GB2231642A

GB2231642A - Hydraulic connector

Info

Publication number: GB2231642A
Application number: GB9005821A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Edwin Baker; Michael George Warren; David George William White
Original assignee: BP PLC; Strachan and Henshaw Ltd
Current assignee: BP PLC; 2019 S&H Ltd
Priority date: 1989-03-22
Filing date: 1990-03-15
Publication date: 1990-11-21
Also published as: NO901275L; GB9005821D0; AU5148890A; NO901275D0; GB8906604D0; BR9001339A

Abstract

A hydraulic connector suitable for subsea applications comprises a male portion 2 and a female portion 1. The male portion comprises a probe with a profiled internal chamber 13 containing a matching biassed plug 17 with a passageway 22 through it. The female portion comprises a corresponding receiver with a similarly profiled internal chamber 3 containing a similar matching biassed plug 7 with a passageway 12 through it. Several female portions may be mounted in a connector head and several male portions in a stab plate to form a connector for several hydraulic lines. Electrical connectors may be added to the assemblies. Two connector heads may be connected by an umbilical to form a flying lead. <IMAGE>

Description

HYDRAULIC CONNECTOR This invention relates to a fluid connector, and more particularly to a hydraulic connector suitable for underwater use, for example, for supplying a liquid, such as hydraulic fluid to a subsea well or other subsea equipment.

In the use of hydraulic power in subsea wells or other subsea equipment, there will generally be one or more connectors in the hydraulic fluid supply system, and it is, obviously, of crucial importance that such connectors should be fluid tight, preventing egress of hydraulic fluid or ingress of sea water. In the case of connectors which can be made up or released underwater it is also important that the connectors should be fluid tight before and after connection.

There may be a number of parts of a subsea production system which require hydraulic power to actuate them. Some may require high pressure hydraulic power and some low pressure. A single connector assembly with several hydraulic flow lines passing through it would be particularly useful to reduce the total number of connections required.

The present invention relates to a fluid connector having male and female parts which can be connected and disconnected under water and to a fluid connector assembly containing a number of such connectors.

Although the major application of the fluid connector of the present application is envisaged in its use as a hydraulic connector, it will be apparent that the same need for fluid tightness will apply to the supply of other liquids and gases and the connector is suitable for such applications.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a fluid connector comprising (1) a male part and (2) a female part, the male part comprising: (a) a probe containing an internal chamber in the form of a first cylindrical section, a second conical section of decreasing diameter and a third cylindrical section of smaller diameter than the first, the internal chamber containing, (b) a biassed plug having a rear section of diameter corresponding to the first cylindrical section, a mid-section (the shoulder) of dimensions corresponding to the conical section and a forward section (the neck) of diameter less than that of the third cylindrical section, the plug having a passageway leading from the rear face of the rear section to the shoulder, the female part comprising:: (c) a receiver containing an internal chamber in the form of a first cylindrical section, a second conical section of decreasing diameter and a third cylindrical section of smaller diameter than the first, the internal chamber containing, (d) a biassed plug having a rear section of diameter corresponding to the first cylindrical section, a mid-section (the shoulder) of dimensions corresponding to the conical section and a forward section (the neck) of diameter less than that of the third cylindrical section, the plug having a passageway leading from the rear face of the rear section to the shoulder;; the bias urging the shoulder of each plug against the conical section of each chamber in the disconnected position thereby effecting a seal, and the lengths of the necks of the plugs forcing the shoulders back against the action of the bias and away from the conical sections of the chambers in the connected position, thus forming an annular channel around the necks and shoulders of the plugs; these channels being in communication with the internal chamber in the male part through the passageway in the plug of the male part, and in communication with the internal chamber in the female part through the passageway in the plug of the female part.

Preferably the dimensions of the male and female parts are such that in the connected position a channel is left between the male and female parts which is occupied by a pressure energised seal, preferably associated with the female part.

The seal is preferably U-shaped in cross-section, most preferably it is a metallic seal.

This has the effect that, as a connection is made, displaced fluid is forced into the seal, expanding it and making the connection fluid tight.

The seal preferably has a scraper blade at the end remote from entry of the fluid. The presence of this blade protects the seal.

The plugs in both the male and female parts are preferably poppets and the bias is preferably provided by a spring.

The female part may be compliantly mounted in a backing plate, for example, by mounting it in the backing plate by means of a rounded shoulder so that the female part has some freedom of movement to cope with slight initial misalignment during connection.

The male part may be compliantly mounted in a housing attached to a stab plate so that the male part has more freedom of movement to cope with initial misalignement during connection, and thereby assist in connection and bringing the chambers in the male and female parts into communication.

This can be achieved by fitting a loosely-fitting split-collar floating ring in a groove between the male part and its housing.

Preferably the male part is also biassed towards a coaxial position in the housing. This can be achieved by fitting a resilient member, e.g. an elastomeric O-ring, in a groove between the male part and the housing.

The combination of floating split ring and resilient member gives the male part limited freedom of movement when required but applies a restoring force to the final required coaxial position.

The fluid connector may have only one male and one female part, but more commonly a number of lines will require to be connected, in which case the connector will have a corresponding number of male parts and housings and female parts mounted in the appropriate stab and backing plates.

These may be positioned in any desired configuration, for example, horizontal or vertical rows or in a circular pattern.

Thus according to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a multiple fluid connector comprising a connector head and a stabplate, the connector head comprising a plurality of female or male connector parts as hereinbefore described mounted on a backing plate, and optionally, a male or female electrical connector mounted on the backing plate, the connector head being adapted to connect with a stab plate, the stab plate comprising a plurality of corresponding male or female connector parts as hereinbefore described mounted on a plate, and optionally a female or male electrical connector mounted on the stab plate.

The female connector parts and the male connector parts may be compliantly mounted in the connector heads and stab plates as hereinbefore described.

If desired, one or more subsea electrical connectors may also be included in the structure.

The connector head preferably contains at least one guide pin and, more preferably, two, attached to the backing plate and co-operating with a slot or slots in the stab plate to ensure correct orientation of the connector head in the stab plate.

After a connection has been made, the backing and stab plates will normally require to be held together by a latching mechanism.

A suitable combined guiding and latching mechanism is described in our copending application British Patent Application No 8906605.4 The terminology becomes complicated by the fact that the female connector parts and the backing plate are preferably associated with the guide and latching pins, and the resulting structure is known as the male connector head.

The male connector parts and their associated housings are preferably mounted in what is termed the stab plate with slots for the guide end latching pins. This, overall, is regarded as a female element.

A multiple connector is particularly suitable for adaptation for use as a so-called flying lead.

A flying lead is a detachable connector which connects one module of a subsea structure to another.

In the present invention two stab plates generally form integral parts of the modules to be connected and the connector heads connected by an umbilical form the flying lead.

The connector has a low make-up force and can be designed for diver or ROV assembly. The robust design with few moving parts permits reliable multiple make/break subsea operations under full working pressure with minimal fluid loss and water entry.

The invention is illustrated with reference to Figures 1-8 of the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a single male and female part in the connected position Figure 2 is a side elevation of a male connector head Figure 3 is a front elevation of the male connector head Figure 4 is a side elevation of a female stabplate Figure 5 is a front elevation of a female stabplate Figure 6 is a side elevation of a fully engaged connector head and stabplate assembly Figure 7 is a rear elevation of the fully engaged connector head and stabplate assembly, and Figure 8 is a side elevation of a flying lead connector.

These drawings are not all to the same scale.

With reference to Figure 1, the connector comprises a female part 1 and a male part 2.

With the exception of the seal, all metal parts of the connector are fabricated from corrosion resistant Inconel 625.

Inconel 625 is a Trade Mark of Henry Wiggins and Co Ltd.

The female part 1 contains an internal chamber 3 in the form of a first cylindrical section 4, a second conical section 5 of decreasing diameter and a third cylindrical section 6 of smaller diameter than the first section 4.

The chamber 3 contains a poppet 7 having a rear section 8 corresponding to the diameter of section 4, a mid-section 9 (the shoulder) corresponding to the section 5 and a forward section 10 (the neck) of diameter less than the section 6.

The poppet 7 is biassed towards the shoulder 9 by means of a spring 11 and contains a passageway 12 leading from the rear face of its rear section 8 to the shoulder 9.

The male part 2 contains an internal chamber 13 in the form of a first cylindrical section 14, a second conical section 15 of decreasing diameter and a third cylindrical section 16 of smaller diameter than the first section 14.

The chamber 13 contains a poppet 17 having a rear section 18 corresponding to the diameter of section 14, a mid-section 19 (the shoulder) corresponding to the section 15 and a forward section 20 (the neck) of diameter less than the section 16.

The poppet 17 is biassed towards the shoulder 19 by means of a spring 21 and contains a passageway 22 leading from the rear face of its rear section 18 to the shoulder 19.

The female part 1 is compliantly mounted in a backing plate 23 by means of a rounded shoulder 35 and connected to a hydraulic line 24.

The male part 2 is compliantly mounted in a housing 25 and connected to a hydraulic line 26. The housing 25 is mounted in a stab plate 37.

The male part 2 is allowed to float in the housing 25 by means of a split-collar floating ring 27 mounted in a groove 28 in the housing 25. The male part 2 is biassed towards a coaxial position in the housing 25 by means of an elastomeric O-ring 29 mounted in a groove 30 between the housing 25 and the male part 2.

When the female part 1 and male part 2 are separate, the springs 11 and 21 force the shoulders 9 and 19 of the poppets 7 and 17 against the conical sections 5 and 15 of the passageways 3 and 13, thereby sealing the chambers 3 and 13.

When the female part 1 and male part 2 are connected, the necks 10 and 20 of the poppets 7 and 17 contact and the poppets are forced backwards in chambers 3 and 13 against the action of springs 11 and 21. This lifts the shoulders 9 and 19 of the poppets 7 and 17 off the conical sections 5 and 15 of the chambers 3 and 13, thereby opening the chambers.

Fluid can then pass from line 24 to line 26 via chamber 3, passageway 12, the annulus formed between neck 10 and section 6, the annulus formed between neck 20 and section 16, passageway 22 and chamber 13.

When female part 1 and male part 2 are connected, a gap 31 forming an annulus 32 is left between them. A pressure energised seal 33 is located in the annulus 32. The seal 33 is of U-shaped cross-section. The material of construction is Nimonic metal. The seal is fitted with a scraper ring 34. The seal 33 is fixed to a retaining ring 36 threaded onto the female part 1. As female part 1 and male part 2 move together, displaced fluid is forced from the narrowing gap 31 into annulus 32, thereby energising the seal 33 and forcing it against the female part 1 and the male part 2.

With reference to Figures 2-8, the male connector head shown in Figures 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8 comprises eight female connector parts 41 as hereinbefore described and one four-pin male underwater mateable conductive electrical connector Size 22, 42 manufactured by Tronic Ltd, Ulverston, Cumbria, mounted in a backing plate 43.

Hydraulic lines 44 from each part 41 and an electrical cable 45 from electrical connector 42 converge towards the rear plate 46 and emerge from a collar 47 in the form of an umbilical 48.

The male connector head also contains two guide pins 49 fitted with latches 50 which are operated by push-pull rods 51 actuated by an ROV.

The male connector head is surrounded by a cover 52 on which is mounted a utility connector mandrel 53 for linking to an ROV.

The female stabplate shown in Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 comprises eight male connector parts 54 as hereinbefore described connected to hydraulic lines 60 and one four-pin underwater mateable conductive female electrical connector Size 22, 55 mounted in a plate 56 as part of a subsea module 57. The connector 55 is connected to an eletric cable, not shown.

The stabplate also contains two slots 58 for the guide pins 49 and further slots 59 for the latches 50 of the guide pins 49.

The connector has a low make up force and is designed for diver or ROV operation.

Claims

Claims:

1. A fluid connector comprising (1) a male part and (2) a female part, the male part comprising: (a) a probe containing an internal chamber in the form of a first cylindrical section, a second conical section of decreasing diameter and a third cylindrical section of smaller diameter than the first, the internal chamber containing, (b) a biassed plug having a rear section of diameter corresponding to the first cylindrical section, a mid-section (the shoulder) of dimensions corresponding to the conical section and a forward section (the neck) of diameter less than that of the third cylindrical section, the plug having a passageway leading from the rear face of the rear section to the shoulder, the female part comprising:: (c) a receiver containing an internal chamber in the form of a first cylindrical section, a second conical section of decreasing diameter and a third cylindrical section of smaller diameter than the first, the internal chamber containing, (d) a biassed plug having a rear section of diameter corresponding to the first cylindrical section, a mid-section (the shoulder) of dimensions corresponding to the conical section and a forward section (the neck) of diameter less than that of the third cylindrical section, the plug having a passageway leading from the rear face of the rear section to the shoulder;; the bias urging the shoulder of each plug against the conical section of each chamber in the disconnected position thereby effecting a seal, and the lengths of the necks of the plugs forcing the shoulders back against the action of the bias and away from the conical sections of the chambers in the connected position, thus forming an annular channel around the necks and shoulders of the plugs; these channels being in communication with the internal chamber in the male part through the passageway in the plug of the male part, and in communication with the internal chamber in the female part through the passageway in the plug of the female part.

2. A fluid connector according to claim 1 wherein the dimensions of the male and female parts are such that in the connected position a channel is left between the male and female parts which is occupied by a pressure energised seal.

3. A fluid connector according to claim 2 wherein the seal is associated with the female part.

4. A fluid connector according to either of claims 2 or 3 wherein the seal is U-shaped in cross-section.

5. A fluid connector according to any of claims 2 to 4 wherein the seal is a metallic seal.

6. A fluid connector according to any of claims 2 to 5 wherein the seal has a scraper blade at the end remote from entry of the fluid.

7. A fluid connector according to any of the preceeding claims wherein the female part is compliantly mounted in a backing plate.

8. A fluid connector according to claim 7 wherein the compliant mounting is achieved by mounting the female part in the backing plate by means of a rounded shoulder.

9. A fluid connector according to any of the preceeding claims wherein the male part is compliantly mounted in a housing attached to a stab plate.

10. A fluid connector according to claim 9 wherein compliant mounting is achieved by fitting a loosely-fitting split-collar floating ring in a groove between the male part and its housing.

11. A fluid connector according to either of claims 9 or 10 wherein the male part is biassed towards a coaxial position in the housing.

12. A fluid connector according to claim 11 wherein biassing is achieved by fitting a resilient member in a groove between the receptacle and the housing.

13. A multiple fluid connector comprising a connector head and a stabplate, the connector head comprising a plurality of female or male connector parts according to any of claims 1 to 12 mounted on a backing plate, the connector head being adapted to co-operate with a stab plate, the stab plate comprising a plurality of male or female connector parts according to any of claims 1 to 12 mounted on a plate.

14. A multiple fluid connector according to claim 13 comprising a male or female electrical connector mounted on the backing plate and a female or male electrical connector mounted on the stab plate.

15. A multiple fluid connector according to either of claims 13 or 14 wherein the connector head contains at least one guide pin attached to the backing plate and co-operating with a slot or slots in the stab plate to ensure correct orientation of the connector head in the stab plate.

16. A multiple fluid connector according to claim 15 wherein the guide pin incorporates a latching mechanism.

17. A flying lead connector comprising two connector heads according to any of claims 13 to 16 connected by an umbilical.

18. A fluid connector according to claim 1 as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

19. A connector head and stab plate as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 2 to 7 of the accompanying drawings.

20. A flying lead as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 8 of the accompanying drawings.