TUBING HANGER FOR WELLBORE SYSTEMS

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a hanger assembly that has a cylindrical body having a top end, a bottom end, an outside surface, and a bore defined therethrough forming an inside surface. The hanger assembly further includes a lock ring having an annular shape having an upper end that is closest to the top end of the cylindrical body and a lower end that is closest to the bottom end of the cylindrical body. The lock ring has an inside surface that contacts a portion of the outside surface of the cylindrical body. The lock ring also has an outside surface that has a diameter that is greatest at the lower end and smallest at the upper end. The lock ring is configured to fit within a load shoulder of a head to form a seal. The hanger assembly further includes a tapered piston seal ring disposed above the lock ring. The tapered piston seal ring has an annular shape that has an upper end that is closest to the top end of the cylindrical body and a lower end that partially fits into a space between the inside surface of the lock ring and the outside surface of the cylindrical body.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/647,767 filed May 15, 2024 entitled “Hangar Assemblies for Wellbore Systems,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as set forth in full.

BACKGROUND

Hydrocarbon recovery operations often include drilling of a wellbore into the earth's surface to reach a hydrocarbon reservoir. The wellbore is typically then lined with casing and may be perforated adjacent to the reservoir formation. Production tubing may then be lowered into the wellbore to assist with recovery operations.

Hangers (e.g., casing hanger, tubing hanger) are often used within a receptacle (sometimes referred to as a “bowl” of a head (e.g., casing head, tubing head, wellhead) at the wellsite to suspend casing or tubing within a wellbore. Hangers may also be installed with or without casing or tubing suspended therefrom, such that they function as standalone barriers, making it crucial to securely anchor the hanger within the head. When suspending casing or tubing, hangers may center the casing or tubing, provide a primary seal in the casing annulus, create an annular space, and permit testing of wellhead system connections. Traditional methods of securing the hanger to a head involve the use of a number of lock screws embedded through the head or wellhead flange, with their pointed ends engaging grooves embedded within the hanger. Generally, a large number of lock screws are required to provide for adequate securement of these components. With each lock screw, there is a hole bored into the head, which increases the number of potential leak points given the high pressure and weight load required by these components. Additionally, these hanger systems can be complex given that each lock screw requires gland nuts and packing seals to prevent fluid leakage past each of the lock screws.

A hanger system is needed that can secure a hanger (e.g., casing hanger, tubing hanger) to a head (e.g., casing head, tubing head, wellhead) without requiring a large number of lock screws.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the subject matter, the present disclosure relates to a hanger assembly that may include a cylindrical body including a top end, a bottom end, an outside surface, and a bore defined therethrough forming an inside surface. The hanger assembly may include an electrical penetrator port running from the top end to the bottom end and configured to enclose an electrical penetrator as it runs through the hanger assembly. The hanger assembly may include a lock ring, the lock ring including: (i) an annular shape having an upper end that may be closest to the top end of the cylindrical body and a lower end that may be closest to the bottom end of the cylindrical body; (ii) an inside surface that contacts a portion of the outside surface of the cylindrical body; and (iii) an outside surface having a diameter that may be greatest at the lower end and smallest at the upper end. In some embodiments, the lock ring may be configured to fit within a load shoulder of a head. The hanger assembly may include a tapered piston seal ring located at the upper end of the lock ring. The tapered piston seal ring may include an annular shape having an upper end that may be closest to the top end of the cylindrical body and a lower end that partially fits into a space between the inside surface of the lock ring and the outside surface of the cylindrical body. The hanger assembly may include a stationary seal having an annular shape having an upper end that may be closest to the top end of the cylindrical body and a lower end that seats against the upper end of the tapered piston seal ring.

According to some embodiments, a wellhead assembly may include a head including (i) a cylindrical body having a hollowed interior and including a top end, a bottom end, an outside surface, and an inside surface; and (ii) an upper flange area located at the top end of the cylindrical body. The upper flange area may include (A) a first threaded port hole running from the outside surface to the inside surface and configured to threadably connect to a threaded fitting, wherein the first threaded port hole may be oriented at an about 90° angle with respect to the hollowed interior of the cylindrical body; a second threaded port hole running from the outside surface to the inside surface and configured to threadably connect to a lockdown screw, wherein the first threaded port hole may be oriented at an angle ranging from about 10° to about 80° with respect to the hollowed interior of the cylindrical body; and a load shoulder located along the inside surface of the cylindrical body and including a diameter that may be greater than a diameter of the inside surface of the cylindrical body. The wellhead assembly may include (b) a hanger assembly including: (i) a cylindrical body including a top end, a bottom end, an outside surface, and a bore defined therethrough forming an inside surface; (ii) an electrical penetrator port running from the top end to the bottom end and configured to enclose an electrical penetrator as it runs through the hanger assembly; and (iii) a lock ring. The lock ring may include an annular shape having an upper end that may be closest to the top end of the cylindrical body and a lower end that may be closest to the bottom end of the cylindrical body; an inside surface that contacts a portion of the outside surface of the cylindrical body; and an outside surface having a diameter that may be greatest the lower end and smallest at the upper end. In some embodiments, the lock ring may be configured to fit within the load shoulder of the head. The hanger assembly may include (iv) a tapered piston seal ring located at the upper end of the lock ring. The tapered piston seal ring may include an annular shape having an upper end that may be closest to the top end of the cylindrical body and a lower end that partially fits into a space between the inside surface of the lock ring and the outside surface of the cylindrical body. The hanger assembly may include (v) a stationary seal including an annular shape, an upper end that may be closest to the top end of the cylindrical body, and a lower end that seats against the upper end of the tapered piston seal ring.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals are used to refer to similar elements. It is emphasized that various features may not be drawn to scale, and the dimensions of various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion.

FIG. 1 illustrates a partial sectional, side perspective of a hanger assembly for a wellbore system, according to embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side perspective view of a tubing hanger, according to embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 3A illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of the tubing hanger of the present disclosure that has not been energized with hydraulic fluid, according to embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 3B illustrates a partial cross-sectional perspective of the tubing hanger of the present disclosure that has been energized with hydraulic fluid, according to embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 4A illustrates a cross-sectional view of the tubing hanger disposed within a tubing head prior to energizing with hydraulic fluid according to the disclosure.

FIG. 4B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the tubing hanger disposed within a tubing head after energizing with hydraulic fluid according to the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to a wellhead system including a head (e.g., casing head, tubing head, wellhead) and a hanger (e.g., casing hanger, tubing hanger) assembly having a lock ring that secures and seals the head to the hanger assembly. Since wellhead systems disclosed herein do not require lock screws (or pins) to secure the head to the hanger assembly, the systems disclosed herein advantageously avoid having a large number of potential leak points contained in conventional systems. In some embodiments, the lock ring of systems disclosed herein may be engaged when the system is “energized” by initiating a flow of hydraulic fluid through the system. Similarly, the lock ring of systems disclosed herein may be disengaged by stopping the flow of hydraulic fluid. Being able to readily engage and disengage the securement and sealing of the hanger assembly to the head in a single step is a significant advantage over conventional systems that require a large number of lock screws to be individually fastened or removed. Systems disclosed herein may also include a threaded port hole that advantageously provides a user with the ability to easily verify that the head is properly secured to the hanger assembly, which is not available in conventional systems.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a wellhead system 100 according to the present disclosure that does not require lock screws to secure its head (e.g., casing head, tubing head, wellhead) to its hanger assembly. Conventional wellhead systems may require from 4-12 lock screws that each require a packing seal and a gland nut. If any of these packing seals, gland nuts, or lock screws fail, then the system will leak, leading to significant wellsite downtime to diagnose and fix the problem.

With reference again to FIG. 1, a hanger assembly 102 according to the present disclosure is shown positioned within an upper portion of a tubing head 104. The tubing head 104 forms generally part of the wellhead assembly 100. As will be described further herein, the hanger assembly 102 does not require lock screws (also referred to as “pins”) to secure to the tubing head 104.

In some embodiments, the tubing head 104 may be made of any steel. For example, the tubing head 104 may be made of an alloy steel, a stainless steel, a carbon steel, a vanadium steel alloy, a tungsten alloy, a silicon steel alloy, a low carbon steel, a maraging steel, an austenitic steel, a cobalt steel alloy, a titanium steel alloy, a chromium steel alloy, a manganese steel alloy, a copper steel alloy, an aluminum steel alloy, a molybdenum steel alloy, a medium carbon steel, a high carbon steel, mixtures thereof, and alloys thereof.

Similarly, the hanger assembly 102 may be made of any steel. For example, the hanger assembly 102 may be made of an alloy steel, a stainless steel, a carbon steel, a vanadium steel alloy, a tungsten alloy, a silicon steel alloy, a low carbon steel, a maraging steel, an austenitic steel, a cobalt steel alloy, a titanium steel alloy, a chromium steel alloy, a manganese steel alloy, a copper steel alloy, an aluminum steel alloy, a molybdenum steel alloy, a medium carbon steel, a high carbon steel, mixtures thereof, and alloys thereof.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side perspective view of the hanger assembly 102. The hanger assembly 102 takes the form of a cylindrical body that includes a hydraulic top sleeve 114 positioned about an upper portion of the hanger assembly. A hydraulic press sleeve 116 is positioned below the hydraulic top sleeve 114. The hydraulic press sleeve 116 is adapted to engage a lock ring 118 in order to seal the hanger assembly into the tubing head 104 as will be described. The hanger assembly 102 further includes orifices extended downwardly therethrough, including a tubing port 120 and penetrator port 122 to accommodate penetrators, such as the Speed Feed® penetrator.

FIG. 3A shows a cross-sectional view of the tubing head 104 secured to a hanger assembly 102 that has not been “energized” with hydraulic fluid. As discussed above, the wellhead system 100 may include the tubing head 104 and the hanger assembly 102. The tubing head 104 includes a cylindrical body having a hollowed interior. In some embodiments, instead of a tubing head, the head may be a casing head or a wellhead. The tubing head includes a top end 124, a bottom end 126, an outside surface 128, and an inside surface 130. The hollowed interior may be threaded and configured to couple to a casing string (not shown).

The tubing head 104 may include an upper flange area 132 located at a top end of a cylindrical body 134. The upper flange area 132 may include a threaded port hole 136 running through the upper flange area. The threaded port 136 may be configured to threadably connect to a threaded fitting 138. In some embodiments, the threaded port 136 may be oriented at about a 90° angle with respect to the hollowed interior of the cylindrical body. The upper flange area 132 may include more than one threaded port hole. For example, the upper flange area may include from 2-4 threaded port holes. Not all threaded port holes are oriented at an angle of about 90° with respect to the hollowed interior of the cylindrical body. According to some embodiments, the upper flange area 132 may include a threaded port hole 140 that is oriented at an angle ranging from about 10° to about 80° with respect to the hollowed interior of the cylindrical body. For example, the upper flange area may include the threaded port hole that is oriented at an angle of about 1°, or about 10°, or about 20° or about, 30° or about, 40° or about, 50° or about, 60° or about, 70° or about, 80° or about, 90° or about, with respect to the hollowed interior of the cylindrical body, where about includes plus or minus 5°. The threaded port hole(s) 140 may be configured to threadably connect to a threaded fitting 142 that may permit a user to determine a status of a seal between the tubing head 104 and the hanger assembly 102.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the tubing head 104 includes a load shoulder 144 located along an inside surface of the tubing head 104. The load shoulder 144 has a diameter that is greater than the diameter of the inside surface of the tubing head 104. In some embodiments, the threaded port hole 140 begins from an outside surface of the tubing head 104 and ends at the load shoulder 144. Having the threaded port hole 140 leading to the load shoulder 144 may advantageously permit a user to determine if the tubing head 104 is properly forming a seal with the hanger assembly 102 by directly assessing a status of the lock ring 118, and whether hydraulic fluid is leaking.

The lock ring 118 has an annular shape having an upper end that is closest to a top end of the hanger assembly 102 and a lower end that is closest to a bottom end of the hanger assembly. The lock ring 118 has an inside surface that contacts a portion of the outside surface of the hanger assembly 102. The lock ring 118 may have an outside surface having a diameter that is greatest at the lower end of the lock ring and smallest at the upper end of the lock ring. In some embodiments, the lock ring is configured to fit within the load shoulder 144 of the tubing head 104.

As shown in FIG. 3B, when “energized” (as will be described) the lock ring 118 may compress and expand in diameter to substantially fill the space of the load shoulder 144, thereby forming a seal between the tubing head 104 and the hanger assembly 102. The lock ring 118 may have any relative inside diameter and outside diameter to fit the disclosed purposes. The lock ring 118 may have a height ranging from about 0.1 inch to about 2 inches, or greater. For example, the lock ring 118 may have a height of about 0.1 inch, or about 0.5 inches, or about 1 inch, or about 1.5 inches, or about 2 inches, where about includes plus or minus 0.25 inches. The lock ring 118 may have an inside diameter ranging from about 1 inch to about 10 inches. For example, the locking ring may have an inside diameter of about 1 inch, or of about 2 inches, or of about 3 inches, or of about 4 inches, or of about 5 inches, or of about 6 inches, or of about 7 inches, or of about 8 inches, or of about 9 inches, or of about 10 inches, where about includes plus or minus 0.5 inches. The lock ring 118 may have an outside diameter ranging from about 2 inches to about 11 inches. For example, the lock ring 118 may have an outside diameter of about 2 inches, or of about 3 inches, or of about 4 inches, or of about 5 inches, or of about 6 inches, or of about 7 inches, or of about 8 inches, or of about 9 inches, or of about 10 inches, or of about 11 inches, where about includes plus or minus 0.5 inches.

The lock ring 118 may be made of a polymer including a polyethylene, a polystyrene, a polyurethane, a nylon, a polypropylene, a polyethylene terephthalate, a polymethylmethacrylate, a polyacrylonitrile, a polyvinyl chloride, a polycarbonate, a silicone, a polyester, mixtures thereof, and copolymers thereof.

As discussed previously, the hanger assembly 102 includes the hydraulic press sleeve 116 (which also may be referred to as a tapered piston seal ring). The tapered piston seal ring 116 is located at the upper end of the lock ring 118. The tapered piston seal ring 116 may have an upper end that is closest to a top end of the hanger assembly 102 and a lower end that is adapted to contact the lock ring 118.

When the system is “energized,” (e.g., hydraulic pressure is applied), the tapered piston seal ring 116 is pushed towards and into contact with the lock ring 118 to compress the lock ring within the load shoulder 144, thereby substantially filling the space of the load shoulder to form a seal between the tubing head 104 and the hanger assembly 102.

The tapered piston seal ring 116 may have any relative inside diameter and outside diameter to fit the disclosed purposes. The tapered piston seal ring 116 may have a height ranging from about 0.1 inch to about 6 inches, or greater. For example, the tapered piston seal ring 116 may have a height of about 0.1 inch, or about 1 inch, or about 2 inches, or about 4 inches, or about 6 inches, where about includes plus or minus 1 inch. The tapered piston seal ring 116 may have an inside diameter ranging from about 1 inch to about 10 inches. For example, the tapered piston seal ring 116 may have an inside diameter of about 1 inch, or of about 2 inches, or of about 3 inches, or of about 4 inches, or of about 5 inches, or of about 6 inches, or of about 7 inches, or of about 8 inches, or of about 9 inches, or of about 10 inches, where about includes plus or minus 1 inches. The tapered piston seal ring 116 may have an outside diameter ranging from about 2 inches to about 11 inches. For example, the tapered piston seal ring 118 may have an outside diameter of about 2 inches, or of about 3 inches, or of about 4 inches, or of about 5 inches, or of about 6 inches, or of about 7 inches, or of about 8 inches, or of about 9 inches, or of about 10 inches, or about 11 inches, where about includes plus or minus 0.5 inches.

The tapered piston seal ring 116 may be made of a polymer including a polyethylene, a polystyrene, a polyurethane, a nylon, a polypropylene, a polyethylene terephthalate, a polymethylmethacrylate, a polyacrylonitrile, a polyvinyl chloride, a polycarbonate, a silicone, a polyester, mixtures thereof, and copolymers thereof.

According to some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A-3B, the hanger assembly 102 may include the hydraulic top sleeve 114, which may also be referred to as a stationary seal ring. The stationary seal ring 114 has an annular shape with an upper end that is closest to the top end of the hanger assembly 102, and a lower end that seats against an upper end of the tapered piston seal ring 116. The stationary seal ring may provide for an upper seal area for the hydraulic fluid to “push against” in order for the piston seal ring 116 to move downward. The stationary seal ring 114 may also act as a retention device for the tapered piston seal ring 116, and may act as a positive stop for the top of the tapered piston seal ring.

The stationary seal ring 114 may have any relative inside diameter and outside diameter to fit the discloses purposes. The stationary seal ring 114 may have a height ranging from about 0.1 inch to about 6 inches, or greater. For example, the stationary seal ring may have a height of about 0.1 inch, or about 1 inch, or about 2 inches, or about 4 inches, or about 6 inches, where about includes plus or minus 1 inch. The stationary seal ring may have an inside diameter ranging from about 1 inch to about 10 inches. For example, the stationary seal ring may have an inside diameter of about 1 inch, or of about 2 inches, or of about 3 inches, or of about 4 inches, or of about 5 inches, or of about 6 inches, or of about 7 inches, or of about 8 inches, or of about 9 inches, or of about 10 inches, where about includes plus or minus 1 inches. The stationary seal ring may have an outside diameter ranging from about 2 inches to about 11 inches. For example, the stationary seal ring may have an outside diameter of about 2 inches, or of about 3 inches, or of about 4 inches, or of about 5 inches, or of about 6 inches, or of about 7 inches, or of about 8 inches, or of about 9 inches, or of about 10 inches, or about 11 inches, where about includes plus or minus 0.5 inches.

Further, the stationary seal ring 114 may be made of a polymer including a polyethylene, a polystyrene, a polyurethane, a nylon, a polypropylene, a polyethylene terephthalate, a polymethylmethacrylate, a polyacrylonitrile, a polyvinyl chloride, a polycarbonate, a silicone, a polyester, mixtures thereof, and copolymers thereof.

In practice, the hanger assembly 102 is landed into the tubing head 104 as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B until it rests on a load surface 146 of the tubing head. As shown, tubing string 148 is positioned within the hanger assembly 102. Upon being positioned within the tubing head 104, the hanger assembly 102 may then be actuated to engage the tubing head in a sealing arrangement by pumping hydraulic fluid to cause the tapered piston seal ring 116 to push the lock ring 118 downward into the space defined by the load shoulder 144 as further described above with respect to FIGS. 3A and B. In the depicted arrangement of FIG. 4A, in an unenergized state, the tapered piston seal ring 116 is disposed above the lock ring 118 with a tip of the tapered piston seal ring in contact with or slightly displaced from an inner surface of the lock ring. Once energized, and as shown more clearly in FIG. 4B, the tapered piston seal ring 116 is actuated downwardly (via hydraulic fluid) such that the tapered portion of the tapered piston seal ring 116 pushes the lock ring 118 into the load shoulder 144 to form the seal. In this sealing arrangement, the tapered piston seal ring 116 is positioned in a space between the inside surface of the lock ring 118 and the outside surface of the hanger assembly 102.

When it is desired to remove the hanger assembly 102 from the tubing head 104, a bleeder tool (not shown) may be attached to port 136 (see FIGS. 3A and 3B) to release pressure, thereby disengaging the lock ring 118 from its sealing position. Further, a test pump (not shown) may be attached to the port hole 140 (see FIGS. 3A and 3B) to pump pressure (e.g., 1,000 psi) further disengaging the lock ring 118. At this point, the hanger assembly 102 may be removed from the tubing head 104.

The figures and descriptions provided herein may have been simplified to illustrate aspects that are relevant for a clear understanding of the herein described devices, systems, and methods, while eliminating, for the purpose of clarity, other aspects that may be found in typical similar devices, systems, and methods. Those of ordinary skill may recognize that other elements and/or operations may be desirable and/or necessary to implement the devices, systems, and methods described herein. But because such elements and operations are well known in the art, and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the present disclosure, a discussion of such elements and operations may not be provided herein. However, the present disclosure is deemed to inherently include all such elements, variations, and modifications to the described aspects that would be known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. For example, as used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

Although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer, or section. That is, terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms, when used herein, do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Reference in the specification to “one implementation” or “an implementation” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the implementation is included in at least one implementation of the disclosure. The appearances of the phrase “in one implementation,” “in some implementations,” “in one instance,” “in some instances,” “in one case,” “in some cases,” “in one embodiment,” or “in some embodiments” in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same implementation or embodiment.

Finally, the above descriptions of the implementations of the present disclosure have been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible considering the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the present disclosure be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claims of this application. As will be understood by those familiar with the art, the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Accordingly, the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the present disclosure, which is set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A hanger assembly comprising:

a cylindrical body comprising a top end, a bottom end, an outside surface, and a bore defined therethrough forming an inside surface;

a lock ring comprising: an annular shape having an upper end that is closest to the top end of the cylindrical body and a lower end that is closest to the bottom end of the cylindrical body; an inside surface that contacts a portion of the outside surface of the cylindrical body; and an outside surface having a diameter that is greatest at the lower end and smallest at the upper end,

wherein the lock ring is configured to fit within a load shoulder of a head to form a seal;

a tapered piston seal ring disposed above the lock ring, the tapered piston seal ring comprising: an annular shape having an upper end that is closest to the top end of the cylindrical body and a lower end that partially fits into a space between the inside surface of the lock ring and the outside surface of the cylindrical body.

2. The hanger assembly of claim 1, further comprising a stationary seal having an annular shape having an upper end that is closest to the top end of the cylindrical body and a lower end that seats against the upper end of the tapered piston seal ring at a first position.

3. The hanger assembly of claim 2, wherein the tapered piston seal ring is configured to move downwardly such that the tapered piston seal ring is spaced from the stationary seal at a second position.

4. The hanger assembly of claim 1, wherein the tubing head includes a first threaded port hole extending substantially horizontally through the tubing head that terminates above the tapered piston seal ring.

5. The hanger assembly of claim 4, wherein the first threaded port hole is configured to receive hydraulic fluid.

6. The hanger assembly of claim 4, wherein the tubing head includes a second threaded port hole extending substantially angularly through the tubing head that terminates at the load shoulder.

7. The hanger assembly of claim 6, wherein the second port is configured to test the seal.

8. A wellhead assembly comprising:

a head comprising: a cylindrical body having a hollowed interior and comprising a top end, a bottom end, an outside surface, and an inside surface; and an upper flange area located at the top end of the cylindrical body and comprising: a first threaded port hole running from the outside surface to the inside surface and configured to threadably connect to a threaded fitting, wherein the first threaded port hole is oriented at an about 90° angle with respect to the hollowed interior of the cylindrical body; a second threaded port hole running from the outside surface to the inside surface and configured to threadably connect to a lockdown screw, wherein the second threaded port hole is oriented at an angle ranging from about 10° to about 80° with respect to the hollowed interior of the cylindrical body; and a load shoulder located along the inside surface of the cylindrical body and comprising a diameter that is greater than a diameter of the inside surface of the cylindrical body; and

a hanger assembly comprising: a cylindrical body comprising a top end, a bottom end, an outside surface, and a bore defined therethrough forming an inside surface; and a lock ring comprising: an annular shape having an upper end that is closest to the top end of the cylindrical body and a lower end that is closest to the bottom end of the cylindrical body; an inside surface that contacts a portion of the outside surface of the cylindrical body; and an outside surface having a diameter that is greatest the lower end and smallest at the upper end,

wherein the lock ring is configured to fit within the load shoulder of the head to form a seal; and a tapered piston seal ring disposed at the upper end of the lock ring, the tapered piston seal ring comprising: an annular shape having an upper end that is closest to the top end of the cylindrical body and a lower end that partially fits into a space between the inside surface of the lock ring and the outside surface of the cylindrical body.

9. The wellhead assembly of claim 8, further comprising a stationary seal having an annular shape having an upper end that is closest to the top end of the cylindrical body and a lower end that seats against the upper end of the tapered piston seal ring at a first position.

10. The wellhead assembly of claim 9, wherein the tapered piston seal ring is configured to move downwardly such that the tapered piston seal ring is spaced from the stationary seal at a second position.

11. The wellhead assembly of claim 8, wherein the first threaded port hole is configured to receive hydraulic fluid.

12. The wellhead assembly of claim 8, wherein the second threaded port hole is configured to test the seal.

13. A method of sealing a hanger assembly to a head, comprising:

providing a cylindrical body having a hollowed interior defining a load shoulder therein;

providing a hanger assembly having a cylindrical body, and a tapered piston seal ring and lock ring disposed below the tapered piston seal ring, the lock ring initially being spaced from the tapered piston seal ring;

landing the hanger assembly into the tubing head such that the hanger assembly rests on the load shoulder; and

actuating the tapered piston seal ring towards the lock ring to contact the lock ring and urge the lock ring to fit within the load shoulder to thereby seal the hanger assembly to the head.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the head is a tubing head, and further wherein the step of actuating comprises applying pressure through a port defined in the tubing head in a region immediately above the tapered piston seal ring.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of applying pressure comprises applying hydraulic fluid through the port defined in the tubing head.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising defining a second port through the tubing head, wherein the second port terminates at the load shoulder, wherein the second port is configured to test whether hydraulic fluid is exiting from the second port.