Control line operating system and method of operating a tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9744660-B2
Application number	US-201314096314-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2013
Priority date	Dec 4, 2013
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

A control line operating system includes a first piston having a first pressure face and a second pressure face, a first control line in operable communication with the first pressure face of the first piston, a second piston having a third pressure face and a fourth pressure face and a second control line in operable communication with the third pressure face of the second piston. Both the first piston and the second piston are in operable communication with a tool such that pressure increases in either the first control line or the second control line can cause actuation of the tool, the first control line is in operable communication with the fourth pressure face of the second piston and the second control line is in operable communication with the second pressure face of the first piston.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control line operating system comprising:
a first piston having a first pressure face and a second pressure face;
a first control line in operable communication with the first pressure face of the first piston;
a second piston having a third pressure face and a fourth pressure face; and
a second control line in operable communication with the third pressure face of the second piston, both the first piston and the second piston having a feature configured to directly contact a tool that is fluidly separated from the control line operating system such that a sufficient pressure increase in either the first control line or the second control line causes actuation of the tool, the first control line being in operable communication with the fourth pressure face of the second piston and the second control line being in operable communication with the second pressure face of the first piston.

2. The control line operating system of claim 1 , wherein both the first piston and the second piston are pressure balanced by hydrostatic pressure being applied to opposing pressure faces thereof.

3. The control line operating system of claim 1 , wherein the first piston is operational to actuate the tool in response to pressure increases in the first control line even if the second control line is breached and the second piston is operational to actuate the tool in response to pressure increases in the second control line even if the first control line is breached.

4. The control line operating system of claim 1 , wherein a biasing member resists actuation of the tool.

5. The control line operating system of claim 4 , wherein breaching of either the first control line or the second control line will allow the biasing member to move the tool opposite a direction of actuation of the tool.

6. The control line operating system of claim 5 , wherein pressure increases in the control line not breached can actuate the tool.

7. A control line operating system comprising:
a first piston having a first pressure face and a second pressure face;
a first control line in operable communication with the first pressure face of the first piston;
a second piston having a third pressure face and a fourth pressure face; and
a second control line in operable communication with the third pressure face of the second piston, both the first piston and the second piston being in operable communication with a tool such that a sufficient pressure increase in either the first control line or the second control line causes actuation of the tool, the first control line being in operable communication with the fourth pressure face of the second piston and the second control line being in operable communication with the second pressure face of the first piston, wherein the tool is a component selected from the group consisting of a ball-type valve, a sliding sleeve-type valve and a flow tube-type safety valve.

8. The control line operating system of claim 1 , further comprising a first check valve in operable communication with the first control line, the second control line and the second pressure face to allow fluidic communication between the second pressure face and the second control line when pressure in the first control line is greater than a threshold pressure.

9. The control line operating system of claim 8 , further comprising a second check valve in operable communication with the second control line, the first control line and the fourth pressure face to allow fluidic communication between the fourth pressure face and the first control line when pressure in the second control line is greater than a threshold pressure.

10. A control line operating system comprising:
a first piston having a first pressure face and a second pressure face;
a first control line in operable communication with the first pressure face of the first piston;
a second piston having a third pressure face and a fourth pressure face; and
a second control line in operable communication with the third pressure face of the second piston, both the first piston and the second piston being in operable communication with a tool such that a sufficient pressure increase in either the first control line or the second control line causes actuation of the tool, the first control line being in operable communication with the fourth pressure face of the second piston and the second control line being in operable communication with the second pressure face of the first piston, further comprising a first fail safe mechanism in operable communication with the first control line, the first pressure face and the second pressure face such that fluid communication is maintained between the first control line and the first pressure face when pressure in the second pressure face is at or above a threshold value and fluidic communication between the first control line and the first pressure face is blocked when the pressure in the second pressure face is below the threshold value.

11. The control line operating system of claim 10 , wherein the first pressure face and the second pressure face are in fluidic communication through the first fail safe mechanism when the pressure in the second pressure face is below the threshold value.

12. The control line operating system of claim 10 , wherein the first fail safe mechanism is a valve.

13. The control line operating system of claim 10 , further comprising a second fail safe mechanism, the second fail safe mechanism being in operable communication with the second control line, the third pressure face and the fourth pressure face in a manner similar to how the first fail safe mechanism is in operable communication with the first control line, the first pressure face and the second pressure face.

14. A method of operating a tool with the control line operating system of claim 1 , comprising:
first pressuring up one of the first control line or the second control line;
actuating the tool with the pressuring up;
allowing the actuation of the tool to be reversed upon loss of pressure in the line pressured up upon in the first pressuring up;
pressuring up the other of the first control line or the second control line; and
actuating the tool.

15. The method of operating a tool of claim 14 , wherein the actuating the tool is via movement of either the first piston with pressuring up of the first control line or the second piston with pressuring up of the second control line.

16. The method of operating a tool of claim 15 , further comprising applying pressure from the first control line to the second piston in a direction opposing movement of the second piston by pressure in the second control line and applying pressure from the second control line to the first piston in a direction opposing movement of the first piston by pressure in the first control line.

17. The method of operating a tool of claim 15 , further comprising applying hydrostatic pressure to both pressure faces of the first piston and both pressure faces of the second piston.

18. The method of operating a tool of claim 17 , further comprising hydraulically preventing movement of the first piston by trapping fluid against the first piston in a direction opposing movement of the first piston due to pressure within the first control line.

19. The method of operating a tool of claim 18 , wherein the trapping fluid is by maintaining a valve in a closed position.

20. The method of operating a tool of claim 15 , further comprising isolating the first piston from pressure within t

Assignees

• Jones Brett Cullen
• Kucera Samuel C
• Baker Hughes Inc

Inventors

• Jones Brett Cullen
• Kucera Samuel C

Classifications

• F15B20/004 Primary

  Fluid pressure supply failure · CPC title

• F15B2211/8757

  using redundant components or assemblies · CPC title

• B25F5/005 Primary

  Hydraulic driving means · CPC title

• F15B2211/8752

  Emergency operation mode, e.g. fail-safe operation mode · CPC title