RISER SECTION CONNECTOR WITH FLANGES AND EXTERNAL LOCKING RING

• US 20130020087A1
• Filed: 02/11/2011
• Published: 01/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mhwirth AS (Akastor ASA)
• Original Assignee: Aker Subsea As (AKER Solutions ASA), IFP Energies Nouvelles
• Inventors: Persent, Emmanuel, Guesnon, Jean, Papon, Grard
• Granted Patent: US 8,733,452 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/367
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 17/0853 Connections between sections of riser provided with auxiliary lines, e.g. kill and choke lines

Abstract

The connector comprises a male flange 15 and a female flange 14 allowing to assemble a main tube and auxiliary line tubes 11.

A locking ring 17 assembles the male flange and the female flange. The locking ring is mounted mobile in rotation on the outer surface of the male flange while cooperating with the outer surfaces of the male and female flanges.

Claims

1. ) A connector for assembling two riser pipe sections for offshore well drilling operations, comprising a first main tube element having as an extension a male connector element provided with a male flange pierced by at least one orifice wherein an auxiliary tube element is secured, and a second main tube element having as an extension a female connector element provided with a female flange pierced by at least one orifice wherein a second auxiliary tube element is secured, male connector element fitting into female connector element so as to connect the two main tube elements and the two auxiliary tube elements, characterized in that a locking ring assembles male flange and female flange, locking ring being mounted mobile in rotation on the outer surface of male flange and the locking ring cooperating with the outer surfaces of the male and female flanges.

2. ) A connector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that locking ring is locked in translation by an axial shoulder provided on male flange, and the ring is provided with tenons that cooperate with tenons arranged on the outer surface of female flange.

3. ) A connector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that tenons of locking ring are arranged on the inner surface of the ring.

4. ) A connector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that ring has a cylindrical surface portion that cooperates with a cylindrical surface portion located on the periphery of male flange.

5. ) A connector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that ring comprises teeth that cooperate with teeth arranged on the outer surface of male flange so as to lock ring in translation with respect to the male flange and to allow ring to be dismounted.

6. ) A connector as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that ring comprises at least one removable pin cooperating with a tooth of ring so as to lock locking ring in translation with respect to male flange.

7. ) A connector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that male connector element has as an extension an intermediate part that cooperates with female connector element.

8. ) A connector as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that each auxiliary tube element is mounted axially abutted against a shoulder provided in the orifices.

9. ) A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein locking ring comprises an operating means for moving the ring in rotation.

10. ) A connector as claimed in claim 1, comprising thrusts for limiting the rotation of locking ring between an open position and a closed position, and immobilization means for locking the ring in rotation at least in the open position and in the closed position.

11. ) A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the elements selected from the group consisting of a main tube element and an auxiliary line element comprises a steel tube hooped by composite strips.

12. ) A connector as claimed in claim 11, wherein said composite strips comprise glass, carbon or aramid fibers, coated with a polymer matrix.

13. ) A connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the elements selected from the group consisting of a main tube element and an auxiliary line element is made of a material selected from the list consisting of reinforcing fibers coated with a polymer matrix, an aluminium alloy, a titanium alloy.

14. ) A riser pipe comprising at least two riser pipe sections assembled by a connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein the longitudinal tensional stresses are distributed among the main tube element and the auxiliary tube element.