Systems and methods for assembling a blowout preventer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10100597-B2
Application number	US-201615243539-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 22, 2016
Priority date	Aug 22, 2016
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

A blowout preventer including a top including a chamber and an annular groove extending into a surface of the top, a housing including a chamber and an annular groove extending into a surface of the housing, and a connection assembly configured to releasably couple the top to the housing, the connection assembly including an arcuate ring segment having a radial width that is greater in size than an axial height of the ring segment, and a positioner configured to radially displace the ring segment between a locked position restricting relative axial movement between the top and the housing, and an unlocked position allowing for relative axial movement between the top and the housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A blowout preventer, comprising:
a top comprising a chamber and an annular groove extending into a surface of the top, the chamber of the top configured to receive at least a portion of a packer;
a housing comprising a chamber and an annular groove extending into a surface of the housing, the chamber of the housing configured to receive at least portion of an actuation assembly configured to actuate the packer to seal a bore of the blowout preventer; and
a connection assembly configured to releasably couple the top to the housing, the connection assembly comprising:
a plurality of arcuate ring segments, each arcuate ring segment having a radial width that is greater in size than an axial height of the ring segment; and
a plurality of positioners, each positioner configured to radially displace the ring segment between a locked position restricting relative axial movement between the top and the housing, and an unlocked position allowing for relative axial movement between the top and the housing;
wherein, when the arcuate ring segment is disposed in the locked position, the arcuate ring segment is disposed in the annular groove of the top and the annular groove of the housing; and
wherein each of the plurality of arcuate ring segments comprises a pair of lateral end surfaces; and when the plurality of arcuate ring segments are disposed in the locked position, the lateral end surfaces of each arcuate ring segment engages a lateral end surface of an adjacently positioned arcuate ring segment.

2. The blowout preventer of claim 1 , wherein:
the annular groove of the housing extends 360° about a longitudinal axis of the housing; and
the annular groove of the top extends 360° about a longitudinal axis of the top.

3. The blowout preventer of claim 1 , wherein, when the ring segment is disposed in the unlocked position, the ring segment is disposed entirely within the annular groove of the top.

4. The blowout preventer of claim 1 , wherein the positioner comprises a threaded fastener disposed in a radially extending aperture of the arcuate ring segment.

5. The blowout preventer of claim 4 , wherein:
the threaded fastener threadably engages an inner surface of an aperture extending radially into the top; and
in response to rotation of the threaded fastener, the arcuate ring segment is actuated between the locked and unlocked positions.

6. The blowout preventer of claim 1 , further comprising: an alignment member
extending into the annular groove of the top;
wherein the alignment member extends into an alignment groove of the ring segment to restrict relative rotation between the ring segment and the housing.

7. The blowout preventer of claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of positioners are configured to radially displace the ring segments between the locked position and the unlocked position; and
wherein, when the plurality of arcuate ring segments are disposed in the locked position, the plurality of arcuate ring segments cover a majority of a circumferential length of an annular interface disposed radially between the top and the housing.

8. A blowout preventer, comprising:
a top comprising a chamber and an annular groove extending into a surface of the top, the chamber of the top configured to receive at least a portion of a packer;
a housing comprising a chamber and an annular groove extending into a surface of the housing, the chamber of the housing configured to receive at least portion of an actuation assembly configured to actuate the packer to seal a bore of the blowout preventer; and
a connection assembly configured to releasably couple the top to the housing, the connection assembly comprising:
a plurality of arcuate ring segments, each of the plurality of arcuate ring segments comprising a pair of lateral end surfaces; and
a plurality of positioners configured to radially displace the ring segments between a locked position restricting relative axial movement between the top and the housing, and an unlocked position allowing for relative axial movement between the top and the housing;
wherein, when the plurality of arcuate ring segments are disposed in the locked position, the plurality of arcuate ring segments cover a majority of a circumferential length of an annular interface disposed radially between the top and the housing and the lateral end surfaces of each arcuate ring segment engages a lateral end surface of an adjacently positioned arcuate ring segment; and
wherein, when the plurality of arcuate ring segments are disposed in the locked position, the plurality of arcuate ring segments are disposed in the annular groove of the top and the annular groove of the housing.

9. The blowout preventer of claim 8 , wherein, when the plurality of arcuate ring segments are disposed in the locked position, the plurality of arcuate ring segments cover the substantial entirety of the circumferential length of the annular interface disposed radially between the top and the housing.

10. The blowout preventer of claim 8 , wherein:
each of the plurality of arcuate ring segments comprises an annular upper surface and an annular lower surface; and
when the plurality of arcuate ring segments are disposed in the locked position, in response to a first axially directed force applied against the top, the annular lower surface of each of the plurality of ring segment engages an annular lower surface of the annular groove of the top to restrict relative axial movement between the top and the housing.

11. The blowout preventer of claim 10 , wherein, when the plurality of arcuate ring segments are disposed in the locked position, in response to the first axially directed force applied against the top, the annular upper surface of each of the plurality of ring segment engages an annular upper surface of the annular groove of the housing to restrict relative axial movement between the top and the housing.

12. The blowout preventer of claim 11 , wherein, when the plurality of arcuate ring segments are disposed in the locked position, in response to the first axially directed force applied against the top, the first force is circumferentially distributed along a majority of a circumferential length of the upper surface of the annular groove of the housing.

13. The blowout preventer of claim 8 , wherein each of the plurality of arcuate ring segments comprises a radial width that is greater in size than an axial height of the ring segment.

14. A blowout preventer, comprising:
a top comprising a chamber and an annular groove extending into a surface of the top, the chamber of the top configured to receive at least a portion of a packer;
a housing comprising a chamber and an annular groove extending into a surface of the housing, the chamber of the housing configured to receive at least portion of an actuation assembly configured to actuate the packer to seal a bore of the blowout preventer; and
a connection assembly configured to releasably couple the top to the housing, the connection assembly comprising:
a plurality of arcuate ring segments, each arcuate ring segment comprising an annular upper surface and an annular lower surface; and
a plurality of positioners, each positioner configured to radially displace the plurality of arcuate ring segments between a locked position restricting relative axial movement between the top and the housing, and an unlocked position allowing for relative axial movement between the top and the housing;
wherein, when the plurality of arcuate ring segments is disposed in the locked position, the plurality of arcuate ring segments is disposed in the annular groove of the top a

Assignees

• Cameron Int Corp

Inventors

• Mozisek Taylor

Classifications

• F16B2/065

  using screw-thread elements (F16B2/08 - F16B2/12 take precedence) · CPC title

• F16B35/005

  Set screws; Locking means therefor · CPC title

• F16B9/023

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F16B9/02

  Detachable connections {(F16B9/05 – F16B9/09 take precedence)} · CPC title

• Y10T403/7041

  including set screw · CPC title