Pressure balanced couplings
AssigneeMandeville Engineering Limited
InventorDouglas F Kirkman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sub-sea coupling comprises a male probe coupler and a female receiver coupler containing mutually engageable poppet valves which have intermediate valve heads between nose and shank portions which seal with respect to the respective couplers. Each valve has a longitudinal passageway allowing balancing of the poppet valve with respect to external pressure. Further, the poppet valves have substantial equality in effective area between the valve portions and the nose and shank portions so that the poppet valve is substantially balanced with respect to line pressure in the line to which the coupler is connected. The arrangement gives a high resistance to the ingress of sea water to the couplers while substantially avoiding any hydraulic lock or wash-out during make-up and separation of the couplers.
Claims19
A fluid coupling comprising:
- a female coupler having a socket and a male coupler having a probe receivable in said socket,
- each coupler including a respective valve member which is movable to close a respective passageway through the coupler and openable when the couplers are mated,
- wherein each valve member is configured such that internal fluid pressure in the respective passageway produces at least partially balanced forces on said valve member, and
- means for exposing different portions of each of the valve members to the external fluid pressure when hydraulic fluid surrounds the coupling whereby to produce substantially balanced forces due to said external fluid pressure on each of said valve members.
A sub-sea fluid coupling comprising:
- a female coupler having a socket and a male coupler having a probe receivable in said socket,
- each coupler including a respective valve member which is movable in a direction to close a respective passageway through the coupler and openable by engagement with the other coupler,
- wherein each coupler includes means for providing communication between the ends of said respective valve member whereby to produce in the direction of movement of said respective valve member substantially balanced forces due to the external hydraulic pressure on said respective valve member when the coupling is surrounded by hydraulic fluid.
A sub-sea coupler comprising:
- a body which has an internal passageway for coupling to a fluid pressure line,
- a movable valve member having a first portion and a second portion each in sealing relation with said passageway, and
- a valve closure portion between said portions and adapted to engage a valve seat in said passageway,
- wherein said portions are dimensioned so that the member is at least partially balanced with respect to fluid pressure within the passageway;
- and
- wherein the valve member has opposite faces which are exposed to external hydraulic pressure when the coupler is surrounded by hydraulic fluid and have equal effective cross-sections,
- whereby said external hydraulic pressure produces substantially balanced forces on said valve member.
A sub-sea coupler comprising:
- a body which has an internal passageway for coupling to a fluid pressure line, and
- a movable valve member having a valve closure portion adapted to engage a valve seat in said passageway,
- wherein said valve member has opposite faces which are in communication and are thereby both exposed to the external hydraulic pressure when the coupler is surrounded by hydraulic fluid and have equal effective cross-sections,
- whereby said external hydraulic pressure produces substantially balanced forces on said valve member.
A sub-sea coupler comprising:
- a body which has an internal passageway for coupling to a fluid pressure line,
- a movable valve member having a valve closure portion adapted to engage a valve seat in said passageway;
- wherein said valve member has a front portion for depression into said body when said coupler mates with a co-operative coupler and a rear portion within said body;
- and means for communicating external hydraulic pressure to said rear portion when the coupler is surrounded by hydraulic fluid;
- whereby said external hydraulic pressure produces on said rear portion a force opposing the force of said external hydraulic pressure on said front portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.