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 an offshore well installation wherein a shoulder of a casing hanger body supported within a casing head on a platform at the water surface has been lowered onto a seat in the head so as to support a casing string anchored at its lower end to a mudline hanger in tension, the lower end of the hanger body being connected to the upper end of the string by an adjustable sub which is manpulated by a tool lowered through the hanger body and into the sub so as to adjust it from an extended position in which its shoulder is above the seat in the head to a retracted position in which the shoulder is seated on the head and the casing string is placed in tension.

Abstract: A tool for setting a packoff between the casing hanger and the wellhead utilizes differential area pistons. The tool has a mandrel which connects to a string of drill pipe. The mandrel carries a body and is axially movable relative to the body. A setting sleeve is carried by the body for connection to the packoff. A setting sleeve piston is carried by the body for relative movement relative to the body. A mandrel piston is carried by the mandrel for movement with the mandrel. Passages in the body communicate the mandrel piston with a setting sleeve piston and contain an incompressible fluid. Downward movement of the mandrel causes the pressure to increase to drive the setting sleeve piston downward to set the packoff.

Abstract: A riser string for a subsea well uses the outer conduit or air can members to support the weight of the riser string. The outer conduits have flanges on their ends which are bolted together. The outer conduits have ports to admit sea water, and a gas injection system to displace some of the sea water for providing buoyancy. Mounting plates are located at each end of the outer conduits. Inner conduits for conveying well and production fluids are mounted between these mounting plates. The mounting plates are intrinsically curved in vertical cross-section, such that when the conduit flanges are bolted together, the mounting plates flatten to provide a compressive force across the faces. Metal seals are located in the holes provided in the mounting plates for the inner conduits. The inner conduits are supported along their lengths by one or more lateral supports.

Abstract: A hanger for hanging a string of conduit within a wellhead has a metal-to-metal seal. The hanger has a body that locates within the wellhead and provides an annular clearance between the body and the wellhead. A locking device fits within this clearance to lock the hanger against axial movement. The metal-to-metal seal is an annular ring with inner and outer cylindrical sidewalls. The seal has a cavity into which a wedge ring is driven to urge the sidewalls apart to embed within the hanger body and wellhead bore. The locking device has reacting wedges that urge a split ring outward into engagement with the wellhead. A retaining mechanism is then moved downwardly with the seal to retain the split ring in locking engagement.

Abstract: A sub-sea well assembly has features to eliminate side-to-side movement between a wellhead and a wellhead housing due to movement of the drilling vessel. The wellhead extends into the wellhead housing and is connected on its upper end to equipment extending to the vessel. Slips are located in an annular space between the wellhead housing passage and the exterior wall of the wellhead. The slips are mounted so that they will slide from the contracted position when the wellhead is being placed into the wellhead housing to an expanded position after the wellhead is locked into the wellhead housing. In the expanded position, the slips move downward to wedge, but are not weight bearing. The slips are self-actuating, with a spring to urge them downward into the expanded position.

Abstract: A latch connects tendons run from a floating platform to a socket in a foundation on the sea floor. The latch includes a latch body having a plurality of dogs disposed within and urgible outward from the latch body. A piston is releasably disposed within the latch body above the dogs and moves downwardly when released to urge the dogs outwardly from the body into latching engagement with the socket. A trigger mechanism in the latch releases the piston when the latch body lands in the socket and contacts a trigger pin projecting upwardly from the bottom of the socket. A series of wedges are disposed exteriorally on the body and inhibit lateral movement of the body relative to the socket when the tendon is subjected to a cycle bending loads.

Abstract: A connector for subsea flowlines has on each end a mandrel. One mandrel, designated the flowline mandrel, is provided with a seating surface and an external locking surface. The second mandrel, designated the connector mandrel, is provided with a seating surface for mating relationship with the seating surface of the flowline mandrel with a metal seal disposed therebetween. Additionally, the connector mandrel carries a first sleeve disposed concentrically about it to slide into circumferential engagement with the flowline mandrel. Locking dogs are carried by the first sleeve for engagement with the external locking surface of the flowline mandrel. A second sleeve is disposed concentrically about the first sleeve with an interior inclined surface to force the dogs into locking engagement with the exterior locking surface of the flowline mandrel as the second sleeve is moved longitudinally. Ports allow the sleeves to be moved as pistons longitudinally between extended and retracted positions.

Abstract: A tie-back connection apparatus effects a metal-to-metal type seal between a riser run from an overhead vessel and a subsea well casing suspended from a casing hanger in a subsea wellhead member. The apparatus includes a tubular mandrel connected to and run by the riser into the wellhead. A metal-to-metal type annular seal ring, mounted at the lower end of the mandrel, is landed upon the casing hanger, with the end of the mandrel in coaxial alignment with the casing hanger. The seal ring effects a seal between the riser and the casing when compressive force is applied to the seal ring. A seal activating mechanism, operated by a tool run from the vessel, engages the casing hanger and applies the compressive force to effect the seal. The seal activating mechanism includes three locking collets, a reaction sleeve, and a drive sleeve. One collet engages the casing hanger.

Abstract: A flowline pull-in apparatus is operable from an overhead vessel and transports flowlines to a subsea wellhead. The apparatus includes a sled disposed on the sea floor and connected to the flowlines. A two-part pull-in frame, removably positioned within the sled, is connected to the overhead vessel. The overhead vessel removes the pull-in frame and lands the frame on a wellhead. The frame is connected to the sled by means of cables. After the frame has been landed upon the wellhead, winches on the frame are hydraulically activated from the vessel and reel in the cables, thereby drawing the sled into engagement with the lower portion of frame and positioning flowline mandrels, which project from the sled, adjacent the lower portion of the frame. The cables are thereafter cut and the upper portion of the frame is released and removed by the vessel from the lower portion.

Abstract: A tieback connection apparatus effects a metal-to-metal type seal between a riser run from an overhead vessel and a subsea well casing suspended from a casing hanger in a subsea wellhead member. The apparatus includes a tubular mandrel connected to and run by the riser into the wellhead, and a metal-to-metal type annular seal mounted at the lower end of the mandrel. The end of the mandrel is positioned in coaxial alignment with the casing hanger with the seal ring position between the mandrel and the hanger to effect a seal between the riser and the casing when compressive force is applied to the seal ring. A seal activating mechanism, associated with the mandrel and operated by a tool run from the vessel, engages the casing hanger and applies the compressive force to effect the seal. The seal activating mechanism includes a locking collet, a reaction sleeve, and a drive sleeve.

Abstract: A telescopic joint inner tube retainer is provided for holding the joint upper tube to a cross over support conduit suspended by a ball and socket conduit connection to a diverter type coupling to a floating vessel or overhead platform wherein retainer has a split internally threaded locking ring engaged about a mating thread on an upper exterior portion of the telescopic joint upper tube, a solid support ring landed upwardly about the split locking ring and means for drawing the solid ring tightly upwardly toward the support conduit with the split locking ring therebetween to suspend the joint upper tube from the support conduit in a manner which can be easily disengaged even if the threaded engagement between the locking ring ad joint upper tube would not otherwise be releasable through relative turning movement of the locking ring and joint upper tube.

Abstract: A support and connecting system for a multiline riser which joins a floating platform to a subsea well is shown including a support housing which mounts upon the floating platform for disconnectably mounting a termination housing to which a plurality of lines are connected. The termination housing is also connected to the platform by a cable tensioning system which adjusts the tension within its connecting cables. A termination head fits within the termination housing and connects, through a termination riser adapter, to the uppermost riser of a riser run that communicates between the platform and the subsea well. The arrangement permits the riser run to engage the floating platform during assembly and recovery of the risers. In the event of a storm or other need for emergency disconnection, the riser run may be withdrawn from the termination housing and hung off or recoved without disconnecting the lines.

Abstract: A subsea well apparatus having an improved means of axially connecting the plurality of tubing string sections disposed about each riser conduit section.The subsea well apparatus has a riser conduit section with a mating flange at each end, tubing string receiving orifices disposed about the mating flanges, and a tubing string section with its ends disposed within an orifice in each mating flange. Further, the end portions of the tubing string section are shaped for free axial movement within each orifice and there is provided a means for axially adjusting the position of each tubing string end portion in order to selectively adjust the position of each tubing string end surface relative to the end surface of the adjacent mating flange.The end portions of the tubing string sections may be provided with an outwardly-extending radial flange, and the axial adjusting means may be an annular ring circumventing the tubing string section and movably-attached to the riser mating flange by threaded engagement.

Abstract: An improvement in blowout preventer apparatus of the type having a radially compressible annular packing mounted within a housing chamber, the housing having axially aligned upper and lower conical bores communicating with an inner bore of the annular packing, the packing axially expanding towards said upper and lower bores upon said radial compression, a plurality of rigid end ring segments attached to sectored webs of the ends of the packing and thereby individually movable axially outwardly and radially inwardly relative to the upper and lower conical bores to control the packing axial expansion during radial compression of the packing has keying means cooperating with the rigid end ring segments of the packing and the conical bores for guiding a sector-wise movement of the segments in individually separate and predetermined paths along the conical bores to a common radial position independent of the uniformity of the packing radial compression and/or axial expansion.

Abstract: An annulus valve apparatus integrated within a tubing hanger controls fluid flow through a tubing-casing annulus formed between a casing and a tubing string located within and generally concentric to the casing and connected to the tubing hanger. The tubing hanger is landed within the casing and sealing relation thereto and divides the annulus into an upper and lower portion. Fluid flow passages located within the hanger body communicate between the portions of the annulus above and below the hanger. An annulus opening means, mounted to the hanger body, allows fluid to pass between the fluid flow passages and the portion of the annulus below the hanger. The opening means is spring biased to close the passages to fluid flow. A plurality of control fluid passages in the hanger body communicate between the opening means and the hanger bore, which is aligned with the tubing bore, and pass a hydraulic control fluid from the hanger bore to the opening means.

Abstract: A stripper seal protection and operating tool sealing element and method for protecting stripper seals during drilling operations with operating tools having both polygonal and circular cross sections. The stripper seal protection and operating tool sealing element includes a lower protective sleeve for expanding the stripper seal radially outward to prevent contact with polygonal operating tools and includes a head portion integral therewith for mounting an elastic sealing ring for packing off on the polygonal operating tool. The protective sealing element is particularly useful for applications in diverter housings of the rotating insert type. The protective and sealing element is inserted and removed from the diverter coupling concurrently with polygonal operating tools such as kellies. The protective sealing element also includes rotating lock means to provide common rotation of the rotating insert with the kelly.

Abstract: A connector for subsea flowlines is disclosed having a metal-to-metal seal affording minimum flexure of the flowline. Each end of the flowline to be connected is provided with a mandrel. One mandrel, designated the flowline mandrel, is provided with a seating surface and an external locking surface. The second mandrel, designated the connector mandrel, is provided with a seating surface adapted for mating relationship with the seating surface of the flowline mandrel with a metal seal disposed therebetween. Additionally, the connector mandrel carries a first sleeve disposed concentrically about it adapted to slide over the end of the connector mandrel into circumferential engagement with the flowline mandrel. A plurality of locking dogs are carried by the first sleeve adapted for engagement with the external locking surface of the flowline mandrel.