Riser tensioner frame assembly
AssigneeThe Technologies Alliance, Inc.
InventorsPaul C. Berner, Jr., Edward M. Galle, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A riser tensioner for maintaining a tensile force on a riser extending through an opening in a deck of a floating platform includes a frame assembly that may be quickly bolted together in the field. The frame assembly includes a plurality of tensioner legs that may be installed on an un-level deck yet still provide a level support of the riser. Lower leg mounting assemblies include a slip ring for mounting directly to the deck and a deck mounting member received in the slip ring at a variable angle and having an upwardly extending shaft passing into a bore in a lower end of a tensioner leg.
Claims18
A tensioner frame assembly for transferring loads from a riser extending from a subsea wellhead assembly through an opening in a deck of a floating platform to the deck of the floating platform, the tensioner frame assembly comprising:
- a support ring;
- a plurality of cylinder mounting assemblies coupled to the support ring;
- a plurality of hydraulic cylinders each having an upper end coupled to one of the cylinder mounting assemblies and a lower end for connection to the riser to exert upward forces on the riser;
- a plurality of tensioner legs, each tensioner leg of the plurality of tensioner legs having an upper end coupled to the support ring and a lower end for mounting to the deck, the lower end of each tensioner leg of the plurality of tensioner legs having a bore disposed therein, each of the tensioner legs having a fixed length between the upper and lower ends;
- and
- a plurality of lower leg mounting assemblies, each lower leg mounting assembly of the plurality of lower leg mounting assemblies adapted to be mounted directly to the deck and including an upwardly extending shaft passing through the bore disposed in the lower end of a respective tensioner leg that fixes an angle of each respective tensioner leg relative to the deck.
A method of securing a tensioner frame assembly to a deck of a floating platform having an opening for a riser, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a jig including a plurality of radially spaced receptacle assemblies;
- securing a respective deck mounting member to each receptacle assembly of the plurality of receptacle assemblies;
- aligning the jig with the opening such that each receptacle assembly of the plurality of radially spaced receptacle assemblies is radially spaced about the opening and each deck mounting member is vertically approximated with the deck;
- positioning a plurality of slip rings on the deck such that each respective slip ring of the plurality of slip rings is located beneath a respective deck mounting member;
- lowering the jig to land each deck mounting member into the respective slip ring to thereby locate the respective slip rings in aligned positions on the deck;
- securing the respective slip rings to the deck in the aligned positions;
- securing the respective deck mounting members to the respective slip rings;
- decoupling the respective deck mounting members from each of the respective receptacle assemblies;
- and
- fastening a respective tensioner leg of the tensioner frame assembly to each of the deck mounting members.
A riser tensioner for maintaining a tensile force on a riser extending from a subsea wellhead assembly through an opening in a deck of a floating platform, the riser tensioner comprising:
- a plurality of tensioner legs, each having a lower end for mounting to the deck;
- an annular support ring positioned proximate upper ends of the tensioner legs;
- a plurality of leg mounting assemblies, each having a shaft adapted to pass through a corresponding bore in the support ring and into a bore in an upper end of the tensioner legs;
- a plurality of lower leg mounting assemblies, adapted to be mounted to the platform deck and having an upwardly extending shaft adapted to pass through a bore in a lower end of the respective tensioner leg;
- and
- a plurality of cylinder mounting assemblies adapted to mount to the support ring at one of the plurality of bores formed therein.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.