Dual ball upper internal blow out preventer valve
AssigneeNational Oilwell Varco, L.P.
InventorsPadmasiri Daya Seneviratne, Lawrence E. Wells, Arthur W. Braman, Preston R. Fox
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An internal blowout preventer used in drilling rigs for the discovery and production of hydrocarbons from the earth is disclosed. The internal blowout preventer has two independently and remotely operable blowout preventer valves in the same body, providing for greater service life and higher reliability during drilling operations. The two valves are loaded into the internal blowout preventer housing from a single end, and are operable by an actuator assembly.
Claims21
An internal blowout preventer for use in drilling operations, comprising:
- a housing having first and second openings at opposite first and second ends of the housing, and having a flow passage between the openings;
- first and second valves located in the flow passage in the housing, each valve being movable between an open position in which the flow passage is open and a closed position in which the flow passage is closed;
- and
- an actuator assembly coupled to the housing for independently operating the first or second valve,
- wherein the first and second valves are received into the housing through the first opening.
A top drive drilling system comprising:
- a top drive having an output shaft, the top drive being configured to rotate the output shaft;
- and
- a dual internal blowout preventer coupled to the output shaft of the top drive, the dual internal blowout preventer comprising:
- a housing comprising a mud flow passage;
- first and second ball valves located in series in the mud flow passage, each ball valve being rotatable between open and closed positions to open or close the mud flow passage;
- first and second internal crank mechanisms coupled to the respective first and second ball valves;
- an actuator coupled to the housing and movable with respect to the housing;
- and
- first and second external cranks coupled between the actuator and the respective first and second internal crank mechanisms, such that movement of the first or second external crank by the actuator causes rotation of the respective first or second ball valve between the open and closed positions.
A method for operating an internal blowout preventer in a top drive drilling system, the method comprising:
- providing an internal blowout preventer comprising a housing having first and second openings at opposite first and second ends of the housing;
- loading first and second valves into the housing through the first opening;
- mounting an actuator sleeve to the housing and coupling the actuator sleeve to the first valve;
- configuring the actuator sleeve to operate the first valve;
- and
- translating the actuator sleeve to operate the first valve.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.