Patent 7967299 was granted and assigned to National Oilwell Varco on June, 2011 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
A seal comprises a metal seal ring with a first slanted mating surface for sealing engagement with a mating surface on a body and a second slanted mating surface for sealing engagement with a mating surface on a bonnet. The mating surfaces are the same angle as measured from the axis of the ram of the BOP. The seal also defines opposing slanting surfaces which provide a degree of flexure to the seal for sealing engagement. With the application of pressure on the inside surfaces of the seal, the mating surfaces are pressed even harder against the mating surfaces of the body and bonnet.