Abstract: A lightweight blowout preventer having a low profile is disclosed. Each of the rams have a sealing ring to be positioned thereabout to seal leaks from occurring between its bonnet and the ram body, thereby permitting the use of only about four connecting bolts for each side of the bonnet to the body and torqued for ordinary holding. A hinge plate is provided to allow selection of the side of the body for two associated bonnets. The hinge plate also is a manifold for the passageways for the hydraulic fluid to the fluid hinges. The hinges each includes a telescopic balancing sub with only one side spring for applying balanced pressure with the applied closing or opening hydraulic fluid to the hinge regardless of whether opening or closing hydraulic pressure is applied. The hydraulic passageways in the bonnets are located between the guideway extensions and the outside surfaces of the bonnets. The hinge plate and the bonnets can be inverted so that they can be mounted on either of two sides of the body.

Abstract: A lightweight blowout preventer having a low profile is disclosed. Each of the rams have a sealing ring to be positioned thereabout to seal leaks from occurring between its bonnet and the ram body, thereby permitting the use of only about four connecting bolts for each side of the bonnet to the body and torqued for ordinary holding. A hinge plate is provided to allow selection of the side of the body for two associated bonnets. The hinge plate also is a manifold for the passageways for the hydraulic fluid to the fluid hinges. The hinges each includes a telescopic balancing sub with only one side spring for applying balanced pressure with the applied closing or opening hydraulic fluid to the hinge regardless of whether opening or closing hydraulic pressure is applied. The hydraulic passageways in the bonnets are located between the guideway extensions and the outside surfaces of the bonnets. The hinge plate and the bonnets can be inverted so that they can be mounted on either of two sides of the body.

Abstract: An underwater pipeline is disclosed that arrests the propagation of a collapse or buckle that may occur as the pipeline is being laid or after the pipeline is in service. The pipeline comprises a plurality of joints of pipe connected end-to-end by a threaded connection. Each connection includes external cylindrical threads of opposite hand on adjacent ends of the pipe joints. A coupling having right and left-hand threads for moving the ends of the pipe joints into abutting position in sealing engagement with a seal ring to seal the connection. The connection provides a physical discontinuity in the pipeline to stop the propagation of a buckle in the pipeline. Additionally, by virtue of the thread profile, the coupling may provide radial support to the pin members to resist collapse.

Abstract: A ram for a blowout preventer for coil tubing is disclosed. It includes a ram body having a flat face with a semi-circular cavity therein for engaging the flat face of an oppositely facing ram having a semi-circular cavity in its face. A seal member is carried by the ram to engage a seal member carried by the opposite facing ram to prevent the flow of fluid between the rams and a section of coil tubing extending vertically between the rams and encircled by the semi-circular cavities in the faces of the rams. An integral elastomeric pipe guide is carried by the ram to urge the tubing to the center of the preventer. A plurality of slip segments are mounted on the ram in the semi-circular cavity on opposite sides of the seal member to engage the tubing and hold the tubing from moving downwardly or upwardly relative to the ram.

Abstract: A remotely operated actuator for a drill string internal blowout preventer is disclosed. It includes an annular cylinder for mounting on the preventer housing to rotate with the housing and the kelly. An annular piston in the cylinder moves a link pivotally connected to the piston and a crank arm to open and close the preventer.

Abstract: A pipe protector is disclosed comprising a tubular rubber member with an inner diameter sized to the approximate outer diameter of a pipe. The protector is a variable diameter pipe protector that prevents slipping on undersized pipes, but can also be used on full sized pipes. The pipe protector is capable of surrounding a full size outer diameter pipe and is provided with at least one rubber flap attached to the inside surface to compensate for undersize pipe diameters.

Abstract: A tubular connection is shown having wedge threads, the individual threads preferably interlocking by having wider crest dimensions than respective root dimensions, but with the stab flanks and load flanks generally angling in the same direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the connection. Thus, when the stab flank is positive, it is less positive than the load flank is negative. Conversely, when the stab flank is negative, it is more negative than the load flank is positive. Preferably, the roots and crests radially interfere prior to full makeup. The connection achieves distribution over the entire thread length of the bearing stresses that resist torsional makeup, of the torque load, and of sealing. The slant of the flanks achieves self-centering of the pin member with respect to the box member either during assembly or disassembly depending on the angling in the respective embodiments.

Abstract: A carbon black system for manufacturing rubber comprises a pair of carbon blacks having the same structure, a fumed silica and a silane coupler. One of the pairs of carbon blacks has an Iodine Adsorption No. of less than 115 and the other pair of carbon blacks has an Iodine Adsorption No. of greater than 115. A rubber composition comprises a rubber selected from a group of polar and nonpolar rubbers, a carbon black system comprising a pair of furnace carbon blacks with both of the pairs of carbon blacks having the same structure, a fumed silica and silane coupler. One of the pairs of carbon blacks has an Iodine Adsorption No. of less than 115 and the other pair has an Iodine Adsorption No. of greater than 115. The carbon black system is from about 40 parts per hundred to about 80 parts per hundred of the rubber. The ratio of either pair of carbon blacks to the other in the rubber does not exceed 3:1.

Abstract: Metal-to-metal seals for pin and box member tubular joints are disclosed where mating annular surfaces are machined at slightly different angles such that the bearing load from initial contact is entirely on the leading edge of the pin annular surface and the trailing edge of the box annular surface. The mismatch of the sealing surfaces is selected for any particular seal geometry such that at final make-up, the bearing load has a relatively even distribution across the entire sealing surface in contact, thus broadly distributing make-up bearing stresses and minimizing any resulting tendency for galling that may occur, in particular for joints having relatively thick walls for both pin and box members.

Abstract: A ram of a ram-type blowout preventer is enclosed within an enclosure so that the piston driving the ram is placed parallel to a stationary magnetizable waveguide tube. A transverse ring-like magnet assembly surrounds the tube and is attached to a carrier that, in turn, is attached to the tail of the piston. The magnet assembly longitudinally magnetizes an area of the tube where it is located. A wire running through the tube is periodically interrogated with an electrical current pulse, which produces a toroidal magnetic field about the wire. When the toroidal field intersects with the longitudinally magnetized area, a magnetostrictive acoustical return pulse is reflected back up the tube for detection by a transducer located outside of the enclosure. The time that the acoustical pulse travels from the magnetic field intersection compared to the timing of the electrical pulse on the wire is a measure of distance since the pulse time essentially travels at the speed of light.

Abstract: A combination of a rubber or other elastomer part and a plastic or metal part is bonded by both chemical and mechanical means. The mechanical means is in the form of molded rivets integrally manufactured in the molding process as part of the elastomer. Appropriate mating holes are made in the plastic or metal parts to receive the rivets during the molding process or at least before the rivets are cured. Conventional chemical bonding materials for the circumstance are employed with the rivet bonding to provide dual bonding strength. The parts of a blowout preventer, such as at the T-seal and the upper seal, are disclosed as preferred examples of locations that are subject to high pressure and temperature where an elastomer part is bonded to a plastic or a metal part.

Abstract: A safety sub is disclosed for retaining drilling fluid in the kelly or equivalent and other components of the mud system located above the drill string when pressure drops in the drill string, such as when the circulation pump is turned off in adding a new joint to the drill string. The safety sub includes a pressurized elastomeric cartridge with an elastomeric closure having an asymmetrical wall thickness, preferably achieved by the removal of a chord of material from its external circumference. When internal drilling pressure drops, the external pre-charge pressure closes the elastomeric material by inwardly collapsing the thinner wall portion of the closure. The metallic end pieces of the cartridge are bonded to the elastomeric material during the molding process.

Abstract: A connection for and a method of connecting the ends of two joints of low modulus, low hardness, low strength plastic pipe. The connection includes a threaded box on one joint and a threaded pin on the other joint. The box has tapered, internal, generally dovetail-shaped threads with stab flanks and load flanks and flat roots and crests that are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pipe. The pin has tapered, external, generally dovetail-shaped threads with stab flanks and load flanks and flat roots and crests that are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the pipe for mating with the internal threads of the box. The threads increase in width in one direction on the box and in the other direction on the pin. When the connection is made up the roots, crests, and flanks of the threads move into engagement to form seals that resist the flow of fluids between the threads.

Abstract: A packer assembly for a drop-in check valve includes a series of stacked rings in the annulus between the housing of the drop-in check valve assembly and the surface of the bore of the landing sub. The rings include at least two elastomer rings of different hardness. The top elastomer ring is capped off by a multi-part metal ring assembly comprising oppositely facing inner and outer L-shaped rings and a central T-shaped ring. The inner and outer rings have their vertical legs vertically located against the respective adjoining annulus walls and their horizontal legs in line. The trunk of the T-shaped ring is in the gap between the horizontal legs and in contact therewith so that when the elastomer ring radially expands, the metal of the metal rings is maintained in metal-to-metal contact across the annulus. This seals the annulus and prevents extrusion by eliminating all gaps. The lower elastomer ring can likewise be capped by a similar three-part metal ring assembly.

Abstract: A safety sub is disclosed for retaining drilling fluid in the kelly or equivalent and other components of the mud system located above the drill string when pressure drops in the drill string, such as when the circulation pump is turned off in adding a new joint to the drill string. The safety sub includes a pressurized elastomeric cartridge having three or more depressions surrounding a central bore. When internal drilling pressure drops, the external pre-charge pressure closes the elastomeric material by creating a cusp opposite each depression, the cusps closing together. The metallic end pieces of the cartridge and parallel round connecting rods between these inserts are bonded to the elastomeric material during the molding process.

Abstract: A threaded pipe connection is disclosed comprising a box having internal threads and a pin having external threads for mating with the internal threads of the box. The mating threads exert radial forces on the box and pin creating compressive hoop stress in the pin and tensile hoop stress in the box. A conical sealing surface on the pin between the threads and the end of the pin engages conical sealing surface on the box and forms a metal-to-metal seal when the connection is made up. Means are provided for reducing the radial forces exerted by the threads adjacent the conical sealing surfaces to reduce excessive metal-to-metal contact bearing stress and better distribute the remaining stress in the engaging sealing surfaces while maintaining the contact stress required to provide an adequate seal.

Abstract: A ram of a ram-type blowout preventer is enclosed within an enclosure so that the piston driving the ram is placed parallel to a stationary magnetizable waveguide tube. A transverse ring-like magnet assembly surrounds the tube and is attached to a carrier that, in turn, is attached to the tail of the piston. The magnet assembly longitudinally magnetizes an area of the tube where it is located. A wire running through the tube is periodically interrogated with an electrical current pulse, which produces a toroidal magnetic field about the wire. When the toroidal field intersects with the longitudinally magnetized area, a magnetostrictive acoustical return pulse is reflected back up the tube for detection by a transducer located outside of the enclosure. The time that the acoustical pulse travels from the magnetic field intersection compared to the timing of the electrical pulse on the wire is a measure of distance since the pulse time essentially travels at the speed of light.

Abstract: An improved rubber stock with a unique carbon black system including mismatched pairs of furnace blacks with fumed silica and a silane coupler has been developed. The carbon black system includes a mixture of large and small particles with high and low structure carbon black pairs. The carbon black system compounded with polar and nonpolar rubber provides products with a range of desirable characteristics using only two carbon blacks.

Abstract: There is disclosed a ram type blowout preventer wherein the outer ends of guideways radiating from the bore of the body to receive the rams are closed by bonnets bolted to the body and sealed with respect to the body by a seal assembly received in a recess in the inner face of the bonnet for sealing between the inner face of the bonnet and the outer face of the body about the outer end of the guideway to contain internal pressure in the preventer.

Abstract: An improved threaded connection adapted to secure adjacent conduits in a continuous flow conduit forming relationship. The threaded connection employs a tapered or wedge shaped thread with angled or tapered thread load flanks to obtain superior mechanical strength by controlling stress levels in the connection. To insure proper make-up of the connection the dimension of the thread structure is controlled to prevent trapping of thread lubricant during rotational make-up which may produce false torque make-up values.