Patents by Inventor Denby G. Morrison

Denby G. Morrison has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Lightweight, wide-bodied compliant tower
    Patent number: 5588781
    Abstract: The present invention is a deepwater compliant platform that has enhanced dynamic characteristics by virtue of its wide stance, eliminates conventional conductor drivepipe guides and supporting framework, and reduces the net material requirements with a substantially open interior permitted in the absence of the conductor guides. This utilizes the wide body stance to accommodate a wide riser suspension corridor through the open interior thereby allowing suspended risers to be spaced apart sufficiently to avoid interference in response to normal tower motions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 31, 1996
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Susan L. Smolinski, Denby G. Morrison, Peter W. Marshall, David A. Huete
  • Tensioned riser compliant tower
    Patent number: 5480266
    Abstract: A tensioned riser deepwater platform suitable for offshore oil and gas applications is disclosed having a foundation secured to the ocean floor, a topside facility above the ocean surface, and a vertically extending tower jacket secured to the foundation and supporting the topside facility. A plurality of substantially vertically extending risers provide fluid communication between the wells and the topside facility. These risers are connected to riser supports near their upper ends and the riser supports provide the principal load transfer between the risers and the tower jacket. Thus, the conductor guides and attendant horizontal bracing of conventional deepwater design can be substantially eliminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 2, 1996
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Peter W. Marshall, David A. Huete, Denby G. Morrison, Susan L. Smolinski
  • Method for improving the harmonic response of a compliant tower
    Patent number: 5480265
    Abstract: The present invention is a method for reducing the natural period of the second harmonic response in a deepwater compliant tower by decoupling the mass of the production risers from the vertically extending compliant framework.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1993
    Date of Patent: January 2, 1996
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Peter W. Marshall, David A. Huete, Denby G. Morrison, Susan L. Smolinski
  • Tensioned riser deepwater tower
    Patent number: 5439060
    Abstract: A tensioned riser deepwater platform suitable for offshore oil and gas applications is disclosed having a foundation secured to the ocean floor, a topside facility above the ocean surface, and a vertically extending tower jacket secured to the foundation and supporting the topside facility. A plurality of vertically extending risers provide fluid communication between the wells and the topside facility. These risers are connected to riser supports near their upper ends. The riser supports provide the principal load transfer between the risers and the tower jacket and the conductor guides and attendant horizontal bracing are substantially eliminated from the design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 8, 1995
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: David A. Huete, Peter W. Marshall, Denby G. Morrison, Susan L. Smolinski