Threaded connection for tubular component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11473373-B2
Application number	US-201716469287-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2017
Priority date	Dec 16, 2016
Publication date	Oct 18, 2022
Grant date	Oct 18, 2022

Abstract

A threaded connection includes a first and a second tubular component made up one with the other. A male element of the first component includes, on its external peripheral surface, a male inner lip including an inner mg with a minimum thickness Epi and a male threaded zone. One inner end of the male threaded zone is at a non-zero axial distance (Li) from a male distal end. A female element of the second component includes, in succession over its internal peripheral surface, a female inner recess disposed facing the male inner lip and a female threaded zone, such that in the made up position of the connection, a radial clearance subsists between the male inner ring and the female inner recess and an internal seal is formed locally between the male inner lip and the female inner recess. The connection is such that 10%≤Epi/Li.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A threaded connection comprising:
a first and a second tubular component made up one with the other, the first component including:
a first tube and a male element disposed at one end of said first tube, the male element including, in succession over an external peripheral surface of the male element:
a male distal surface,
a male inner lip including an inner ring with a minimum thickness Epi,
a male threaded zone, wherein one inner end of said male threaded zone is at a non-zero axial distance (Li) from the male distal surface,
a male outer recess, and
an external shoulder which can form a male external abutment surface,
the second component including a second tube and a female element disposed at one end of said second tube, the female element including, in succession over an internal peripheral surface of the female element:
an internal shoulder,
a female inner recess, disposed facing the male inner lip,
a female threaded zone,
a female outer lip including an outer ring with a minimum thickness Epe, and
a female distal surface which can cooperate with the male external abutment surface by an abutment action, said female distal surface being situated at a non-zero axial distance (Le) from one outer end of the female threaded zone,
such that in a made up position of the connection, a radial clearance subsists between the male inner ring and the female inner recess, a radial clearance subsists between the female outer ring and the male outer recess, an internal seal being formed locally between the male inner lip and the female inner recess, the connection being such that:
10%≤ Epi/Li,

wherein that one of the first or the second components has a nominal external tube diameter at a distance from their respective male and/or female elements such that this nominal tube diameter is more than 200 mm, the connection then being such that:
25%≤ Epi/Li.

2. The threaded connection as claimed in claim 1 , wherein that the connection is such that:
10%≤ Epe/Le.

3. The threaded connection as claimed in claim 1 , wherein that the connection is such that:
15%≤ Epe/Le.

4. The threaded connection as claimed in claim 1 , wherein that the connection is such that:
80%≥ Epi/Li.

5. The threaded connection as claimed in claim 1 , wherein that the connection is such that:
80%≥ Epe/Le.

6. The threaded connection as claimed in claim 1 , wherein that the connection is such that:
15 mm≤Li≤25 mm.

7. The threaded connection as claimed in claim 1 , wherein that the connection is such that:
15 mm≤Le≤25 mm.

8. The threaded connection as claimed in claim 1 , wherein that the threaded zones comprise respective male and female threads of increasing width, the threads including load flanks at negative angles and stabbing flanks at a positive angle, a radial clearance subsisting, in a connected state, between crests of the male threads and roots of the female threads and/or between crests of the female threads and roots of the male threads, an axial clearance also subsisting between the stabbing flanks of the male and female threads in the connected state.

9. The threaded connection as claimed in claim 1 , wherein that the male external abutment surface is at a positive angle α with respect to a perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the connection, and in that the female external abutment surface is at the same angle α, the angle α being in the range 5° to 45°.

10. The threaded connection as claimed in claim 1 , wherein that in a connected state, the internal abutment surface of the male end does not come into contact with the internal abutment surface of the female end.

11. The threaded connection as claimed in claim 1 , wherein that in a connected state, the external abutment surface of the male end comes into abutting contact with the external abutment surface of the female end.

12. The threaded connection as claimed in claim 1 , wherein that the internal seal comprises a male internal sealing surface which is capable of coming into interfering contact with a corresponding female internal sealing surface provided on the female element.

13. The threaded connection as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the female internal sealing surface is cylindrical and/or tapered, with a cone half-angle being in the range 2° to 15°.

14. The threaded connection as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the male internal sealing surface is toroidal with a radius in the range 10 to 80 mm or tapered with a cone half-angle in the range 2° to 15°, and such that a maximum thickness perpendicular to said male internal sealing surface is greater than the thickness of the inner ring.

15. The threaded connection as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising an outer seal obtained by interference between a male external sealing surface and a corresponding female external sealing surface provided on the female element.

16. The threaded connection as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the male external sealing surface is toroidal with a radius in the range 10 to 150 mm, or tapered with a cone half-angle in the range 2° to 15°.

17. The threaded connection as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the female external sealing surface is toroidal or tapered, the cone half-angle being in the range 2° to 15°, and such that a maximum thickness perpendicular to said female external sealing surface is greater than the thickness of the outer ring.

18. The threaded connection as claimed in claim 15 , wherein a lower portion of the internal abutment has a chamfer at a negative angle β with respect to a longitudinal axis of the connection in order to facilitate insertion or removal of inspection or drilling accessories.

19. The threaded connection as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the negative angle β is in the range −20° to −30°.

20. The threaded connection as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the maximum external diameter of the female element is in the range 100.2% to 101% of the nominal external diameter of the second tube.

Assignees

• Vallourec Oil & Gas France
• Nippon Steel Corp

Inventors

• Mencaglia Xavier
• Dufrene Corey
• Douchi Sadao
• Sugino Masaaki

Classifications

• F16L15/001

  with conical threads · CPC title

• E21B17/042 Primary

  Threaded · CPC title