BR102017012367A2 - underground injection valve system - Google Patents

Abstract

underground injection valve system a technique facilitates control over fluid flow through the controlled operation of an injection valve. the technique allows control over the operation of the injection valve in a variety of underground applications. the injection valve comprises a tongue that can be selectively moved to and held in an open position. depending on the operational configuration of the injection valve, the tongue can be moved to the open position through the flow of fluid along a primary flow passage. however, the injection valve can also be moved to the open position via a separate actuator, controllable by means of pressure applied independently of the fluid flow along the primary flow passage.

Description

(54) Title: UNDERGROUND INJECTION VALVE SYSTEM (51) Int. Cl .: E21B 34/10; E21B 34/12; E21B 34/14 (52) CPC: E21B 34/10, E21B 34/12, E21B 34/14, E21B 2034/002, E21B 2034/005 (30) Unionist Priority: 6/10/2016 US 15 / 179,817 (73 ) Holder (s): SCHLUMBERGER TECHNOLOGY BV

(72) Inventor (s): GEOFFREY ANTHONY PINARD; JASON ANDREW MCCANN; TORSTEIN HAUGE; DARCIO APARECIDO GOULART BRAGA; ALI ADLENE ARRAOUR (74) Attorney (s): FLÁVIA SALIM LOPES (57) Summary: UNDERGROUND INJECTION VALVE SYSTEM A technique facilitates control over the flow of fluid through the controlled operation of an injection valve. The technique allows control over the operation of the injection valve in a variety of underground applications. The injection valve comprises a tongue that can be selectively moved to and held in an open position. Depending on the operational configuration of the injection valve, the tongue can be moved to the open position through the flow of fluid along a primary flow passage. However, the injection valve can also be moved to the open position via a separate actuator, controllable by means of pressure applied independently of the fluid flow along the primary flow passage ^ 20

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UNDERGROUND INJECTION VALVE SYSTEM

FUNDAMENTALS [0001] Hydrocarbon fluids such as oil and natural gas are obtained from an underground geological formation, referred to as a reservoir, by drilling a well that penetrates the formation containing hydrocarbons. Once a well is drilled, various forms of well completion components can be installed to control and improve the efficiency of fluid production from the reservoir. In some applications, an injection well is drilled and used for fluid injection to facilitate the production of a corresponding production well. An injection valve can be implanted with a completion column in the injection well to enable control over the flow of injection fluid.

SUMMARY [0002] In general, a system and methodology are provided to control the operation of an underground injection valve in a variety of applications. According to one embodiment, the injection valve comprises a tongue that can be selectively moved to and held in an open position. Depending on the operational configuration of the injection valve, the tongue can be moved to the open position through the flow of fluid along a primary flow passage. However, the injection valve can also be moved to the open position by means of a separate actuator, controllable by means of pressure applied independently of the fluid flow along the primary flow passage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES [0003] Certain embodiments of the invention will hereinafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference numerals denote similar elements and:

[0004] Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a well system implanted in a well and which includes an example of a controllable injection valve positioned in an underground location, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0005] Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional illustration of an example of the injection valve, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

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2/10 [0006] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of Figure 2, but showing the injection valve in a different operational configuration, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0007] Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional illustration of another example of the injection valve, according to an embodiment of the present invention; and [0008] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of Figure 4, but showing the injection valve in a different operational configuration, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0009] In the following description, numerous details are established in order to provide an understanding of the present invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention can be practiced without these details and that numerous variations or modifications of the described modalities may be possible.

[0010] The description in this document generally refers to a system and methodology for controlling fluid flow, for example, fluid flow during an injection operation. For example, an injection valve can be positioned in a well column implanted in a well to control an injection fluid flow during an underground injection application. According to one embodiment, the injection valve comprises a tongue that is pivotally mounted in a valve compartment to allow downward fluid flow and automatically block fluid flow along the inside of the well column, for example along of a primary flow passage from the well column. However, the tongue can be selectively moved and kept in an open position to facilitate a variety of operations using the interior of the well column.

[0011] The selective displacement and retention of the tongue in the open flow position can be performed through the flow of fluid along the inside of the well string and through the injection valve. For example, the tongue can be displaced by a flow tube that has a limiter so that sufficient fluid flow along the inside of the well column and through the injection valve causes the flow tube to move to fit with the tongue and hold the

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3/10 tongue in open flow position. However, the injection valve can also be moved to the open position by means of a separate actuator, for example, piston actuator, controllable by the pressure applied independently of the flow of fluid through the injection valve.

[0012] In a specific embodiment, the injection valve is an underground injection valve that is in a normally closed configuration. In some applications, the underground injection valve is implanted along a well column and is recoverable on the surface along the inside of the well column. In this and other embodiments, the injection valve combines an ability to move and keep the valve open by means of a flow-induced pressure drop through a flow limiter and an ability to open the valve by adjusting a pressure differential, for example, a differential between the primary flow passage and an annular pipe lining space, acting on a separate actuator. The flow limiter may comprise an orifice and the orifice may be a fixed or variable orifice arranged along, for example, a flow tube that interacts with an injection valve tongue.

[0013] When using a flow limiter, for example, orifice, along a moving element, the injection valve can be moved to an open flow position without controlling or monitoring a pipe pressure or an annular space pressure. The flow limiter, for example, orifice, can be sized according to a desired injection flow rate and the flow tube can be sized to cover and protect the tongue when the tongue is moved to the open flow position. When the injection flow is stopped, the flow tube is automatically moved back to its original position and the tongue closes automatically.

[0014] In some applications, opening the injection valve without flow through it can be useful. For example, some applications may employ a secondary valve being in a lower position in relation to the injection valve, the secondary valve can be operated by pressure pulses or other pressure applied through the well column. Thus, it may be useful to open the injection valve to pass the pressure signal to allow operation of the secondary valve when there is no fluid flowing through the well column. In others

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4/10 words, the separate piston actuator allows selective opening of the tongue without sufficient fluid flow through the flow limiter.

[0015] As an example, the piston driver may comprise a piston exposed to internal pressure inside the well column or to the pressure of the annular space along the outside of the well column. The pressure can be used to move the piston and thus open the tongue without sufficient injection flow through the flow limiter of the injection valve. The pressure supplied to drive the piston actuator can also be supplied by other sources, such as an atmospheric chamber or an internal chamber preloaded with nitrogen or other suitable gas.

[0016] Depending on the application, the injection valve and the injection valve components can have various configurations. In some applications, for example, the piston may be in the form of a piston rod, although the piston may have other shapes, such as a concentric piston arranged around the primary flow passage. In some embodiments, the piston is coupled with the flow tube to move the flow tube, although the piston can be directly coupled with the tongue. The piston can also be operated incrementally, for example, by providing sequential pressure pulses to switch the piston to different operating positions. As an example, the piston can be coupled with an indexer, for example, a J-shaped groove indexer. In the latter example, pressure cycles across the annular space (or along another suitable channel) can be used to move to the indexer and thus move the piston in various positions in relation to the tongue and / or flow tube.

[0017] In addition, the flow limiter can have several configurations. For example, the flow limiter may be in the form of a recoverable orifice that can be selectively recovered from the surface along the inside of the well column. The flow limiter can also be a fixed size orifice, for example, a fixed size choke plate or a variable orifice, for example, variable venturi, variable nozzle, adjustable flow orifice or other type of variable limiter.

[0018] Referring generally to Figure 1, a modality of a well 20 system for controlling the injection fluid flow is illustrated as positioned

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5/10 in a well 22. In this embodiment, the well system 20 comprises a well column 24 which can comprise a pipe column and can include various types of well equipment 26. The well 24 column and the bottom equipment the well 26 further comprise at least one and sometimes a plurality of injection valves 28. The injection valve 28 is used to control a fluid injection flow along an interior 30 of a well column 24. The interior 30 forms a primary flow passageway to deliver injection fluid to the bottom of the well.

[0019] In the illustrated example, the well column 24 and the well bottom equipment 26 also comprise at least one secondary valve 32, for example, a ball valve, arranged on the underside of the injection valve 28. At least In some applications, the secondary valve 32 is driven by a pressure applied along the internal flow passage 30 of the well column 24. As described in this document, the injection valve 28 serves to check the unwanted flow through the well column 24 However, the injection valve 28 can also be selectively moved and maintained in an open flow configuration by a sufficient downward flow along the interior 30 or by actuation of a separate actuating device through, for example, applied pressure regardless of the flow of fluid along the interior 30. The ability to move and hold the injection valve 28 in an open position regardless of the flow of fluid along the interior 30 allows the use of pressure pulses through the injection valve 28 (or other actuation techniques implanted through the injection valve 28) to selectively activate the secondary valve 32.

[0020] Furthermore, well equipment 26 may comprise at least one packer 34 positioned to allow the isolation of a well area 36 along an annular space 38 disposed between an exterior of the well column 24 and a well wall adjacent. In some applications, the column of well 24 may be in the form of an injection completion that can be implanted at the bottom of the well and configured correctly before isolating zone 36 and injecting fluid into a surrounding formation 40.

[0021] Referring generally to Figures 2 and 3, schematic cross-sectional illustrations of an example of the injection valve 28 are provided.

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In this example, the injection valve 28 comprises a tongue 42 hingedly mounted in a valve compartment 44 by means of a pivot 46. In a no-flow condition, the tongue 42 is polarized to a closed position against a corresponding valve seat 48 via, for example, a spring member 50. Valve housing 44 can be constructed with a variety of tubular sections coupled together by threaded engagement or other suitable engagement features.

[0022] Under normal operating conditions, the flow of fluid in the direction of the arrow 52 along the internal flow passage 30 causes the tongue 42 to open against the slope of the spring element 50. (As illustrated, the flow passage internal 30 extends through the interior of the injection valve 28.) However, tongue 42 closes quickly, as illustrated in Figure 2, when fluid flow 52 stops or attempts to reverse. In a variety of injection well applications, the tongue 42 is oriented to open and allow downward flow of fluid along the internal flow passage 30 while preventing fluid flow towards the surface.

[0023] At various stages of operation, however, it may be desirable to selectively move and fix tongue 42 in the open flow position, as shown in Figure 3. The injection valve 28 comprises a flow tube 54 movably positioned within valve compartment 44 along internal fluid flow passage 30. Flow tube 54 is selectively movable to engage tongue 42 to move tongue 42 to an open flow position and to keep tongue 42 in this position flow flow independent of the direction of fluid flow along the internal flow passage 30. In Figure 3, flow tube 54 is illustrated in the engaged position retaining tongue 42 in the open flow configuration. For example, the flow tube 54 can be constructed of a length sufficient to at least substantially cover the tongue 42 and to protect the tongue 42 from the fluid flowing along the internal passage 30 when the tongue 42 is held in the open position.

[0024] The flow tube 54 can be moved to the engaged position that holds the tongue 42 open through fluid flow through a flow limiter 56 coupled to the flow tube 54. As discussed above, the flow limiter 56

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7/10 may comprise a fixed orifice, variable orifice or other type of fixed or variable flow restriction. The flow limiter 56 is configured to restrict the flow of fluid along the inner passage 30 while allowing some fluid to flow through an opening 58. Thus, sufficient fluid flow along the inner passage 30 of the well column 24 and through the flow restrictor 56 creates sufficient force to move the flow tube 54 to fit with the tongue 42 until the tongue 42 undergoes transition to the open flow configuration illustrated in Figure

3. In some applications, flow limiter 56 may be in the form of an orifice comprising opening 58.

[0025] The flow tube 54 can be polarized towards a disengaged position, illustrated in Figure 2, which allows the tongue 42 to alternate between the open and closed positions. As an example, a spring element 60, for example, a helical spring, can be used to polarize the flow tube 54 to this disengaged position. In the illustrated example, the spring element 60 is positioned between a valve seat compartment 62 containing the valve seat 48 and a backrest 63 coupled to the flow tube 54. The configuration of the flow limiter 56 and the force of the spring exerted by the spring element 60 it can be selected to establish the desired fluid flow along the internal passage 30 which will be sufficient to move the flow tube 54 and the tongue 42 to the open configuration illustrated in Figure 3.

[0026] The injection valve 28 further comprises an independent actuator 64 configured to allow the selective actuation of the tongue 42 for the open configuration maintained independently of the fluid flow along the internal passage 30. This allows the tongue 42 to be moved and maintained in the open flow configuration even without flow along the internal passage 30 in the direction of the arrow 52. For example, the independent driver 64 can comprise a piston driver 66 which has a piston 68 slidably received in a piston aperture corresponding 70 formed inside the valve compartment 44, for example, within a wall of the valve compartment 44.

[0027] In the illustrated example, piston driver 66 is coupled to flow tube 54 by means of an articulation 72. However, piston driver 66 can also be coupled directly with tongue 42. When pressure

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Sufficient 8/10 is applied within the opening of piston 70 on the opposite side of piston 68 from hinge 72, piston 68 forces the flow tube 54 into the engaged position with respect to tongue 42, thus keeping tongue 42 in the configuration open flow illustrated in Figure 3. Independent drive 64 thus provides an additional method for moving and selectively securing tongue 42 in the open flow configuration.

[0028] Depending on the specifics of a particular injection operation, piston driver 66 can be configured to expose piston 68 to an internal pressure inside the well column 24 or to the annular space pressure provided over the annular space 38. Pressure is provided to selectively create a pressure differential capable of displacing piston 68 and thus opening tongue 42 without sufficient injection flow through flow limiter 56. In one example, the pressure differential acting on the piston 68 can be created by providing a higher pressure throughout the annular space 38 compared to the pressure within the internal flow passage 30.

[0029] It should be noted that the trigger 64 can have several configurations. For example, driver 64 can be constructed with a single piston or a plurality of pistons in various shapes, sizes and configurations. In some applications, for example, piston 68 may be in the form of a piston rod, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, although piston 68 may have other shapes, such as a concentric piston arranged around the primary flow passage 30 Piston 68 can also be operated incrementally, for example, by providing sequential pressure pulses to switch piston 68 to different operating positions. For example, piston 68 can be coupled with an indexer, for example, a J-shaped groove indexer. When using an indexer, pressure cycles can be supplied across the annular space (or along another channel to trigger the indexer and cause the corresponding movement of piston 68, flow tube 54 and / or tongue 42 in various positions.

[0030] Referring generally to Figures 4 and 5, another embodiment of the injection valve 28 is illustrated. In this embodiment, many of the components of the injection valve are similar or the same as those illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 and are thus marked with the same reference numbers. However, pressure for selective displacement piston 68 is provided at the piston opening

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9/10 of a 74 chamber that involves a desired pressurized gas, such as nitrogen. For example, chamber 74 may be formed on a coil 76 charged with nitrogen or other suitable gas to a desired positive pressure. The displacement of piston 68 and flow tube 54 between the free latch configuration shown in Figure 4 and the open open configuration shown in Figure 5 can be achieved by controlling the pressure differential between the pressure inside the inner passage 30 and the pressure inside coil 76.

[0031] Depending on the application, different types of gases and different configurations of chamber 74 can be used to establish desired pressure differentials capable of selectively displacing flow tube 54 and tongue 42. In some applications, for example, coil 76 it can be used to contain atmospheric pressure that establishes a negative pressure. In this type of application, the spring member 50 and / or other spring elements are positioned on the opposite side of the piston 68 in order to neutralize the negative pressure of the atmospheric trap formed in the coil 76. In this type of configuration, the pressure differentials between the inner flow passage 30 and the interior of the coil 76 can be used again to selectively move the flow tube 54 and the tongue 42.

[0032] To accommodate various applications, the number and arrangement of injection valves 28 may vary from one injection well application to another. Injection valves 28 can be used in side and vertical wells to achieve the desired control over the injection fluid that flows into surrounding well areas. The injection valve 28 can also be used with various types of completion columns or other well columns to assist in a variety of production operations and / or other types of operations. Likewise, the configuration of each injection valve 28 and the components selected to provide control over the tongue by fluid flow or pressure can be adjusted according to the application and / or environment parameters.

[0033] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily understand that many modifications are possible without departing materially from the teachings of this invention. Therefore, such modifications are intended

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10/10 to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims.

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Claims (20)

CLAIMS ( 1. Fluid flow control system characterized by the fact of understanding; a well column with an injection valve and a secondary valve, the secondary valve being operated by pressure applied along an interior of the well column through the injection valve, the injection valve comprising: a tongue; a movable flow tube for engaging with the tongue to move the tongue into an open position, the flow tube being movable by the flow of fluid along the interior of the well column; and a piston actuator coupled to the flow tube to allow selective displacement of the flow tube and, therefore, the tongue to the open position, the piston actuator being movable through a pressure applied independently of the flow of fluid along the interior . 2. System according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the tube is coupled to a fluid limiter. 3. System according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that the flow limiter comprises an orifice. 4. System according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the flow tube is spring-polarized towards a disengaged position in relation to the tongue. 5. System according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the tongue is pivotally mounted in a valve compartment and the piston driver is arranged on a wall of the valve compartment. 6. System according to claim 5, characterized by the fact that the piston driver comprises a rod piston. 7. System according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the secondary valve comprises a ball valve. 8. System according to claim 1, characterized in that the tongue is oriented to normally block the flow along the interior in a top direction of the well when the flow tube is in a disengaged position in relation to the tongue . 2/3 ζ <£ ^F 's2 α. <ο Rub ο ‘M I -rtZ 9. System, according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the well column also comprises a packer positioned to allow the isolation of an injection zone. 10. Method, characterized by the fact that it comprises: supply of an injection valve with a tongue hingedly mounted in a valve compartment along a flow passage; sliding positioning of a flow tube in the valve compartment for movement between a disengaged position in relation to the tongue and an engaged position that keeps the tongue in an open position to the flow of fluid along the flow passage; coupling a flow limiter to the flow tube to allow selective displacement of the flow tube to the engaged position through sufficient fluid flow along the flow passage through the flow limiter; and use of a piston driver in cooperation with the tongue to allow selective displacement of the tongue to the open position regardless of the fluid flow along the flow passage. 11. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that the use comprises the coupling of the piston actuator to the tongue through the flow tube to allow the selective displacement of the flow tube to the engaged position regardless of the fluid flow along the flow passage. 12. Method according to claim 10, characterized by the fact that it also comprises the gradual displacement of the piston actuator through sequential pressure inlets. 13. Method, according to claim 10, characterized by the fact that it also comprises the positioning of the injection valve in a well column. 14. Method, according to claim 13, characterized by the fact that it also includes the implantation of the well column at the bottom of the well. 15. Method, according to claim 14, characterized by the fact that it comprises the displacement of the driving piston by means of the internal pressure applied along an interior of the well column. spáosrfrg / 3/3 g Rub% üj X5 Λ 16. Method, according to claim 14, characterized by the fact that it also comprises the displacement of the driving piston by means of pressure applied along an annular space that surrounds the well column. 17. Method according to claim 10, characterized by the fact that the coupling comprises the coupling of a hole to the flow tube. 18. System, characterized by the fact that it comprises: an injection valve that has: a hingedly mounted tongue in a valve compartment; a flow tube movably mounted in the valve compartment for selective movement in a position engaged with the tongue where the tongue is rotated and held in an open position, the flow tube being movable by the flow of fluid through the injection valve; and a piston driver positioned in cooperation with the tongue to allow selective displacement of the tongue into the open position, the piston driver being movable through a pressure applied independently of the flow of fluid along the interior. 19. System according to claim 18, characterized by the fact that the piston driver is coupled to the flow tube to allow the selective displacement of the flow tube to the engaged position. 20. System, according to claim 19, characterized by the fact that the injection valve is part of a well column implanted in a well. 1/3