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US 2012/0070225 A1Published application
Hydraulically actuated safety lock ring
AssigneeVetco Gray Inc.
InventorsDavid Andrew Wallace, Martin Urquhart
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A connector assembly that can be used to connect a tension ring to a telescoping joint on a riser by using a lower set of hydraulically actuated dogs. A set of hydraulically actuated hang-off dogs on the connector assembly can be used to connect the tension ring to a diverter housing mounted on a rig. To prevent accidental disengagement of the hang-off dogs, a hydraulically actuated lock ring is used to provide a positive stop against the back of the hang-off dogs.
Claims19
A riser tension ring assembly, comprising:
- a tubular body;
- passages formed radially through the body;
- dogs selectively moveable through the passages;
- and
- a lock ring circumscribing the body and selectively rotatable from a non-locking position to a locking position;
- and
- openings formed through the lock ring that register with the passages when the lock ring is in the non-locking position and are angularly offset from the passages when the lock ring is in the locking position thereby forming a backstop for the dogs where the passages intersect an outer circumference of the body.
4 more elements
A lock ring comprising:
- a lock ring adapted for mounting around a rim on a body of a tensioning ring, wherein the tensioning ring includes passages radially formed therethrough and dogs slidingly disposed in the passages;
- and
- a hydraulic piston having an end adapted to be mounted to the rim and a second end mounted to the lock ring, the hydraulic piston extending or retracting in response to hydraulic pressure;
- and
- openings formed radially through the lock ring, so that when the lock ring is angularly positioned on the rim to register the openings with the passages an unlocked configuration of the lock ring is defined, and when the lock ring is angularly positioned on the rim to offset the openings from the passages a locked configuration of the lock ring is defined.
2 more elements
A method of locking a riser tension ring assembly, comprising:
- providing a tubular body;
- forming passages radially through the body;
- locating dogs within the passages, the dogs being selectively moveable;
- mounting a lock ring on the body, wherein the lock ring circumscribes the body;
- rotating the lock ring from a non-locking position to a locking position;
- and
- registering openings formed through the lock ring with the passages when the lock ring is in the non-locking position.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.