Intervention system and apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10066458-B2
Application number	US-201415027385-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 7, 2014
Priority date	Oct 8, 2013
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

A ball valve apparatus includes a housing defining a housing inlet and a housing outlet and a valve cartridge mounted within the housing and defining a cartridge flow path extending between a cartridge inlet and a cartridge outlet, wherein the cartridge inlet is arranged in fluid communication with the housing inlet and the cartridge outlet is arranged in fluid communication with the housing outlet. A ball valve member is mounted within the valve cartridge and is rotatable to selectively open and close the cartridge flow path. A leak chamber is defined between the housing and the cartridge for containing fluid leakage from the valve cartridge.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A ball valve apparatus, comprising:
a housing defining a housing inlet and a housing outlet;
a valve cartridge comprising a cartridge housing which defines a pressure housing operable to retain pressure inside the cartridge housing, the valve cartridge being mounted within the housing and defining a cartridge flow path extending between a cartridge inlet and a cartridge outlet, wherein the cartridge inlet is arranged in fluid communication with the housing inlet and the cartridge outlet is arranged in fluid communication with the housing outlet;
a ball valve member mounted within the cartridge housing and being rotatable to selectively open and close the cartridge flow path;
a valve actuator arrangement mounted within the valve cartridge for actuating the ball valve member between open and closed positions; and
a leak chamber defined between the housing and the cartridge housing for containing fluid leakage from the valve cartridge.

2. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 1 , deployable through a rotary table provided on a surface vessel.

3. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the leak chamber is defined by an annular space between an outer surface of the valve cartridge and an inner surface of the housing.

4. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cartridge housing comprises multiple housing components sealingly secured together.

5. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the valve cartridge comprises a valve actuator arrangement for use in actuating the ball valve member to move between open and closed positions.

6. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the valve actuator arrangement is hydraulically actuated by hydraulic pressure delivered via a hydraulic line connected or connectable to the ball valve apparatus.

7. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the actuator arrangement is operable by fluid flow along the cartridge flow path in a particular direction.

8. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the actuator arrangement comprises a piston member and a piston housing defined by the cartridge housing, wherein the piston member is reciprocally mounted within the piston housing.

9. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the piston comprises an annular piston arranged coincident and/or collinear with the cartridge flow path and around the ball valve member.

10. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the actuator arrangement comprises a biasing arrangement for biasing the valve member towards a closed position.

11. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 5 , comprising a linkage arrangement connecting the ball valve member and the actuator arrangement, wherein the linkage arrangement is operable to convert a linear movement of the actuation arrangement to a rotational movement of the ball valve member.

12. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the valve cartridge is sealingly engaged with the housing in the region of one of both of the cartridge inlet and cartridge outlet.

13. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising at least one of an inlet sealing arrangement for providing sealed fluid communication between the cartridge inlet and the housing inlet, and an outlet sealing arrangement for providing sealed fluid communication between the cartridge outlet and the housing outlet.

14. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising an inlet sealing collar which spans an interface between the valve cartridge and the housing, wherein one end of the inlet sealing collar is received within the cartridge flow path, and an opposing end of the inlet sealing collar is received within an inlet bore of the housing, the inlet sealing collar comprising a first sealing member for sealing against the valve cartridge, and a second sealing member for sealing against the housing.

15. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising an outlet sealing collar which spans an interface between the valve cartridge and the housing, wherein one end of the outlet sealing collar is received within the cartridge flow path, and an opposing end of the outlet sealing collar is received within an outlet bore of the housing, the inlet sealing collar comprising a first sealing member for sealing against the valve cartridge, and a second sealing member for sealing against the housing.

16. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the ball valve member is operable to cut or sever an object or apparatus present within the cartridge flow path at the time of closing of the ball valve member.

17. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the ball valve member is a first ball valve member, and the ball valve apparatus further comprises a second ball valve member, wherein the first and second ball valve members are axially arranged relative to each other.

18. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising at least one sensor arranged to sense or monitor conditions within the leak chamber.

19. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises one or more external connectors for use in connecting to other apparatus such that the housing facilitates connection of the ball valve apparatus within a larger system.

20. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one section of the housing defines part of an emergency disconnect assembly.

21. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the housing defines an inlet flow path in fluid communication with the cartridge flow path via the cartridge inlet, and an outlet flow path in fluid communication with the cartridge flow path via the cartridge outlet.

22. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the housing defines a port through a side wall thereof for facilitating fluid communication externally of the housing and by-passing the valve cartridge.

23. The ball valve apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein opposing ends of the valve cartridge are installed against opposing support shoulders provided within the housing such that the valve cartridge is axially captivated between the opposing support shoulders within the housing.

Assignees

• Expro North Sea Ltd

Inventors

• Deacon Paul
• Sangster John

Classifications

• E21B33/076 Primary

  specially adapted for underwater installations · CPC title

• E21B2200/04

  Ball valves · CPC title

• E21B34/02 Primary

  in well heads · CPC title

• E21B2034/002

  Fixed Constructions · mapped topic

• E21B33/038

  Connectors used on well heads, e.g. for connecting blow-out preventer and riser · CPC title