Connector for controlling a submerged tool

(g) Agent: Michel F. Morel, Industrial Property Department, Compagnie Française des Pétroles,

390, Rond-Point du Pont de Sèvres, 92516 Boulogne-Billancourt Cedex.

D

Sale of booklets at the IMPRIMERIE NATIONALE, 27, rue de la Convention - 75732 PARIS CEDEX 15

REINTERVENTION CONNECTOR ON SUBMERSIBLE TOOL.

The invention relates to a connector making it possible to inte rvene again on a submerged tool, in particular installed at the bottom of the sea, in order to control the various functions thereof. This command is carried out from any control device such as a submarine, a turret, a drill string, etc., capable of moving to come close to the tool that the we want to make it work, and the connector has two parts:

- a first part, receiving, permanently mounted on the tool,

- and a second, active part, carried by the control device and which can either be coupled to the first part during a working phase of the tool, or be separated from the first part and possibly brought back to the surface when the tool is at rest.

Connectors of hydraulic circuits that can be connected and disconnected underwater are already known, but these connectors have serious drawbacks. They require the use of a soluble oil, and therefore the equipment must be suitable for such an oil. Each tool function is controlled via a separate connection. Disconnection and connection cannot be done instantly.

The present invention proposes to overcome the drawbacks of known connectors by avoiding any contact of oil with the water in which the tool is immersed and by allowing instantaneous connection and disconnection of the two parts of the connector.

The invention provides for this purpose, in a reintervention connector as defined at the beginning with energy distributors associated with the tool to activate various elements of the tool and control means of these distributors associated with the device. command, that the first part, receiving, of the connector is provided externally with mechanical actuators able to operate the distributors and the second part, active, of the connector is provided with mechanical control members arranged so as to be able to act on these mechanical actuators when the second part of the connector is brought onto the first part of the connector.

Thus, any hydraulic connection and even any mechanical attachment between the control means associated with the control device and the energy distributors associated with the tool are eliminated, so that it suffices to come and place the second part, active , of the connector on the first part, receiving, of the connector in order to be able to operate the tool and that, conversely, the second connector part can be separated from the first connector part by simply raising this second part up without any prior operation.

The action of said mechanical control members on said mechanical actuators may consist of any movement of these members resulting in a corresponding movement of these actuators.

According to another object of the invention, the mechanical actuators are constituted by levers and the mechanical control members are constituted by pushers. These are moved by an electric control or a hydraulic control, in particular by hydraulic cylinders. The simplest is to provide a vertical displacement of the pushers. When the active part of the connector comes to rest on the receiving part of the connector by moving up and down, the lower ends of the pushers are separated from the respective corresponding levers. A pusher only presses the corresponding lever when it is commanded to move it down. In this way, there is no contact between respective active members of the two connector parts as long as no control is performed on the push-buttons and, even when a control is carried out on the push-buttons, the push-button / lever contacts do not prevent instantly removing the second connector part if desired.

The energy necessary for the operation of the tool can be stored in the tool and / or brought from the outside, from an intervention vehicle or from the surface. It is advantageous, in order to bring energy from the outside, to provide a first end of shaft, for receiving energy, projecting from the first connector part, and a second end of shaft, for transmission of energy. 'energy, integral in rotation with a motor and protruding from the second connector part, these two shaft ends being disposed so as to come opposite one another when the second connector part is brought onto the first connector part and being provided with means which then make them integral in rotation.

The first shaft end is integral with a member transforming the mechanical rotational energy that it receives from the second shaft end into electrical or hydraulic energy. This member can be an electric motor supplying the various elements of the tool via the energy distributors or recharging an accumulator battery connected to the various elements of the tool via the energy distributors. This member is preferably a hydraulic pump pressurizing a liquid which supplies the various elements of the tool via the energy distributors.

Other features of the invention will emerge from the description of an exemplary embodiment which will be given, without limitation, with reference to the attached drawing in which:

- Figure 1 is a schematic elevational view of the assembly of a tool, a re-intervention connector according to the invention and a control device:

- Figure 2 is an elevational view with partial section, on a larger scale, of the reoperation connector;

- Figure 3 is a bottom view of the second part of the connector;

- and Figure 4 is a top view of the first part of the connector.

In Figure 1, an underwater tool 1, which is here a lifter, comprises hydraulic jacks making it possible to perform vertical and horizontal movements of a gripping member itself controlled by jacks. These jacks are supplied by a pump 2, visible in FIG. 2, from a reservoir 3 in equal pressure. At its upper part, the tool 1 carries a first part 4, receiving, of a connector 5, the second part 6 of which, active, is carried by a manipulator arm 7 which connects it to a control device 8 constituted here by a submarine.

Figure 2 shows the assembly of connector 5 with its two parts 4 and 6.

The first part, receiving, 4, which can also be seen in Figure 4, comprises a hollow block 9 open upwards, forming a base plate 10 on which are installed hydraulic distributors 11 each ensuring the control of a function of the tool 1 and of the guide ears 12 intended to receive and put in position a hollow cylindrical block 13 belonging to the second connector part 6. The hydraulic distributors 11 are operated by vertical rods 14 at the upper end of which can act horizontal levers 15 articulated at points 16. The pump 2 is connected by pipes 17 to the oil tank 3. It is also connected by pipes, not shown, to the distributors 11 and, from 2500406 thereof, to the actuating jacks of the tool. The pump 2 is driven by a vertical shaft end 18 provided at its free upper end with a female coupling member 19.

The second active part 6 comprises, at the center of the cylindrical block 13 already mentioned, a hydraulic motor 20 powered by a hydraulic unit 21 and coupled to a vertical transmission shaft end 22 provided at its free lower end with a member of male coupling 23 adapted to cooperate with the female coupling member 19. The member 19 can, for example, form either a horizontal groove, or several horizontal grooves, in which or in one of which is inserted the member 23 constituted for example by a horizontal pin, when the part 6 is placed. in place on part 4. The cylindrical block 13 carries on its periphery hydraulic cylinders supplied by the hydraulic unit 21; one can see in Figures 2 and 3 the vertical push rods 24 of these jacks. Each push rod 24 is located above a lever 15 when part 6 is put in place on part 4.

Thus, part 4 and part 6 of connector 5 each have their own hydraulic circuits which always remain separate from the hydraulic circuits of the other part. The action of part 6 on part 4 is effected only by mechanical transmissions: pushers 24 moving the levers 15 and shaft ends 22 and 18 coupling to one another. At any time, part 6 can be reassembled without having to take any preliminary arrangement, and there is no risk of pollution of the hydraulic circuits by sea water during connections and disconnections.

Many variant embodiments can obviously be adopted without departing from the scope of the invention, by allowing the transmission of commands between the active part and the receiving part by the sole intermediary of mechanical connections.