Subsea wellhead stabilization using cylindrical sockets

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8973664-B2
Application number	US-201213659380-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2012
Priority date	Oct 24, 2012
Publication date	Mar 10, 2015
Grant date	Mar 10, 2015

Abstract

A wellhead assembly for use subsea includes a high pressure housing landed within a low pressure housing. The low pressure housing is an annular member that mounts into the sea floor and having an inner surface engaging the high pressure housing along a loading interface. Upper and lower sockets are formed along axially spaced apart portions of the outer surface of the high pressure housing. As the high pressure housing inserts into the low pressure housing, the high pressure housing sockets engage corresponding sockets formed along axially spaced apart sockets on portions of the inner surface of the low pressure housing. The sockets each have cylindrically shaped outer surfaces, and when engaged with one another define the loading interface. The sockets are strategically located on the upper and lower portions of the housings to maximize their distance apart.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wellhead assembly comprising:
a low pressure housing that is annular and has a lower end for setting in a sea floor;
a low pressure housing upper socket surface formed along a portion of an inner surface of the low pressure housing and a low pressure housing lower socket surface formed along a portion of the inner surface of the low pressure housing that is axially spaced apart from the to pressure housing upper socket surface;
a low pressure housing l…

Assignees

• Vetco Gray Inc

Inventors

• Yates Chad Eric
• Potter Philip John

Classifications

• E21B33/035 Primary

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic