Hydraulic and earth engineering – Miscellaneous
Patent
1990-10-05
1991-12-24
Corbin, David H.
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Miscellaneous
166339, 405169, 405190, B63C 1152
Patent
active
050747177
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to tools suitable for use in replacing a body held clamped between two other members and particularly, but not exclusively, to tools for performing such an operation remotely on subsea hydrocarbon producing structures.
It is known in subsea hydrocarbon-producing well structures to provide a valve with a body having in-line port faces designed to slide between two flange-like platens at facing ends of spaced axially aligned ducted members, the valve being held in situ by being clamped between the platens by pressure exerted on them by threaded members extending between the ducted members and held in tension or by other clamping means.
Such a valve body is dimensioned and the clamping members disposed in relation thereto whereby the valve body can be removed from between the platens and replaced without dismantling the structure or clamping means by applying a force to overcome the clamping pressure on the valve body.
This is done by inserting hydraulic rams or the equivalent between the facing platens and applying a separating force at least as great as the clamping force on the valve body.
Whilst this is a convenient and successful technique of replacing a subsea valve in situ, by eliminating fine manipulation and tightening of intricate clamping members that would in practice require returning the structure to the surface, it still involves careful positioning of said platen-spreading hydraulic rams correctly, so as both to exert forces in the correct directions through the structure and to avoid fouling the path of the replaced valves and their handling gear, and is only performable by a remotely controlled submersible vehicle with utmost difficulty without human intervention. Apart from the desirability as an option of performing replacement of such a valve without the need for diver presence well structures are now being used at depths beyond diver operation so that performance of the replacement operation by a remote control is a necessity.
It will be appreciated that such a technique is not limited to use with a valve body and may be used equally with a body not comprising part of a valve. Also it may be used with a valve or other body which has an axial extension at the body or platen faces which locate with corresponding recesses in the other faces, requiring the platens to be displaced or spread by the amount of this projection, the clamping means being constructed to permit such displacements.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a tool of simple construction and operation to facilitate replacement of a body supported clamped between two platens remotely by spreading the clamped body-supporting platens and which mitigates difficulties hitherto considered inherent in the replacement of a body so mounted.
According to the present invention a replacement tool for a body having opposite faces held clamped between two facing platens which extend laterally of both sides of the body comprises a hollow open ended tubular member the internal cross section of which is adapted to permit passage of the body therethrough, a pair of support arms extending axially of the tubular member from opposite sides thereof each supporting at the extremity thereof an extensible force exerting arrangement extensible in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the member and the plane through the member containing the two arms, said arms and force exerting arrangements being spaced from each other by a distance greater than the width of the clamped body so as to be positioned astride the clamped body with the force exerting arrangements disposed between the platens, and force producing means operable to couple a source of extension force to the arrangements such that the force exerted by the arrangements in extending against the facing platens is sufficient to overcome the force of the platen clamping means and permit the body to be removed from between the platens through the tubular member and vice versa .
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by w
REFERENCES:
patent: 3481396 (1969-12-01), Williams et al.
patent: 3675713 (1972-07-01), Watkins
patent: 4139322 (1979-02-01), Tuson
patent: 4382717 (1983-05-01), Morrill
patent: 4452312 (1984-06-01), Roblin
Hatton Stephen A.
Hope Rodney C.
Lawson John E.
Corbin David H.
McKillop Alexander J.
Mobil Oil Corporation
Speciale Charles J.
Sung Tak K.
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