Importance

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Abstract

An installable load shoulder is used with a wellhead to support a tubing hanger by which tubing is suspended in a well bore, 'tubing' being inclusive of any tubular product such as a string of tubing or casing as used in drilling and completing oil or gas wells, the wellhead having a vertical opening therethrough and in the wall defining the opening an internal circumferential groove, the groove having an inwardly sloped bottom frusto-conical circumferential surface and the tubing hanger having an external circumferential surface dimensioned to be slidably received in the wellhead vertical opening and having an external circumferential area defined in part by a frusto-conical circumferential surface. The load shoulder is of toroidal shape, has a split therein, has an internal circumferential surface defined in part by an inwardly sloped upper frusto-conical shaped surface and an external circumferential surface defined in part by a lower outwardly sloped frusto-conical shaped surface. A plurality of spaced apart small diameter vertical openings extending through the load shoulder. A slot is provided for each of the openings, the openings and the slots serving to impart flexibility of the load shoulder whereby it can be collapsed to be inserted into the vertical opening in the wellhead after which is expands into the groove in the wellhead to thereafter support the tubing hanger.

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First Claim