Thermal load based automatic valve arrangement and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10557328-B2
Application number	US-201615347680-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2016
Priority date	Nov 9, 2016
Publication date	Feb 11, 2020
Grant date	Feb 11, 2020

Abstract

A thermal load based automatic valve arrangement including an actuator responsive to fluid temperature flowing through the arrangement, a closure member operably connected to the actuator, and a seat receptive to the closure member to prevent or restrict fluid flow through the arrangement in a first direction when actuated while still allowing fluid flow in a second direction. A method for controlling steam movement in a production string of a SAGD (Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage) installation including sensing with an actuator, temperature of fluid moving through a valve arrangement, automatically adjusting the valve arrangement pursuant to thermal load on the actuator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal load based automatic valve arrangement comprising:
an actuator responsive to fluid temperature flowing through the arrangement;
a closure member operably connected to the actuator; and
a seat configured to receive the closure member when actuated such that fluid flow through the arrangement is prevented or restricted in a first direction while fluid flow through the arrangement is still allowed in a second direction.

2. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first direction is a production direction.

3. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second direction is a presoak direction.

4. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the actuator is thermally expandible.

5. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the actuator is an arcuate member.

6. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the actuator is a helical member.

7. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the actuator is a straight member.

8. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the closure member is a hemisphere.

9. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the closure member is plate-like.

10. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the closure member includes an orifice.

11. The arrangement as claimed in claim 10 wherein the orifice is alignable or misalignable with another orifice in the seat.

12. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the closure member is displaceable from the seat in response to flow in the second direction.

13. The arrangement as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a lift configuration.

14. The arrangement as claimed in claim 13 wherein the lift configuration extends from the seat.

15. The arrangement as claimed in claim 13 wherein the lift configuration interacts with the closure member during retraction thereof to increase displacement of the closure member from the seat.

16. The arrangement as claimed in claim 13 wherein the lift configuration contacts the closure member at a plane existing at about 45 degrees to the closure member.

Assignees

• Castillo Jose Rafael Gonzalez
• Baker Hughes A Ge Co Llc

Inventors

• Castillo Jose Rafael Gonzalez

Classifications

• G05D23/1852

  with sensing element expanding and contracting in response to change of temperature · CPC title

• E21B34/06 Primary

  in wells · CPC title

• E21B43/2406

  Steam assisted gravity drainage [SAGD] · CPC title

• F16K31/002

  actuated by temperature variation (thermo-electric F16K31/025) · CPC title

• F16K15/18

  with actuating mechanism; Combined check valves and actuated valves · CPC title