Patent Application
20250129685
An “other end connection” (OEC) is a term commonly used in the oil and gas industry to refer to connections (e.g., connection make-ups, sizes, etc.) that are not specified in the API (American Petroleum Institute) or ISO (International Standards Organization) standards. OECs are often used to join pressure-containing or pressure-controlling equipment, such as wellhead inner housing assemblies. A rotating control device (RCD) is an example of a frequently used application of an OEC.
RCDs are used to contain and redirect annular flow of fluids through a well. An RCD is typically positioned at the top of a blowout preventer (BOP). When installed, the RCD seals around a rotating drill pipe. One or more controlled flowlines may be provided below the seal, through which fluids from the well may be diverted.
Due to the stresses and/or harsh environments RCD sealing elements are exposed to, the sealing elements may be replaced from time to time. Additionally, other operational considerations may necessitate removal and/or disassembly of an RCD. However, due to the functional requirements of an RCD (e.g., being fixedly mounted to other well equipment and maintaining a seal with drill pipe as it is lowered into and rotated in a well), disassembly of the RCD is typically complex and burdensome.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.
In one aspect, embodiments disclosed herein relate to other end connections that include an inner housing assembly. The inner housing assembly includes an upper housing and a coupling assembly. The coupling assembly includes a threaded sleeve positioned around the upper housing, the threaded sleeve having a first set of threads on a first axial end and a second set of threads on a second axial end. The coupling assembly also includes a threaded ring threaded to the threaded sleeve and positioned radially between the threaded sleeve and the upper housing.
In another aspect, embodiments disclosed herein methods for joining housing components that includes assembling an other end connection between the housing components. The other end connection may be assembled by assembling an upper housing axially adjacent to a lower housing to form an inner housing assembly, threading a first axial end of a threaded sleeve around an upper axial end of the lower housing, and threadedly connecting a threaded ring radially between a second axial end of the threaded sleeve and the upper housing. As the threaded ring is moved to thread ably connect the threaded ring radially between the threaded sleeve and the upper housing, the threaded ring is contacted against a protruding feature along a lower axial end of the upper housing. A backout prevention screw may be inserted through the threaded ring to contact the upper housing.
In yet another aspect, embodiments disclosed herein relate to methods of joining housing components that include assembling an other end connection, installing a packer assembly within the other end connection, and placing the other end connection comprising the packer assembly inside an outer housing. The other end connection may include an inner housing assembly of an upper housing and a lower housing and a coupling assembly including a threaded sleeve and a threaded split ring.
Other aspects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims.
Wherever possible, like or identical reference numerals are used in the figures to identify common or the same elements. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and certain features and certain views of the figures may be shown exaggerated in scale for purposes of clarification.
Embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to other end connections (OEC) and methods of their assembly and disassembly.
Examples of an OEC according to embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to their use in RCDs. However, OECs according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be used for other housing connections and applications.
Traditional standardized flanges and/or clamps (e.g., designed according to API or ISO standards) are commonly used with OECs (such as in RCDs) due to their reliability and standardization. However, these connection systems may be slow and/or cumbersome to makeup, may use high torques, and may be difficult to handle. By using OECs according to embodiments of the present disclosure, a housing connection may be quickly assembled and disassembled (e.g., for repair) without sacrificing pressure control.
The inner housing assembly may be any inner housing assembly on any tubular body requiring a coupling connection. For example, the inner housing assembly may be piping, tubing, casing, flexible tubing, coiled tubing, and the like. In one or more embodiments, the opposite axial ends of the inner housing assembly 202 may be mounted to other components, integrally formed with equipment, mounted inside equipment, or otherwise integrated with different equipment, depending on the application in which the OEC 200 is being used.
The OEC 200 also includes a coupling assembly 208 which includes a threaded sleeve 210 and a threaded ring. The threaded ring may be a threaded split ring 212 split in two segments (having two split joints when assembled together) or may be split in more than two segments. When the threaded split ring 212 segments are assembled together, the threaded split ring 212 has a generally tubular shape. Further, when the threaded split ring 212 segments are assembled together, the threaded split ring 212 may have an inner diameter that corresponds with an outer diameter of the inner housing assembly 202, such that the threaded split ring 212 fits around an outer surface of the inner housing assembly 202. For example, as best seen in
In one or more embodiments, the upper housing 204 may further include a stepped outer profile, where a step or other protruding feature may define an increased outer diameter of the upper housing 204. For example, as shown in
The threaded split ring 212 may be threaded concentrically within the threaded sleeve 210, such that the threaded split ring 212 partially axially overlaps with the threaded sleeve 210. For example, as shown in the embodiment in
The OEC 200 may be assembled by threading the threaded sleeve to the lower housing 206 and axially stacking the upper housing 204 and lower housing 206, such that the lower axial end 216 of the upper housing 204 is axially adjacent the upper axial end 218 of the lower housing 206. Depending on the shape and size of the upper housing 204, the threaded sleeve 210 may be threaded to the lower housing 206 prior to axially stacking the upper and lower housings 204, 206, or the threaded sleeve 210 may be slid around the upper housing 204 and threaded to the lower housing 206 after axially stacking. For example, an upper housing 204 may have an upper axial end (e.g., which may be a second connection end or other component element, depending on the end use of the OEC 200) with an outer diameter greater than the inner diameter of the threaded sleeve 210. In such embodiments, where the threaded sleeve 210 would not fit around the upper axial end of the upper housing 204, the threaded sleeve 210 may be threaded to the lower housing 206, and then the upper housing 204 may be inserted through the threaded sleeve 210 to be positioned axially adjacent the lower housing 206.
In the embodiment shown, the lower housing 206 includes a protrusion 209, having an outer diameter greater than the upper axial end 218 of the lower housing 206, which may act as an axial stopper preventing the threaded sleeve 210 from being threaded past an axial position along the lower housing 206. The threaded sleeve 210 may be threaded to the upper axial end 218 of the lower housing 206 until a lower surface of the threaded sleeve 210 abuts the protrusion 209.
Keeping with
Keeping with
The threaded split ring 212 may also include one or more backout prevention screws 214 disposed in the threaded split ring 212 to prevent unintentional retraction of the OEC 200. For example, in the embodiment shown, after the threaded split ring 212 is installed between the threaded sleeve 210 and upper housing 204, a backout prevention screw 214 may be screwed into a through-hole formed through the thickness of the threaded split ring 212 until the backout prevention screw 214 contacts (and in some cases, partially indents into) the upper housing 204.
The upper and lower housings may include any body requiring a fluid coupling connection. For example, the upper and lower housings may be piping, tubing, casing, flexible tubing, coiled tubing, and the like. In one or more embodiments, the opposite axial ends of the upper housing 304 and the lower housing 302 may be mounted to other components, integrally formed with equipment, mounted inside equipment, or otherwise integrated with different equipment, depending on the application in which the OEC 300 is being used.
The OEC 300 also includes a threaded ring, which may be a threaded split ring 308 split in two segments (having two split joints around the circumference of the ring when assembled together) or may be split in more than two segments. When the threaded split ring 308 segments are assembled together, the threaded split ring 308 has a generally tubular shape. Further, when the threaded split ring 308 segments are assembled together, the threaded split ring 308 may have an inner diameter that corresponds with an outer diameter of the upper housing 304, such that the threaded split ring 308 fits around an outer surface of the upper housing 304. For example, as best seen in
In one or more embodiments, the upper housing 304 may further include a stepped outer profile, where one or more steps or other protruding features may define an increased outer diameter of at least one section of the upper housing 304. For example, as shown in
As shown in the embodiment in
As best shown in
The embodiment shown in
The threaded ring may be a threaded split ring 608 split in two segments (having two split joints when assembled together) or may be split in more than two segments. When the threaded split ring 608 segments are assembled together, the threaded split ring 608 has a generally annular shape. Further, when the threaded split ring 608 segments are assembled together, the threaded split ring 608 may have an inner diameter that corresponds with an outer diameter of the housing 602, such that the threaded split ring 608 fits around a first outer surface 606 of the housing 602. When the segments of the threaded split ring 608 are assembled together around the housing 602, the threaded split ring 608 has an inner surface that interfaces with the first outer surface 606 of the housing 602.
In one or more embodiments, the housing 602 may further include a stepped outer profile, where one or more steps or other protruding features may define an increased outer diameter of at least one section of the housing 602. For example, the housing 602 of
The threaded sleeve assembly 610 has an annular body, where a set of threads 612 are formed on an inner surface of the annular body to threadedly connect to a set of threads 612 formed on the threaded split ring 608, such that the threaded split ring 608 may be threaded concentrically within the threaded sleeve assembly 610, and such that the threaded split ring 608 partially axially overlaps with the threaded sleeve assembly 610. The threaded sleeve assembly 610 may also optionally have a second set of threads formed on an inner surface of the annular body to threadedly connect to a second set of threads formed on a lower section of the housing 602.
The OEC 600 may be assembled by axially stacking the housing 602 and the threaded sleeve assembly 610, such that a lower axial end of the housing 602 is axially adjacent to lower section of the threaded sleeve assembly 610, and such that the lower axial end of the housing 602 interfaces with the lower step 604 of the threaded sleeve assembly. The threaded split ring 608 may be stacked on the upper step 614 of the housing 602, abutting the first outer surface 606 of the housing 602. The threaded split ring 608 may be threaded to the set of threads 612 on the threaded sleeve assembly 610, for example, by positioning segments of the threaded split ring 608 around the housing 302 and rotating the segments as the threaded split ring 608 is moved axially toward the upper step 614 to thread the threaded split ring 608 concentrically between the threaded sleeve assembly 610 and the housing 602. The threaded split ring 608 may be threaded within the threaded sleeve assembly 610, between the threaded sleeve assembly 610 and the housing 602, until the threaded split ring 608 lands on the upper step 614 of the housing 602.
The embodiment shown in
The outer housing 402 of the RCD 400 is generally a stator, or stationary member. The outer housing 402 of one or more embodiments may be any suitable outer housing known to the art. For example, the outer housing assembly may be a generally tubular body, such as formed of piping, tubing, flanges, and the like.
The outer housing 402 extends axially around the rotor assembly, or rotating components, including the OEC and the packer assembly 408. The OEC includes an inner housing assembly 202, a threaded sleeve 210, and a threaded split ring 212, such as described above with respect to
The OEC is rotatably mounted within the outer housing 402 using one or more bearing assemblies, for example an upper bearing assembly 404 and a lower bearing assembly 406. The packer assembly 408 is connected to and held within the inner housing assembly 202 of the OEC, such that the packer assembly 408 may rotate with the OEC within the outer housing 402.
In one or more embodiments, the packer assembly 408 may be assembled within the OEC by assembling the OEC around the packer assembly 408 using one or more OEC assembly methods described herein. For example, the upper housing 204 may be positioned around an upper end of the packer assembly 408, the lower housing 206 may be positioned around a lower end of the packer assembly 408, the threaded sleeve 210 may be threaded to the upper axial end of the lower housing 206, and the threaded split ring 212 may be threaded between the threaded sleeve 210 and the upper housing 204 to secure the OEC around the packer assembly 408.
The packer assembly 408 of one or more embodiments may be any suitable packer assembly known to the art. For example, the packer assembly may be a retrievable tension packer, a retrievable compression packer with bypass, a retrievable tension/compression set-versatile landing, a retrievable hydraulic-set single string packer, a dual-string packer, a permanent sealbore packer, a retrievable sealbore packer, and the like. In the embodiment shown, the packer assembly 408 includes a packer sleeve 409 mounted at axial ends to a sleeve mount 411. One or more energizing pressure openings 414 formed between the sleeve mount 411 fluidly connect a fluid source to an area around the packer sleeve 409, where fluid may be injected to apply pressure to and energize the packer sleeve 409. The packer sleeve 409 may be energized in a radially inward direction in order to maintain a seal between the inner surface of the packer sleeve 409 and a pipe string (not shown) as it moves through the RCD 400. With the packer assembly 408 sealed to a pipe string, the packer assembly 408 and the OEC may rotate together with the pipe string (e.g., a drill string) as the pipe string is rotated for a well operation (e.g., during a drilling operation).
In
In one or more embodiments, a packer assembly may be installed within an OED according to embodiments of the present disclosure by following the steps shown and/or described in
While
Additionally, components used to make up an OEC according to embodiments of the present disclosure (e.g., including an upper housing, lower housing, threaded split ring, threaded sleeve, and any rotation locks such as a housing anti-rotation key and/or backout prevention screw) may be made of metal. For example, components forming an OEC may be made of one or more of a low-alloy steel, martensitic steel, stainless steel (e.g., austenitic stainless steel), Inconel (nickel-chrome-based super alloys), Hastelloy (nickel-molybdenum based alloys), titanium alloy, and/or other corrosion resistant alloy (CRA). All components of an OEC may be made of the same alloy, or one or more components of an OEC may be made of different alloys. By forming all components of an OECs from one or more alloys, the components may be easily manufactured (e.g., by casting and/or machining), tailored to specific requirements of the application in which the OEC is to be used (e.g., corrosion resistance), and able to withstand difficult environmental conditions common to the oil and gas industry.
While the disclosure includes a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art, having benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other embodiments may be devised which do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the scope should be limited only by the attached claims.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63591207 | Oct 2023 | US |
