Patent Abstract:
A gooseneck assembly having a body disposed circumferentially about a portion of a riser string. A stab member is inwardly radially extendable relative to the body and engages a receptacle disposed on the riser string. A cartridge assembly engages the stab member and has a flexible hose coupling that is rotatable relative to a central axis of the stab member. The coupling is in fluid communication with the receptacle via the stab member. The assembly includes an actuator that is operable to rotate the flexible hose coupling relative to the central axis of the stab member.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 61/704,179, titled Hands Free Gooseneck with Rotating Cartridge Assemblies, which was filed Sep. 21, 2012. This priority application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety into the present application, to the extent that it is not inconsistent with the present application. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This disclosure relates generally to methods and apparatus for coupling a riser string to an offshore drilling rig. More specifically, this disclosure relates to methods and apparatus for coupling the auxiliary lines of a riser string to a drilling rig. Still more particularly, this disclosure relates to methods and apparatus that provide connections between the auxiliary lines of a riser that can be automatically repositioned so as to allow other equipment to be moved into and out of the moon pool of the offshore drilling rig. 
     Offshore drilling rigs utilize drilling risers as the conduit between the drilling equipment at the surface and drilling equipment mounted on the seafloor. The drilling riser is a tubular conduit that serves as an extension of the wellbore from the equipment on the wellhead at the seafloor to the floating drilling rig. Conventional drilling risers include a primary tubular conduit and a plurality of smaller, higher pressure auxiliary conduits that are externally mounted to the primary tubular and provide conduits for choke, kill, and auxiliary fluid communication with the subsea blowout preventers. 
     At the top of the riser string, these auxiliary conduits end in a terminal fitting that includes a plurality of goosenecks that connect to high pressure flexible hoses that are coupled to stationary piping on the drilling rig. The flexible hoses are necessary to compensate for the relative motion that occurs between the drilling rig and the riser. Conventionally, during riser assembly, the flexible hoses are manually connected to the gooseneck by rig personnel that are often suspended over the moon pool during this process. 
     Manufacturers have begun to offer gooseneck assemblies that can be connected to the auxiliary lines without manual intervention. These gooseneck assemblies can be coupled to the flexible hoses in a location away from the moon pool and can then be moved into position and coupled to the riser with minimum manual intervention. Once the gooseneck assembly is in position on the riser, the flexible hoses drape into the moon pool. 
     When other equipment, such as the blowout preventer stack, needs to be moved through or into the moon pool, the flexible hoses often have to be moved out of the way to clear a path through the moon pool area. Conventional methods for moving the flexible hoses include simply pushing the flexible hoses out of the way with the equipment or manually moving the flexible hoses using tugger lines and winches. Each of these methods has drawbacks that can result in damage to equipment and exposing personnel to potential hazards. 
     Thus, there is a continuing need in the art for methods and apparatus for facilitating the management of flexible hoses within the moon pool that overcome these and other limitations of the prior art. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     A gooseneck assembly having a body disposed circumferentially about a portion of a riser string. A stab member is inwardly radially extendable relative to the body and engages a receptacle disposed on the riser string. A cartridge assembly engages the stab member and has a flexible hose coupling that is rotatable relative to a central axis of the stab member. The coupling is in fluid communication with the receptacle via the stab member. The assembly includes a actuator that is operable to rotate the flexible hose coupling relative to the central axis of the stab member. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a more detailed description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an elevation view of a riser termination assembly. 
         FIG. 2  is a partial sectional view of a riser termination assembly. 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  are partial elevation views of a hands free gooseneck assembly having a rotatable coupling. 
         FIG. 4  is an isometric view of one embodiment of a hands free gooseneck assembly having rotatable cartridge assemblies. 
         FIG. 5  is a partial sectional view of the hands free gooseneck assembly of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  are partial elevation views of an alternative hands free gooseneck assembly having a rotatable coupling. 
         FIGS. 7A and 7B  are partial elevation views of an alternative hands free gooseneck assembly having a rotatable coupling. 
         FIGS. 8A and 8B  are partial elevation views of an alternative hands free gooseneck assembly having a rotatable coupling. 
         FIGS. 9A and 9B  are partial elevation views of an alternative hands free gooseneck assembly having a rotatable coupling. 
         FIGS. 10A and 10B  are partial elevation views of an alternative hands free gooseneck assembly having a rotatable coupling. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     It is to be understood that the following disclosure describes several exemplary embodiments for implementing different features, structures, or functions of the invention. Exemplary embodiments of components, arrangements, and configurations are described below to simplify the present disclosure; however, these exemplary embodiments are provided merely as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various exemplary embodiments and across the Figures provided herein. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various exemplary embodiments and/or configurations discussed in the various figures. Moreover, the formation of a first feature over or on a second feature in the description that follows may include embodiments in which the first and second features are formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which additional features may be formed interposing the first and second features, such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. Finally, the exemplary embodiments presented below may be combined in any combination of ways, i.e., any element from one exemplary embodiment may be used in any other exemplary embodiment, without departing from the scope of the disclosure. 
     Additionally, certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, various entities may refer to the same component by different names, and as such, the naming convention for the elements described herein is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, unless otherwise specifically defined herein. Further, the naming convention used herein is not intended to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. Additionally, in the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to.” All numerical values in this disclosure may be exact or approximate values unless otherwise specifically stated. Accordingly, various embodiments of the disclosure may deviate from the numbers, values, and ranges disclosed herein without departing from the intended scope. Furthermore, as it is used in the claims or specification, the term “or” is intended to encompass both exclusive and inclusive cases, i.e., “A or B” is intended to be synonymous with “at least one of A and B,” unless otherwise expressly specified herein. 
     Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , a riser termination assembly  10  includes a telescopic joint  12 , a tension ring  14 , a hands free gooseneck assembly  16 , and a riser termination joint  18 . The upper end  20  of the telescopic joint  12  includes a flange  22  that couples to a diverter (not shown) or to other equipment mounted to the drilling rig. The tension ring  14  includes a plurality of connection points  24  that allow for cables from the rig&#39;s tensioning equipment to be coupled to the tension ring so that the riser is held in tension as the rig moves due to wave action or other forces. The hands free gooseneck assembly  16  is supported by the tension ring  14  and includes auxiliary line cartridge assemblies  26  that provide fluid communication with the riser choke, kill, and auxiliary lines  28  and a connection coupling for flexible hoses  30  that are coupled to stationary piping on the drilling rig. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a partial sectional view of the riser termination assembly  10  of  FIG. 1 . The cartridge assemblies  26  are mounted to the hands free gooseneck assembly  16  include stabs  32  project radially inward from the gooseneck assembly  16  and selectively engage receptacles  34  formed in the riser termination joint  18 . The receptacles  34  are in fluid communication with the riser choke, kill, and auxiliary lines  28 . Once engaged with the receptacles  34 , the stabs  32  provide fluid communication between the riser lines  28  and the flexible hoses  30 , which are coupled to the drilling rig. 
     In operation, the riser termination assembly  10  is disposed within the moon pool of the drilling rig. As the rig moves, the upper end  20  of the telescopic joint  12  moves with the rig and the tension ring  14 , hands free gooseneck assembly  16 , riser termination joint  18 , and flexible hoses  30  move up and down relative to the rig. The flexible hoses  30  extend vertically downward from the cartridge assemblies  26  and then curve upward to their respective connections to the drilling rig. This “draping” of the flexible hoses  30  allows the tension ring  14  and hands free gooseneck assembly  16  to move relative to the drilling rig during operations. 
     During certain operations it may be desirable to temporarily move the flexible hoses  30  out of the moon pool to allow other equipment to pass into or through the area. To support this movement, one or more of the cartridge assemblies  26  include a flexible hose coupling  29  that is rotatable about the central axis of the stab  32  so that the connection between the flexible hose  30  and the cartridge assembly  26  can be rotated relative to the gooseneck assembly  16 . As an example,  FIGS. 3A and 3B  illustrate a flexible hose  30  being rotated from an operational position ( FIG. 3A ) to a stored position ( FIG. 3B ). The bending radius of the flexible hose  30  will cause the hose to move substantially away from its original position as the cartridge assembly  26  is rotated. A variety of apparatus and systems may be used to rotate the cartridge assembly  26  and/or the flexible hose  30  between the operational and the stored positions. In certain embodiments, the flexible hose  30  may be fitted with a bend restrictor near the connection to the cartridge assembly  26  so as to maintain a desired bend radius. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , one embodiment of a hands free gooseneck assembly  16  includes one or more actuators  40  disposed within the assembly body  42 . The actuators  40  may be hydraulic cylinders, electrical actuators, or some other linear actuator. The actuators  40  selectively extend and retract an actuating ring  44  that is connected to the cartridge assemblies  26  via a flexible linkage  46 . The flexible linkage  46  may include chains, geared linkage, wire rope, fiber rope, or other flexible material that can transmit torque to the cartridge assembly  26 . The flexible linkage  46  wraps at least partially around and engages the rotatable portion of the cartridge assembly  26 . As the actuators  40  extend, the linkage  46  applies torque to the cartridge assembly  26 , rotating it in either the clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, dependent on the linkage installation. Retracting the actuators  40  allows the cartridge assembly  26  to rotate back to its original position. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 6A and 6B , in other embodiments, the rotating portion of the cartridge assemblies  26  may include an actuation arm  60  that extends radially from the coupling and is coupled to a flexible link  62 . An actuation bar  64  extends from the tension ring  14  and is adapted to engage the flexible link  62  as the tension ring is moved toward the gooseneck assembly  16 . The engagement of the actuation bar  64  and the flexible link  62  pulls the opposed actuation arms  60  toward each other and causes the cartridge assemblies  26  to rotate. In an alternative embodiment, as shown  FIGS. 7A and 7B , the flexible link  72  is coupled to a single actuation bar  74  and to a fixed point  76  on the gooseneck assembly  16 . The flexible links  62  and  72  may include chains, geared linkage, wire rope, fiber rope, or other flexible material that can transmit torque onto the cartridge assembly  26 . 
     In operation, the hands free gooseneck  16  may be detached from the tension ring  14 , lowered, and rotated such that the actuation arms  64 ,  74  are in line with the aforementioned linkages  62 ,  72 . The hands free gooseneck  16  may then be raised back toward the tension ring  14  and locked in place. As previously discussed, the action of raising the hands free gooseneck  16  causes the actuation arms  64 ,  74  to engage the flexible links  62 ,  72  and rotate cartridge assemblies  26 . The angle of rotation may be controlled by the length of the actuation arms  64 ,  74  and associated flexible links  62 ,  72 . When the hands free gooseneck  16  is detached from the tension ring  14  and lowered again, the cartridge assemblies  26  rotate back to their initial position. For storage, the hands free gooseneck  16  may be rotated out of line with the actuation arms  64 ,  74 , raised, and locked to the tension ring  14  for storage. 
       FIGS. 8A-B  and  9 A-B illustrate other alternative embodiments of a gooseneck assembly  16  where rotation of the cartridge assemblies  26  is accomplished through the use of a plurality of actuators  80 . In the embodiments shown, the actuators  80  can be mounted to the gooseneck assembly  16 , the tension ring  14 , or the diverter  82 . When the actuators  80  extend, it provides an input to an actuating lever  84  that protrudes radially from the cartridge assemblies  26 . The direction and angularity of rotation depend on the placement of the actuating lever  84  and stroke of the actuators  80 . The actuators  80  can then be retracted to rotate the cartridge assemblies  26  back to the initial position. 
     In  FIGS. 8A and 8B , a pair of actuators  80  are coupled to the diverter  82  and engage a push bar  86  that is coupled to an upper end of a push rod  88 . An intermediate cylinder  90  may be coupled to the tension ring  14  and provide further actuation force. The push rod  88  and/or intermediate cylinder  90  are coupled to an actuating lever  84  of a cartridge assembly  26 . As the actuators  80  extend from the operating position shown in  FIG. 8A , the cartridge assembly  26  will rotate to the position shown in  FIG. 8B . 
       FIGS. 9A and 9B  illustrate an alternative embodiment wherein actuators  80  move an actuation ring  92  that is coupled to one or more cartridge assemblies  26  via a secondary linkage  94 . The secondary linkage  94  is coupled to an actuating lever  84  that radially projects from the cartridge assembly  26 . The actuators  80  may be mounted to the diverter  82  (as shown in  FIG. 9A ), to the gooseneck assembly  16  (as shown in  FIG. 9B ), or to the tension ring  14 . As the cylinder  80  extends, it moves the actuating ring  92  downward, causing the linkage  94  to pull the actuating lever  84  and rotate the cartridge assembly  26 . The direction and angularity of rotation depend on the placement of the actuating lever  84  and stroke of the actuators  80 . The actuators  80  can be retracted to rotate the cartridge assembly  26  rotate back to its initial position. 
     In certain embodiments, a hydraulic cylinder, or other linear actuator, can be directly attached to a lever arm located on a cartridge assembly. The hydraulic cylinder can be attached to a fixed point on the hands free gooseneck assembly so that rotation of the cartridge assembly is accomplished by extending and retracting the cylinder, imparting a rotation determined by the stroke of the attached cylinder. The cartridge assembly may be rotated in either the clockwise or counter clockwise direction determined by location of the anchor point and configuration of the hydraulic cylinder. 
     In other embodiments, a cartridge assembly can include gear teeth that enable rotation of the cartridge assembly. The gear teeth can engage a rack other gears that can be actuated to impart a torque onto the cartridge assembly. A rack may be coupled to the geared cartridge assembly and actuated by a linear actuator. In other embodiments, rotary actuators can be used to directly engage and rotate the geared cartridge assembly or may be coupled to the geared cartridge assembly via one or more intermediary gears. 
     In certain embodiments, the use of separate actuators and systems may not be desired and the cartridge assemblies, and their attached flexible hoses, can be rotated via other means. For example, as shown in  FIGS. 10A and 10B , a multi-hinged mechanism  100  can be coupled to the flexible hose  30  to enable engagement with a tugger line or other pulling system available on the rig. The multi-hinged mechanism  100  conforms to the natural bend radius of the flexible hose  30  and is equipped with multiple pulling points  102 . The mechanism  100  can be stored on one end of the flexible line  30  while not in use. When needed, the mechanism  100  can be pulled along the flexible hose  30  to a desired location. Utilizing one or more of the pull points  102 , the cartridge assembly can then be rotated in a desired direction depending on the direction of pull. 
     Rotation of a cartridge assembly can also be accomplished through stationary push bars mounted to the underside of the tension ring. The hands free gooseneck assembly can be detached from the tension ring and rotated by utilizing the top drive or other mechanism. As the gooseneck assembly rotates, the push bars react against and move the flexible hoses. The cartridge assemblies rotate as the flexible hoses are moved. Once the hoses are in the desired location, the hands free gooseneck assembly can then be raised back up to the tension ring and locked into place so that the flexible hoses remain in the desired position. In other embodiments, the cartridge assemblies can be equipped with extendable reaction bars which protrude into well center. A tool could be lowered through well center to engage the reaction bars and rotate the cartridge assemblies using either rotation or axial movement of the tool. 
     While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and description. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4