Soft landing system and method of achieving same

摘要

A subsea wireline system for soft landing equipment during installation. The subsea soft landing wireline system includes coarse alignment members that can be part of a tree and interact with a funnel located on the equipment to be installed by the soft landing system. Smaller alignment members can provide fine alignment and also interact with a funnel located on the equipment to be installed. The funnels are used to trap sea water that provides a cushion for the equipment being installed. Once in alignment, trapped water can be released from the funnel or funnels via a restricted orifice and/or a control valve located on an ROV. The system achieves soft landing without the use of a running tool, thus reducing expense.

主权项

1. A subsea well system, comprising:
a subsea equipment adapted for mounting on a subsea wellhead; an equipment package that lands on the subsea equipment; a hub on the subsea equipment for mating with a corresponding connection on the equipment package to establish fluid communication between the equipment package and the subsea equipment; a first alignment member carried by the equipment package and positioned to receive a corresponding second alignment member connected to the subsea equipment to thereby mate with the second alignment member when the equipment package is being landed on the subsea equipment to provide for establishing alignment of the equipment package with the subsea equipment when being landed thereupon; a third alignment member carried by the equipment package and positioned to receive a corresponding fourth alignment member connected to the subsea equipment to thereby mate with the fourth alignment member when the equipment package is being landed on the subsea equipment to provide for further establishing alignment of the equipment package with the subsea equipment when being landed thereupon, the third alignment member comprising: a chamber for trapping sea water when the fourth alignment member enters an opening in an end of the third alignment member, and an orifice extending through a portion of the third alignment member; and a flow control valve in fluid communication with the sea water trapped within the chamber and configured to allow the sea water trapped within the chamber to be released at a desired rate to provide a soft landing of the equipment package onto the subsea equipment.