Dual-direction ram-type blowout preventer seal

A ram-type blowout preventer, comprising:

• a body;
• a vertical bore through the body;
• a horizontal bore through the body intersecting the vertical bore;
• a pair of ram blocks disposed in the horizontal bore on opposite sides of the body, wherein the ram blocks are configured along the horizontal bore to have controlled lateral movement to and from the vertical bore;
• a seal carrier disposed at the intersection of the vertical bore and the horizontal bore;
• and
• a sealing device positioned between the body and the seal carrier;
• wherein the seal carrier is configured to be displaced along an axis of the vertical bore such as that the seal carrier moves unbiased within a predetermined range along the vertical bore,
• wherein the seal carrier is configured to be sealingly engaged with a top seal of at least one of the pair of ram blocks, and
• the sealing device is positioned further away from the axis of the vertical bore than a top seal of the at least one of the pair of ram blocks such that when a pressure from above the pair of ram blocks is applied, a net force is generated that pushes the Seal carrier towards the pair of ram blocks

A ram-type blowout preventer, comprising:

• a body;
• a vertical bore through the body;
• a horizontal bore through the body intersecting the vertical bore;
• a pair of ram blocks disposed in the horizontal bore on opposite sides of the body, wherein the ram blocks are configured to move along the horizontal bore to have controlled lateral movement to and from the vertical bore;
• a seal carrier disposed at the intersection of the vertical bore and the horizontal bore;
• and
• a sealing device positioned between the body and the seal carrier;
• wherein the seal carrier is configured to be thrust into sealing engagement with at least one of the pair of ram blocks by fluid pressure above the ram blocks such that the seal carrier moves unbiased within a predetermined range along the vertical bore, and
• the sealing device is positioned further away from an axis of the vertical bore than a top seal of at least one of the pair of ram blocks such that when the fluid pressure from the pair of ram blocks is applied, a net force is generated that pushes the seal carrier towards the pair of ram blocks.

A method of actuating a ram-type blowout preventer, the method comprising:

• positioning a sealing device further away from an axis of a vertical bore of a body of the blowout preventer than a top seal of at least one of a pair of ram blocks such that when a pressure from above the pair of ram blocks is applied, a net force is generated that pushes a seal carrier towards the pair of ram blocks, wherein the seal carrier is configured to move unbiased within a predetermined range along the vertical bore;
• sealing a pair of ram blocks against one another proximate a wellbore axis by moving the pair of ram blocks along a horizontal bore formed in a body of the ram-type blowout preventer;
• and
• sealingly engaging a seal carrier with at least one of the pair of ram blocks from fluid pressure acting upon the ram blocks, wherein the seal carrier is configured to be sealingly displaced along the wellbore axis such that the seal carrier moves along the vertical bore formed in a body of the ram-type blowout preventer, the vertical bore intersecting the horizontal bore.