Electronic valve with deformable seat and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10995585-B2
Application number	US-201916286745-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2019
Priority date	Nov 26, 2018
Publication date	May 4, 2021
Grant date	May 4, 2021

Abstract

An electronic valve is placed in line with a casing in a well. The electronic valve includes a housing having plural ports that are blocked; a valve configured to initiate unblocking of the plural ports to allow fluid communication between the bore of the housing and an outside of the housing; and a deformable seat device having a body placed inside of the bore of the housing. The deformable seat device is configured to have a given diameter D 3 for at least one of first and second ends of the body when the plural ports are blocked, and a smaller diameter when the plural ports are unblocked.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic valve system to be placed in line with a casing in a well, the electronic valve system comprising:
a housing having plural ports;
a sleeve configured to block the plural ports;
a valve configured to initiate unblocking of the plural ports to allow fluid communication between the bore of the housing and an outside of the housing;
a deformable seat device having a body placed inside of the bore of the housing; and
a hollow piston located in the bore of the housing,
wherein the deformable seat device is configured to have a given diameter D 3 for at least one of first and second ends of the body when the plural ports are blocked, and a smaller diameter when the plural ports are unblocked, and
wherein the valve is configured to fluidly communicate, (1) along a first direction, with the sleeve, to slide the sleeve to unblock the plural ports, and, (2) along a second direction, opposite to the first direction, with the hollow piston, to slide the hollow piston to deform the deformable seat device.

2. The electronic valve system of claim 1 , wherein the hollow piston is configured to push the deformable seat device upstream and to bend a first end of the deformable seat device to form a first seating and to bend a second end of the deformable seat device to form a second seating.

3. The electronic valve system of claim 2 , wherein the housing includes an inner mandrel connected to an upper body, and a bore of the upper body has a varying diameter.

4. The electronic valve system of claim 3 , wherein the deformable seat device bends the first end when advancing along the varying diameter of the bore of the upper body, to form the first seating.

5. The electronic valve system of claim 2 , wherein the valve is configured to establish fluid communication between a fluid inside the bore of the housing and the hollow piston, so that the hollow piston is actuated by the pressure of the fluid.

6. The electronic valve system of claim 5 , wherein the valve is configured to establish fluid communication between (1) the fluid inside the bore of the housing and (2) the sleeve, which is located between (a) the inner mandrel, and (b) an external cover of the inner mandrel, so that the plural ports are unblocked by translating the sleeve.

7. The electronic valve system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a processor formed in a pocket of the housing, where the processor is connected to the valve and is configured to actuate the valve.

8. The electronic valve system of claim 7 , further comprising:
a ball detecting device formed in the pocket of the housing, the ball detecting device being electrically connected to the processor for providing information about the presence of a ball that passes through the bore of the housing.

9. The electronic valve system of claim 8 , wherein the ball detecting device is a switch that physically interacts with a passing ball.

10. The electronic valve system of claim 8 , further comprising:
a power supply located in the pocket and configured to supply power to the processor and the ball detecting device; and
a start switch assembly that electrically connects the power supply to the processor,
wherein the start switch assembly is configured to be actuated by a pressure inside the bore of the housing.

11. The electronic valve system of claim 1 , wherein the valve is formed within a wall of the housing.

12. The electronic valve system of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes an inner mandrel and an external cover that is located over the inner mandrel to form a chamber, the sleeve is located in the chamber and blocks fluid communication between the plural ports formed in the inner mandrel and plural ports formed in the external cover.

13. The electronic valve system of claim 12 , wherein there is a first passage extending between the inner mandrel and the external cover, fluidly linking the valve and the sleeve, and there is a second passage, extending between the inner mandrel and the external cover, fluidly linking the valve and the hollow piston that bends the deformable seat device.

14. The electronic valve system of claim 13 , wherein the piston has tabs at one end that allow fluid to pass through the piston when a ball is seated on the tabs.

15. A well fracturing system for fracturing a well, the system comprising:
a casing having plural tubular modules; and
one or more electronic valve systems integrated with the plural tubular modules,
wherein an electronic valve system of the one or more electronic valve systems has,
a sleeve configured to block plural ports, and
a deformable seat device having first and second ends and configured to have a diameter of each one of the first and second ends decreased when actuated by a piston.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the electronic valve system comprises:
a housing having the plural ports that are blocked;
a valve formed within a wall of the housing and configured to initiate unblocking of the plural ports to allow fluid communication between the bore of the housing and an outside of the housing; and
the deformable seat device has a body placed inside of the bore of the housing.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein a hollow piston is located in the bore of the housing, and the hollow piston is configured to push the deformable seat device upstream and to bend the first end of the body of the deformable seat device to form a corresponding first seating and to bend the second end of the body of the deformable seat device to form a corresponding second seating.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the housing includes an inner mandrel connected to an upper body, and a bore of the upper body has a varying diameter.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the deformable seat device changes a geometry of the first end when advancing along the varying diameter of the bore of the upper body, to form the corresponding first seating.

20. The system of claim 16 , wherein the valve is configured to establish fluid communication between a fluid inside the bore of the housing and a hollow piston and the sleeve, so that the hollow piston is actuated by the pressure of the fluid along a first direction and the sleeve is actuated along a second direction, opposite to the first direction.

21. The system of claim 20 , wherein the valve is configured to establish fluid communication between the fluid inside the bore of the housing and the sleeve, which is located between the inner mandrel, and an external cover of the inner mandrel, so that the ports are unblocked by translating the sleeve.

22. A method for fracturing a well with an electronic valve system, the method comprising:
attaching the electronic valve system to a casing of the well;
pumping a fluid through a bore of the electronic valve system to fracture a formation associated with another electronic valve system;
releasing a ball into the casing to block the another electronic valve system;
detecting the ball as the ball passes through the electronic valve system;
opening plural ports of the electronic valve system to fracture a formation associated with the electronic valve system; and
changing a geometry of a deformable seat device of the electronic valve system,
wherein the opening of the plural ports is achieved with a sleeve actuated along a first direction by the fluid in the bore of the electronic valve system,
wherein the changing of the geometry of the deformable seat device is achieved with a hollow

Assignees

• Geodynamics Inc

Inventors

• Roessler Dennis
• Shaffer Raymond

Classifications

• E21B34/066 Primary

  electrically actuated · CPC title

• E21B34/14

  operated by movement of tools, e.g. sleeve valves operated by pistons or wire line tools {(E21B34/066 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• E21B34/142

  unsupported or free-falling elements, e.g. balls, plugs, darts or pistons · CPC title

• E21B47/06

  Measuring temperature or pressure · CPC title

• E21B34/10

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