Constructed annular safety valve element package

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10577889-B2
Application number	US-201916287637-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2019
Priority date	Aug 27, 2012
Publication date	Mar 3, 2020
Grant date	Mar 3, 2020

Abstract

An annular safety valve sealing package comprises an annular safety valve comprising a tubular housing; a first annular sealing element comprising a first elastomeric material and disposed about the tubular housing of the annular safety valve; a second annular sealing element comprising a second elastomeric material and disposed about the tubular housing of the annular safety valve adjacent the first annular sealing element; and a third annular sealing element comprising a third elastomeric material and disposed about the tubular housing of the annular safety valve adjacent the second annular sealing element and on an opposite side of the second annular sealing element from the first annular sealing element. At least two of the first elastomeric material, the second elastomeric material, or the third elastomeric material have different compositions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of providing gas lift in a wellbore comprising:
producing a gas from a production tubing located in the wellbore, wherein the gas comprises a sour gas containing one or more acidic gases;
reinjecting a portion of the sour gas containing the one or more acidic gases into an annulus between the wellbore and the production tubing;
flowing the reinjected one or more acidic gases through an annular safety valve and into the production tubing;
wherein the annular safety valve comprises a tubular housing and a sealing package comprising a plurality of annular sealing elements disposed about the tubular housing, and wherein the annular safety valve is configured to allow axial flow of a fluid through the annulus in a first configuration and substantially prevent axial flow of the fluid through the annular safety valve in a second configuration;
wherein at least one of the plurality of sealing elements comprises a first elastomeric material having a first material composition and wherein at least one other of the plurality of annular sealing elements comprises a second elastomeric material having a second material composition different from the first material composition;
providing chemical resistance via the first elastomeric material to prevent the at least one of the plurality of sealing elements having the first elastomeric material from becoming brittle upon exposure to the one or more acidic gases reinjected through the annular safety valve;
removing the annular safety valve from the wellbore after exposure of the annular safety valve to the one or more acidic gases while in the wellbore; and
providing a restoring force to the at least one of the plurality of annular sealing elements having the first elastomeric material via the at least one other of the plurality of annular sealing elements having the second elastomeric material during removal of the annular safety valve.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the restoring force via the at least one other of the plurality of annular sealing elements having the second elastomeric material at least partially restores the at least one of the plurality of annular sealing elements having the first elastomeric material to their initial positions.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
setting the annular safety valve in the wellbore and sealing the annulus between the production tubing and the wellbore via compression of the plurality of annular sealing elements;
un-setting and removing the annular safety valve from the wellbore; and
upon un-setting the annular safety valve, restoring the plurality of annular sealing elements at least partially to their initial uncompressed positions via the second elastomeric material.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein:
setting the annular safety valve and sealing the annulus comprises forcing slips on the annular safety valve radially outward to grip the wellbore and axially compressing the sealing package between upper and lower element retainers on the annular safety valve to extend the sealing elements radially outward to sealingly engage the wellbore; and
un-setting the annular safety valve comprises removing a compressive force applied by the upper and lower element retainers from the sealing package.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first material composition is chemically resistant to acidic fluids, and wherein the second material composition has a greater level of mechanical resilience than the first material composition at an ambient temperature of less than approximately 100° F.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first elastomeric material or the second elastomeric material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of: nitrile butadiene rubber, hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber, ethylene propylene diene monomer, fluoroelastomers, perfluoroelastomers, fluoropolymer elastomers, polytetrafluoroethylene, copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and propylene, polyetheretherketone, polyetherketone, polyamide-imide, polyimide, polyphenylene sulfide, and any combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first material composition is a material selected from the group consisting of: fluoroelastomers, fluoropolymer elastomers, copolymers of tetrafluoroethylene and propylene, and any combination thereof; and
the second material composition is hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber or nitrile butadiene rubber.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first elastomeric material having the first composition is a fluoro elastomer and the second elastomeric material having the second composition is hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sealing elements comprises:
a first annular sealing element comprising the first elastomeric material and disposed about the tubular housing;
a second annular sealing element comprising the second elastomeric material and disposed about the tubular housing adjacent the first annular sealing element; and
a third annular sealing element comprising the first elastomeric material and disposed about the tubular housing adjacent the second annular sealing element and on an opposite side of the second annular sealing element from the first annular sealing element.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sealing elements comprises:
a first annular sealing element comprising the second elastomeric material and disposed about the tubular housing;
a second annular sealing element comprising the first elastomeric material and disposed about the tubular housing adjacent the first annular sealing element; and
a third annular sealing element comprising the second elastomeric material and disposed about the tubular housing adjacent the second annular sealing element and on an opposite side of the second annular sealing element from the first annular sealing element.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising scrubbing the gas to remove a portion of contaminants prior to reinjecting the portion of the sour gas.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the annular safety valve is set in the wellbore at a depth having an ambient temperature of less than 100° F. at which the first elastomeric material used alone does not perform in an adequate manner to enable proper function of the annular safety valve.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising maintaining mechanical resilience of the at least one other of the plurality of annular sealing elements having the second elastomeric material at the ambient temperature of less than 100° F. such that the annular safety valve can be removed from the wellbore.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising contacting the one or more acidic gases with at least one of the plurality of annular sealing elements in the sealing package while flowing the one or more acidic gases through the annular safety valve.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising closing the annular safety valve and un-setting the annular safety valve from the wellbore, wherein un-setting the annular safety valve restores the plurality of annular sealing elements at least partially to initial uncompressed positions.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Robb Ewan Ogilvie
• Slay Jeremy Buc
• Webber Winston James

Classifications

• E21B34/08

  responsive to flow or pressure of the fluid obtained (E21B34/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E21B33/1285

  by fluid pressure · CPC title

• E21B33/1208 Primary

  characterised by the construction of the sealing or packing means (E21B33/1277 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E21B34/10 Primary

  operated by control fluid supplied from outside the borehole · CPC title

• E21B34/105

  retrievable, e.g. wire line retrievable, i.e. with an element which can be landed into a landing-nipple provided with a passage for control fluid · CPC title