Abstract: A multiple hydrocyclone assembly includes a closed tubular vertical housing enclosing two concentric vertical cylinders which cooperate with the housing to define an inner cylindrical outlet chamber and concentric annular inlet and outer outlet chambers. Multiple hydrocyclones or cyclonettes are mounted in axially extending vertical rows and in corresponding radial positions in the cylinders from the outer surface the outer cylinder, and the housing and concentric cylinders are formed in sections which are coupled together in end to end relation. Individual cyclonettes can be removed and replaced after removal of one or more of the housing sections. In order to increase the pressure of the feed stock to be cleaned which is supplied to the cyclonettes in the upper portion or sections of the assembly, vertically extending flow channels are provided in the lower portion of the inlet chamber by omitting cyclonettes from the rows in the lower sections of the assembly.

Abstract: There is disclosed a connector for releasably connecting tubular members connected to adjacent ends of riser pipes in end-to-end relation. The tubular members have locking grooves about their adjacent ends, and a split lock ring surrounds the adjacent ends of the tubular members, when in end-to-end relation, and has upper and lower teeth thereabout for fitting tightly within the grooves to hold the ends of the tubular members in end-to-end relation. The lock ring is moved between locking and unlocking positions by means of cam rings having tapered conical cam surfaces thereabout for slidable engagement with follower surfaces about the upper and lower ends of the lock ring.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus for use in drilling an offshore well wherein the upper end of a riser is intermittently supported from a floating vessel to permit the lower ends of additional pipe sections to be connected thereto and then lowered through the table for connection at its lower end to an underwater wellhead. The riser is supported from the vessel in such a manner as to absorb the load of the riser as an additional section is landed on its upper end, and then carry the load of the riser as the vessel tilts or rolls without imposing undue bending loads on the riser.

Abstract: A multiple hydrocyclone assembly includes a closed tubular vertical housing enclosing two concentric vertical cylinders which cooperate with the housing to define an inner cylindrical outlet chamber and concentric annular inlet and outer outlet chambers. Multiple hydrocyclones or cyclonettes are mounted in axially extending vertical rows and in corresponding radial positions in the cylinders from the outer surface of the outer cylinder, and the housing and concentric cylinders are formed in sections which are coupled together in end to end relation. Individual cyclonettes can be removed and replaced after removal of one or more of the housing sections. In order to increase the pressure of the feed stock to be cleaned which is supplied to the cyclonettes in the upper portion or sections of the assembly, vertically extending flow channels are provided in the lower portion of the inlet chamber by omitting cyclonettes from the rows in the lower sections of the assembly.

Abstract: There are disclosed several embodiments of a connector for connecting tubular members in end-to-end relation wherein a ring supported by the one tubular member carries arcuate latches which are adapted to be moved by radial actuators into and out of positions in which locking shoulders thereon are tightly engaged with a complementary locking shoulder about the other tubular member to hold the members in end-to-end relation.

Abstract: There is disclosed two embodiments of a gate valve having a pair of parallel-sided gates for opening and closing a flowway through the valve body upon reciprocation within a gate cavity intersecting the flowway intermediate its ends. The gates are connected to an actuator stem by a lost motion connection which causes one to be moved from closed toward open position prior to the other, and the one gate has a passageway therein for moving into a position to connect the cavity with the flowway prior to movement of the gates together toward open position.

Abstract: Subsea wellhead equipment is disclosed as comprising a housing including a main body of a first material having an internal cavity thereabout and a weld body of a material having a considerably greater yield strength than that of the main body formed integrally with the main body within the cavity to provide an upwardly facing seat in the housing bore, and a hanger including a main body and a ring of a material having a considerably greater yield strength than that of the main body and carried by the main body in a position to provide a downwardly facing shoulder engageable with the seat to support the load of the hanger therefrom.

Abstract: Apparatus for connecting the bore through a diverter assembly with the bore through a blowout preventer stack beneath an offshore drilling rig include an upper tubular member adapted to be connected to the diverter assembly to form a lower continuation of the lower end of its bore, a lower tubular member adapted to be connected to the blowout preventer stack to form an upper continuation of the upper end of its bore, and a tubular body extending between and pivotally and sealably connected to the upper and lower tubular members to connect their bores.

Abstract: There is disclosed a wellhead connector for connecting first and second tubular wellhead members in end-to-end relation, wherein locking segments are carried by a ring about the first member for movement between an outer position, to permit the ring to be moved over an outer surface of the second member, to an inner position in which locking shoulders on the inner ends of the locking segments slidably engage a locking shoulder about the outer surface of the second member to urge the ends of the members into tight engagement. The locking segments are moved to their inner positions by means of wedges guidably movable in the ring outwardly of the locking segments and having surfaces slidable over surfaces on the outer ends of the segments as the wedges are moved toward one another, and are moved to their outer positions, as the wedges move away from one another, by means of coil springs acting between the body and locking segments.

Abstract: There is disclosed wellhead apparatus for use in suspending a pipe string within the bore of a housing of the wellhead. The apparatus includes a slip bowl landed on a seat in the bore and a slip assembly supported within the slip bowl in a retracted position which permits the bowl and slip assembly to be lowered into landed position within an annular space between the pipe string and bore of the housing by a series of elongate rods extending within the annular space and adapted, upon rotation in one direction, to force the slip assembly downwardly and inwardly into engagement with the pipe string, and thereby suspend the weight of the pipe string from the slip assembly, and upon rotation in the opposite direction, to permit them to be released from the slip assembly and removed from within the annular space.

Abstract: There is disclosed wellhead apparatus in which a pipe string is suspended within the bore of a housing and the annular space between the bore and the outer wall of the pipe string or a mandrel-type hanger from which the pipe string is suspended is closed by a seal assembly. The seal assembly is lowered into the annular space on a tool so as to close the same as seal rings carried about the outer and inner sides of the body are energized into sealing engagement with the bore of the housing and the outer wall.

Abstract: There is disclosed subsea well equipment in Which an inner wellhead housing is lowered into and landed in the bore of an outer wellhead housing in order to install an inner casing string suspended from the inner housing within an outer casing string to which the outer housing is connected. The inner housing is locked down in the bore of the outer housing by a locking part on the inner housing which is forced into a locking recess in the bore in order to preload the connection between the housings. An assembly releasably connectable to the inner housing is provided for lowering the inner housing in the landed position and then locking it down within the bore of the housing in response to manipulation of a pipe string from which the assembly is suspended.

Abstract: There is disclosed wellhead equipment wherein a tubing hanger suspended from a running tool lowered with the running tool into a landed position within a bore of a casing head, and a seal assembly suspended from the running tool is, upon landing of the hanger, lowered into an annular space between the tubing hanger and bore so as to seal with respect to them and thereby close the space.

Abstract: There is disclosed a unitized wellhead system wherein each of concentric well strings are suspended within a well bore by means of individual hanger mandrels installed within the bore of a single wellhead housing.

Abstract: An apparatus for use in lowering a mandrel type casing hanger into a well bore for landing within a casing, and then, when the hanger is so landed, rotating the casing connecting it to a mudline hanger installed at the subsea level in either rotational direction without disconnecting the threaded connection of the apparatus to the mandrel type hanger.

Abstract: There is disclosed a system for use in drilling subsea wells from platforms wherein drilling fluids may be diverted at either of two levels beneath the rotary table of the platform.

Abstract: There is disclosed subsea wellhead apparatus which includes a tubing hanger supported within the bore of a wellhead housing and having a passageway through it connecting the annulus between the casing and tubing strings suspended from the hangers with the bore of the housing above the tubing hanger. The passageway is opened and closed by a valve member carrying metal seal rings, and the integrity of the seals is tested by test pressure from a reservoir contained in the tubing hanger.

Abstract: There is disclosed a gate valve having a pair of side-by-side through conduit gates which are adapted to be reciprocated relatively to one another by a fail safe actuator of such construction as to move the upstream gate to closed position before the downstream gate and the downstream gate to open position before the upstream gate.

Abstract: There are disclosed several embodiments of wellhead equipment wherein a seal assembly is installed within a frusto-conically shaped space between the bore of a first wellhead member and a conically shaped surface about a second wellhead member to close same. In one embodiment, the first member is a casing hanger landed within the bore of a subsea casing head, the second member is a tubing hanger within the head, and the seal assembly closes off a space between the bore of the casing hanger and the outer surface of the tubing hanger. In another embodiment, the first member is a surface casing head, the second member is a tubing hanger landed within the bore of the head, and the seal assembly closes off a space between the bore and hanger.