Tubing pressure insensitive failsafe wireline retrievable safety valve

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11015418-B2
Application number	US-201916431373-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 4, 2019
Priority date	Jun 6, 2018
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

Abstract

A tubing pressure insensitive failsafe wireline retrievable safety valve, borehole system having the valve and method of operation of the valve. The valve includes a tool housing, a flow tube disposed within the tool housing, an actuation piston disposed in the tool housing and operably connected to the flow tube, the actuation piston having an actuation side and a pressure side, and a fluid pathway between a potential leak site for the valve and the pressure side of the piston. A temporary sealing member is in the fluid pathway between the potential leak site and the pressure side of the piston. The method includes disposing the valve at a selected location and removing at least a portion of the temporary sealing member from the fluid pathway after landing the wireline retrievable safety valve at the selected location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tubing pressure insensitive failsafe wireline retrievable safety valve, comprising:
a tool housing;
a flow tube disposed within the tool housing;
an actuation piston disposed in the tool housing and operably connected to the flow tube, the actuation piston having an actuation side and a pressure side;
a fluid pathway between the pressure side of the piston and a seal; and
a plug in the fluid pathway to isolate the pressure side from the seal, wherein movement of the flow tube removes the plug from the fluid pathway to create fluid communication between the pressure side and the seal.

2. The valve as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fluid pathway is between the pressure side of the piston and an annular volume and the seal is in the annular volume.

3. The valve of claim 2 wherein at least a portion of the plug dissolves due to fluid exposure.

4. The valve of claim 3 wherein the plug dissolves via a chemical reaction with a reactive environment contained within the fluid pathway.

5. The valve of claim 3 wherein the at least one portion is made of a powder metal compact.

6. The valve of claim 3 wherein the fluid pathway is filled with a chemically reactive fluid prior to running the valve downhole.

7. The valve of claim 2 , wherein the plug is configured to vent to the pressure chamber upon a selected pressure from the annular volume.

8. The valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plug includes a fluid exclusion piston and a seal ring disposed within the fluid pathway, the fluid exclusion piston being operably connected to the flow tube, wherein the seal ring is positioned to exit the fluid pathway upon movement of the fluid exclusion piston by the flow tube.

9. The valve of claim 8 wherein the fluid exclusion piston is configured to exit the fluid pathway after the valve is set downhole.

10. The valve of claim 8 wherein the flow tube includes an end defining a space between the flow tube and a flapper, the space dimensioned to ensure that the an actuation pressure at an actuation side of the actuation piston communicates a fluid pressure therein to the pressure chamber prior to the flow tube contacting the flapper.

11. The valve of claim 1 wherein the plug is removed from the fluid pathway via movement of the flow tube after the valve is landed in its operable location downhole.

12. The valve of claim 1 , wherein the plug comprising a material that is solid below a specified temperature of the valve and is liquid at or above the specified temperature.

13. The valve of claim 1 further comprising a pressure chamber at the pressure side of the actuation piston.

14. The valve of claim 13 wherein the pressure chamber is partially defined between the housing and the flow tube.

15. The valve of claim 1 wherein the flow tube and the housing are releasably connected together by a release member.

16. The valve of claim 1 , wherein the fluid pathway is in fluid communication with a balance line in order to supply a balance pressure to the pressure side of the actuation piston.

17. The valve as claimed in 16 wherein the balance line extends through a tubular string to the valve.

18. The valve of claim 1 , further comprising a running tool configured to hold the flow tube in a closed position while running downhole.

19. The valve of claim 1 , further comprising an annular hydraulic control chamber disposed between potential leak sites.

20. The valve of claim 1 , further comprising a pressure communication system including a first tubular threadingly connected to a second tubular and a communication pathway that passes from within a wall of the first tubular to within a wall of the second tubular across a joint.

21. The valve of claim 20 , wherein the pressure communication system partially defines the fluid pathway.

22. A borehole system having a tubing pressure insensitive failsafe wireline retrievable safety valve, comprising:
a tool housing;
a flow tube disposed within the tool housing;
an actuation piston disposed in the tool housing and operably connected to the flow tube, the actuation piston having an actuation side and a pressure side; and
a fluid pathway between the pressure side of the piston and a seal; and
a plug in the fluid pathway to isolate the pressure side from the seal, wherein movement of the flow tube removes the plug from the fluid pathway to create fluid communication between the pressure side and the seal.

23. A method of operating a tubing pressure insensitive failsafe wireline retrievable safety valve, comprising:
disposing the valve at a selected location, the valve comprising:
a tool housing;
a flow tube disposed within the tool housing;
an actuation piston disposed in the tool housing and operably connected to the flow tube, the actuation piston having an actuation side and a pressure side;
a fluid pathway between the pressure side of the piston; and
a plug in the fluid pathway isolating the pressure side of the piston from the seal; and

removing the plug from the fluid pathway via movement of the flow tube after landing the wireline retrievable safety valve at the selected location to create fluid communication between the pressure side and the seal.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the plug a dissolvable member and removing the plug further comprises dissolving the dissolvable member.

25. The method of claim 23 , wherein removing the plug allows fluid communication between the fluid pathway and the pressure side of the piston.

26. The method of claim 23 , wherein removing the plug exposes the pressure side of the piston to a pressure in a balance line.

27. The method of claim 23 , wherein the plug comprises a material that is solid below a selected temperature and is liquid at or above the selected temperature, further comprising raising the temperature of the material above the selected temperature.

Assignees

• Burris John
• Edwards Jason
• Miller Wade
• Garr Ronald J
• Baker Hughes A Ge Co Llc

Inventors

• Burris John
• Edwards Jason
• Miller Wade
• Garr Ronald J

Classifications

• E21B34/14

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

• E21B2200/08

  Down-hole devices using materials which decompose under well-bore conditions · CPC title

• E21B2200/05

  Flapper valves · CPC title

• E21B34/105 Primary

  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

• E21B34/063 Primary

  Valve or closure with destructible element, e.g. frangible disc (E21B34/103 takes precedence) · CPC title