Valves including one or more flushing features and related assemblies, systems, and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11193608-B2
Application number	US-201916678819-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2019
Priority date	Nov 9, 2018
Publication date	Dec 7, 2021
Grant date	Dec 7, 2021

Abstract

Valve and related assemblies, systems, and methods may include a self-cleaning feature that may be configured to at least partially displace material from a portion of the valve. Such valves may be utilized in a pressure exchanger.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A valve comprising:
a valve body having a fluid pathway defined through the valve body, the valve body being formed of a metal material and the metal material of the valve body defining a first seating surface;
a valve member coupled to the valve body defining a second seating surface and, the valve member being movable relative to the valve body in order to at least partially obstruct the fluid pathway when the second seating surface of the valve member contacts the first seating surface of the valve body; and
at least one flushing feature comprising another fluid pathway defined by the valve body that extends to at least a portion of the valve and terminates in openings defined in the first seating surface, the openings of the at least one flushing feature defined in the first seating surface configured to supply fluid to the at least a portion of the valve through the first seating surface along the another fluid pathway at least partially separated from the fluid pathway of the valve body, the at least one flushing feature configured to at least partially displace material from the valve.

2. The valve of claim 1 , wherein the at least one flushing feature is configured to remove foreign material from the first seating surface of the valve body.

3. The valve of claim 2 , wherein the at least one flushing feature comprises apertures extending around and through the first seating surface, the apertures being fluidly coupled to the fluid pathway.

4. The valve of claim 1 , further comprising an annular ring defined by a portion of the valve, the annular ring extending around a primary direction of fluid flow along the fluid pathway and defining the another fluid pathway.

5. The valve of claim 4 , wherein the at least one flushing feature comprises apertures extending around and through the first seating surface, the apertures being commonly fluidly connected to the annular ring, the at least one flushing feature configured to receive the fluid into the annular ring, disperse the fluid to the apertures with the annular ring, and provide the fluid to the first seating surface as the fluid exits the apertures.

6. The valve of claim 1 , further comprising a sleeve, the valve body being disposed in the sleeve, a fluid channel being defined in the sleeve configured to deliver a fluid to the another fluid pathway through the fluid channel in the sleeve.

7. The valve of claim 1 , wherein the valve comprises a check valve, the valve member being coupled to the valve body and biased relative to the valve body in one of an open position or a closed position.

8. The valve of claim 1 , further comprising a sleeve, the valve body being disposed in the sleeve, a fluid channel comprising an annular ring being collectively defined by both the sleeve and the valve body at an interface between the sleeve and the valve body, the fluid channel configured to deliver a fluid to the openings from the another fluid pathway through the fluid channel in the sleeve.

9. The valve of claim 8 , wherein the at least one flushing feature comprises apertures extending around and through a portion of a valve seat, the apertures being fluidly coupled to the another fluid pathway.

10. A device for exchanging pressure between fluids, the device comprising:
at least one tank comprising:
a first side for receiving a first fluid;
a second side for receiving a second fluid;
at least one port positioned proximate to the second side of the at least one tank and defining a first fluid pathway; and
at least one valve disposed along the first fluid pathway of the at least one port, the at least one valve configured to at least one of enable the second fluid to enter the at least one tank or enable the second fluid to exit the at least one tank, the at least one valve comprising:
a valve body defining a portion of the first fluid pathway, the valve body further defining a portion of a second fluid pathway;
a metal valve seat;
a valve member configured to define a seal with the valve seat; and
a self-cleaning feature comprising fluid channels, the self-cleaning feature configured to supply fluid to at least a portion of the valve seat of the at least one valve along the second fluid pathway and through the metal valve seat, the at least one self-cleaning feature configured to at least partially displace material from at least one of the valve seat or the valve member.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the self-cleaning feature comprises a plurality of discrete apertures defined in and extending around the valve seat, the discrete apertures being commonly and fluidly coupled to the second fluid pathway.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the fluid pathway comprises an annular ring define in the valve body, the annular ring extending around a primary direction of fluid flow along the fluid pathway.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein the annular ring is defined in an outer circumference of the valve body.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the valve body is disposed in a sleeve disposed in the at least one port, wherein a portion of the fluid pathway is defined by the sleeve.

15. The device of claim 10 , wherein the at least one valve comprises a check valve biased in one of an open position or a closed position.

16. The device of claim 10 , wherein the at least one valve comprises two valves, a first valve of the two valves configured to enable the second fluid comprising a downhole fluid at a lower pressure to enter the at least one tank, a second valve of the two valves configured to enable the downhole fluid at a second higher pressure to exit the at least one tank.

17. The device of claim 10 , wherein the valve body is disposed in a sleeve disposed in the at least one port, wherein the second fluid pathway extends from the self-cleaning feature defined in the valve seat, through the valve body, through the valve sleeve, and to a fluid source.

18. A device for exchanging pressure between fluids, the device comprising:
at least one tank comprising:
a clean side for receiving a clean fluid at a higher pressure;
a dirty side for receiving a downhole fluid at a lower pressure;
at least one port positioned proximate to the dirty side of the at least one tank and defining a fluid pathway; and
at least one valve disposed along the fluid pathway of the at least one port, the at least one valve configured to at least one of enabling the downhole fluid to enter the at least one tank or enabling the downhole fluid to exit the at least one tank, the at least one valve comprising:
a valve body;
a metal valve seat;
a valve member configured to define a seal with the valve seat; and
at least one flushing feature comprising one or more fluid channels, the at least one flushing feature configured to supply fluid to at least a portion of the valve seat of the at least one valve along another fluid pathway at least partially separated from the fluid pathway of the at least one port, the at least one flushing feature configured to at least partially displace material from the valve seat; and

a directional valve device configured to selectively place the clean fluid at the higher pressure in communication with the downhole fluid at the lower pressure through at least one piston in order to pressurize the downhole fluid to a second higher pressure.

19. A method of operating a valve, the method comprising:
flowing fluid through a valve body along a fluid pathway defined through the valve body;
at least partially obstructing flow of the fluid through the

Assignees

• Flowserve Man Co

Inventors

• Christian Cinnamon
• Schappert Stephen
• Dreiss Andreas
• Nitz Tim
• O'Sullivan Mark

Classifications

• F16K51/00 Primary

  Other details not peculiar to particular types of valves or cut-off apparatus · CPC title

• B08B9/0328

  by purging the pipe with a gas or a mixture of gas and liquid · CPC title

• E21B43/2607

  Surface equipment specially adapted for fracturing operations · CPC title

• G05D16/028

  Controlling a pressure difference (control of flow G05D7/00) · CPC title

• F16K11/07 Primary

  with cylindrical slides · CPC title