JPH0323796B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a flow line connector that connects oil transmission pipe devices, ie, flow lines, for transmitting oil or gas produced in an underwater or offshore oil field.

U.S. Patent No. 3052299 discloses a telescopic connection device as a connection device between submarine flow lines.
Described in No. 3233666. This connection device uses a sealing ring for sealing the telescopic joint. This seal is not durable as a metal-to-metal seal, is not remotely actuable, and cannot lock into a sealing position independent of telescoping motion.

Another example of a remotely operable extendable flowline connector is described in US Pat. No. 3,732,923, which does not use remotely operable individually actuated metal-to-metal seals. U.S. patent for stem or valve protector with bellows-type extendable member
Described in No. 3128078.

It would be a significant advantage if the subsea wellhead could be installed, removed and retrieved separately independent of the subsea flow line.

The present invention relates to a novel flow line connector,
In particular, it relates to subsea connectors between wellhead production lines and subsea flow lines.

A flowline connector in accordance with the present invention has a telescoping metal-to-metal seal device that is extendable and retractable for connection to the flowline and has a separate actuator to lock the metal-to-metal seal device after the remote control connection is completed.

In accordance with the present invention, a new flowline connector is provided having a secure, independently actuated, metal-to-metal seal for connection between a subsea wellhead and a subsea flowline.

According to the present invention, a new connector is provided,
Remotely connect the subsea well head to the subsea flow line and remotely activate and lock the metal-to-metal seal.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Illustrative embodiments and drawings will be described to clarify objects and advantages of the present invention.

A flow line connector 10 according to the present invention, shown in FIG. . The draw-in housing 18 is mounted on a support device 20, and the upper part of the wellhead 14, which includes the oil feed pipe 12 and the connector 10, is bent so that the oil feed pipe 12 and the connector 10 are coaxial with the bottom oil feed pipe 16.

Flowline connector 10 includes a telescoping closure device 22 and a remotely operated collect connector 24 in accordance with the present invention. This structure provides a remote connection between the wellhead flow line 12 and the submerged bottom flow line 16, with a positive metal-to-metal seal latch device 26 holding the closure device 22 in the closed position.

The flow line 12 has a segmented flange 28
and is connected to the actuator support flange 30 by studs 32 and nuts 34. The segmented flange 36 of the flow tube 38 is attached to the opposite side of the support flange 30 with studs 40 and nuts 4.
Connect by 1. Passage 4 of support flange 30
2 provides communication between the flow line 12 and the flow tube 38. Actuator 44 is attached to flange 30 and provides extension and retraction of member 48 by means of an arm 45 secured to flange 46 of member 48. Holes 50, 52 formed in member 48 slidably engage flow tube 38. Member 48
A collect flange 54 on the opposite side can be connected to a collect flange 56 of the bottom flow line 16, as will be described in detail later.

The collect connector 24 is similar to the collect connector described in the Oil Field Equipment and Service General Catalog 1976-77 published by World Oil, and includes a lock segment 58, a cam 60, a cam actuator 62, and a flange. 46. In response to movement of cam 60, locking segment 58 engages actuator 44.
The collet flanges 54 and 56 are fixed in the extended state.

After securing the collet flanges 54, 56, the telescopic sealing device 22 is actuated as described below to seal the seal ring 68 between the member 48 and the flow tube 3.
8. As shown in FIG. 2A, each seal ring 68 has a base ring 70 and a flange 72. Spretzder ring 74
is inserted between the flanges 72 so that the flanges 72 of the seal ring 68 sealingly engage the surface 76 of the member 48 and the outer surface of the tube 38, respectively. Spretzter ring 74 screws onto member 48. A seal cap 77 supporting seal ring 68 closely surrounds flow tube 38 and is slidable thereon. Plate 78 is secured to seal cap 77 by screws 80 to keep seal ring 68 in place. Seal cap 7 by screw 82
7 is fixed to the sleeve 84. A sleeve 84 is slidable over the outer surface of the tube 38 engaging portion of member 48 . A step is provided on the outer surface of member 48 to form surfaces 86,8.
Form 8,90. Ring 92 is threaded onto the outer surface of member 48 to seal the inner surface of sleeve 84 and the outer surface 86 of member 48. A seal is provided between the inner surface 94 and the surface 88 of the intermediate portion of the sleeve 84 so that the member 4
A seal is provided between the outer surface 90 of 8 and the sleeve 84. Port 98 shown in FIG.
The port 1 is connected to the sleeve 84 at a position between
00 is in communication with sleeve 84 at a location between surfaces 88 and 90. The annular piston 102 is attached to the sleeve 84
within the recess 104 between the surface 106 of and the inner surface 108 of the sleeve 110. Sleeve 110 screws onto sleeve 84. The inner surface of the sleeve 110 is stepped to form surfaces 112 and 114. A stepped portion is provided on the piston 102 so that both surfaces 112, 114
providing a seal against surface 106 of sleeve 84;
A seal is provided between the piston 102 and the piston 102. The inner surface 116 of the piston 102 is tapered to cooperate with a locking pin 118 within a window 120 of the sleeve 84. When piston 102 moves toward flange 46 of member 48, pin 118 engages surface 9 of member 48.
0, the sleeve 84 engages with the recess 122 of the member 4.
Prevent movement against 8. A port 124 shown in FIG. 2A communicates with the recess 104 on the left side of the piston 102 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and a port 126 shown in FIG. 2A communicates between the seal to face 112 and the seal to face 106. . A bellows 128 that protects the outer surface of the tube 38 is secured around the tube 38 near the flange 36, and the other end of the bellows is secured to the seal cap 77.

When member 48 is in the position shown in FIG. 2 on tube 38, flange 54 is spaced apart from flange 56 of flowline 16. When a connection is to be made, pressure is applied to port 100 shown in Figure 3A to maintain seal ring 68 in a non-contact position;
Pressure is supplied to port 124 to maintain piston 102 in the retracted position. When pressure is supplied to port 124, pressure acts on the annular portion between surfaces 112 and 114,
Move the piston 102 to the left. In the position shown in FIG. 2A, arm 66 of actuator 62 is extended to move cam 60 to the left and maintain segment 58 in the released position.

Production flow line 12 and oil supply flow line 16
To make a connection between the actuator 44 and the flange 56, the actuator 44 is energized to the extended position, moving the member 48 outwardly and bringing the flange 54 into contact with the flange 56. energizing actuator 62 to retract arm 66 and move cam 60 along segment 58;
Segment 58 is attached to flange 5 as shown in FIG.
Clamp engage the shoulders of 4 and 56.

To position sealing device 22, pressure is applied to port 98 to act on the annular surface between surfaces 86, 88 to move sleeve 84 to the right relative to member 48. This movement causes the seal ring 6 to
8 engages with the spreader ring 74 and flange 7
2 to create a firm metal-to-metal seal engagement with the outer surface of tube 38 and the inner surface of member 48. Separate energization of sealing device 22 provides a reliable metal-to-metal seal. To lock sealing device 22 in the sealing position, pressure is applied to port 102 to move piston 102 to the right, engaging pin 118 in recess 122 so that sleeve 84 locks into member 48.
prevent it from moving to the release position.

To release sealing device 22, pressure is first applied to port 124 to retract piston 102, and then pressure is applied to port 100 to move sleeve 84 to the left relative to member 48. This movement causes seal ring 68 to separate from spreader ring 74. When member 48 is to be retracted from engagement with line 16, pressure is applied to port 124 to cause actuator 62 to engage cam 60 against the left end of segment 58 such that movement of the cam causes segment 58 to flange. 54 and 56 are released from engagement with the shoulders. Next, actuator 44
The member 48 can be retracted by.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a view showing the underwater well head, the underwater flow line, and the connector according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing the released position of the flow line connector in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2A is a part of FIG. 2. Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the connection position of the connector.
FIG. 3A is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of FIG. 3. 10...Flow line connector, 12, 16...
...Flow line, 14...Well head, 22...
... Telescope seal device, 24 ... Collet connector, 38 ... Flow tube, 44, 62 ...
... Actuator, 54, 56 ... Collet flange, 58 ... Lock segment, 68 ... Seal ring, 74 ... Spreader ring, 84,
110...sleeve, 102...piston.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A flow tube 38 that is a flow line connector that connects substantially fixed and spaced apart flow lines 12 and 16 facing the same axis, and that has a device for connecting to one of the flow lines; A connector member 2 having a collet flange 54 slidably mounted around the flow tube and engaging a collet flange 56 of the other flow line.
4, a device 44 for extending and retracting the connector member relative to the flow tube 38; and a device 44 for extending and retracting the connector member 24 into the flow tube 38; a device 58 remotely connected to the collect flange 56 of the flow line;
60, 62, and a metal seal ring 6 for sealing between the flow tube 38 and the connector member 24.
8 and a pressure responsive device 84 for releasably moving the sealing ring to the sealing position. 2. The flow line connector of claim 1, further comprising means for releasably locking said pressure responsive device in a sealed position. 3. The flow line connector according to claim 1, further comprising an extendable sealing device connected between the flow tube and the connector member near the one flow line connecting device. 4. The extendable sealing device comprises an extendable bellows surrounding the flowtube, a device for securing one end of the bellows to the flowtube, and a device for securing the other end of the bellows to a connector member. Flow line connector described in Section 3. 5. The seal ring has a base ring and two flanges extending substantially axially from an inner and outer periphery of the base ring, and enters between the flanges and seals the flanges when the pressure responsive device is actuated. A flow line connector according to claim 1, further comprising a spreader ring for pressing the flow line connector into position. 6 comprising a second flow tube, the connector member attached to slidably surround both flow tubes, and a second metal seal ring for sealing between the second flow tube and the connector member, The flow line connector of claim 1, wherein the pressure responsive device also moves the second seal ring to a releasably sealed position. 7. A production string that ends near the seabed, a support device that is supported on the seabed and surrounds the production string, a production flow line that extends from the production string, a flow tube that is connected to the end of the production flow line, and a system that allows the flow tube to slide. a connector member surrounding the flow tube, a device for extending and retracting the connector member with respect to the flow tube, and a device for remotely controlling the flange of the connector member to the flange of the other flow line after the connector member extends and contacts the other flow line. a metal seal ring for sealing between the flowtube and the connector member, and a pressure responsive device for releasably moving the seal ring to a sealing position. 8. The submarine wellhead device according to claim 7, wherein the flange is a collect flange. 9. The submarine well head apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an extendable sealing device connected between the production flow line connecting portion of the flow tube and the connector member. 10. Claim 9, wherein the extendable sealing device comprises an extendable bellows surrounding the flowtube, a device for securing one end of the bellows to the flowtube, and a device for securing the other end of the bellows to a connector member. The subsea wellhead device described in Section 1. 11 the pressure responsive device comprises a second flowtube, the connector member slidably surrounding both flowtubes, and a second seal ring sealing between the second flowtube and the connector member; 8. The submarine well head device according to claim 7, wherein the second seal ring is also moved to the sealing position. 12. The submarine wellhead apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising an extendable sealing device for sealing between the connector member and both flow tubes. 13. The extendable seal device includes two extendable bellows each surrounding one flow tube, a device for securing one end of each bellows to the respective flow tube, and the other ends of both bellows to a connector member. Claim 1 comprising a fixing device.
Submarine wellhead device according to item 2.