The present invention relates to completion systems for subsea oil and gas wells. More specifically, the invention relates to a universal interface system for the connections between the various components of the completion system and the tools which are used during installation and testing of the completion system.
Typical subsea completion systems comprise a number of permanently installed components, such as a wellhead, a tubing hanger, a tree, a tree cap, and a flowline jumper. Such systems usually also comprise a number of tools which are used temporarily during installation and testing of the completion system. These tools may include a lower riser package (“LRP”), an emergency disconnect package (“EDP”), a blowout preventor (“BOP”), and a tubing hanger running tool (“THRT”). During installation, testing, and production, these components and tools are stacked atop and connected to each other in a particular configuration.
Typically, the upper end of each of the wellhead, the tree, the EDP and the LRP comprises a hub having a specific external locking profile. In addition, the lower end of each of the tree, the EDP, the LRP, the flowline jumper and the BOP are normally equipped with a hydraulic connector for selectively engaging the external locking profile of another particular component. Furthermore, the upper end of the wellhead may include an internal profile in which the tubing hanger is landed. Moreover, in some systems the tree may include an internal profile which is adapted to receive the tree cap.
During the assembly, testing, and production phases of most common subsea systems, the various components are stacked in a particular order, such that each lower connector portion engages the upper hub portion of another particular component. Since each hub/connector interface can be designed independently, each interface is typically optimized for size, strength, and weight. Thus, the various hubs are often incompatible with all but the one connector they are specifically designed to mate with. The design of the tubing hanger/wellhead interface and the tree/tree cap interface are usually similarly customized. The result of this design philosophy is an inherent inflexibility in the installation and test procedures.
In accordance with the present invention, these and other limitations in the prior art are addressed with a subsea completion system that includes a first component which comprises a first connection interface, a second component which comprises a second connection interface, and a third component which comprises a third connection interface that is complimentary to both the first and second connection interfaces. Consequently, the third component is operatively engageable with either of the first and second components.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, each of the first and second connection interfaces comprises a locking profile and the third connection interface comprises a lock ring that is engageable with the locking profile. In another embodiment of the invention, each of the first and second connection interfaces comprises an external locking profile and the third connection interface comprises an external connector which includes a lock ring that is engageable with the locking profile.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention each of the first and second connection interfaces comprises a first sealing surface, the third connection interface comprises a second sealing surface, and the first and second sealing surfaces are engageable by a common seal. In another embodiment, each of the first and second connection interfaces comprises a production bore and the third connection interface comprises a production stab which is engageable with the production bore.
The present invention may be utilized in conjunction with a variety of subsea completion systems and installation methods, including those disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0079520 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0098321, both of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Thus. the present invention comprises a subsea completion system in which the interfaces between several of the various tools and components have been standardized in a universal configuration. Consequently, these tools and components may be selectively stacked in any desired order and configuration. The invention therefore allows for increased flexibility in the selection of installation and testing procedures, thus providing opportunities for savings in costs and time.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be made apparent from the following detailed description, with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numbers may be used to denote similar components in the various embodiments.
In accordance with the present invention, several components of a subsea completion system, and ideally also the tools which are required to install and test the completion system, are each provided with a universal connection interface on either their upper ends, their lower ends, or both their upper and lower ends. Consequently, the order in which these components are connected and installed can be tailored to the needs of a particular subsea well, and the number of tools which are required to install and test the components can be minimized. Accordingly, the present invention provides a great deal of flexibility and cost savings in the design and installation of subsea completion systems.
In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, at least two components comprise a universal lower connection interface and at least two components comprise a universal upper connection interface which is complementary to the lower connection interface. Accordingly, each of the first two components can be connected to either of the second two components. In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, at least one installation or test tool comprises a universal lower connection interface and at least two components comprise a universal upper connection interface which is complementary to the lower connection interface. As a result, the tool may be used with either or both of these two components. In the context of the present invention, the term complimentary means that the universal connection interfaces are capable of being operatively engaged with each other, such as by being connected and/or sealed to each other.
Moreover, several of the components shown in
It should be noted that, in the context of the present invention, the term universal does not necessarily mean identical. Rather, to be considered universal, the connection interfaces should have a minimum number of similar features which will enable them to operatively engage the connection interface of at least one other component. As shown in
Thus, the universal lower connection interfaces 10 for the components shown in the upper half of
In particular, the lower connection interface 10 for each of the tree and the LRP includes an external connector 14 and a production stab 16, the lower connection interface for each of the EDP and the jumper includes an external connector 14 and a production bore 18, the lower connection interface for the THRT includes a production stab 16 and a latching mechanism 20, and the lower connection interface for the tree cap includes a latching mechanism 20. Also, the upper connection interface 12 for each of the wellhead, the tree and the LRP includes an external hub profile 22 which is engageable by the external connector 14, and the upper connection interface for each of the tubing hanger, the tree and the LRP includes both an internal latching profile 24 which is engageable by the latching mechanism 16 and a production bore 26 which sealingly receives the production stab 18.
Thus, the various components shown in
Referring now to
The flow completion system 28 may now be flow tested. Of particular significance, the LRP 32 provides the necessary barriers for the production bore, and the BOP 36 provides the necessary barriers for the annulus. Thus, no need exists for either a subsea test tree (SSTT) or an open water riser, resulting in significant savings in costs and time.
Turning to
As shown more clearly in
The upper connection interface 12a includes an external locking profile 136, such as a conventional H4 hub profile, which is engaged by the lock ring 126 when the connector 122 is actuated to thereby secure the high pressure riser 114 to the SID 112. The upper connection interface 12a also comprises an upper seal groove 138 for the gasket 130, which forms a pressure tight seal between the high pressure riser 114 and the SID 112 when these components are secured together, and a sealing surface 140 for the ring seal 134.
As shown more clearly in
The upper connection interface 12b comprises several features which are similar to those of the upper connection interface 12a. Thus, the upper connection interface 12b includes an external locking profile 136, such as a conventional H4 hub profile, which is engaged by the lock ring 126 when the connector 122 is actuated to thereby secure the SID 112 to the wellhead 116. In addition, the upper connection interface 12b comprises an upper seal groove 138 for the gasket 130, which forms a pressure tight seal between the SID 112 and the wellhead 116 when these components are secured together, and a sealing surface 140 for the ring seal 134.
Referring still to
The upper connection interface 12c comprises an internal locking profile 152 which is engaged by the lock ring 146 when the latching mechanism 142 is actuated to thereby secure the THRT 120 to the tubing hanger 118. The upper connection interface 12c also includes a sealing surface 154 which is engaged by the sealing lip 150 to form a pressure tight seal between the tubing hanger production bore 156 and the THRT production bore 158.
Referring now to
As shown more clearly in
The universal upper connection interface 12d on the LRP 160 is also complimentary to the universal lower connection interface 10c on the THRT 120. Thus, the upper connection interface 12d comprises several features which are similar to those of the upper connection interface 12c for the tubing hanger 118. In this regard, the upper connection interface 12d comprises an internal locking profile 152 which is engaged by the lock ring 146 when the latching mechanism 142 is actuated to thereby secure the THRT 120 to the LRP 160. In addition, the upper connection interface 12d comprises a sealing surface 154 which is engaged by the sealing lip 150 to form a pressure tight seal between the THRT production bore 158 and the LRP production bore 164.
Referring to
The upper connection interface 12e comprises several features which are similar to those of the upper connection interfaces 12a through 12d discussed above. Thus, the upper connection interface 12e includes an external locking profile 136, such as a conventional H4 hub profile, which is engaged by the lock ring 126 when the connector 122 is actuated to thereby secure the LRP 162 to the tree 162. In addition, the upper connection interface 12e comprises an upper seal groove 138 for the gasket 130, which forms a pressure tight seal between the LRP 160 and the tree 162, and a sealing surface 140 for the ring seal 134. Additionally, the upper connection interface 12d comprises a sealing surface 154 which is engaged by the sealing lip 150 to form a pressure tight seal between the LRP production bore 164 and the tree production bore 166.
In order to enable THRT 120 to connect to the tree 162, the upper connection interface 12e may also include an internal locking profile 152 which is similar to those of the upper connection interfaces 12c and 12d. In this embodiment, however, the locking profile 152 is formed on a adapter bushing 168 which is secured to the inner diameter of the tree 162 by a lock ring 170. If no need exists to connect the THRT 120 to the tree 162, however, the adapter bushing 168 may be omitted. The adapter bushing 168 thus allows the upper connection interface 12e of the tree 162 to be adapted to operatively engage other components of the flow completion system 110, if needed.
As shown most clearly in
Referring now to
As shown most clearly in
After the flow completion system 110 has been successfully flow tested, it is ready to be placed into production. Referring to
As shown in
In addition to the features described above, the upper connection interface 12e for the tree 162 includes a lock groove 186 which is engaged by the locking pins 184 to further secure the jumper 182 to the tree 162. In addition, the lower sealing profile 180 for the intermediate gasket 178 is formed on the adapter bushing 168, rather than directly on the inner diameter of the tree 162. This characteristic of the present invention allows the upper connection interface 12e to be adapted if necessary to operatively engage other components of the flow completion system 110.
When it is desired to temporarily abandon the well, the subsea centerline jumper 182 can be removed and replaced with a tree cap 188. This is the configuration of the subsea completion system 110 which is shown in
As shown more clearly in
Thus, the universal connection interfaces 10, 12 of the present invention afford a great deal of flexibility and cost savings in the design and installation of subsea completion systems. By providing these interfaces on the top and/or bottom ends of several components of the completion system and the tools which are used to install and test the completion system, the order in which the components are connected and installed can be tailored to the needs of a particular subsea well. In addition, the number of tools which are required to install and test these components can be minimized.
It should be recognized that, while the present invention has been described in relation to the preferred embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art may develop a wide variation of structural and operational details without departing from the principles of the invention. For example, the various elements shown in the different embodiments may be combined in a manner not illustrated above. Therefore, the appended claims are to be construed to cover all equivalents falling within the true scope and spirit of the invention.
This application is based on U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/616,289, which was filed on Oct. 6, 2004.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60616289 | Oct 2004 | US |