Patent ID: 7628665
Filing Date: 2009-12-08
Classification: E21B

Abstract:
1. Drilling riser buoyancy module apparatus comprising: two opposite halves having complementary axially extending openings for receiving and holding auxiliary lines, each half having a generally semi-cylindrical syntactic foam solid core, the syntactic foam core having an axially extended semi-cylindrical outer surface, an axially extended curved partially semi-cylindrical inner surface and radially opposite and radially and axially extending generally flat faces between the outer and inner surfaces, the axially and radially extending faces having semi-circular depressions for receiving and holding a choke line and a kill line in the depressions, the inner surfaces being configured to flexible drilling riser pipe circumferential requirements, longitudinally extended outward recesses in the curved inner surface to receive auxiliary lines, spaced semi-cylindrical recesses in the curved inner semi-cylindrical surfaces for holding flexible contact pads, flexible contact pads positioned in the spaced inner semi-cylindrical recesses and extending inward therefrom for contacting the drilling riser, outer semi-cylindrical grooves located outward from the inner semi-cylindrical recesses for holding tensioning straps cooperating with the contact pads to compress the contact pads on the drilling riser, a tough high density polyethylene outer shell coating fastened to the outer surface and the outer grooves of the syntactic foam solid core, composite fiber tensioning straps positioned in the outer grooves, tensioning hardware at ends of the composite fiber tensioning straps for tightly tensioning the straps.