Choke valve for high pressure drop

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10480282-B2
Application number	US-201715644510-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 7, 2017
Priority date	Jul 8, 2016
Publication date	Nov 19, 2019
Grant date	Nov 19, 2019

Abstract

An orifice valve as disclosed herein produces a high pressure drop in a flowing fluid. A valve body includes a flow restrictor with multiple flow orifices or ports. The flow ports produce fluid jets. The flow ports may be angled relative to the axial centerline of the valve body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An orifice valve for reducing the pressure of a fluid flowing from an oil well, the valve comprising:
a valve body including a body centerline and a through-bore having a fluid inlet section;
a flow restrictor disposed within the through-bore adjacent the fluid inlet section, the flow restrictor including a non-rotating body, an outer surface, and a plurality of elongate, fluidly parallel ports extending through the body, wherein the ports are configured with fixed dimensions; and
a wear sleeve disposed within the through-bore adjacent the flow restrictor and including an annular body, a flow channel extending through the body and including a straight section and an expanding section, wherein the flow channel is in fluid communication with the fluidly parallel ports;
wherein a flow path extends from the fluid inlet section, is divided by the fixed-dimension ports, and recombines in the flow channel; and
wherein the fixed-dimension ports extend from the fluid inlet section to the flow channel.

2. The orifice valve of claim 1 wherein the ports of the flow restrictor circumferentially surround the body centerline;
wherein each port of the flow restrictor includes a port centerline; and
wherein the port centerlines are disposed at a port angle with respect to the body centerline, the port angle being acute.

3. The orifice valve of claim 2 wherein the port centerlines intersect within the wear sleeve.

4. The orifice valve of claim 3 wherein the port centerlines intersect within the expanding section of the wear sleeve at a point along the body centerline.

5. The orifice valve of claim 2 wherein the port centerlines extend through the wear sleeve, continue in that direction, and then intersect within the through-bore of the valve body beyond the wear sleeve.

6. The orifice valve of claim 2 wherein the port angle is between 10 to 12 degrees.

7. The orifice valve of claim 2 wherein the port angle is between 4 and 8 degrees.

8. The orifice valve of claim 1 wherein the ports are circular, each port having a port length and a port diameter; and
wherein for each port, the port length is greater than the port diameter.

9. The orifice valve of claim 8 wherein the length-to-diameter ratio of the port length and the port diameter is between 0.3 and 11.

10. An orifice valve for reducing the pressure of a fluid flowing from an oil well, the valve comprising:
a valve body including a body centerline and a flow path passing through the valve body, the flow path comprising:
an inlet section;
a plurality of elongate flow ports disposed within the valve body, each port including a port inlet and a port exit and extending from the inlet section in the direction of the body centerline, the flow ports being continuous and configured with fixed diameters from the port inlet to the port exit; and
a downstream flow channel located beyond the flow ports in the direction of fluid flow and having an inner surface and a straight section with a straight section diameter;
wherein from the inlet section, the flow path divides among the fixed-diameter flow ports, and from the flow ports, the flow path recombines within the downstream flow channel;
wherein the port exits are arranged within a diametral extent that is less than the straight section diameter.

11. The orifice valve of claim 10 wherein the flow ports are circular in cross-section, characterized by a diameter D;
wherein the distance between the diametral extent and the straight section diameter measured along a radius from the body centerline is greater than or equal to the diameter D.

12. The orifice valve of claim 10 wherein each of the flow ports includes a port centerline;
wherein the inlets of the flow ports are more widely spaced apart than are the exits so that each port and each flow port's corresponding port centerline is oriented at a port angle with respect to the body centerline, the port angle being acute.

13. The orifice valve of claim 12 wherein the port centerlines intersect within the downstream flow channel.

14. The orifice valve of claim 12 wherein the downstream flow channel includes an expanding section extending from the straight section;
and
wherein the port centerlines intersect beyond the straight and expanding sections of the downstream flow channel.

15. The orifice valve of claim 10 further comprising a flow restrictor formed separately from the valve body and installed within the valve body, wherein the flow ports extend through the flow restrictor.

16. The orifice valve of claim 10 wherein the flow path is configured to generate a pressure drop of between 15 and 20 kpsi in the fluid.

17. The orifice valve of claim 10 wherein the flow ports are circular, each port having a port length, a port diameter, and a corresponding length-to-diameter ratio; and
wherein the length-to-diameter ratio is between 0.3 and 11.

18. An orifice valve for reducing the pressure of a fluid flowing from an oil well, the valve comprising:
a valve body; and
a flow path extending through the valve body and comprising:
an inlet section;
a plurality of elongate flow ports disposed within the valve body, each port including a port inlet located to receive fluid from the inlet section and a port exit, the flow ports being continuous and configured with fixed diameters from the port inlet to the port exit; and
a downstream flow channel located to receive fluid from the plurality of port exits and including an expanding section;

wherein from the inlet section, the flow path divides among the fixed-diameter flow ports, and from the flow ports, the flow path recombines within the downstream flow channel.

19. The orifice valve of claim 18 wherein the downstream flow channel includes a straight section located between the port exits and the expanding section, the straight section having a straight section diameter; and
wherein the port exits are arranged within a diametral extent that is less than the straight section diameter.

20. The orifice valve of claim 18 further comprising a removable wear sleeve disposed entirely within the valve body, the wear sleeve comprising the expanding section of the flow path.

Assignees

• Cameron Int Corp

Inventors

• Quin David
• Elliott Declan
• Mckeon Michael
• Gnanavelu Abinesh

Classifications

• F16K47/08

  for decreasing pressure {or noise level} and having a throttling member separate from the closure member {, e.g. screens, slots, labyrinths} · CPC title

• E21B34/02 Primary

  in well heads · CPC title

• E21B34/04 Primary

  in underwater well heads · CPC title

• E21B34/025

  Chokes or valves in wellheads and sub-sea wellheads for variably regulating fluid flow · CPC title