Radially expandable locks for valve systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12196340-B2
Application number	US-202217951235-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2022
Priority date	Sep 23, 2021
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

A valve lock for a linear valve system includes a housing including a passage configured to receive a rod of a linearly extendable valve member of the linear valve system, and a collet assembly received in the housing, wherein the collet assembly has a central axis extending parallel the rod of the valve member, a radially inner configuration with respect to the central axis of the collet assembly, and a radially outer configuration relative to the central axis of the collet assembly, wherein the lock includes an unlocked configuration associated with the radially outer configuration of the collet assembly, and a locked configuration associated with the radially inner configuration of the collet assembly and which locks against the rod of the valve member and thereby prevent the rod from travelling in at least one axial direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A valve lock for a linear valve system, comprising:
a housing comprising a passage configured to receive a rod of a linearly extendable valve member of the linear valve system; and
a collet assembly received in the housing and comprising a collet shoulder, wherein the collet assembly has a central axis extending parallel the rod of the valve member, a radially inner configuration with respect to the central axis of the collet assembly, and a radially outer configuration relative to the central axis of the collet assembly;
wherein the lock comprises an unlocked configuration associated with the radially outer configuration of the collet assembly and in which a terminal end of the rod is located in a first axial direction relative to the collet shoulder of the collet assembly, and a locked configuration associated with the radially inner configuration of the collet assembly and in which the terminal end of the rod is located in an opposing second axial direction relative to the collet shoulder whereby the collet assembly locks against the rod of the valve member to prevent the rod from travelling in at least one axial direction.

2. The valve lock of claim 1 , further comprising a piston assembly received in the housing and configured to actuate the collet assembly into the radially outer configuration.

3. The valve lock of claim 2 , wherein the piston assembly comprises a piston comprising a first position in the housing and a second position in the housing axially spaced from the first position, wherein the first position of the piston corresponds to the locked configuration of the collet assembly while the second position of the piston corresponds to the unlocked configuration of the collet assembly.

4. The valve lock of claim 3 , wherein the piston assembly comprises a biasing member configured to bias the piston towards the first position, and a piston chamber configured to receive pressurized hydraulic fluid thereby forcing the piston into the second position.

5. The valve lock of claim 1 , wherein the collet assembly comprises a plurality of wedges spaced circumferentially about the central axis of the collet assembly, wherein each wedge comprises a radially inner position corresponding to the radially inner configuration of the collet assembly and a radially outer position corresponding to the radially outer configuration of the collet assembly.

6. The valve lock of claim 5 , wherein each of the wedges comprises an inclined engagement surface positioned at an acute angle relative to the central axis of the collet assembly.

7. A valve system comprising the valve lock of claim 1 , wherein the valve system comprises an open configuration corresponding to a first axial position of the valve member and a closed configuration corresponding to a separate second axial position of the valve member, and wherein the valve lock is configured to lock the valve system into the closed configuration.

8. A valve lock for a linear valve system, comprising:
a housing comprising a passage configured to receive a rod of a linearly extendable valve member of the linear valve system; and
a collet assembly received in the housing, wherein the collet assembly comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced wedges each having a radially inner position relative to a central axis of the lock, and a radially outer position relative to the lock spaced linearly along a radial axis extending orthogonal the central axis of the lock from the radially inner position;
wherein the lock comprises an unlocked configuration associated with the radially outer positions of the wedges of the collet assembly, and a locked configuration associated with the radially inner positions of the wedges of the collet assembly and which locks against the rod of the valve member and thereby prevent the rod from travelling in at least one axial direction.

9. The valve lock of claim 8 , further comprising a piston assembly received in the housing and configured to actuate the wedges of the collet assembly into their radially outer positions.

10. The valve lock of claim 9 , wherein the valve system comprises an open configuration corresponding to a first axial position of the valve member and a closed configuration corresponding to a separate second axial position of the valve member, and wherein the valve lock is configured to lock the valve system into the closed configuration.

11. The valve lock of claim 8 , wherein each of the wedges comprises an inclined engagement surface positioned at an acute angle relative to the central axis of the collet assembly.

12. The valve lock of claim 8 , wherein each of the wedges comprises a shoulder configured to physically engage a retainer of the rod of the valve member whereby relative axial movement between the plurality of wedges and the rod of the valve member in the at least one axial direction is restricted.

13. The valve lock of claim 8 , further comprising a plurality of biasing members configured to urge the plurality of wedges towards their radially inner positions.

14. A valve system comprising the valve lock of claim 8 , wherein the valve system comprises an open configuration corresponding to a first axial position of the valve member and a closed configuration corresponding to a separate second axial position of the valve member, and wherein the valve lock is configured to lock the valve system into the closed configuration.

15. A valve lock for a linear valve system, comprising:
a housing comprising a passage configured to receive a rod of a linearly extendable valve member of the linear valve system;
a collet assembly received in the housing and comprising a collet shoulder, wherein the collet assembly has a central axis extending parallel the rod of the valve member, a first configuration with respect to the central axis of the collet assembly in which the collet shoulder occupies a radially inner position, and a second configuration relative to the central axis of the collet assembly in which the collet shoulder occupies a radially outer position spaced linearly along a radial axis extending orthogonal the central axis of the collet assembly from the radially inner position, and wherein the collet assembly is configurated to actuate from the first configuration to the second configuration in response to physical engagement between the rod of the valve member and the collet assembly; and
a piston assembly received in the housing and configured to actuate the collet assembly into the second configuration;
wherein the lock comprises an unlocked configuration associated with the second configuration of the collet assembly, and a locked configuration associated with the first configuration of the collet assembly and which locks against the rod of the valve member and thereby prevent the rod from travelling in at least one axial direction.

16. The valve lock of claim 15 , wherein the piston assembly comprises a piston comprising a first position in the housing and a second position in the housing axially spaced from the first position, wherein the first position of the piston corresponds to the first configuration of the collet assembly while the second position of the piston corresponds to the second configuration of the collet assembly.

17. The valve lock of claim 15 , wherein the collet assembly comprises a plurality of wedges spaced circumferentially about the central axis of the collet assembly, wherein each wedge comprises a radially inner position corresponding to the first configuration of the collet assembly and a radially outer position corresponding t

Assignees

• Nat Oilwell Varco Lp

Inventors

• Melancon Jeffrey Thomas
• Sheppard Wade Ernest

Classifications

• E21B34/00

  Valve arrangements for boreholes or wells · CPC title

• E21B33/064

  specially adapted for underwater well heads · CPC title

• E21B33/061

  Ram-type blow-out preventers, e.g. with pivoting rams · CPC title

• E21B33/06

  Blow-out preventers {, i.e. apparatus closing around a drill pipe, e.g. annular blow-out preventers (rotating blow-out preventers E21B33/085)} · CPC title

• F16K35/022 Primary

  the locking mechanism being actuated by a separate actuating element · CPC title