High performance shoulder ring for pipe and other tubular goods in the oil and gas industry

A coupled pipe connection system including interchangeable torque rings comprising:

• a coupling having a bore therethrough defining an inner surface having a plurality of tapered inner threads disposed on opposite ends of the coupling, and tapering toward a central portion of the coupling where an inner diameter of the coupling is smaller than inner diameters of the coupling at the opposite ends of the coupling;
• a first pipe having a first pin, the first pipe having an inner cylindrical surface and an outer cylindrical surface, the outer cylindrical surface including a plurality of outer threads disposed therearound, the outer threads on the first pipe being threadably engaged with the inner threads on a left mill side of the coupling;
• a second pipe having a second pin, the second pipe having an inner cylindrical surface and an outer cylindrical surface, the outer cylindrical surface including a plurality of outer threads disposed therearound, the outer threads on the second pipe being threadably engaged with the inner threads on a right field side of the coupling;
• and
• at least a first torque ring, and a second torque ring, each of the torque rings being adapted to be sequentially disposed within the coupling and between the first pin and the second pin, each torque ring having an inner cylindrical surface and an outer cylindrical surface, at least a portion of the outer cylindrical surface of each torque ring including a plurality of threads engaged with and dimensioned to match a mid-length axial section of the inner threads of the coupling, the mid-length axial section having a J-space length, the first torque ring having an axial length not greater than the J-space length, and the second torque ring having an axial length less than the axial length of the first torque ring.

A coupled pipe connection system comprising:

• a first pipe having a first pin, the first pin having an inner cylindrical surface and an outer cylindrical surface, the outer cylindrical surface including a plurality of outer threads disposed therearound;
• a second pipe having an upset box and a main body, the upset box including an internal annular surface having a plurality of tapered box threads disposed therein, the internal annular surface terminating in an annular abutment joining the internal annular surface of the upset box to a main cylindrical bore within the main body, the plurality of outer threads on the first pipe being threadably engaged to the tapered box threads;
• and
• at least one torque ring disposed within the upset box and between a distal end of the first pipe and the annular abutment within the second pipe, each torque ring having an inner cylindrical surface, an outer cylindrical surface, and an outer threaded surface at least a portion of the outer cylindrical surface including a plurality of tapered threads engaged with the box threads.