Threaded and Coupled Tubular Connection Incorporating a Seal Ring and Method of Make-Up

A threaded and coupled connection for oil field tubular goods, the connection comprising:

• a cylindrical coupling member having an exterior, an interior defined by an internal diameter having a center point, and having opposing ends, the opposing ends each having internally threaded regions with internal threads which extend inwardly from each of the opposing ends toward the center point of the coupling;
• a pair of pipes having pipe pin ends with external threads provided on the pin ends so that each pipe pin end can be axially aligned and received within a respective opposing end of the coupling member with the pin end threads matingly engaging the internal threads of the coupling member;
• wherein the cylindrical coupling member is provided with a mid-region of decreased internal diameter between the two opposing internally threaded regions, the region of decreased internal diameter forming an internal shoulder region integral with the coupling, the internal shoulder region having oppositely arranged stepped end faces joined by a diametral mid-region which forms an exposed circumferential face circumscribing the internal diameter of the mid-region of the coupling member, the circumferential face having a centrally located groove which circumscribes the face region;
• a resilient corrosion resistant seal ring having a circumferential exterior face and a circumferential interior face, the exterior face of the ring having a pair of oppositely arranged protruding end regions and a central protruding region which regions are arranged to mate with the oppositely arranged stepped end faces and centrally located groove, respectively, provided on the internal shoulder region of the cylindrical coupling member to receive the projections and hold the ring on the shoulder region when the seal ring is compressed between the pin ends of the axially aligned pipes when the connection is made-up;
• and
• wherein the oppositely arranged protruding end regions of the seal ring each have outer contact faces for contacting an adjacent stepped face of the shoulder region of the coupling as the coupling is made up and wherein a gap initially exists between the oppositely arranged protruding end regions of the seal ring and the exposed circumferential face regions of the coupling, the gap being of a predetermined width, whereby the connection has a desired, final make-up position and amount of squeeze on the seal ring are controlled by utilizing the shoulder contact with the pipe pin ends as the coupling is made up.

A threaded and coupled connection for oil field tubular goods, the connection comprising:

• a cylindrical coupling member having an exterior, an interior defined by an internal diameter having a center point, and having opposing ends, the opposing ends each having internally threaded regions with internal threads which extend inwardly from each of the opposing ends toward the center point of the coupling;
• a pair of pipes having pipe pin ends with external threads provided on the pin ends so that each pipe pin end can be axially aligned and received within a respective opposing end of the coupling member with the pin end threads matingly engaging the internal threads of the coupling member;
• wherein the cylindrical coupling member is provided with a mid-region of decreased internal diameter between the two opposing internally threaded regions, the region of decreased internal diameter forming an internal shoulder region integral with the coupling, the internal shoulder region having oppositely arranged stepped end faces joined by a diametral mid-region which forms an exposed circumferential face circumscribing the internal diameter of the mid-region of the coupling member, the circumferential face having a centrally located groove which circumscribes the face region;
• a resilient corrosion resistant seal ring having a circumferential exterior face and a circumferential interior face, the exterior face of the ring having a pair of oppositely arranged protruding end regions and a central protruding region which regions are arranged to mate with the oppositely arranged stepped end faces and centrally located groove, respectively, provided on the internal shoulder region of the cylindrical coupling member to receive the projections and hold the ring on the shoulder region when the seal ring is compressed between the pin ends of the axially aligned pipes when the connection is made-up;
• wherein the oppositely arranged protruding end regions of the seal ring each have outer contact faces for contacting an adjacent stepped face of the shoulder region of the coupling as the coupling is made up and wherein a gap initially exists between the outer contact faces of the oppositely arranged protruding end regions and the respective shoulder regions of the coupling, the gap being of a predetermined width, whereby the connection has a desired, final make-up position, and wherein this final make-up position and the amount of squeeze on the seal ring are controlled by utilizing the shoulder contact between the pin ends and the shoulder regions of the coupling;
• and
• wherein there is a defined effective shoulder contact area between the pipe pin ends and the respective oppositely arranged stepped end faces of the shoulder region of the coupling member, that area being determined, in part, by the height of the selected end region of the seal ring.

A method of connecting threaded pipe sections to form a coupled, made-up tubular connection having proper sealing positioning at proper make-up torque where the connection is a position make-up connection, the comprising the steps of:

• providing a cylindrical coupling member having an exterior, an interior defined by an internal diameter having a center point, and having opposing ends, the opposing ends each having internally threaded regions with internal threads which taper inwardly from each of the opposing ends toward the center point of the coupling so as to mate with external threads provided on pin ends of two axially aligned pipes to be joined by the coupling;
• wherein the cylindrical coupling member is provided with a mid-region of decreased internal diameter between the two opposing internally threaded regions which forms an internal shoulder region integral with the coupling;
• the internal shoulder region having oppositely arranged stepped end faces joined by a diametral mid-region which forms an exposed circumferential face region circumscribing the internal diameter of the mid-region of the coupling member, the circumferential face region having a centrally located groove which circumscribes the face region;
• providing a resilient, corrosion resistant seal ring having a pair of oppositely arranged end protruding regions and a central protruding region which are arranged to mate with the oppositely arranged stepped end faces and centrally located groove, respectively, provided on the internal shoulder region of the cylindrical coupling member to hold the ring on the shoulder region when the seal ring is compressed between the pin ends of the axially aligned pipes as the connection is made-up;
• wherein the connection has a desired final make-up position, which position and the amount of squeeze on the seal ring being controlled by utilizing the shoulder contact between the pipe pin ends and the shoulder region of the coupling.

A method of connecting threaded sections of oil field pipe to form a coupled, made-up tubular connection having proper sealing positioning at proper make-up torque where the connection is a position make-up connection, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a first section of pipe in the form of a pipe pin member including an externally threaded pipe pin end;
• providing a second section of pipe in the form of a similar pipe pin end;
• providing a tubular coupling member having oppositely arranged internally threaded box ends;
• installing a selected box end of the tubular coupling onto the first pin pipe end hand tight;
• thereafter using a power torque device to torque the pipe coupling onto the first pipe spin end to a final position;
• verifying the final position of the position made-up tubular connection to ensure that the final position is within a specified tolerance;
• repeating the process for the second pipe pin end and the opposite end of the tubular coupling;
• wherein the cylindrical coupling member has an exterior, an interior defined by an internal diameter having a center point, and having opposing ends, the opposing ends each having internally threaded regions with internal threads which taper inwardly from each of the opposing ends toward the center point of the coupling so as to mate with external threads provided on pin ends of two axially aligned pipes to be joined by the coupling;
• wherein the cylindrical coupling member is provided with a mid-region of decreased internal diameter between the two opposing internally threaded regions which forms an internal shoulder region integral with the coupling;
• the internal shoulder region having oppositely arranged stepped end faces joined by a diametral mid-region which forms an exposed circumferential face region circumscribing the internal diameter of the mid-region of the coupling member, the circumferential face region having a centrally located groove which circumscribes the face region;
• providing a resilient, corrosion resistant seal ring having a pair of oppositely arranged end protruding regions and a central protruding region which are arranged to mate with the oppositely arranged stepped end faces and centrally located groove, respectively, provided on the internal shoulder region of the cylindrical coupling member to hold the ring on the shoulder region when the seal ring is compressed between the pin ends of the axially aligned pipes as the connection is made-up;
• wherein the connection has a final, desired make-up position, which position and the amount of squeeze on the seal ring are controlled by utilizing the shoulder contact between the pin ends and the shoulder region of the coupling;
• wherein the oppositely arranged protruding end regions of the seal ring each have outer contact faces for contacting an adjacent stepped face of the shoulder region of the coupling as the coupling is made up and wherein a gap initially exists between the oppositely arranged protruding end regions of the seal ring and the exposed circumferential face of the coupling, the gap being of a predetermined width, whereby the connection has a desired, final make-up position and desired amount of squeeze on the seal ring, both of which are controlled by utilizing the contact between the pipe pin ends and the shoulder region of the coupling.