Electric ball valve mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11867022-B2
Application number	US-201917294814-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2019
Priority date	Jan 24, 2019
Publication date	Jan 9, 2024
Grant date	Jan 9, 2024

Abstract

A well system includes a wellhead positionable at a surface of a wellbore. The well system also includes a ball valve for coupling to the wellhead. The ball valve is movable between an open position and a closed position. Further, the well system includes a hollow core electric motor positionable adjacent to the ball valve to move the ball valve between the open position and the closed position. Furthermore, the well system includes a power source that provides electric power to the hollow core electric motor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A well system comprising:
a wellhead positionable at a surface of a wellbore;
a ball valve for coupling to the wellhead, the ball valve being movable between an open position and a closed position;
a hollow core electric motor positionable adjacent to the ball valve to move the ball valve between the open position and the closed position;
a power source operable to provide electric power to the hollow core electric motor;
a hydraulic pump to interact with the hollow core electric motor to energize hydraulic fluid of the hydraulic pump; and
a hydraulic rotary actuator positionable to interact with the hydraulic fluid of the hydraulic pump to move the ball valve between the open position and the closed position.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the hollow core electric motor comprises an upper hollow core electric motor positionable adjacent to an uphole portion of the ball valve and a lower hollow core electric motor positionable adjacent a downhole portion of the ball valve.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the power source is positionable on an offshore platform for coupling to the hollow core electric motor with a single electrical conductor or a twisted-pair electrical conductor to provide the electric power to the hollow core electric motor.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a controller for coupling to the hollow core electric motor with a control line to send control signals to the hollow core electric motor to move the ball valve between the open position and the closed position.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the power source comprises a battery positioned proximate to the ball valve.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a controller to transmit control signals to the hollow core electric motor using a wireless telemetry system.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an auxiliary power source positionable proximate to the ball valve to provide the electric power to the hollow core electric motor to move the ball valve to the closed position in response to the power source losing electric power or in response to a loss of control signals from a wireless telemetry system.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one set of gears positionable to interact with the hollow core electric motor to move the ball valve between the open position and the closed position.

9. An assembly comprising:
a ball valve comprising a through-bore, the ball valve being movable between (i) an open position where a fluid is able to flow through the through-bore and (ii) a closed position where the fluid is prevented from flowing through the through-bore;
an electric motor positionable adjacent to the ball valve to move the ball valve between the open position and the closed position by actuating a rotatable member coupled to the ball valve, wherein the rotatable member comprises at least one hydraulic pump and at least one hydraulic rotary actuator; and
a power source positionable to provide power to the electric motor.

10. The assembly of claim 9 , wherein the electric motor comprises a hollow core electric motor.

11. The assembly of claim 9 , wherein the rotatable member comprises at least one grouping of planetary gears.

12. The assembly of claim 9 , wherein the electric motor comprises at least two electric motors for actuating at least two hydraulic pumps, wherein the rotatable member comprises at least one hydraulic rotary actuator.

13. A method comprising:
receiving an actuation signal;
providing an actuation force to a ball valve using an electric motor positioned adjacent to the ball valve; and
moving, by a rotatable member coupled to the ball valve and actuated by the electric motor, the ball valve between an open position and a closed position using the actuation force, wherein in the open position, a fluid is able to flow through a through-bore of the ball valve, and in the closed position, the fluid is prevented from flowing through the through-bore, wherein the rotatable member includes at least one hydraulic pump and at least one hydraulic rotary actuator.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein receiving the actuation signal comprising receiving the actuation signal from a power source, the power source comprising at least one of a generator positioned above a surface of a wellbore or a battery positioned proximate to the ball valve.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the electric motor comprises at least one hollow core electric motor.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising providing a position signal from a position indicator to a controller.

17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising cutting at least one of a slickline, a wireline, or a coil tubing extending through the through-bore of the ball valve as the ball valve moves from the open position to the closed position.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein moving the ball valve between the open position and the closed position using the actuation force further comprises applying the actuation force to at least one grouping of planetary gears coupled with the ball valve.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Wright Adam Davis
• Mackie Darryl Kenneth

Classifications

• E21B34/02 Primary

  in well heads · CPC title

• E21B34/066

  electrically actuated · CPC title

• E21B47/13

  by electromagnetic energy, e.g. radio frequency · CPC title

• F16K5/0647

  Spindles or actuating means · CPC title

• F16K5/0652

  for remote operation · CPC title