Rotating pressure control head
AssigneeSunstone Corporation
InventorsWilliam Hughes, Murl Richardson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A Rotating Pressure Control Head (RPCH) with a rapid engagement mechanism is disclosed. The RPCH comprises an upper body and a lower body. The rapid engagement mechanism allows the upper body to be quickly disengaged from the lower body and replaced with a new upper body. The upper body comprises a sealing element and an inner housing that rotates with respect to an outer housing. The sealing element contains a plurality of internal cavities. The plurality of cavities control the constriction of the sealing element around the drill pipe.
Claims53
A sealing element for creating a seal between a plurality of cylindrical members, the sealing element comprising:
- a plurality of internal cavities;
- a plurality of apertures for connecting the plurality of internal cavities to a pressurized fluid;
- wherein inflation of the plurality of internal cavities by the pressurized fluid causes an inner wall of the sealing element to constrict the innermost cylindrical member in a predictable manner.
A sealing element comprising:
- a substantially cylindrical outer surface;
- a substantially cylindrical inner surface concentric with and having a smaller diameter than the outer surface;
- a central aperture defined by the exterior of the inner surface, the central aperture sized to allow passage of a drill pipe;
- a plurality of inner cavities disposed within the sealing element between the inner surface and the outer surface, each of the inner cavities having an opening through the outer surface;
- wherein upon introduction of a pressurized fluid into the inner cavities through each of the openings, the diameter of the outer surface remains fixed and the diameter of the inner surface decreases;
- and
- wherein the inner cavities control the deformation of the inner surface as the diameter of the inner surface decreases.
A rotating pressure control head comprising:
- an upper body;
- a lower body;
- and
- wherein the upper body secures to the lower body using a rapid engagement mechanism.
An apparatus comprising:
- an upper body removably connected to a lower body;
- wherein the upper body comprises:
- an outer housing;
- a sealing element adapted for rotation within the outer housing;
- wherein the sealing element comprises a means for controlling constriction of the sealing element to a drill pipe.
A rotating pressure control head comprising:
- an upper body having an outer housing, a plurality of upper rapid engagement threads affixed to the outer housing, an inner housing rotatably engaged within the outer housing;
- a lower body having an plurality of lower rapid engagement threads;
- a sealing element removeably engaged to the inner housing and having a plurality of internal cavities and having a plurality of apertures for connecting the internal cavities to a pressurized fluid;
- wherein inflation of the plurality of internal cavities by the pressurized fluid causes an inner wall of the sealing element to constrict a drill pipe in the rotating pressure control head in a twisting action;
- wherein the upper body engages the lower body by a twisting and interlocking of the upper rapid engagement threads with the lower rapid engagement threads;
- and
- wherein the inner housing is rotatably engaged with the outer hosing by a first bearing configured to support the vertical load placed upon the upper body and by a second bearing configured to support the horizontal load placed upon the upper body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.