A high-pressure connection in a conduit or enclosure utilizing a bidirectional, pressure-energized seal. Male and female flanges are provided, where one of the flanges has a recess that accommodates a seal ring. The outer peripheries of the two flanges' sealing surfaces are in contact with each so that clamping, bolting and bending stresses are not borne by the seal ring. The seal ring has a cross-section that includes a solid body and two V shaped sealing portions that extend from the body at an angle between 90 and 160 degrees. Each sealing portion has a set of opposing sealing faces with a cavity between them, so that fluid pressure within the cavity urges the sealing faces outward from the first cavity toward the flanges.
F16L 21/02 - Joints with sleeve or socket with elastic sealing rings between pipe and sleeve or between pipe and socket, e.g. with rolling or other prefabricated profiled rings
2.
Swivel misalignment coupling for connecting conduit sections
A swivel misalignment coupling for connecting pipe sections in a high-pressure conduit. In one embodiment, the coupling is a three-bolt coupling having a female coupling member, a male coupling member, and a swiveling collar member. The male and female coupling members have contact surfaces that are spherical to enable sealing contact between them. A seal ring may be positioned between the contact surfaces to ensure a good seal. The collar swivels around the male coupling member to facilitate fastening of the collar to the female coupling member, which holds the male and female coupling members in sealing engagement. Recesses may be positioned radially inward from the attachment points (e.g., bolt holes) of the female coupling member to reduce stress and potential deformation of the contact surface.
F16L 27/00 - Adjustable jointsJoints allowing movement
F16L 27/053 - Universal joints, i.e. with mechanical connection allowing angular movement or adjustment of the axes of the parts in any direction with partly-spherical engaging surfaces held in place by bolts passing through flanges
F16L 27/08 - Adjustable jointsJoints allowing movement allowing adjustment or movement only about the axis of one pipe
Lifting devices for use with drilling risers, where the lifting devices have a plurality of segments, some of which are hinged to facilitate handling and provide multiple shear points between the hinged segments. One embodiment comprises a lifting device for a drilling riser, where the device includes a collar and a lifting lug. The collar has a cylindrical ring with one or more annular ribs connected to corresponding circular edges of the ring. The lifting lug is connected to the collar and the ribs. The collar has a plurality of segments, and at least a first one of the segments is pivotally connected to another one of the segments by a hinge. Each rib may taper smoothly from a smaller thickness at a top edge of the rib to a greater thickness at a base of the rib.
Systems for lifting drilling risers that serve as thrust collars to retain buoyancy modules on the risers and also enable the risers to be lifted using lifting lugs that are attached to the thrust collars. In one embodiment, a lifting device uses two annular ribs at the edges of a cylindrical collar, wherein the ribs have substantially constant height, but varying thickness. The thickness of each rib is greater at the position of the lifting lug, and may also be greater at its base than that its top or outermost edge. The collar may be segmented, where the segments are bolted together to assemble the device around the riser. The segments may be pre-stressed to reduce stresses during lifting. The device may include an elastomeric layer on its inner surface.
Systems and methods for separating sand and other solids from oil and other fluids produced from a well. The present systems and methods introduce the fluids at relatively high speed into a generally cylindrical separation chamber. The fluids flow in a generally circular path within the chamber, causing the solids and higher density fluid / media to be urged outward from the axis of the chamber as the fluids flow from the upper portion of the chamber. Because the solids become concentrated at the outer wall of the chamber, the fluid in a central portion of the chamber is substantially free of the solids, and can be removed from the chamber via a fluid outlet. The solids concentrated at the outer wall of the chamber continue to move downward into an accumulation chamber in which the fluid speed is reduced, allowing the solids to settle out of the fluid.
Systems and methods for connecting misaligned pipe sections, where two sets of variably spaced bearings enable the transfer of evenly distributed pressure from a collar member to a coupling member. One embodiment comprises a misalignment coupling that includes first and second coupling members, a collar, and two sets of bearings. The collar is positioned around the second coupling member and has a flange for coupling to a flange of the first coupling member. The bearings are positioned in an annular space between the second coupling member and the collar. The two sets of bearings have variable spacing and are interleaved, with one set contacting the collar and one set contacting the second coupling member. When the flanges are secured to each other, contact pressure is transferred from the collar through the bearings to the second coupling member, thereby applying contact pressure between the first and second coupling members.
Systems and methods for connecting misaligned pipe sections, where two sets of variably spaced bearings enable the transfer of evenly distributed pressure from a collar member to a coupling member. One embodiment comprises a misalignment coupling that includes first and second coupling members, a collar, and two sets of bearings. The collar is positioned around the second coupling member and has a flange for coupling to a flange of the first coupling member. The bearings are positioned in an annular space between the second coupling member and the collar. The two sets of bearings have variable spacing and are interleaved, with one set contacting the collar and one set contacting the second coupling member. When the flanges are secured to each other, contact pressure is transferred from the collar through the bearings to the second coupling member, thereby applying contact pressure between the first and second coupling members.
F16L 23/032 - Flanged joints the flanges being connected by members tensioned axially characterised by the shape or composition of the flanges
F16L 23/12 - Flanged joints specially adapted for particular pipes
F16C 19/10 - Bearings with rolling contact, for exclusively rotary movement with bearing balls essentially of the same size in one or more circular rows for axial load mainly
F16C 19/54 - Systems consisting of a plurality of bearings with rolling friction
40 - Treatment of materials; recycling, air and water treatment,
42 - Scientific, technological and industrial services, research and design
Goods & Services
(1) Forging of metal goods to the order and specification of others; metal heat treating services; machine shop services, namely machining parts for others; welding services; assembly of forged metal goods, machined metal components, weldments, and heat treated metal components into sub-systems and systems for others; consulting services in the field of product design and development of forged metal goods, sub-systems and systems integration; metallurgical testing services.
9.
Systems and methods for making seals in heat exchangers
Systems and methods for improving heat exchangers by implementing self-energizing seals. In one embodiment, a U-tube heat exchanger includes a shell enclosure, a tube sheet, a closure and a set of tubes welded to the tube sheet. The tube sheet separates first and second chambers from a third chamber in the shell enclosure. The closure seals the first and second chambers. Each tube extends from the first chamber, through the third chamber to the second chamber. The improvement comprises a seal between the shell enclosure and either the closure or the tube sheet. The seal includes conically tapered sealing surfaces on the shell enclosure and closure or tube sheet which form a wedge-shaped gap. A seal ring having surfaces complementary to the sealing surfaces of the shell enclosure and closure or tube sheet is positioned between the sealing surfaces to form a self-energized seal.
A pipe connection having flange members which are configured so that the bolts which secure the two flanges of the connection together are staggered axially. One embodiment comprises a first flange member, a second flange member and a set of bolts and corresponding nuts. Each flange member has bolt holes sized to accommodate the bolts. The bolts are positioned in the bolt holes, and the nuts are tightened onto the bolts to secure the first flange member to the second flange member. Each of the bolt holes has a corresponding bolt seat against which one of the bolts' heads or nuts is seated, and the bolt seats of adjacent bolt holes are staggered axially (i.e., in the direction of an axis of symmetry through the flange members) so that each bolt's corresponding nut can be tightened without interference from the adjacent bolts or the corresponding nuts.
A pipe connection in which at least one of the flanges has a reverse hub between the outer portion of the flange and the inner portion of the flange that extends outward to form to the weld neck. The reverse hub tapers down toward the sealing face of the flange, rather than away from the face of the flange. This taper may follow a spline curve which is empirically determined to reduce stresses that are caused by rotation of the outer portion of the flange around the gasket. The reverse hub eliminates material that would be required for a positive hub and thereby reduces the weight of the flange. By reducing the stresses resulting from rotation of the outer portion of the flange around the gasket, the thickness of the flange may also be reduced, further reducing the weight of the flange.
A pipe connection in which at least one of the flanges has a reverse hub between the outer portion of the flange and the inner portion of the flange that extends outward to form to the weld neck. The reverse hub tapers down toward the sealing face of the flange, rather than away from the face of the flange. This taper may follow a spline curve which is empirically determined to reduce stresses that are caused by rotation of the outer portion of the flange around the gasket. The reverse hub eliminates material that would be required for a positive hub and thereby reduces the weight of the flange. By reducing the stresses resulting from rotation of the outer portion of the flange around the gasket, the thickness of the flange may also be reduced, further reducing the weight of the flange.
F16L 23/032 - Flanged joints the flanges being connected by members tensioned axially characterised by the shape or composition of the flanges
F16L 23/028 - Flanged joints the flanges being connected by members tensioned axially characterised by how the flanges are joined to, or form an extension of, the pipes the flanges being held against a shoulder
13.
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ACTUATING A PIPE CONNECTION
Systems and methods for actuating a pair of pipe flanges to cause the flanges to be sealingly engaged. In one embodiment, a connection includes a first flange (211), a second flange (221) and a coupling(230). The first and second flanges have complementary mating surfaces (212 and 222). The coupling engages both the first and second flanges, with the flanges oriented so that their mating surfaces face each other. The coupling movably engages the first flange to form a cavity (260) between the coupling and the flange. When fluid is forced into the cavity, expansion of the cavity moves the first mating surface toward the second mating surface. This is continued until the mating surfaces make contact and a desired amount of pressure is applied between them to create a seal. The pressure of the fluid is distributed evenly through the cavity, so the contact pressure between the mating surfaces of the flanges is also evenly distributed.
Systems and methods for coupling pipes made of dissimilar materials in applications that are subject to large variations in temperature. In one embodiment, a connection comprises a first flange made of a first material and a second flange made of a second material. Each flange is designed to be welded to a pipe of the same material. One of the flanges has a male mating surface, while the other flanges as a female mating surface. The male flange is made of the material that experiences greater expansion or less contraction when the temperature of the connection is changed from a connection temperature to an operating temperature. The female flange is made of the other material. A sealing ring having elastic properties is preferably used between the mating surfaces of the flanges.
