Drilling riser locking apparatus and method
First Claim
1. For use in a floating vessel having a substantially centrally-positioned vertical hull opening therethrough, and said vessel being provided with well drilling equipment, including an elongated vertical riser provided with riser stop means carried outwardly near upper end thereof, flexible coupling means in said riser below the stop means thereof and buoyancy adjusting means on the submerged portion of said riser, said riser extending in tension substantially centrally down through said hull opening to a point adjacent the ocean floor, and motion-compensating and tensioning means carried by said vessel operatively connected to said riser for vertically supporting said riser during normal operations,said improvement comprising auxiliary riser locking means apparatus carried by said vessel substantially within the plan view cross section of the hull opening through the vessel, said locking means apparatus comprising:
- at least two track means arranged in spaced relationship on opposite sides of and within said hull opening, and being connected to said vessel,at least a pair of moveable locking beams supported at each end by each of said track means and positioned to span opposite portions of said hull opening, and being moveable towards each other,vertical movement-limiting means engageable with said locking beams and operatively connected to said vessel adjacent said track means to prevent vertical movement of said moveable locking beams away from said track means,at least one landing area carried by each of said moveable locking beams, said landing areas being engageable with at least a portion of said riser stop means,at least a pair of riser-positioning means, each one being operatively connected between said riser and said vessel, and being moveable relative to each other and to the landing areas of said moveable locking beams to selectively position said riser within said hull opening of said vessel,first prime mover means carried by said vessel and operatively connected to said pair of riser positioning means for selectively moving said riser-positioning means,second prime mover means carried by said vessel and operatively connected to said moveable locking beams for selectively moving said beams, andresilient means carried by said vessel and operatively connected to at least one of said prime mover means.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Method and apparatus for use in drilling a well from a floating vessel by means of a riser, which connects the vessels drilling equipment to a wellhead assembly adjacent the ocean floor. The riser is capable of being disconnected from the wellhead assembly, and having its upper end locked to the vessel. The present riser locking apparatus is made up of selectively-positionable resiliently-moveable locking beams adapted to be remotely actuated to lock the upper elements of the riser to the vessel, thereby preventing lateral or vertical movement of the riser relative to the vessel.
66 Citations
35 Claims
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1. For use in a floating vessel having a substantially centrally-positioned vertical hull opening therethrough, and said vessel being provided with well drilling equipment, including an elongated vertical riser provided with riser stop means carried outwardly near upper end thereof, flexible coupling means in said riser below the stop means thereof and buoyancy adjusting means on the submerged portion of said riser, said riser extending in tension substantially centrally down through said hull opening to a point adjacent the ocean floor, and motion-compensating and tensioning means carried by said vessel operatively connected to said riser for vertically supporting said riser during normal operations,
said improvement comprising auxiliary riser locking means apparatus carried by said vessel substantially within the plan view cross section of the hull opening through the vessel, said locking means apparatus comprising: -
at least two track means arranged in spaced relationship on opposite sides of and within said hull opening, and being connected to said vessel, at least a pair of moveable locking beams supported at each end by each of said track means and positioned to span opposite portions of said hull opening, and being moveable towards each other, vertical movement-limiting means engageable with said locking beams and operatively connected to said vessel adjacent said track means to prevent vertical movement of said moveable locking beams away from said track means, at least one landing area carried by each of said moveable locking beams, said landing areas being engageable with at least a portion of said riser stop means, at least a pair of riser-positioning means, each one being operatively connected between said riser and said vessel, and being moveable relative to each other and to the landing areas of said moveable locking beams to selectively position said riser within said hull opening of said vessel, first prime mover means carried by said vessel and operatively connected to said pair of riser positioning means for selectively moving said riser-positioning means, second prime mover means carried by said vessel and operatively connected to said moveable locking beams for selectively moving said beams, and resilient means carried by said vessel and operatively connected to at least one of said prime mover means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method of fixedly securing the elements forming the upper end of a riser to a floating vessel having a substantially centrally-positioned vertical hull opening therethrough, said vessel provided with well drilling equipment, including a derrick with associated drill string lift equipment, an elongated vertical riser provided with riser stop means carried outwardly near said riser upper end thereof, a wellhead connector carried at the lower end of said riser and secured to a wellhead assembly, flexible coupling means in said riser below the stop means thereof, and adjustable buoyancy means formed with the submerged portion of said riser, said riser extending in tension during normal operations substantially centrally down through said hull opening to a point adjacent a wellhead assembly located adjacent the ocean floor, said vessel carrying motion-compensating and tensioning means operatively connected to said riser upper elements for vertically supporting said riser during normal operations, and provided with riser locking means apparatus including a pair of locking beams on tracks connected to said vessel;
- said locking beams carrying a pair of riserpositioning means to position said riser between said beams, said method comprising;
remotely disconnecting the wellhead connector at the lower end of said riser from said welhead assembly, moving said moveable locking beams along said track means toward each other, until each beam is in close spaced relationship with each other beam, moving said riser-positioning means along said moveable locking beams toward each other, thereby contacting and subsequently positioning said riser in the center of the hull opening, actuating said floating vessel'"'"'s riser motion compensating and tensioning means, and said drill string lift equipment, thereby raising said riser between said closely spaced moveable locking beams, thereby engaging said moveable locking beams resiliently with said riser stop means, latching said riser stop means with said moveable locking beams in a weight supporting manner, to prevent movement of riser upper elements relative to said vessel. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34)
- said locking beams carrying a pair of riserpositioning means to position said riser between said beams, said method comprising;
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35. Riser locking means apparatus carried by a vessel substantially within the plan view cross section of a vertical hull opening through said vessel, for fixedly locking the upper end of a riser to said floating vessel so as to prevent movement of said upper end of said riser relative to said floating vessel within said vertical hull opening therein, said riser provided with riser stop means carried outwardly near the upper end thereof, said riser locking means apparatus operatively connectable between said vessel and said riser, said riser locking means apparatus comprising:
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at least two track means arranged in spaced relationship on opposite sides of and within said said hull opening, and being connected to said vessel, at least a pair of moveable locking beams supported at each end by each of said track means and positioned to span opposite portions of said hull opening, and being moveable towards each other, vertical movement-limiting means engageable with said locking beams and operatively connected to said vessel adjacent said track means to prevent vertical movement of said moveable locking beams away from said track means, at least one landing area carried by each of said moveable locking beams, said landing areas being engageable with at least a portion of said riser stop means, at least a pair of riser-positioning means, each one being operatively connected between said riser and said vessel, and being moveable relative to each other and to the landing areas of said moveable locking beams to selectively position said riser within said hull opening of said vessel, first prime mover means carried by said vessel and operatively connected to said pair of riser positioning means for selectively moving said riser-positioning means, second prime mover means carried by said vessel and operatively connected to said moveable locking beams for selectively moving said beams, and resilient means carried by said vessel and operatively connected to at least one of said prime mover means.
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Specification