Abstract: The invention provides a wellhead assembly including a wellhead housing supporting a tubing hanger within its central bore and forming a housing stem port through its outer wall to the central bore. The tubing hanger has a side stem port formed through its body intermediate its upper and lower ends providing access to the central bore of the hanger and being aligned with the housing stem port. The tubing hanger includes a ball valve member having a spherical exterior surface sealed and seated from above and below within the central bore of the hanger. The ball valve member forms a through port extending therethrough aligned with the production bore, and is rotatable in its seated position between open and closed positions with the through port being aligned with the production bore when in the open position. A slot in the exterior surface of the ball valve member if formed proximate the stem port.

Abstract: A method of providing an internal circumferential shoulder in a cylindrical passageway including the steps of forming an enlarged internal diameter groove in the passageway, machining an integral unitary circumferential shoulder blank of external dimensions conforming to the groove, cutting the shoulder blank into at least segments, each segment having opposed end surfaces that match the end surfaces of adjacent segments, the opposed end surfaces of one segment being defined by parallel, spaced-apart planes forming a key segment, positioning the shoulder segments into the groove, the key segment being inserted last and securing the key segment within the groove.

Abstract: An assembly for sealing the annular space between the inner cylindrical surface of a tubular member and the outer surface of a cylindrical member having a separate upper and lower seal member each of which are sealably and translatably positioned on the cylindrical member outer cylindrical surface, each of the upper and lower seal members having a circumferentially outwardly displaceable sealing lip and including a tubular actuator positioned between the upper and lower seal members having end portions for radially outwardly displacing the upper and lower sealing lips and including a downwardly displaceable seal energizer for moving the upper seal member towards the lower seal member to cause the actuator to concomitantly, radially outwardly expand the circumferential sealing lips.

Abstract: An improved gate valve having a body with horizontal inlet and outlet fluid flow passageways with first and a second seat surrounding the passageways, a stem supported in a vertical plane by the body, a gate positioned between the seats and being vertically displaceable by the stem between an upper valve open position and a downward valve closed position, the gate being formed by a first and a second segment, each segment having an internal face inclined at an angle to a vertical plane and an outer planar sealing face, the outer sealing faces being paralleled to each other, each segment having in a lower portion an opening therethrough, the openings in the segments being aligned with the body fluid flow passageways when the gate is in the upper, open position and out of alignment with the fluid flow passageways when the gate is in the lower, closed position.

Abstract: A hanger system for supporting production casing and coiled tubing in a surface pipe has a casing head supported on the surface pipe and has a vertical opening therethrough with an internal circumferential load shoulder. A casing hanger is supported within the casing head vertical opening on the load shoulder, and has a vertical casing opening, the upper portion of which has a conically shaped surface, and exteriorly of the casing opening, a tubing opening. A tubing support plate is received in the casing head vertical opening and has a vertical casing opening dimensioned to receive casing therethrough and, exteriorly of the casing opening, a vertical tubing opening dimensioned to receive tubing therethrough, the upper portion of the tubing opening having a conically shaped surface. Segmented casing slips are positioned in the casing hanger conically shaped surface are configured to engage and support casing.

Abstract: A full bore tubing hanger system for supporting a tubing string in a wellhead includes a hanger body positioned on the wellhead and having a vertical opening therethrough defined by a plurality of spaced apart circumferential enlarged internal diameter support recesses, each support recess providing a lower circumferential radial ledge surface and an upper frusto-conically shaped surface. A tubular tubing hanger is removably positionable within the hanger body vertical opening and has threads at the lower end thereof by which tubing is attached to it. A segmented cage is positioned on the external surface of the tubing hanger and slidable between a lower and an upper position, in the lower position the segmented cage is retracted with respect to the external surface of the tubing hanger. The segmented cage has spaced apart external circumferential support surfaces that, when the tubing hanger is downwardly positioned, engage the hanger body support recesses so that the tubing hanger is supported by the cage.

Abstract: An installable load shoulder is used with a wellhead to support a tubing hanger by which tubing is suspended in a well bore, "tubing" being inclusive of any tubular product such as a string of tubing or casing as used in drilling and completing oil or gas wells, the wellhead having a vertical opening therethrough and in the wall defining the opening an internal circumferential groove, the groove having an inwardly sloped bottom frusto-conical circumferential surface and the tubing hanger having an external circumferential surface dimensioned to be slidably received in the wellhead vertical opening and having an external circumferential area defined in part by a frusto-conical circumferential surface. The load shoulder is of toroidal shape, has a split therein, has an internal circumferential surface defined in part by an inwardly sloped upper frusto-conical shaped surface and an external circumferential surface defined in part by a lower outwardly sloped frusto-conical shaped surface.

Abstract: A system for connecting wellhead components that are abutted in axial alignment in which each component has an increased external diameter circumferential hub portion at an end thereof, the system including a toroidal connector surrounding adjacently positioned hub portions, a plurality of C-segments retained by the toroidal connector and positioning bolts received in spaced apart threaded opening in the connector, each bolt having an inner end in engagement with a C-segment and an outer end extending radially of and exteriorly of the connector by which each C-segment may be inwardly radially advanced to engage opposed sides of the hubs.

Abstract: A back seat rising stem gate valve has a valve body with a flow passageway through it and an open top, a gate that is vertically positioned to open and close the passageway, a stem extending upwardly from the valve body, the lower end of the stem being attached to the gate, a bonnet secured to the valve body by which the valve body open top is closed, the stem extending through an opening in the bonnet, a packing box slidably positioned in an opening in the bonnet and receiving the stem, the packing box having a back seat circumferential sealing surface surrounding the valve stem, and the valve stem having an integral enlarged diameter shoulder so that when the stem is in the full upward position the packing box can be displaced downwardly forcing the back seat sealing surface to seal against the stem shoulder to seal against fluid leakage along the valve stem. In one embodiment the packing box is downwardly displaced by hydraulic pressure, such as hydraulic pressure supplied from within the valve body.

Abstract: An inline pipeline expansion joint is provided having a first sleeve with the outer end adaptable to attach to a pipe. A second sleeve also has an outer end adaptable to attach the attachment of a pipe, the inner end of the first sleeve being co-axially and telescopically received within the second sleeve. A seal is interposed between the interior of the first sleeve and the exterior of the second sleeve. A tubular liner is positioned within the second sleeve, one end of the liner being telescopically received within the interior of the first sleeve to thereby reduce turbulence of fluid flow through the expansion joint. The first sleeve has an external annular circumferential flange with openings therethrough that receive circumferentially spaced alignment rods that are secured at one end to the second sleeve so that as the first sleeve moves telescopically with respect to the second sleeve, the two sleeves are prevented from rotating with respect to each other.

Abstract: A valve, having provision for replacing stem packing while the valve is under pressure, has a valve body with a flow passageway through it, a gate that is vertically positioned to open and close the passageway, a stem extending upwardly from the valve body, the lower end being attached to the gate, a bonnet secured to the valve body by which the valve body open top is closed, the stem extending through an opening in the bonnet, a packing box slidably positioned in an opening in the top of the bonnet and receiving the stem, a back seat ring is positioned within the opening of the bonnet below the packing box and having a circumferential sealing surface surrounding the valve stem, the valve stem having an integral enlarged diameter shoulder so that when the stem is in the full upward position the packing box can be moved downwardly in the direction towards valve body forcing the back seat ring sealing surface to seal against the stem shoulder formed on the valve stem to permit packing retained within the packin