Isolation valve for fluid flow regulation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11231124-B2
Application number	US-202017038164-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2020
Priority date	Oct 3, 2019
Publication date	Jan 25, 2022
Grant date	Jan 25, 2022

Abstract

An isolation valve can be used subsea such as with a fluid handling system which may be associated with a subsea Christmas tree and comprises a housing comprising a material created by a sintering process and a vertical axis defined in-between a first housing end and a second housing end; two or more seats comprising a sintered material and disposed radially opposite each other; a first annulus extending through a predetermined portion of the second housing end and the first seat at a first position radially offset from and substantially parallel to the vertical axis; a second annulus extending through a predetermined portion of the second housing end and the second seat at a second position radially offset from the first annulus along the vertical axis and substantially parallel to the housing vertical axis; a first fluid port disposed through the second end of the housing and in fluid communication with the first annulus; second fluid port disposed through the second end of the housing and in fluid communication with the second annulus; and an actuator disposed at least partially within the housing and rotatable about the vertical axis of the housing, the actuator comprising a sintered material, the actuator configured to allow fluid flow in a first rotational position of the actuator and block fluid communication in a second rotational position of the actuator, and a predetermined surface uniformly machined to a surface of the first seat which is exposed to the fluid annulus and to a surface of the second seat which is exposed to the fluid annulus, the predetermined surface defining a metal-to-metal seal at the exposed surfaces of the first seat and the second seat when the actuator is in the second rotation position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An isolation valve, comprising: a. a housing defining a vertical axis in-between a first housing end and a second housing end through a center of the housing, the housing comprising a material created by a sintering process and configured to allow functioning of the isolation valve at a pressure range of between 300 bar to 1500 bar; b. a first seat and a second seat, each seat disposed at least partially within the housing proximate the second end of the housing, each seat comprising a sintered material, the first seat disposed radially opposite the second seat; c. a first annulus disposed within a predetermined portion of the second housing end and extending through the first seat at a first position radially offset from and substantially parallel to the vertical axis; d. a second annulus disposed within a predetermined portion of the second housing end through the second seat at a second position radially offset from the first annulus along the vertical axis and substantially parallel to the housing vertical axis; e. a first fluid port disposed through the second end of the housing and in fluid communication with the first annulus, the first fluid port further comprising a first sleeve; f. second fluid port disposed through the second end of the housing and in fluid communication with the second annulus, the second fluid port further comprising a second sleeve; and g. an actuator disposed at least partially within the housing and rotatable about the vertical axis of the housing, the actuator comprising a sintered material, the actuator further comprising: i. an actuator fluid annulus disposed through the predetermined portion of the actuator away from the first annulus and the second annulus with respect to and perpendicular to the housing vertical axis, the actuator fluid annulus in fluid communication with the first annulus through the first seat and the second annulus through the second seat in a first rotational position of the actuator and blocking fluid communication with the first annulus and the second annulus in a second rotational position of the actuator; and ii. a predetermined surface uniformly machined to a surface of the first seat which is exposed to the actuator fluid annulus and to a surface of the second seat which is exposed to the actuator fluid annulus, the predetermined surface defining a metal-to-metal seal at the exposed surfaces of the first seat and the second seat when the actuator is in the second rotation position.

2. The isolation valve of claim 1 , further comprising a membrane disposed about an inner portion of the actuator fluid annulus, the membrane operative to minimize trapping of fluid in the membrane and actuator fluid annulus.

3. The isolation valve of claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises:
a. a first housing section; and
b. a second housing section connected to the first housing section.

4. The isolation valve of claim 3 , wherein the actuator is disposed at least partially within the first housing section and the second housing section.

5. The isolation valve of claim 3 , wherein the actuator is disposed at least partially within the first housing section and the second housing section such that the actuator fluid annulus is totally disposed within the second housing section.

6. The isolation valve of claim 1 , wherein the first port and the second port are in fluid communication with their respective seats.

7. The isolation valve of claim 1 , wherein the isolation valve is configured to fluidly couple onto a fluid handling system.

8. The isolation valve of claim 1 , wherein each of the first port and the second port comprises a bi-directional port.

9. The isolation valve of claim 1 , further comprising a spindle rotatably disposed at least partially within, and rotatable about the vertical axis of the housing, the spindle operatively connected to the actuator and operative to cooperatively rotate the actuator.

10. The isolation valve of claim 9 , further comprising a torque interface operatively connected to the spindle.

11. The isolation valve of claim 10 , wherein the torque interface is configured to interface with a remotely operation vehicle (ROV) or autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).

12. The isolation valve of claim 10 , wherein the torque interface is configured for manual rotation by a diver using a torque tool.

13. The isolation valve of claim 1 , wherein each seat and the actuator comprise tungsten and/or a ceramic.

14. An isolation valve, comprising: a. a housing defining a vertical axis in-between a first housing end and a second housing end through a center of the housing, the housing comprising a material created by a sintering process and configured to allow functioning of the isolation valve at a pressure range of between 300 bar to 1500 bar; b. a first seat and a second seat, each seat disposed at least partially within the housing proximate the second end of the housing, each seat comprising a sintered material, the first seat disposed radially opposite the second seat; c. a first annulus disposed within a predetermined portion of the second housing end and extending through the first seat at a first position radially offset from and substantially parallel to the vertical axis; d. a second annulus disposed within a predetermined portion of the second housing end through the second seat at a second position radially offset from the first annulus along the vertical axis and substantially parallel to the housing vertical axis; e. a first fluid port disposed through the second end of the housing and in fluid communication with the first annulus; f. second fluid port disposed through the second end of the housing and in fluid communication with the second annulus; and g. an actuator disposed at least partially within the housing and rotatable about the vertical axis of the housing, the actuator comprising a sintered material, the actuator further comprising: i. an actuator fluid annulus disposed through the predetermined portion of the actuator away from the first annulus and the second annulus with respect to and perpendicular to the housing vertical axis, the actuator fluid annulus in fluid communication with the first annulus through the first seat and the second annulus through the second seat in a first rotational position of the actuator and blocking fluid communication with the first annulus and the second annulus in a second rotational position of the actuator; and ii. a predetermined surface uniformly machined to a surface of the first seat which is exposed to the actuator fluid annulus and to a surface of the second seat which is exposed to the actuator fluid annulus, the predetermined surface defining a metal-to-metal seal at the exposed surfaces of the first seat and the second seat when the actuator is in the second rotation position; and a membrane disposed about an inner portion of the actuator fluid annulus, the membrane operative to minimize trapping of fluid in the membrane and actuator fluid annulus.

15. A method of controlling fluid flow in an isolation valve which comprises a housing defining a vertical axis in-between a first housing end and a second housing end, the housing comprising a material created by a sintering process and configured to allow functioning of the isolation valve at pressure range of between 300 bar to 1500 bar; a first seat and a second seat, each disposed at least partially within the housing proximate the second end of the housing, each seat comprising a sintered material, the first seat disposed radially opposite the second seat; a first annulus disposed within a predetermined portion of the second housin

Assignees

• Oceaneering Int Inc

Inventors

• Fjeldsaa Morten

Classifications

• Y10T137/86863

  Rotary valve unit · CPC title

• F16K11/044

  with movable valve members positioned between valve seats · CPC title

• F16K25/005

  Particular materials for seats or closure elements · CPC title

• F16K3/04 Primary

  with pivoted closure members · CPC title

• F16K3/08

  with circular plates rotatable around their centres · CPC title