Abstract:
A connector for joining conduits and having a locking device to secure two parts of the connector together. The locking device is recessed in one of the parts of the connector.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
         [0001]    This application claims priority under United Kingdom Patent Application No. 0005013.8 filed on Mar. 2, 2000.  
         BACKGROUND  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    This invention relates to a connector and particularly to a type of connector commonly called a stab connector for connecting hydraulic and/or electrical conduits (or others), and is typically used in subsea structures for connecting e.g. a manifold to a control conduit leading to some other undersea structure or to a control center on a rig, ROV or other control means.  
           [0004]    2. Description of Prior Art  
           [0005]    Existing stab connectors commonly comprise first and second portions each having mating connector terminals for individual hydraulic or electrical lines, each connector portion having a body and some form of fixing device to secure the two portions together when they are connected.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0006]    According to the present invention there is provided a connector comprising a first portion and a second portion, the first and second portions being adapted to receive and connect respective conduits in order to connect a conduit associated with the first portion to a conduit associated with the second portion, the first and second portions having a fixing device to hold the first and second portions together, wherein at least a portion of the fixing device is recessed within the first or the second portion. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the drawings in which:  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a first portion of a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is a sectional view through the line A-A of FIG. 1;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 is an end view of the FIG. 1 portion from the arrow B;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of a second portion of the connector of FIGS.  1 - 3 ; and  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 is an end view of the FIG. 4 second portion from the arrow C. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0013]    Referring now to the drawings, a first portion  1  of a connector for connecting control lines to a subsea manifold (not shown) has a body  5 , a mating plate  10  having terminal connector halves for the control lines and an ROV interface bracket  12  for connection to an ROV. The bracket  12  is fastened by screws  6  to one end of the body  5  and the plate  10  is fastened by screws  7  to the other end of the body  5 . The portion  1  also has an optional clamp  15  for holding a bundle of hydraulic hoses and electrical conduits etc. (not shown) extending from a control centre at a remote location. The hoses extend through the clamp and are held by bolts  16  in the known manner before being connected to the terminal connector halves  17 ,  18  etc. in plate  10 . Alternatively, the hoses etc. can be routed through or attached to a central rigid pipe (not shown) before being attached to the connector halves on the plate  10 . The body  5  has a hollow bore in which a shaft  20  is held captive. The shaft  20  is mounted on bearings  22 ,  23  that permit its rotation in the bore of the body but axial movement of the shaft  20  is restricted by the bracket  12  and by a neck portion  5   n  of the bore of the body  5 . The shaft extends through the neck  5   n  into a wider part of the bore  5   w  but does not extend beyond the end of the plate  10  fastened to the opposite end of the body  5  from the bracket  12 . The shaft  20  is thus recessed in the bore of the body  5 .  
         [0014]    The shaft has a thread  20   t  on its outer surface in the region of the wide part of the bore  5   w.  At its opposite end from the plate  10 , the shaft  20  extends into the bracket  12  and presents a torque shoulder  20   s  for a torque tool on an ROV to engage and apply torque to the shaft in order to rotate it relative to the body  5 .  
         [0015]    The second portion  31  of the connector shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 has a body  35  with a central hollow bore capable of receiving the first portion  1 , a front face  32  to mate with the first portion on initial making up of the connector, a back plate  40  having connector halves  37 ,  38  to mate with the connector halves  17 ,  18  on the first connector, and a socket  50  to receive the shaft  20 . The back plate  40  is fixed to the body  35  via screws  33 , and the front face  32  has a tapered neck portion  32   n  attached thereto via screws  34  and opening outwards of the body  35 .  
         [0016]    The socket  50  has an internal thread  50   t  on an inner portion thereof that cooperates with the thread  20   t  on the outer surface of the shaft  20 . The back plate  40  has guide pins  41  extending from the back plate  40  into the bore of the body  35 , for a co-operation with sockets  11  on the first portion  1 . The body  35  of the second portion  31  also has guide slots  34  that co-operate with guide pins  14  on the outer surface of the first portion  1 .  
         [0017]    In use, the first portion  1  is attached to an ROV via the bracket  12 . The ROV engages a torque tool such as a spanner with the torque shoulder  20   s  of the shaft for turning the shaft on its axis when the connector is being made up. The first portion  1  is offered up to the second portion so that the tapered neck portion  32   n  of the front face  32  guides the first portion  1  into the bore of the body  35  of the second portion. The guide pins  14  co-operate with the guide slots  34  to ensure that the correct angular relationship is maintained between the two portions and that the correct connector halves are aligned in the made-up connector, and the pin(s)  41  engage in the socket(s)  11  to assist in final alignment of the two portions  1 ,  31 .  
         [0018]    When the first portion has moved into the body  35  of the second portion  31  in the correct alignment, the shaft  20  engages in the socket  50  and the shaft can be rotated in the socket  50  to screw the shaft  20  and socket  50  together by means of the threads  20   t,    50   t.  The two portions can therefore be held together by the fixing device comprising the shaft  20  and socket  50  without having exposed fixing device that can be damaged as the connector is being made up.  
         [0019]    When the shaft  20  and socket  50  are fully screwed together the connector portions  17 ,  37  and  18 ,  38  etc. mate and the connection is made up between the conduits associated with the first portion and those associated with the second portion.  
         [0020]    Modifications and improvements can be incorporated without departing from the scope of the invention.