Plunger-type wire riser tensioner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9353581-B2
Application number	US-201214391446-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2012
Priority date	Apr 12, 2012
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

Certain types of riser tensioner arrangements include a high-pressure accumulator; a pusher-type hydraulic cylinder; a first flow path coupling the high-pressure accumulator with a first volume of the cylinder to enable a first high-pressure fluid to flow therebetween; and a second flow path coupling the high-pressure accumulator with a second volume of the cylinder to enable a second high-pressure fluid to flow therebetween. The piston includes a seat and a hollow extension that defines part of the second volume of the cylinder.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A riser tensioner arrangement comprising:
a high-pressure accumulator defining an interior volume configured to hold a first high-pressure fluid and a second high-pressure fluid;
a cylinder defining an interior volume;
a piston slidingly disposed within the interior volume of the cylinder, the piston including a sealing section and an extension section, the sealing section separating the interior volume of the cylinder into a first volume and a second volume, the extension section extending upwardly from the sealing section through the second volume, the extension section defining a hollow interior that is coupled to the second volume of the cylinder via at least one aperture;
a first flow path coupling the interior volume of the high-pressure accumulator with the first volume of the cylinder to enable the first high-pressure fluid to flow therebetween; and
a second flow path coupling the interior volume of the high-pressure accumulator with the second volume of the cylinder to enable the second high-pressure fluid to flow therebetween.

2. The riser tensioner arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the first high-pressure fluid includes an oil and the second high-pressure fluid includes a gas.

3. The riser tensioner arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the hollow interior defined by the extension section is coupled to the second volume of the cylinder via a plurality of circumferentially spaced apertures.

4. The riser tensioner arrangement of claim 3 , wherein the apertures are disposed adjacent the sealing section.

5. The riser tensioner arrangement of claim 1 , further comprising an anti-recoil valve disposed in the first flow path.

6. The riser tensioner arrangement of claim 1 , further comprising a lubricant bath located in the second volume of the cylinder at the sealing section of the piston.

7. The riser tensioner arrangement of claim 1 , further comprising:
a sealing arrangement that seals the extension section of the piston against an exterior of the cylinder; and
a lubricant tank coupled to the cylinder at the sealing arrangement to provide lubricant to the sealing arrangement.

8. The riser tensioner arrangement of claim 1 , further comprising at least one air pressure vessel coupled to the interior volume of the high-pressure accumulator via a valve arrangement.

9. The riser tensioner arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the second flow path is an open flow path.

10. A method of manufacturing a riser tensioner including a high-pressure accumulator and a pusher-type cylinder, the method comprising:
hollowing an interior of a piston-rod to provide an interior volume;
defining at least one aperture through a sidewall of the piston-rod to provide access to the interior volume of the piston-rod;
positioning the piston-rod within a cylinder to separate an interior volume of the cylinder into first and second variable-volume sections, the second variable-volume section including the hollow interior of the piston-rod and a volume of an annulus area around the piston-rod;
coupling a first end of the high-pressure accumulator to the first variable-volume section of the cylinder via a first flow path; and
coupling a second end of the high-pressure accumulator to the second variable-volume section of the cylinder via a second flow path.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein coupling the first end of the high-pressure accumulator to the first variable-volume section of the cylinder via the first flow path comprises disposing an anti-recoil valve arrangement within the first flow path.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein defining the at least one aperture through the sidewall of the piston-rod comprises defining a plurality of circumferentially spaced apertures through the sidewall of the piston-rod.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
positioning a sealing arrangement at one end of the cylinder to seal the piston-rod from an exterior of the cylinder; and
coupling a lubricant tank to the cylinder to provide lubricant to the sealing arrangement.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
filling a first part of an interior volume of the high-pressure accumulator with a high-pressure oil; and
filling a second part of the interior volume of the high-pressure accumulator with a high-pressure gas.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein filling the second part of the interior volume of the high-pressure accumulator with the high-pressure gas comprises filling the second variable-volume section of the cylinder with the high-pressure gas.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second variable-volume of the cylinder is at least 40% of the second part of the interior volume of the high-pressure accumulator.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second variable-volume of the cylinder is at least 50% of the second part of the interior volume of the high-pressure accumulator.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second variable-volume of the cylinder is at least 60% of the second part of the interior volume of the high-pressure accumulator.

Assignees

• Megens Peter
• Claessens Peter
• Said Bilal
• Renders Nico
• Eaton Corp

Inventors

• Megens Peter
• Claessens Peter
• Said Bilal
• Renders Nico

Classifications

• Y10T29/49249

  Piston making · CPC title

• F15B2201/205

  using gas · CPC title

• E21B19/006 Primary

  including heave compensators · CPC title

• E21B17/01

  Risers · CPC title

• F15B2201/305

  without separating means · CPC title