Pressure-containing tubular connections for remote operation
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
F16B-004/00
F16L-035/00
출원번호
US-0869268
(2004-06-16)
등록번호
US-7431351
(2008-10-07)
발명자
/ 주소
Russell,Larry R.
출원인 / 주소
Russell,Larry R.
대리인 / 주소
Hall,Elizabeth R.
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
7인용 특허 :
8
초록▼
This invention is a method and apparatus for making a pressure-containing threaded tubular connection, suitable for remotely operated connection and separation, utilizing electrical heating to reduce the amount of make up torque required to produce reliable preloading of the connection. One aspect o
This invention is a method and apparatus for making a pressure-containing threaded tubular connection, suitable for remotely operated connection and separation, utilizing electrical heating to reduce the amount of make up torque required to produce reliable preloading of the connection. One aspect of the present invention comprises: 1) a first hub with male threads on its exterior and having a sealing face and axial flow passage, b) a second hub having an axial flow passage and carrying an annular seal which can be mated with the sealing face of the first hub and mounting a rotatable nut having female threads on its interior and integral nut heating means. After stabbing and initial make-up of the connection, the nut is heated and thereby expanded in a controlled manner and the connection retightened. Following cooling, the structural connection is fully preloaded and the annular seal fully compressed so that it seals. Reversing the procedure permits disconnection.
대표청구항▼
What is claimed is: 1. A tubular connector comprising: a first hub having an interior end, an external surface with a plurality of threads on a portion of the external surface, an exterior terminal end secured to a first tube terminal end and a first through bore having a distal counterbore and a p
What is claimed is: 1. A tubular connector comprising: a first hub having an interior end, an external surface with a plurality of threads on a portion of the external surface, an exterior terminal end secured to a first tube terminal end and a first through bore having a distal counterbore and a proximal counterbore; a second hub having a second through bore, a first end and a second end, wherein the second end terminal end is secured to a second tube terminal end; a stabbing nose having a third through bore, a stabbing end and an opposed attachment end, the attachment end secured to an interior surface of the second hub proximal to the first end of the second hub; a coupling nut coaxially mounted on the second hub, wherein the coupling nut has a plurality of internal threads to threadedly engage the threads on the external surface of the first hub, wherein when the coupling nut is tightened the stabbing end of the stabbing nose is positioned in the distal counterbore of the first hub and the first end of the second hub is positioned in the proximal counterbore of the first hub, and wherein the first, second and third through bores are coaxially and linearly arrayed to create a fluid path from an interior of the first tube through an interior of the second tube; mounting means for coaxially mounting the coupling nut onto an outer surface of the second hub, the mounting means providing the coupling nut with axial positioning control; a selectably controllable heating means mounted on the coupling nut for heating a portion of the coupling nut; and a seal having a fourth through bore, wherein the seal is coaxially mounted on the first end of the second hub and is sealingly comated with the interior ends of the first hub and the second hub when the coupling nut is tightened. 2. The tubular connector of claim 1, wherein the exterior end of the first hub is rigidly secured to the first tube and the second end of the second hub is rigidly secured to the second tube and the first, second and third through bores and the first and second tubes have substantially equal internal diameters. 3. The tubular connector of claim 1 wherein the heating means mounted on the coupling nut is located between the internal threads and a distal end of the nut adjacent the mounting means. 4. The tubular connector of claim 1 further comprising an insulative covering for the heating means and the portion of the coupling nut heated by the heating means. 5. The tubular connector of claim 1 further comprising heat sensing means for accurately determining the temperature of the heated nut for implementing control of the nut temperature. 6. The tubular connector of claim 5, wherein the heat sensing means is a thermocouple, thermistor or heat-resistance device. 7. The tubular connector of claim 1, wherein the threads on the first hub and the internal threads of the coupling nut are interrupted threads. 8. The tubular connector of claim 1 wherein the heating means is an electrical resistance heater contained in a sealed sleeve mounted on a surface of the coupling nut. 9. The tubular connector of claim 1 wherein heating the coupling nut reduces the torque required to tighten the internal threads of the coupling nut to a predetermined axial prestress between the first and second hubs. 10. A tubular connector comprising: (a) a first hub having a first end having an externally threaded exterior section, an opposed second end mounted to a first tube, a through bore adjacent the second end having a first internal diameter, an interior counterbore proximal the first end, and a middle counterbore positioned between the through bore and the interior counterbore, and a first conical seal counterbore located between the middle counterbore and the interior counterbore; and (b) a second hub assembly comprising: a second hub having an interior end, an exterior end, a through bore having a second interior diameter substantially equal to the first interior diameter of the through bore of the first hub, an outer surface having a larger diametered intermediate section between the interior end and the exterior end, a second conical seal counterbore proximal the interior end, an inner counterbore extending from the interior end toward the exterior end, a second tube mounted to the terminal end of the exterior end; a stabbing nose having a through bore having a third interior diameter substantially equal to the first interior diameter of the first hub, a stabbing end and an opposed attachment end, the attachment end secured to an interior surface of the second hub within the inner counterbore; a coupling nut coaxially mounted on the second hub, the coupling nut has an internally threaded proximal end to threadedly engage the externally threaded exterior section of the first hub, and an internal shoulder distal to the threaded proximal end, wherein the shoulder interacts with the intermediate section of the second hub; a retaining device coaxially mounted on the outer surface of the exterior end of the second hub, wherein the retaining device limits axial movement of the internal shoulder of the coupling nut between the retaining device and the intermediate section of the second hub; a seal coaxially mounted in the second conical seal bore of the second hub and is comateable with the first conical seal bore; and a heating element coaxially mounted to the coupling nut, wherein when the threads of the first hub are engaged with the threads of the coupling nut and the heating element increases the temperature of the coupling nut, the coupling nut is expanded and less torque is needed to tighten the coupling nut onto the first hub such that the tubular connector has a predetermined axial prestress when cooled, thereby creating a sealed fluid path through the first tube the through bore of the first hub, the through bore of the stabbing nose, the through bore of the second hub, and the second tube. 11. The tubular connector of claim 10 wherein the threads on the first hub and the internal threads of the coupling nut are interrupted threads. 12. The tubular connector of claim 10, wherein the heating element selectably heats a portion of the coupling nut between the proximal end and the internal shoulder of the coupling nut. 13. The tubular connector of claim 12, further comprising a temperature control means for regulating the temperature of the heated portion of the coupling nut. 14. The tubular connector of claim 10 further comprising heat sensing means for accurately determining the temperature of the heated nut for implementing control of the nut temperature. 15. The tubular connector of claim 10, wherein the threads on the first hub and the internal threads of the coupling nut are interrupted threads having an equal number of thread interrupts and thread starts with the arc length of the thread interrupts at least as long as the arc length of the threads. 16. The tubular connector of claim 10, wherein the first interior diameter of the first hub is substantially equal to an interior diameter of the first tube and an interior diameter of the second tube. 17. A tubular connector comprising: (a) a first hub having a first end with an externally threaded exterior section, a second end terminal end connected to a first tube terminal end, a through bore adjacent the second end having a first internal diameter substantially equal to the internal diameter of the first tube, an interior counterbore proximal the first end, a middle counterbore positioned between the through bore and the interior counterbore, and a first conical seal counterbore located between the middle counterbore and the interior counterbore; and (b) a second hub assembly comprising: a second hub having an interior end, an exterior end, a through bore having a second interior diameter substantially equal to the first interior diameter of the through bore of the first hub, an outer surface having a larger diametered intermediate section positioned between the interior end and the exterior end, an interior end having a second conical recess seal counterbore proximal the interior end, an inner counterbore extending from the interior end toward the exterior end, and a second tube terminal end connected on the exterior end terminal end, wherein the interior diameter of the second tube is substantially equal to the second interior diameter; a cylindrical stabbing nose having a through bore having a third interior diameter substantially equal to the first interior diameter, a stabbing end and an opposed attachment end, the attachment end coaxially mounted in the inner counterbore of the second hub; a coupling nut coaxially mounted on the second hub, wherein the coupling nut has a plurality of internal threads on a proximal end, the nut threads are to threadedly engage the threads on the external surface of the first hub, and an internal flange on a distal end of the coupling nut, wherein the flange is proximal to the distal side of the intermediate section of the second hub; a retaining device coaxially mounted on the outer surface of the exterior end of the second hub proximal to the coupling nut to limit axial movement of the internal flange of the coupling nut between the retaining device and the intermediate section of the second hub; an annular seal coaxially mounted in the second conical seal bore of the second hub and sealingly comated with the first conical seal counterbore of the first hub and the second conical seal counterbore of the second hub when the threads of the coupling nut engage the threads of the first hub to compress the seal between the interior end of the first hub and the first end of the second hub; and a heating means for heating the coupling nut coaxially mounted on an external surface of the coupling nut intermediate between the proximal and the distal ends of the coupling nut; whereby when the first hub and the second hub assembly of the connector are progressively assembled the interaction of the counterbores of the first hub with the stabbing nose and the interior end of the second hub causes axial alignment of the connector and wherein subsequent tightening of the coupling nut onto the threads of the first hub creates a sealed fluid path through the first tube, the through bore of the first hub, the through bore of the stabbing nose, the through bore of the second hub, and the second tube. 18. The tubular connector of claim 17 wherein the progressive insertion of the stabbing end of the stabbing nose into the interior counterbore of the first hub axially aligns the first hub and the second hub assembly. 19. The tubular connector of claim 17 wherein the progressive insertion of the stabbing end of the stabbing nose into the interior counterbores of the first hub corrects an initial lateral axial offset of the first hub and the second hub assembly. 20. The tubular connector of claim 17 wherein the progressive insertion of the stabbing end of the stabbing nose into the interior counterbores of the first hub corrects an initial angular offset of the axes of the first hub and the second hub assembly. 21. The tubular connector of claim 17, wherein the threads on the first hub and the internal threads of the coupling nut are interrupted threads having an equal number of thread interrupts and thread starts with the arc length of the thread interrupts at least as long as the arc length of the threads. 22. The tubular connector of claim 17, wherein the heating means heats a portion of the coupling nut located between the internal threads and the flange of the coupling nut. 23. The tubular connector of claim 17 further comprising heat sensing means for accurately determining the temperature of the heated nut for implementing control of the nut temperature. 24. A tubular connector comprising: a first hub having a transverse interior end, an external surface with a plurality of threads on a portion of the external surface, an exterior end, an interior coaxial passage through a center of the first hub having in sequence from the exterior end a through bore having a first diameter, a transition shoulder, a distal cylindrical counterbore, a first conical seal counterbore diverging towards the interior end, an intermediate conical counterbore diverging towards the interior end, and a proximal cylindrical counterbore, wherein an inner diameter of the proximal counterbore is larger than an inner diameter of the distal counterbore; a second hub having a transverse interior end and an exterior end, a through bore having a second diameter substantially equal to the first diameter, an inner counterbore opening toward the interior end, a second conical seal counterbore on the interior end, and an outer surface having in sequence from the interior end a proximal section, a larger diametered intermediate section having a shoulder facing the exterior end and a distal section; a cylindrical stabbing nose having a through bore, a stabbing end and an opposed attachment end, the attachment end mounted in the proximal counterbore of the second hub, wherein the stabbing end extends past the first end of the second hub, and wherein the stabbing nose through bore has substantially the same diameter as the second diameter; a coupling nut coaxially mounted on the second hub, wherein the coupling nut has at a first end a plurality of internal threads to threadedly engage the threads on the external surface of the first hub and having an inwardly extending transverse flange at a second end engaged about the distal section of the second hub; a coupling nut retention device coaxially mounted on the distal section of the second hub adjacent to the coupling nut to limit axial movement of the inwardly extending transverse flange of the coupling nut between the intermediate section of the second hub and the retention device; a heating device coaxially mounted on a portion of the outer surface of the coupling nut between the first end and the second end of the coupling nut, wherein activating the heater elongates the coupling nut and lessens the torque required to loosen or tighten the threads of the coupling nut onto the threads of the first hub to a predetermined axial prestress; an annular seal coaxially mounted on the transverse interior end of the second hub, wherein the seal prevents ingress or egress of fluid between the interior end of the first hub and the first end of the second hub when the seal is sealingly compressed into the first and second conical seal counterbores to form a sealed coaxially and linearly aligned fluid path that passes through the through bores of the first hub, the stabbing nose and the second hub. 25. The tubular connector of claim 24 wherein the heating device is in intimate contact with the outer surface of the coupling nut and an exterior surface of the heating device is insulated. 26. The tubular connector of claim 24, wherein the threads on the first hub and the internal threads of the coupling nut are interrupted threads having an equal number of thread interrupts and thread starts with the arc length of the thread interrupts at least as long as the arc length of the threads. 27. The tubular connector of claim 24 wherein tightening the threads of the coupling nut onto the threads of the first hub when the coupling nut has been heated by the heating device to a predetermined torque pretensions the tubular connector to a predetermined axial pretension when the heating device is inactivated and the tubular connector cooled to an ambient temperature.
연구과제 타임라인
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
LOADING...
이 특허에 인용된 특허 (8)
Barrett Stephen P. (Lyne of Skene TX GB6) Crawford Paul A. (Stephenville TX), Cement head quick connector.
※ AI-Helper는 부적절한 답변을 할 수 있습니다.