Self Sealing Hydraulic Coupler
AssigneeVetco Gray Inc.
InventorKarl A. Parfrey
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hydraulic coupler for providing fluid communication between adjacent members that includes a two way check valve formed from a double headed poppet set in a hollow cylinder with corrugated bellows like walls. Contoured bores are provided in the cylinder ends and the poppet heads are profiled to match the contour of the bores. When the heads are seated in the bores they form a sealing surface to block fluid from flowing through the coupler. Compressively preloading the cylinder before assembly provides a sealing force between the heads and the bores. Axially compressing the cylinder with respect to the poppet unseats the heads from the bores to form a flow path through the coupler.
Claims19
A hydraulic coupler for communicating fluid between a first and a second member, the coupler comprising:
- an axially compliant tubular,
- a first base connected to a first end of the tubular having a side in pressure communication with a region ambient to the second member,
- a bore extending through the first base,
- a second base connected to a second end of the tubular having a side for pressure communication with a passage formed in the second member,
- a bore extending through the second base;
- an elongated shaft coaxially disposed within the tubular;
- on an end of the shaft, a first head seated against the first base and defining a pressure seal between the first base bore and the region ambient to the second member, and
- on an end of the shaft opposite the first head, a second head seated against the second base and defining a pressure seal between the second base bore and the passage formed in the second member.
A hydraulic coupler for use in communicating fluid between members used in hydrocarbon production subsea, the hydraulic coupler comprising:
- first and second subsea well members, each having a hydraulic fluid port;
- a hollow tubular mounted to the second member and having a resilient corrugated side wall and a longitudinal axis, the interior of the tubular being in fluid communication with the hydraulic fluid port in the second member;
- a second seat in an end of the tubular proximate the second member;
- a first seat on an end of the tubular opposite the second seat and facing away from the second seat;
- a poppet member coaxially disposed in the tubular having first and second ends, so that when the tubular is in a pre-loaded axially compressed configuration, the first end is in sealing engagement with the first seat and the second end is in sealing engagement with the second seat.
A method of hydraulically coupling members used in subsea hydrocarbon production, the method comprising:
- a. providing on a member used in subsea hydrocarbon production, an axially compliant hollow tubular having seats at its ends, a poppet member coaxially disposed in the tubular with ends extending outside the ends of the tubular and in sealing engagement with the seats, so that an end of the tubular is in pressure communication with a region ambient to the member and the opposite end of the tubular is in pressure communication with a flow line within the member;
- b. compressing the tubular by applying a force to an end of the tubular thereby breaching the sealing engagement with the poppet at the end of the tubular where the force is being applied;
- c. pushing the poppet to breach the sealing engagement between the poppet and the other end of the tubular;
- d. flowing fluid between the poppet and an end of the tubular, through the tubular, and out the other end of the tubular;
- and
- e. removing the force compressing the tubular so that the resilient tubular returns to its configuration in step (a) and sealing engagement occurs between the tubular ends and poppet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.