Double lobe tubular connector clamp

• US 5,080,400 A
• Filed: 04/30/1990
• Issued: 01/14/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1990
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Vetco Gray Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Vetco Gray Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Adamek, Frank C., Zeiner-Gundersen, Dag H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Arola, Dave W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHACKELFORD, HEATHER CHUN
• Application Number:
  US07/516,725
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 285/367, 285/334.2, 285/23, 285/373, 285/410, 285/112, 285/365, 285/366, 285/407, 285/408, 285/409, 285/411
• US Class Current: 285/23
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 17/08 Casing joints
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/03 Well heads; Setting-up thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 23/08 connection by tangentially arranged pin and nut

Abstract

A hub clamp will be used to connect two conduits together in end-to-end relationship. Each conduit has a pair of generally parallel load shoulders that extend around the conduit and are axially spaced from each other. The clamp has two sets of load shoulders, one for engaging each set of load shoulders on each end of the conduit. The clamp is in two halves, and when bolted together, draws the ends of the conduits toward each other. Each load shoulder is separated by a flank. The two flanks of the mating load shoulders are separated by a gap when fully made up. The first load shoulder of each conduit has multiple angled sections. The lead section is at a greater angle than the load section relative to a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the conduit. The clamp will be mounted releasably to an upper conduit so that it can slide inward and outward, for vertical conduit applications.

Claims

1. Connection means for connecting two conduits together with their axes coinciding with each other and with their ends opposing each other and compressing a seal between them, the connection means comprising in combination:

a pair of axially spaced generally parallel conical conduit load shoulders formed on each conduit, each of the conduit load shoulders of each pair extending circumferentially around each of the conduits and being separated from the other conduit load shoulder of the pair by a conical conduit flank;

a clamp having two semi-circular halves for clamping the ends of the conduits together, each half of the clamp having two paris of axially spaced generally parallel conical clamp load shoulders for mating with the conduit load shoulders, each of the clamp load shoulders of each pair being separated from the other clamp load shoulder of the pair by a conical clamp flank;

means for bolting the halves of the clamp together for causing the clamp load shoulders to slide on the conduit load shoulders and draw the ends of the conduits toward each other, compressing the seal; and

each of the clamp flanks being spaced from each of the conduit flanks by a gap when the connection means is fully made up which has a minimum and a maximum and is defined as follows;

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">the maximum gap=0.1056 [exp((1n D-0.8324)sq/4.134)];

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">the minimum gap=0.0000009562 [exp((1n D+14.16)sq/28.85)];

wherein D is the outer diameter of each of the conduits at the end of each of the conduits.

2. Connection means for connecting two conduits together with their axes coinciding with each other and with their ends opposing each other and compressing a seal between them, the connection means comprising in combination:

a pair of axially spaced conduit load shoulders formed on each conduit, each of the conduit load shoulders of each pair extending circumferentially around each of the conduits;

one of the conduit load shoulders of each pair having a conduit lead portion joining a conduit load portion, both conduit lead and conduit load portions being conical, the conduit lead portion being at a greater angle relative to a plane perpendicular to the axis of the conduit than the conduit load portion;

a clamp having two semi-circular halves for clamping the ends of the conduits together, each half of the clamp having two pairs of axially spaced clamp load shoulders for mating with the conduit load shoulders;

one of the clamp load shoulders of each pair of the clamp having a clamp lead portion joining a clamp load portion and configured at the same angles as and for mating with the conduit lead and load portions, respectively; and

means for bolting the halves of the clamp together, for causing the conduit lead portions and clamp lead portions to slide on each other to move the ends of the conduits toward each other, then for causing the conduit load portions and clamp load portions to slide on each other to axially pre-load the ends of the conduits against each other and compress the seal.

3. Connection means for connecting two conduits together with their axes coinciding with each other and with their ends opposing each other and compressing a seal between them, the connection means comprising in combination:

axially spaced first and second conduit load shoulders formed on each conduit, each of the conduit load shoulders of each pair extending circumferentially around each of the conduits, the first conduit load shoulder of each conduit being spaced closer to the end of each conduit than the second conduit load shoulder;

the first conduit load shoulder of each conduit having a conduit lead portion joining a conduit load portion, both conduit lead and load portions being conical, the conduit lead portion being at a greater angle relative to a plane perpendicular to the axis of the conduit than the conduit load portion;

the second conduit load shoulder of each conduit being conical and having a depth that is less than the depth of the first conduit load shoulder;

a clamp having two semi-circular halves for clamping the ends of the conduits together, each half of the clamp having two sets of axially spaced first and second clamp load shoulders for mating with the first and second conduit load shoulders, respectively;

the first clamp load shoulder of each set of the clamp having a clamp lead portion joining a clamp load portion and configured at the same angles as the conduit lead and load portions, respectively;

the second clamp load shoulder of each set of the clamp being conical and having a depth that is less than the depth of the first clamp load shoulder; and

means for bolting the halves of the clamp together, for causing the conduit and clamp lead portions to slide on each other to move the ends of the conduits toward each other, then for causing the conduit and clamp load portions to slide on each other to axially preload the ends of the conduits against each other and compress the seal.

4. Connection means for connecting an upper conduit onto a lower conduit with their axes being vertical and coinciding with each other and with their ends opposing each other and compressing a seal between them, the connection means comprising in combination:

axially spaced first and second conduit load shoulders formed on each conduit, each of the conduit load shoulders of each pair extending circumferentially around each of the conduits, the first conduit load shoulder of each conduit being spaced closer to the end of each conduit than the second conduit load shoulder;

the first conduit load shoulder of each conduit having a conduit lead portion joining a conduit load portion, both conduit lead and load portions being conical, the conduit lead portion being at a greater angle relative to a plane perpendicular to the axis of each of the conduits than the conduit load portion;

the second conduit load shoulder of each conduit being conical and having a depth that is less than the depth of the first conduit load shoulder;

a clamp having two semi-circular halves for clamping the ends of the conduits together, each half of the clamp having two sets of axially spaced first and second clamp load shoulders for mating with the first and second conduit load shoulders, respectively;

the first clamp load shoulder of each set of the clamp having a clamp lead portion joining a clamp load portion and configured at the same angles as and for mating with the conduit lead and load portions of the first conduit load shoulders;

the second clamp load shoulder of each set of the clamp being conical and having a depth that is less than the depth of the first clamp load shoulder;

means for bolting the halves of the clamp together, for causing the conduit and clamp lead portions to slide on each other to move the ends of the conduits toward each other, then for causing the conduit and clamp load portions to slide on each other axially preload the ends of the conduits against each other and compress the seal; and

carrying means for mounting each half of the clamp to the upper conduit for allowing radial inward and outward sliding movement of each half relative to the conduits when bolting and unbolting the halves.

5. Connection means for connecting two conduits together with their axes coinciding with each other and with their ends opposing each other and compressing a seal between them, the connection means comprising in combination:

axially spaced first and second conduit load shoulders formed on each conduit, each of the conduit load shoulders of each pair extending circumferentially around each of the conduits and being separated from the other conduit load shoulder of the pair by a conical conduit flank, the first conduit load shoulder of each conduit being spaced closer to the end of each conduit than the second conduit load shoulder;

the first conduit load shoulder of each conduit having a conduit lead portion joining a conduit load portion, both conduit lead and load portions being conical, the conduit lead portion being at a greater angle relative to a plane perpendicular to the axis of the conduit than the conduit load portion;

the second conduit load shoulder of each conduit being conical and having a depth that is less than the depth cf the first conduit load shoulder;

a clamp having two semi-circular halves for clamping the ends of the conduits together, each half of the clamp having two sets of axially spaced first and second clamp load shoulders for mating with the first and second conduit load shoulders, respectively, each set of first and second clamp load shoulders being separated from each other by a conical clamp flank;

the first clamp load shoulder of each set of the clamp having a clamp lead portion joining a clamp load portion and configured at the same angles as and for mating with the conduit lead and load portions, respectively;

the second clamp load shoulder of each set of the clamp being conical and having a depth that is less than the depth of the first clamp load shoulder;

means for bolting the halves of the clamp together, for causing the conduit and clamp lead portions to slide on each other to move the ends of the conduits toward each other, then for causing the conduit and clamp load portions to slide on each other axially preload the ends of the conduits against each other and compress the seal; and

each of the clamp flanks being spaced from each of the conduit flanks by a substantial gap when the connection means is fully made up.

6. Connection means for connecting an upper conduit onto a lower conduit with their axes being vertical and coinciding with each other and with their ends opposing each other and compressing a seal between them, the connection means comprising in combination:

a pair of axially spaced generally parallel conical conduit load shoulders formed on each conduit, each of the conduit load shoulders of each pair extending circumferentially around each of the conduits and being separated from the other conduit load shoulder of the pair by a conical conduit flank;

a clamp having two semi-circular halves for clamping the ends of the conduits together, each half of the clamp having two pairs of axially spaced generally parallel conical clamp load shoulders for mating with the conduit load shoulders, each of the clamp load shoulders of each pair being separated from the other clamp load shoulder of the pair by a conical clamp flank;

means for bolting the halves of the clamp together for causing the clamp load shoulders to slide on the conduit load shoulders and draw the ends of the conduits toward each other, compressing the seal;

a pair of braces extending radially outward from the upper conduit on opposite sides of the upper conduit; and

cooperating means for slidably mounting one of the halves of the clamp to each of the braces to allow the halves to slide radially inward and outward for bolting and unbolting the clamp.

7. The connection means according to claim 6 wherein each of the braces comprises a rod;

and

wherein the cooperating means comprises an aperture extending through each of the halves for receiving the rod.

8. The connection means according to claim 6 wherein each of the braces comprises a flange extending radially from the upper conduit;

and

wherein the cooperating means comprises a slot formed in each of the halves for receiving the flange.