilized to automatically position a tripping apparatus at a location of the deviation on the tubular string.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Ensco International Incorporated
    Inventors: Rick Pilgrim, Stephen Joseph DeLory, Richard Robert Roper
  • Patent number: 10745980
    Abstract: A system, including one or more supports disposed on a drill floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: ENSCO INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Christopher Scott Stewart, Richard Robert Roper
  • Patent number: 10669784
    Abstract: Techniques and systems to remove a portion of a drill floor from an offshore vessel. The drill floor may include an immovable section comprising a first portion of a surface area of the drill floor. The drill floor may also include a moveable section comprising a second portion of the surface area of the drill floor. Additionally, the drill floor may include an actuator configured to retract the moveable section from a first position to a second position to remove the second portion of the surface area of the drill floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: Ensco International Incorporated
    Inventor: Van Van Vu
  • Patent number: 10669790
    Abstract: A device includes a base configured to be coupled to a storage segment of a pipe support assembly. The device also includes an arm configured to be coupled to the base. The arm is configured to provide lateral support to a pipe when the pipe is disposed in a storage area adjacent to a first portion of the storage segment. The arm is also configured to move in a horizontal direction from a first location in which an end of the arm is disposed at a first horizontal distance from the storage segment to a second location in which the end of the arm is disposed at second horizontal distance from the storage segment when a force greater than or equal to a predetermined level is applied to the arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: Ensco International Incorporated
    Inventors: Ryan Keith Berger, Jerame Paul King, Kari Nicole Sharp, Juan Carlos Serna, John Nelson Royston, Justin Dow Alcorn, Cristobal Pedro Forray, Karoline Bowen Jones
  • Patent number: 10538986
    Abstract: Techniques and systems to provide pressure reduction of a fluid, for example, from a well. A device includes an input configured to be fluidly coupled to a well control device. The device also includes an output configured to be to be fluidly coupled to the well control device. The device further includes at least one valve configured to alter a pressure of a fluid received at the input and transmitted from the output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: Ensco International Incorporated
    Inventors: Christopher Scott Stewart, Benjamin Matthew Riley, Steven Andrew Leppard, Justin Dow Alcorn
  • Patent number: 10513888
    Abstract: Techniques and systems to reduce deflection of a riser extending from an offshore platform. A device may include a main tube disposed along a length of the device. The device may also include a support member that may be coupled to the main tube, wherein the support member may surround the main tube. The device may include a buoyancy assembly that may at least partially surround the main tube, wherein the buoyancy assembly may have an elongated non-circular and non-cylindrical shape. The buoyancy assembly may also include buoyancy foam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: Ensco International Incorporated
    Inventor: Shiyu Chen
  • Patent number: 10358191
    Abstract: Techniques and systems to reduce movement of at least one portion of an offshore platform. One portion of the offshore platform can provide a connection to a seafloor. A second portion of the offshore platform provides a lateral force to the first portion of the offshore platform while allowing for vertical movement between the first portion and the second portion of the offshore platform.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: Ensco International Incorporated
    Inventor: Van Van Vu
  • Patent number: 10294729
    Abstract: Techniques and systems to reduce deflection of a riser suspended from offshore platform. A guidance thrust delivery system (GTDS) includes a plurality of thrusters configured to be coupled to a riser of an offshore vessel. Each thruster of the plurality of thrusters is configured to generate a force on the riser of the offshore vessel to control a position of the riser in a subsea environment while the riser is suspended from the offshore vessel and decoupled from a seafloor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: Ensco International Incorporated
    Inventor: Juan Carlos Serna
  • Patent number: 10294737
    Abstract: A system, including one or more supports. The system also includes a movable platform slidingly coupled to the one or more supports and configured to be selectively moved towards a drill floor and away from the drill floor. The system further includes a roughneck disposed on the movable platform and configured to make up or break out a threaded joint between a first tubular segment and a second tubular segment, wherein the roughneck is configured to be selectively movable along the movable platform from a first position disposed adjacent to the one or more supports and a second position disposed adjacent to the first tubular segment and the second tubular segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: ENSCO INTERNATIONAL INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Christopher Scott Stewart, Richard Robert Roper
  • Patent number: 10151151
    Abstract: Techniques and systems to reduce deflection of a riser extending from offshore platform. The riser may be coupled to a seafloor and may experience movements due to, for example, currents. A riser restraint device may be utilized to reduce these movements of the riser. This riser restraint device may be coupled to the seafloor. This coupling of the riser restraint device may aid in allowing the riser restraint device to reduce movement of the riser and, thus, reduce deflection of the riser.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Ensco International Incorporated
    Inventors: Richard Robert Roper, Mason Corey Melkowits
  • Patent number: 10151158
    Abstract: Techniques and systems to reduce contact of a cable with a top drive. A cable guide may be mounted to one or more bails supporting the top drive and may operate to extend a distance between a cable passing along a length of the top drive. The cable guide may include both an upper guide assembly and a lower guide assembly. Each of the upper guide assembly and the lower guide assembly may both be coupled to one or more bails supporting the top drive in a serial manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Ensco International Incorporated
    Inventors: Roberto Antonio Francis, Bruce John Babin, Tommey William Morin
  • Patent number: 10145236
    Abstract: Techniques and systems to monitor a blowout preventer. A device may include a protrusion sized to extend though an aperture of a blowout preventer. The device may also include a sensor disposed on a first end of the protrusion, wherein the sensor is configured to sense at least one condition occurring in a central bore of the blowout preventer disposed perpendicular to the aperture and generate a signal indicative of the sensed condition. The device may further include an electrical connector configured to receive the signal and transmit the signal from the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: Ensco International Incorporated
    Inventor: Christophe Vitou
  • Patent number: 10107048
    Abstract: Techniques and systems to reduce deflection of a riser extending from an offshore platform. A device may include a main tube disposed along a length of the device. The device may also include a support member that may be coupled to the main tube, wherein the support member may surround the main tube. The device may include a buoyancy assembly that may at least partially surround the main tube, wherein the buoyancy assembly may have an elongated non-circular and non-cylindrical shape. The buoyancy assembly may also include buoyancy foam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2018
    Assignee: Ensco International Incorporated
    Inventor: Shiyu Chen
  • Patent number: 10081986
    Abstract: Techniques and systems to couple a high pressure casing string to a blowout preventer or a subsea shut-in device. A device includes a locking mechanism configured to interface with a terminal end of a casing string of an offshore platform to couple the device to the terminal end of the casing string. The device also includes a sealing mechanism configured to fluidly seal an area around the terminal end of the casing string, wherein the locking mechanism and the sealing mechanism are disposed at separate positions along a vertical orientation of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Ensco International Incorporated
    Inventor: Christopher Scott Stewart
  • Patent number: 10060193
    Abstract: Techniques and systems to store and deploy a lift frame of an offshore vessel. A device may include a member arm comprising a locking feature configured to couple the member arm to a lift frame of the offshore vessel. The device may also include a base configured to be coupled to a drill floor of the offshore vessel, wherein the base comprises a joint configured to allow for rotation of the member arm and the lift frame from a storage position having a first angle between the member arm and the drill floor and a deployment position having a second angle between the member arm and the drill floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Ensco International Incorporated
    Inventor: Van Van Vu