Patent ID: 7886828

Claim:
A floating vessel for supporting top tension drilling and production risers comprising: a. a hull and an operation deck disposed on top of the hull; b. a tensioner assembly for moveably carrying a conductor that communicates from a wellhead to a piece of well access equipment connected to the floating vessel, wherein the tensioner assembly is supported by the floating vessel, and wherein the tensioner assembly comprises: (i) at least one hydraulic cylinder secured to the floating vessel by a support frame, wherein the support frame comprises a first beam parallel to a second beam; (ii) at least one primary accumulator in fluid communication with the at least one hydraulic cylinder, an upper conductor guide and a lower conductor guide slidably engaged with the conductor; (iii) a tension frame secured to the conductor between the upper and the lower conductor guides for transferring tension from the at least one hydraulic cylinder to the conductor, and wherein the conductor transfers the tensions to the riser, and wherein the riser transfers the tensions to the piece of well access equipment; and (iv) a tension ring assembly disposed on the conductor above the upper conductor guide.