Scalloped landing ring

An apparatus for cementing casing at a surface well, comprising:

• a landing ring adapted to be secured to an upper end of a conductor pipe, the landing ring having a downward facing shoulder on an outer surface for landing on a rim of the upper end of the conductor pipe, the landing ring having an internal upward-facing shoulder;
• a mandrel hanger adapted having a lower threaded portion for engaging an upper end of a casing to thereby support casing, the hanger having an axis;
• a plurality of flutes disposed equidistant from each other on an exterior surface of the mandrel hanger and extending radially outward from the hanger, the flutes having lower ends that land on the upward facing shoulder of the landing ring to allow for transfer of a casing load from the mandrel hanger to the landing ring and to the conductor pipe;
• a plurality of gaps defined by spaces between adjacent ones of the flutes on the mandrel hanger;
• and
• at least one axially extending groove formed on an interior surface of the landing ring that aligns with one of the gaps between the flutes on the mandrel hanger to provide a cement tube passage for a cement tube to stab through the cement tube passage, the groove extending from an upper end to a lower end of the landing ring;
• wherein the at least one groove formed on the interior surface of the landing ring has a circumferentially extending width about equal to a circumferentially extending width of the gap between the flutes on the mandrel hanger.

A method of cementing a casing, comprising:

• providing a landing ring adapted to be secured to an upper end of a wellbore casing, the landing ring having a downward facing shoulder on an outer surface for landing on a rim of the casing, the landing ring having an internal upward facing shoulder, a casing hanger adapted for supporting casing and having an axis, a plurality of flutes disposed equidistant from each other on an exterior surface of the casing hanger, a plurality of gaps defined by space between each of the flutes on the casing hanger;
• and at least one axially extending groove fanned on an interior surface of the landing ring that aligns with at least one of the gaps between the flutes on the casing hanger to provide a cement tube passage for a fill up cement tube to stab into the space of the groove.
• landing the casing hanger on the internal upward facing shoulder of the landing ring and aligning hanger with the landing ring so that the gap formed between a plurality of flutes on the casing hanger aligns with the at least one groove on the landing ring;
• and
• stabbing the cement tube past the landing ring through a space defined by the at least one groove on the landing ring and the gap between the flutes.