Remote automatic make-up stab-in sealing system

A seal assembly located on and for use with a projecting structure to be inserted into a bore, comprising:

• a frustoconical shaped metal gasket mounted on the projecting structure;
• a retainer member;
• an actuator member reciprocally mounted on the projecting structure, said retainer member and said actuator member having correlative, oppositely disposed, spaced apart surfaces bearing on said frustoconical gasket;
• said actuator member, including
• an actuation ring reciprocably mounted on the projecting structure, and
• a split ring mounted on the projecting structure, said actuation ring and said split ring having, oppositely disposed, juxtaposed, camming surfaces.

A sealing system, comprising:

• first apparatus having a projecting structure;
• second apparatus having a bore therein, said bore being of sufficient size to telescopically receive said projecting structure therein;
• seal means for substantially simultaneously forming metal-to-metal seals with said projecting structure and said bore;
• and actuation means responsive to the telescopic insertion of said structure into said bore for actuating said seal means;
• said seal means including a frustoconical shaped metal ring gasket circumferentially surrounding said projecting structure, said metal gasket being in metal-to-metal sealing engagement with said bore and said projecting structure and having a hardness softer than the material of the portions of said projecting structure and said bore at the location of said metal-to-metal seals;
• said actuation means including
• defomation means for forcing said frustoconical shaped metal ring gasket to deform and form said metal-to-metal seals, and
• reciprocating means for actuating said deformation means,
• said reciprocating means including a split ring having a lower downwardly, outwardly facing surface and an actuator ring having an upwardly, outwardly facing surface, said surfaces being partially juxtaposed.

A sealing system for use with a wellhead resting on one of a set of casing hangers, comprising:

• a tubing hanger having at least one bore therethrough, said tubing hanger resting on a different one of the set of casing hangers from the one supporting the wellhead;
• an assembly having at least one pack-off nipple extending therefrom, said assembly resting on the wellhead with said pack-off nipple telescopically received in said bore;
• and
• metal-to-metal sealing means for automatically forming substantially closely positioned metal-to-metal seal between said seal means and said pack-off nipple and said bore substantially independent of the spacing variations between the top of the wellhead and the top of said tubing hanger, each of said seals being cam-actuated into its sealing relation with said bore by the walls of said bore acting on said seal means as said seal means is telescopically inserted into said bore.

A method for sealing pack-off nipples of an assembly with bores adapted to receive the nipples, the nipples having seal means thereon for forming metal-to-metal seals with the bores and the nipples, comprising the steps of:

• A. inserting the nipples into the bores;
• B. actuating the seal means by applying force to the assembly to force the seal means into the bores and into metal-to-metal sealing engagement with the bores and the nipples;
• C. testing the metal-to-metal seals;
• D. locating leaking metal-to-metal seals;
• E. withdrawing the nipples from the bores;
• F. relocating the position where the metal-to-metal seal contacts the bore for bores having leaking seals;
• G. reinserting the nipples into the bores to set the metal-to-metal seals;
• and
• H. reactuating the seal means by applying force to the assembly to force the seal means into the bores and into metal-to-metal sealing engagement with the bores and the nipples.

A method for setting metal-to-metal seals to seal nipples of an assembly with corresponding bores adapted to receive the nipples, the nipples having seal means thereon for forming metal-to-metal seals with the bores and the nipples, comprising the steps of:

• A. Positioning the seal means on the nipples to cause serial insertion of the seal means into the bores;
• B. Inserting the nipples into the corresponding bores;
• and
• C. Actuating each of the seal means serially by applying force to the assembly to force the seal means portion of each of the nipples sequentially into its corresponding bore and into metal-to-metal sealing engagement with the corresponding bore and nipple.

A sealing system, comprising:

• first apparatus having a plurality of projecting structures;
• second apparatus having a plurality of bores therein, said bores being of sufficient size and being positioned to telescopically receive said projecting structures therein;
• seal means located on said projecting structures forming metal-to-metal seals with said projecting structures and said bores;
• and
• a plurality of actuation means, one of said actuation means located on each of said projecting structures, responsive to the telescopic insertion of said structure into a corresponding one of said bores for actuating said seal means;
• said plurality of actuaton means being positioned on said plurality of projecting structures to cause serial telescopic insertion of said plurality of actuation means into said bores.