Downhole system having isolation flow valve and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10233725-B2
Application number	US-201615061555-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2016
Priority date	Mar 4, 2016
Publication date	Mar 19, 2019
Grant date	Mar 19, 2019

Abstract

A downhole system including a valve including a housing having a longitudinal axis, a flowbore within the housing for fluid flow along the longitudinal axis, an annulus within the housing, the annulus concentrically surrounding the flowbore and fluidically separated from the flowbore, a piston arrangement within the housing, the piston arrangement including a piston movable from a first position to a second position, and an electronic trigger system including an electronic trigger, a first fluid chamber, and a second fluid chamber. Activation of the electronic trigger communicates the first fluid chamber with the second fluid chamber to move the piston from the first position corresponding to a closed condition of the valve blocking flow within the annulus to the second position corresponding to an open condition of the valve permitting flow within the annulus past the piston.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A downhole system comprising a valve including:
a housing having a longitudinal axis;
a flowbore within the housing for fluid flow along the longitudinal axis;
an annulus within the housing, the annulus concentrically surrounding the flowbore and fluidically separated from the flowbore;
a piston arrangement within the housing, the piston arrangement including a first piston and a second piston, the first piston movable from a first position to a second position; and,
an electronic trigger system including an electronic trigger, a first fluid chamber, and a second fluid chamber;
wherein activation of the electronic trigger communicates the first fluid chamber with the second fluid chamber to move the first piston from the first position corresponding to a closed condition of the valve blocking flow within the annulus to the second position corresponding to an open condition of the valve permitting fluid to flow along a length of and past the piston within the annulus, the valve further including an inner profile accessible from the flowbore, the valve mechanically movable from the closed condition to the open condition by engaging and moving the inner profile which moves one of the first and second pistons of the piston arrangement.

2. The downhole system of claim 1 , wherein the valve is mechanically reclosable from the open position to the closed position by engaging and moving the profile.

3. The downhole system of claim 2 , wherein the valve further includes a locking mechanism and a profile member having the profile movable within the locking mechanism, the locking mechanism movable within the housing to lock the valve in the closed condition.

4. The downhole system of claim 1 , wherein the electronic trigger system further includes a pressure transducer, and a pressure signal delivered through the flowbore and sensed by the pressure transducer activates the electronic trigger.

5. The downhole system of claim 1 , wherein the electronic trigger system includes a pressure vessel housing a battery, microprocessor, and the electronic trigger, and the pressure vessel is a modular element securable within the housing of the downhole system.

6. The downhole system of claim 1 , wherein the first fluid chamber is an air chamber and the second fluid chamber is a hydraulic fluid chamber, and activation of the electronic trigger permits hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic fluid chamber to enter the air chamber.

7. The downhole system of claim 1 , further comprising a screen assembly attached to the housing, the screen assembly permitting fluid to enter the annulus and flow towards the valve.

8. The downhole system of claim 1 , further comprising a tubing selectively connected uphole of the valve to provide annular flow uphole of the valve, wherein, when the tubing is not connected to the valve, flow from the annulus is commingled with flow along the longitudinal axis uphole of the valve.

9. A method of permitting flow in the annulus of the valve of the downhole system of claim 1 , the method comprising:
arranging the piston in the first position;
activating the electronic trigger with a communication signal; and,
moving the piston to the second position.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising mechanically reclosing the piston to block annular flow within the valve.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising moving the piston mechanically if the electronic trigger fails or if the electronic trigger has already been activated.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the valve is shear pinned in the closed condition during run-in of the valve, and moving the piston includes moving the piston mechanically to shear a plurality of shear pins in a non-simultaneous manner using a staggered shearing mechanism.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising selectively attaching a tubing uphole of the valve, wherein the tubing provides annular flow uphole of the valve when attached, and, when the tubing is not attached, flow from the annulus uphole of the valve commingles with flow along the longitudinal axis.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein activating the electronic trigger with the communication signal includes sending a pressure signal down the flowbore of the valve and detecting the pressure signal with a pressure transducer.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein activating the electronic trigger includes receiving the communication signal with a signal-receiving member and delaying activation of the electronic trigger for a preset time period as determined by a controller.

16. A downhole system comprising a valve including:
a housing having a longitudinal axis;
a flowbore within the housing for fluid flow along the longitudinal axis;
an annulus within the housing, the annulus concentrically surrounding the flowbore and fluidically separated from the flowbore;
a piston arrangement within the housing, the piston arrangement including a piston movable from a first position to a second position; and,
an electronic trigger system including an electronic trigger, a first fluid chamber, and a second fluid chamber;
wherein activation of the electronic trigger communicates the first fluid chamber with the second fluid chamber to move the piston from the first position corresponding to a closed condition of the valve blocking flow within the annulus to the second position corresponding to an open condition of the valve permitting flow within the annulus past the piston, and the valve further includes an inner profile accessible from the flowbore, the valve mechanically movable from the closed condition to the open condition by engaging and moving the inner profile, and the piston is a first piston, and the valve further includes a second piston, the second piston supporting the inner profile, the second piston shiftable from a first position corresponding to the closed condition of the valve to a second position corresponding to the open condition of the valve using the inner profile.

17. The downhole system of claim 16 , wherein the first and second pistons at least partially overlap in the closed condition of the valve and are separated in the open condition of the valve.

18. A downhole system comprising a valve including:
a housing having a longitudinal axis;
a flowbore within the housing for fluid flow along the longitudinal axis;
an annulus within the housing, the annulus concentrically surrounding the flowbore and fluidically separated from the flowbore;
a piston arrangement within the housing, the piston arrangement including a piston movable from a first position to a second position; and,
an electronic trigger system including an electronic trigger, a first fluid chamber, and a second fluid chamber;
wherein activation of the electronic trigger communicates the first fluid chamber with the second fluid chamber to move the piston from the first position corresponding to a closed condition of the valve blocking flow within the annulus to the second position corresponding to an open condition of the valve permitting flow within the annulus past the piston, and the valve further includes an inner profile accessible from the flowbore, the valve mechanically movable from the closed condition to the open condition by engaging and moving the inner profile, and the valve includes a plurality of shear pins securing the valve in the closed condition, and a staggered shearing arrangement operatively arranged to shear the shear pins in a non-simultaneous manner during movement of the valve from the closed condition to the open condition.

Assignees

• Provost Wilfred
• Baker Hughes A Ge Co Llc

Inventors

• Provost Wilfred

Classifications

• E21B47/18

  through the well fluid {, e.g. mud pressure pulse telemetry} · CPC title

• E21B43/14

  Obtaining from a multiple-zone well · CPC title

• E21B43/045

  Crossover tools · CPC title

• E21B43/04

  Gravelling of wells · CPC title

• E21B34/066 Primary

  electrically actuated · CPC title