Sealing apparatus and method

A method of sealing around an elongate member which passes through a throughbore of a valve device, the method comprising:

• housing a first ram assembly in a first bore on a first side of an elongate member, and a second ram assembly on a second ram bore on a second side of the elongate member, each ram assembly having an upper sealing element comprising an upper seal mounted on an upper seal body arranged to support and orientate the upper seal and a lower sealing element comprising a lower seal mounted on a lower seal body arranged to support and orientate the lower seal, the upper and lower sealing elements being spaced apart on the valve device, and each sealing element being adapted to change configuration from an open configuration to a sealed configuration within the valve device to seal the throughbore of the valve device around the elongate member;
• wherein the upper and lower seal bodies in each ram bore are separate and axially movable independently from one another within the ram bore;
• and wherein the method includes:
• actuating the seal bodies in the first ram assembly between open and sealed configurations using a first common actuator, and actuating the seal bodies in the second ram assembly between open and sealed configurations using a second common actuator.

A sealing apparatus for sealing around an elongate member which passes through a throughbore of a valve device, the apparatus comprising:

• a first ram assembly housed in a first ram bore and a second ram assembly housed in a second ram bore, each ram assembly having an upper sealing element comprising an upper seal mounted on an upper seal body arranged to support and orientate the upper seal and a lower sealing element comprising a lower seal mounted on a lower seal body arranged to support and orientate the lower seal, each of the upper and lower sealing elements being adapted to change configuration from an open configuration to a sealed configuration within the valve device to seal the throughbore of the valve device around the elongate member;
• wherein the upper and lower seal bodies in each ram bore are separate and axially moveable within the ram bore independently from one another, and are configured to be actuated between open and sealed configurations by a common actuator;
• wherein at least one of the sealed bodies in each ram bore is moveable relative to the common actuator;
• wherein a radially outermost end of at least one of the sealing elements in each ram bore has an axial channel.