Dual ball seat system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12098617-B2
Application number	US-202118255467-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2021
Priority date	Dec 4, 2020
Publication date	Sep 24, 2024
Grant date	Sep 24, 2024

Abstract

A system includes rotational ball seat (RBS), remote operated, and electrical/hydraulic sections. The RBS section includes a spring, a first internal sleeve, and an upper RBS. The remote operated section includes a lower rotational ball valve (RBV) disposed between second and third internal sleeves, and a setting sleeve operatively connected to the lower RBV. During miming-in-hole, the upper RBS is in a restricted position, and the lower RBV is in an open position. The spring compresses the internal sleeves, which sandwich the upper RBS and the lower RBV, until a shear event occurs. An inner diameter of the system closes to facilitate setting of hydraulic equipment. Thereafter, the shear event releases the spring, thereby pushing the internal sleeves, the upper RBS, and the lower RBV downhole, which rotates the upper RBS and the lower RBV into open positions, thereby opening the inner diameter of the system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a housing;
a rotational ball seat section disposed within the housing, the rotational ball seat section comprising:
a spring;
a first internal sleeve; and
an upper rotational ball seat comprising: a restricted position; and an open through bore position;

a remote operated section disposed within the housing adjacent to the rotational ball seat section, the remote operated section comprising:
a lower rotational ball valve disposed between second and third internal sleeves, wherein the lower rotational ball valve comprises: an open through bore position; and a closed position;
a setting sleeve operatively connected to the lower rotational ball valve; and
a plurality of shear pins that hold the first, second, and third internal sleeves in place until a shear event occurs,

wherein, in a run-in-hole position, the upper rotational ball seat is in the restricted position, and the lower rotational ball valve is in the open through bore position,
wherein a downhole force of the spring compresses the first internal sleeve, the second internal sleeve, and the third internal sleeve such that the first, second, and third internal sleeves sandwich the upper rotational ball seat and the lower rotational ball valve in compression until the shear event occurs; and
an electrical/hydraulic section that facilitates remote actuation of the remote operated section,
wherein an inner diameter of the system is closed prior to the shear event to facilitate setting of hydraulic equipment, and
wherein the shear event releases the downhole force of the spring, thereby pushing the first internal sleeve, the second internal sleeve, the third internal sleeve, the upper rotational ball seat, and the lower rotational ball valve downhole, which rotates the upper rotational ball seat and the lower rotational ball valve into the open through bore positions, thereby opening the inner diameter of the system.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the inner diameter of the system is closed by the remote actuation of the remote operated section shifting the setting sleeve downhole, thereby rotating the lower rotational ball valve into the closed position.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the inner diameter of the system is closed by a contingency ball landed in a restriction of the upper rotational ball seat when the upper rotational ball seat is in the restricted position.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the contingency ball is released from the upper rotational ball seat when the upper rotational ball seat assumes the open through bore position after the shear event.

5. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the rotational ball seat section further comprises two control arms each comprising a slot,
wherein the upper rotational ball seat further comprises two pins,
wherein the slots of the two control arms each accommodate a pin of the two pins, and
wherein the two pins facilitate rotation of the upper rotational ball seat from the restricted position to the open through bore position by translating down the slots of the two control arms.

6. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the remote operated section further comprises two control arms each comprising a three position slot,
wherein the lower rotational ball valve further comprises two features,
wherein the three position slots of the two control arms each accommodate a feature of the two features, and
wherein the two features of the lower rotational ball valve in cooperation with the three position slots of the two control arms facilitate remote and contingency operations of the remote operated section.

7. The system of claim 5 ,
wherein the remote operated section further comprises two control arms each comprising a three position slot,
wherein the lower rotational ball valve further comprises two features,
wherein the three position slots of the two control arms each accommodate a feature of the two features, and
wherein the two features of the lower rotational ball valve in cooperation with the three position slots of the two control arms facilitate remote and contingency operations of the remote operated section.

8. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the remote operated section further comprises a bottom sub downhole of the third internal sleeve, and
wherein the setting sleeve is shear pinned to the bottom sub.

9. The system of claim 6 ,
wherein the remote operated section further comprises a bottom sub downhole of the third internal sleeve,
wherein the setting sleeve is shear pinned to the bottom sub, and
wherein the setting sleeve is linked to the two control arms of the lower rotational ball valve.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the remote operated section further comprises a plurality of internal seals that seals between the second and third internal sleeves and the housing.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the electrical/hydraulic section comprises: an electronic actuation device; at least one power source; at least one electronic component; and an atmospheric chamber.

12. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a prefill area between the housing, the setting sleeve, and the bottom sub.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the prefill area contains hydraulic oil that vacates the prefill area and moves into the atmospheric chamber upon firing of the electronic actuation device, thereby shearing the setting sleeve and pulling the setting sleeve downhole to rotate the lower rotational ball valve via the two control arms of the lower rotational ball valve.

14. A system, comprising:
an upper rotational ball seat;
a lower rotational ball valve;
a plurality of internal components;
a setting sleeve;
a spring;
an electronic actuation device; and
an atmospheric chamber,
wherein firing of the electronic actuation device triggers movement of hydraulic fluid into the atmospheric chamber, thereby shifting the setting sleeve downhole, and rotating the lower rotational ball valve into a closed position to close an inner diameter of the system,
wherein the upper rotational ball seat comprises a restriction for receiving a contingency ball for closing the inner diameter of the system in case the lower rotational ball valve is unable to rotate into the closed position, and
wherein the spring keeps the plurality of internal components in compression until a shear event, which shifts the plurality of internal components, the upper rotational ball seat, and the lower rotational ball valve downhole, thereby rotating each of the upper rotational ball seat and the lower rotational ball valve into an open position, thereby opening the inner diameter of the system.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the closed inner diameter of the system allows applied pressure to increase above the closed inner diameter to set hydraulic equipment.

16. A method of setting hydraulic equipment, comprising:
running in hole a system comprising:
a housing;
a rotational ball seat section disposed within the housing, the rotational ball seat section comprising:
a spring;
a first internal sleeve; and
an upper rotational ball seat comprising: a restricted position; and an open through bore position;

a remote operated section disposed with the housing adjacent to the rotational ball seat section, the remote operated section comprising:
a lower rotational ball valve disposed between second and third internal sleeves,
wherein the lower rotational ball valve comprises: an open through bore position; and a closed position;
a setting sleeve operatively connected to the lower rotational ball valve; and
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Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Underbrink Michael

Classifications

• E21B34/10

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

• E21B43/10

  Setting of casings, screens, liners {or the like} in wells · CPC title

• E21B34/142

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

• E21B33/04

  Casing heads; Suspending casings or tubings in well heads · CPC title

• E21B2200/04

  Ball valves · CPC title