Hydrostatic equalizing stem check valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10662736-B2
Application number	US-201715578017-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2017
Priority date	Feb 10, 2017
Publication date	May 26, 2020
Grant date	May 26, 2020

Abstract

A pressure-activated device is inserted in a string for insertion into a borehole. The pressure-activated device has an indexing mechanism. The pressure-activated device has a piloted check valve that prevents the indexing mechanism from operating unless a pressure on an outside diameter of the pressure-activated device exceeds an activation threshold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a piston chamber;
a piston moveable within the piston chamber, the piston having a cylinder head and a pilot rod extending from the cylinder head;
a check valve having:
an open position in which fluid flow is permitted from a permanent fluid communication path to an equalizing fluid communication path and is permitted from the equalizing fluid communication path to the permanent fluid communication path, and
a closed position in which fluid flow through the equalizing fluid communication path is permitted from the permanent fluid communication path to the equalizing fluid communication path and is not permitted from the equalizing fluid communication path to the permanent fluid communication path;

a valve spring urging the check valve into the closed position;
a piston spring urging the pilot rod of the piston into engagement with the check valve to urge the check valve into the open position;
an equalizing chamber positioned between the cylinder head of the piston and the check valve; and
a hydrostatic fluid communication path between the equalizing chamber and a source of hydrostatic pressure.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the check valve comprises:
a check valve chamber extending longitudinally in the direction of movement of the pilot rod and having an upstream side and a downstream side;
a ball moveable within the check valve chamber, engageable on an upstream side by the pilot rod, and engageable on the downstream side by the valve spring; and
a seat against which the ball seals.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a gland surrounding the pilot rod, the equalizing chamber positioned between the cylinder head of the piston and the gland;
an entry chamber between the gland and the check valve, the entry chamber being in fluid communication with the equalizing fluid communication path; and
an exit chamber on the opposite side of the check valve from the entry chamber, the exit chamber being in fluid communication with the permanent fluid communication path.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a locking mechanism to lock the check valve into the closed position.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the locking mechanism is coupled to the cylinder head of the piston.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a locking mechanism selected from the group consisting of a snap ring coupled to the cylinder head of the piston and a collet coupled to the cylinder head of the piston.

7. An apparatus comprising:
a tubular housing having an inside diameter and an outside diameter;
a low pressure chamber in the tubular housing between the inside diameter and the outside diameter;
a permanent fluid communication path fluidly coupled to the low pressure chamber;
a high pressure chamber in the tubular housing between the inside diameter and the outside diameter;
a bleed valve between the high pressure chamber and the low pressure chamber;
an equalizing fluid communication path between the low pressure chamber and the high pressure chamber;
an indexing mechanism capable of indexing in the presence of a difference between a pressure in the low pressure chamber and a pressure in the high pressure chamber; and
a piloted check valve fluidly coupled to the outside diameter of the tubular housing and operable to close when a fluid pressure at the outside diameter of the tubular housing exceeds an activation pressure, the piloted check valve located to interrupt the equalizing fluid communication path upon closing.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the piloted check valve comprises:
a piston chamber;
a piston moveable within the piston chamber, the piston having a cylinder head and a pilot rod extending from the cylinder head;
a check valve having:
an open position in which fluid flow through the equalizing fluid communication path is permitted from the low pressure chamber to the high pressure chamber and is permitted from the high pressure chamber to the low pressure chamber, and
a closed position in which fluid flow through the equalizing fluid communication path is permitted from the low pressure chamber to the high pressure chamber and is not permitted from the high pressure chamber to the low pressure chamber;

a valve spring urging the check valve into the closed position;
a piston spring urging the pilot rod of the piston into engagement with the check valve to urge the check valve into the open position;
a gland surrounding the pilot rod;
an equalizing chamber between the cylinder head of the piston and the gland; and
a hydrostatic fluid communication path between the equalizing chamber and the outside diameter of the tubular housing.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the piloted check valve comprises:
a check valve chamber extending longitudinally in the direction of movement of the pilot rod and having an upstream side and a downstream side;
a ball moveable within the check valve chamber, engageable on an upstream side by the pilot rod, and engageable on the downstream side by the valve spring; and
a seat against which the ball seals.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:
an entry chamber between the gland and the check valve, the entry chamber being in fluid communication with the low pressure chamber; and
an exit chamber on the opposite side of the check valve from the entry chamber, the exit chamber being in fluid communication with the high pressure chamber.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a locking mechanism to lock the check valve into the closed position.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the locking mechanism is coupled to the cylinder head of the piston.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a locking mechanism selected from the group consisting of a snap ring coupled to the cylinder head of the piston and a collet coupled to the cylinder head of the piston.

14. A method comprising:
including in a string for insertion into a borehole a pressure-activated device having an indexing mechanism and a piloted check valve that prevents the indexing mechanism from operating unless a pressure on an outside diameter of the pressure-activated device exceeds an activation threshold, the piloted check valve including a piston moveable within the piston chamber, the piston having a cylinder head and a pilot rod extending from the cylinder head, a check valve having an open position and a closed position, the open position permitting fluid flow through the equalizing fluid communication path from the low pressure chamber to the high pressure chamber and from the high pressure chamber to the low pressure chamber, the closed position permitting fluid flow through the equalizing fluid communication path from the low pressure chamber to the high pressure chamber and not permitting fluid flow from the high pressure chamber to the low pressure chamber, a valve spring urging the check valve into the closed position, and a piston spring urging the pilot rod of the piston into engagement with the check valve to urge the check valve into the open position.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:
inserting the string into the borehole until the pressure on the outside diameter of the pressure-activated device exceeds the activation threshold.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:
sequentially increasing and decreasing the pressure in the borehole to operate the indexing mechanism to cause the pressure-activated device to perform its function.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Murphy Thomas
• Inglis Peter Dw

Classifications

• F16K15/044

  spring-loaded · CPC title

• E21B34/06 Primary

  in wells · CPC title

• F16K15/183

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F16K15/1823

  for ball check valves · CPC title