Stackable support system and method
AssigneeOneSubsea IP UK Limited
InventorChristopher John Cookston
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A stackable support system and method are disclosed to increase the final contact area of an expanding lock component by stacking one ring on top of another such that one ring acts as an actuator for the one beneath it. As a body lands inside a receptacle, e.g. a narrow cylinder lands inside a larger cylinder, the components or rings expand in a domino effect, resulting in a greater contact between the body and receptacle than would occur if there was only one component or ring. The stackable support system includes a number of expandable lock rings which stack on top of each other. These rings, when expanded, steadily increase in diameter, resulting in an overall larger surface on the bottom of the support system than could have been achieved with one ring.
Claims21
A stackable support system for the installation of a body in a receptacle, comprising:
- a load shoulder that is supported by and in a first fixed position with respect to the receptacle;
- an actuator that is supported by and in a second fixed position with respect to the receptacle;
- a top lock component adjacent to a shoulder of the body in a first initial position;
- and
- a bottom lock component adjacent to the actuator in a second initial position;
- wherein the body is configured to move with respect to the receptacle to cause radial movement of the top lock component and the bottom lock component into a set position, and wherein upon movement of the body with respect to the receptacle, the top lock component is configured to move along the bottom lock component and the bottom lock component is configured to move along the actuator and the load shoulder, thereby locking the body with the receptacle when the top lock component and the bottom lock component are in the set position.
A stackable support system for installing a body in a receptacle, comprising:
- an actuator that is supported by and in a first fixed position with respect to the receptacle;
- a first lock ring and a second lock ring, wherein the first and second lock rings are in a first stacked arrangement when the body is in an initial position with respect to the receptacle, and wherein the first lock ring is disposed adjacent to the actuator and the second lock ring is disposed adjacent to a first shoulder of the body when the body is in the initial position;
- wherein the body is configured to move with respect to the receptacle from the initial position into a second position to cause radial movement of the first lock ring and the second lock ring, and wherein the second lock ring is configured to move along the first lock ring to create a second stacked arrangement of the first and second rings upon movement of the body from the initial position to the second position, and wherein the first lock ring is configured to move along the actuator toward the receptacle upon movement of the body from the initial position to the second position.
A system, comprising:
- a stackable support assembly, comprising:
- a first lock configured to be positioned radially between a first tubular body and a second tubular body relative to a longitudinal axis;
- and
- a second lock configured to be positioned radially between the first tubular body and the second tubular body, wherein the first lock is configured to move axially and radially relative to the longitudinal axis along a portion of the second lock, wherein the first and second locks are configured to move at least radially relative to the longitudinal axis into a locked position between the first and second tubular bodies.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.