Assembly for producing a threaded joint for the drilling and operation of hydrocarbon wells, and resulting threaded joint

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10415322-B2
Application number	US-201214342682-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2012
Priority date	Sep 13, 2011
Publication date	Sep 17, 2019
Grant date	Sep 17, 2019

Abstract

An assembly for production of a threaded connection, including a first and a second tubular component with an axis of revolution and each including at one of its ends at least one first threaded zone produced on an external or internal peripheral surface of the component depending on whether the threaded end is male or female in type, and capable of cooperating together on makeup, the ends finishing in a terminal surface. At least one of the threaded zones has, in longitudinal section passing through the axis, a profile that follows a continuous and concave portion of a curve over at least 10% of the length of engaged threads of the threaded zone.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An assembly for production of a threaded connection, comprising:
a first tubular component and a second tubular component with an axis of revolution and each including an end that includes at least one first threaded zone produced on an external peripheral surface of a male threaded end or on an internal peripheral surface of a female threaded end, the end of each of the first and second tubular components terminates in a terminal surface, and the first and second tubular components are cooperable to be screwed together, wherein
the at least one first threaded zone includes threads with thread crests, and
profiles of the thread crests over at least 10% of a length of the threads in the at least one first threaded zone are configured such that, the profiles of the thread crests follow a same continuously concave portion of a curve extending across the at least 10% length of the threads and belonging to a longitudinal section, and a concave curved surface of each of at least two of the thread crests over the at least 10% length of the threads follows the same continuously concave portion of the curve, when the profiles of the thread crests are viewed in the longitudinal section that comprises the axis of revolution.

2. An assembly for production of a threaded connection according to claim 1 , wherein the concave portion of the curve is an arc of a circle or an ellipse such that a smallest thread height is reduced by 10% to 90% from an initial thread height.

3. An assembly for production of a threaded connection according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second tubular components each comprise a second threaded zone produced on the external peripheral surface of the male threaded end or on the internal peripheral surface of the female threaded end.

4. An assembly for production of a threaded connection according to claim 3 , wherein for each of the first and second tubular components, the second threaded zone is disposed in an extension of the first threaded zone.

5. An assembly for production of a threaded connection according to claim 3 , wherein the first and second tubular components each comprise a metal/metal sealing surface disposed between the first and second threaded zones, the metal/metal sealing surfaces configured to cooperate in a sealed interference fit when the first and the second tubular components are made up together.

6. An assembly for production of a threaded connection according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one first threaded zone each include a taper generatrix forming an angle with the axis of revolution of the first and second tubular components of more than 0.5 degrees, or equal to 5 degrees.

7. An assembly for production of a threaded connection according to claim 6 , wherein the at least one first threaded zone is self-locking, with threads comprising, viewed in the longitudinal section passing through the axis of revolution of the first and second tubular components, a thread crest, a thread root, a load flank, and a stabbing flank, with a width of the thread crests of each of the first and second tubular components reducing in a direction of the terminal surface of the first or second tubular component under consideration, while a width of the thread roots increases.

8. An assembly for production of a threaded connection according to claim 7 , wherein the threads of the first and second tubular components, which include male and female tubular components, have a dovetail profile.

9. An assembly for production of a threaded connection according to claim 6 , wherein the profile corresponding to the concave portion of the curve is applied to a threaded zone furthest from the terminal surface of one of the first and second tubular components with the male threaded end.

10. An assembly for production of a threaded connection according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one first threaded zone includes, in the longitudinal section passing through the axis, a profile which follows at least two continuous concave portions of curves.

11. An assembly for production of a threaded connection according to claim 1 , wherein first and last threads of the at least one first threaded zone are imperfect, to provide a clearance between thread crests and roots.

12. An assembly for production of a threaded connection according to claim 11 , wherein the clearance between the imperfect thread crests and roots is in a range of 0.1 mm to 3 mm.

13. An assembly for production of a threaded connection according to claim 3 , wherein for each of the first and second tubular components, the second threaded zone is disposed on a tapered section which is parallel to and not concurrent with a tapered section of the first threaded zone.

14. A threaded connection resulting from a self-locking connection of the assembly for production of the threaded connection according to claim 4 .

15. A process for producing a tubular component with an axis of revolution, the process comprising:
a first machining of one of ends of the tubular component to obtain a profile, in longitudinal section passing through the axis, corresponding to a continuous and concave portion of a curve, before carrying out a second machining to obtain a threaded zone in accordance with claim 1 .

16. An assembly for production of a threaded connection according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one first threaded zone is on the external peripheral surface of the male threaded end.

17. An assembly for production of a threaded connection according to claim 1 , wherein the profiles of the thread crests in each plane to which the axis of revolution pertains over at least 10% of the length of the threads in the at least one first threaded zone are configured such that, the profiles of the thread crests follow the same continuously concave portion of the curve extending across the at least 10% length of the threads and belonging to the longitudinal section, when the profiles of the thread crests are viewed in the longitudinal section that comprises the axis of revolution.

18. An assembly for production of a threaded connection according to claim 1 , wherein a concave curved surface of each of at least three of the thread crests over the at least 10% length of the threads follows the same continuously concave portion of the curve, when the profiles of the thread crests are viewed in the longitudinal section that comprises the axis of revolution.

Assignees

• Besse Jean Guillaume
• Vallourec Oil & Gas France

Inventors

• Besse Jean-Guillaume

Classifications

• F16L15/004

  with axial sealings having at least one plastically deformable sealing surface (with sealing rings F16L15/003) · CPC title

• Y10T29/49995

  Shaping one-piece blank by removing material · CPC title

• E21B17/042 Primary

  Threaded · CPC title

• F16L15/06

  characterised by the shape of the screw-thread · CPC title