Apparatus for running equipment into and out of offshore well completions

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR RUNNING RIGID ELONGATED EQUIPMENT INTO AND OUT OF A WELL FROM A CONTROL STATION SPACED HORIZONTALLY FROM THE WELL, THE COMBINATION OF: (A) AN EQUIPMENT TUBING SET IN SAID WELL; (B) A CONDUCTOR TUBING EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID WELL AND SAID CONTROL STATION; (C) A FLEXIBLE TUBING INTERCONNECTING SAID CONDUCTOR AND EQUIPMENT TUBINGS; (D) SAID EQUIPMENT BEING SLIDABLE THROUGH SAID TUBINGS BETWEEN SAID CONTROL STATION AND AN OPERATING POSITION IN SAID WELL; (E) SAID FLEXIBLE TUBING FLEXING TO ACCOMMODATE SAID EQUIPMENT AS IT PASSES THERETHROUGH; (F) MEANS FOR INTRODUCING FLUID INTO SAID CONDUCTOR TUBING BEHIND SAID EQUIPMENT TO CIRCULATE IT THROUGH SAID TUBINGS FROM SAID CONTROL STATION TO SAID OPERATING POSITION IN SAID WELL; (G) MEANS FOR INTRODUCING FLUID INTO SAID EQUIPMENT TUBING BEHIND SAID EQUIPMENT TO CIRCULATE IT THROUGH SAID TUBINGS FROM SAID OPERATING POSITION IN SAID WELL TO SAID CONTROL STATION; (H) A HOUSING ENCLOSING SAID FLEXIBLE TUBING; (I) SAID HOUSING HAVING A CONFIGURATION PERMITTING FLEXING OF SAID FLEXIBLE TUBING IN SAID HOUSING AS SAID EQUIPMENT PASSES THROUGH SAID FLEXIBLE TUBING; AND (J) MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE PRESSURE IN SAID HOUSING AT A VALUE APPROACHING THE PRESSURE APPLIED BEHIND SAID EQUIPMENT IN CIRCULATING IT THROUGH SAID FLEXIBLE TUBING SO AS TO MINIMIZE THE PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL BETWEEN THE INTERIOR AND THE EXTERIOR OF SAID FLEXIBLE TUBING.