Interchangeable Subsea Wellhead Feed-Thru Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for connecting subsea lower marine riser packages (LMRPs) and lower blowout preventer (BOP) stacks require dry pre-assembly and custom fitting, which is time-consuming, costly, and limits interchangeability, leading to increased manufacturing and assembly times, as well as difficulties in replacing or repairing individual components.
Innovation Solution
The method involves manufacturing LMRPs and lower BOP stacks separately without prior dry fitting, allowing for interchangeable connections using oversized mounting holes, floating feed-thru components, and precision measuring systems like laser trackers to ensure accurate alignment and engagement of mating halves undersea, eliminating the need for custom fitting and enabling mass production and faster replacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dry pre-assembly and custom fitting are used to connect LMRP and lower BOP stack, then connection reliability is improved, but manufacturing time and assembly time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate modular components (LMRP and lower BOP stack) that can be manufactured independently and then connected via standardized feed-thru components. This segmentation allows parallel manufacturing processes, reducing overall manufacturing time while maintaining connection reliability through dedicated mating interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The feed-thru components are designed with universal mating interfaces that can connect any LMRP to any lower BOP stack of the same type. The standardized mounting holes, alignment features, and engagement mechanisms create a universal connection system that eliminates custom fitting requirements while ensuring reliable connections across multiple component pairs.
2Manufacturing precision
If custom fitting is performed for each LMRP-BOP stack pair, then connection precision is improved, but interchangeability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The design transitions from custom-fit parameters to standardized parameters. The feed-thru components use fixed mounting hole patterns, standardized engagement tolerances, and consistent alignment features that work across all components of the same type. This parameter standardization enables interchangeability while maintaining sufficient connection precision through the engineered tolerances of the standardized interface.
3Productivity
If separate manufacturing of LMRP and lower BOP stack is implemented, then productivity is improved, but alignment precision during assembly becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Alignment features (such as guide pins, keyed interfaces, or pre-positioned mounting holes) are built into the feed-thru components during manufacturing. These preliminary alignment provisions ensure that when separate LMRP and lower BOP stack components are brought together for assembly, they automatically align correctly without requiring complex real-time adjustment procedures, thus maintaining alignment precision while enabling separate manufacturing.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for interchangeably connecting undersea a marine package with first and second pressure control devices. The method includes lowering undersea the marine package toward the first pressure control device such that a first half of a feed-thru component mounted to the marine package contacts a second half of the feed-thru component mounted on the first pressure control device; engaging the first and second halves, wherein the first and second halves of the feed-thru component were not previously engaged while the marine package and the first pressure control device were each assembled above sea; and locking the first half to the second half by using an external pressure such that a functionality of the feed-thru component is achieved.