Double tapered guidance apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR USE IN PRE-ALIGNING A WELL HEAD LATCH MEANS MOUNTED AT THE LOWER END OF A CONDUCTOR PIPE LOWERED FROM A FLOATING VESSEL TO A SUBSEA WELL HEAD REMOTE FROM SAID VESSEL PRIOR TO THE COMPLETE LANDING OF SAID LATCH MEANS ON SAID WELL HEAD, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING; A FIRST CASING AT A SUBSEA WELL HEAD INCLUDING A FIRST UPWARDLY FACING ANNULAR ABUTMENT SURFACE AT AN UPPER END THEREOF; SECOND CASING AT SAID WELL HEAD MOUNTED CONCENTRICALLY WITHIN AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY OF SAID FIRST CASING INCLUDING A SECOND UPWARDLY FACING ANNULAR ABUTMENT SURFACE AT AN UPPER END THEREOF, SAID FIRST AND SECOND CASINGS BEING MOUNTED AGAINST RELATIVE AXIAL MOVEMENT THEREBETWEEN, A MULTI-DIAMETER BORE BODY PROVIDE IN A WELL HEAD LATCH MEANS INCLUDING A FIRST INTERNAL BORE PORTION TO RECEIVE SAID FIRST CASING AND A SECOND UPPER INNER BORE PORTION TO RECEIVE SAID SECOND CASING WHEN SAID LATCH MEANS BODY IS COMPLETELY UPON SAID WELL HEAD CASINGS; A FIRST INTERNAL GUIDANCE SURFACE MEANS ON A LOWER END OF SAID FIRST INTERNAL BORE PORTION FOR GUIDING SAID FIRST AND SECOND CASINGS INTO SAID FIRST INTERNAL BORE PORTION BY ABUTMENT THEREWITH OF SAID CASING ABUTMENT SURFACES; A SECOND INTERNAL GUIDANCE SURFACE MEANS BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND BORE PORTIONS FOR GUIDING SAID SECOND CASING INTO SAID SECOND BORE BY ABUTMENT THEREWITH OF SAID SECOND ABUTMENT SURFACE; SAID FIRST AND SECOND INTERNAL GUIDANCE SURFACE MEANS BEING VERTICALLY SPACED APART WITHIN SAID BODY A DISTANCE SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE VERTICAL SPACING OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND CASING ABUTMENT SURFACES PRIOR TO ASSEMBLY THEREOF WHEREBY SAID FIRST AND SECOND GUIDANCE SURFACES ABUT SAID FIRST AND SECOND ABUTMENT SURFACES RESPECTIVELY AND CONCURRENTLY TO PRE-ALIGN SAID LATCH MEANS BODY TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND CASINGS PRIOR TO COMPLETE LANDING OF SAID LATCH MEANS BODY ON SAID WELL HEAD CASINGS; AND MEANS FOR LANDING SAID LATCH MEANS BODY ON SAID WELL HEAD CASING.