Offshore multiple well drilling and production apparatus

• US 4,192,383 A
• Filed: 05/02/1978
• Issued: 03/11/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kvaerner National, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Armco Inc. (Cleveland-Cliffs Steel Holding Corp.)
• Inventors: Masciopinto, Anthony J., Kirkland, Kerry G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Leppink, James A.
• Application Number:
  US05/902,255
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 166/341, 166/365, 166/366, 175/7, 175/9, 405/203, 405/225
• US Class Current: 166/341
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 41/08 Underwater guide bases, e.g. drilling templates; Levelling thereof
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 41/10 Guide posts, e.g. releasable; Attaching guide lines to underwater guide bases
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/0107 Connecting of flow lines to offshore structures E21B43/013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/0175 Hydraulic schemes for production manifolds

Abstract

A modular multiple well drilling and production template structure is combined with a production riser base module to provide an underwater apparatus which allows a plurality of wells to be drilled, completed and produced by operations carried out from a single vessel or platform without remote installation of flowlines.

Claims

1. In an underwater apparatus for use in drilling, completing and producing a plurality of wells, the combination of at least one drilling and production template module comprising

a rigid frame adapted to be installed on the floor of a body of water before the wells are drilled,

two sets of guide posts rigidly mounted on the frame in two horizontally spaced locations and extending upwardly therefrom to cooperate with guide means extending upwardly to an operational base at the surface of the body of water,

two upright tubular well-locating and casing-support devices mounted on said frame each in a predetermined location with respect to a different one of said sets of guide posts, and

two flowline connector bodies mounted on said frame, one of said flowline connector bodies occupying a first location near and spaced laterally from one of said locating and support devices, the other of said flowline connector bodies occupying a second location near and spaced laterally from the other of said locating and support devices;

a riser module rigidly secured to the frame of said at least one drilling and production module for installation therewith and comprising

a plurality of upwardly exposed riser flowline connector hubs, and

a set of guide posts fixed on the riser base module in predetermined positions relative to the riser flowline connector hubs to cooperate with guide means extending upwardly to the operational base at the surface of the body of water; and

conduit means communicating between respective ones of the flowline connector bodies of the drilling and production template and the riser flowline connector hubs.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein

the apparatus comprises a plurality of drilling and production template modules;

said frames of the drilling and production template modules are elongated horizontally, disposed side-by-side and secured rigidly together,

said well-locating and casing-support devices of each of the drilling and production template modules are spaced apart lengthwise of the elongated frame of the respective module;

the riser base module is disposed beside one of the drilling and production template modules and secured rigidly thereto; and

the conduit means communicating between the flowline connector bodies and the riser flowline connector hubs extends transversely through the frames of the drilling and production template modules.

3. The combination defined in claim 2, wherein the flowline connector bodies of each drilling and production template module are spaced apart lengthwise of the frame of the respective module and located between the well-locating and casing-support devices carried by that frame;

and

the conduit means communicating between the flowline connector bodies and the riser flowline connector hubs are confined to a transverse area extending between the adjacent pairs of flowline connector bodies.

4. The combination defined in claim 1, further comprising

wellhead means for a well drilled through one of said well-locating and casing-support devices, said wellhead means comprising a wellhead body aligned with and projecting upwardly from said one well-locating and casing-support devices;

and

a Christmas tree assembly connected to said wellhead body and including

a base having guide sleeves engaged respectively with the set of said guide posts associated with said one well-locating and casing-support device,

a tree body carried by said base,

a flowline connector carried by said base, and

conduit means interconnecting the tree body and the flowline connector, said flowline connector being coupled to the corresponding one of said flowline connector bodies.

5. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein said riser base module further comprises

lateral connector means for connection to an offbearing product pipe line, and

an upwardly exposed riser return connector hub communicating with said lateral connector.

6. The combination defined in claim 1 and further comprising

a plurality of levelling legs secured to the at least one drilling and production module for levelling the apparatus remotely, each of said legs comprising

two upright members telescopically engaged to provide a hydraulically extendable leg structure,

the uppermost one of said two upright members being secured to the frame of the module and the lowermost one of said two upright members projecting below the bottom of the frame when the leg structure is extended, and

means for locking the lowermost one of said two upright members to the frame of the module when the apparatus has been levelled.

7. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein each of said well-locating and casing-support devices comprises

an annular collar having a transverse annular upwardly directed support shoulder,

upper brace means securing said collar to said frame,

an upright tubular member having its upper end secured to said collar, the body of said tubular member depending from said collar, and lower brace means securing the body of said tubular member to said frame.