EP3224448B1 - High pressure valve assembly - Google Patents
High pressure valve assembly Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP3224448B1 EP3224448B1 EP15793909.1A EP15793909A EP3224448B1 EP 3224448 B1 EP3224448 B1 EP 3224448B1 EP 15793909 A EP15793909 A EP 15793909A EP 3224448 B1 EP3224448 B1 EP 3224448B1
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- bellows
- fluid
- housing
- guide
- movable
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- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 claims description 37
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 claims description 37
- 230000009977 dual effect Effects 0.000 claims description 20
- 239000011324 bead Substances 0.000 claims description 16
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 claims description 12
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000004888 barrier function Effects 0.000 description 9
- 239000003921 oil Substances 0.000 description 7
- 230000007613 environmental effect Effects 0.000 description 6
- 229910045601 alloy Inorganic materials 0.000 description 5
- 239000000956 alloy Substances 0.000 description 5
- 230000000712 assembly Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000000429 assembly Methods 0.000 description 5
- 239000003129 oil well Substances 0.000 description 5
- 229910001026 inconel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
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- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
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- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000009467 reduction Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000001105 regulatory effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 229920002545 silicone oil Polymers 0.000 description 2
- RTAQQCXQSZGOHL-UHFFFAOYSA-N Titanium Chemical compound [Ti] RTAQQCXQSZGOHL-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000003213 activating effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- METKIMKYRPQLGS-UHFFFAOYSA-N atenolol Chemical compound CC(C)NCC(O)COC1=CC=C(CC(N)=O)C=C1 METKIMKYRPQLGS-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000001276 controlling effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000010779 crude oil Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005553 drilling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 235000013399 edible fruits Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 230000002045 lasting effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003208 petroleum Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010008 shearing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000010935 stainless steel Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910001220 stainless steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010936 titanium Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052719 titanium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
- E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
- E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
- E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
- E21B43/12—Methods or apparatus for controlling the flow of the obtained fluid to or in wells
- E21B43/121—Lifting well fluids
- E21B43/122—Gas lift
- E21B43/123—Gas lift valves
Definitions
- the present invention relates to valve assemblies for high pressure fluid applications, and in particular, to valve assemblies having one or more bellows for regulating the pressure of a flowing gas.
- Valves are known to be useful for regulating the flow of fluids.
- compressible and expandable bellows structures have been known to be useful for controlling pressurized fluids to better regulate such valves.
- bellows can be used to control the opening and closing of valves to regulate the flow of fluids through valves, while minimizing the risk of valve failure.
- bellows themselves can also be subject to failure in high pressure conditions.
- a standard edge-welded bellows having spherical welds is typically comprised of metal plates welded together, where the thickness of the plates often measures between approximately 25 and 508 micrometers. More often, the thickness of such plates is typically between approximately 76 and 127 micrometers.
- Such standard edge-welded bellows can typically last up to a minimum of 10,000 cycles at a relatively low pressure of approximately 6.9 bar. At higher pressures registering in the low hundreds of bars, such standard edge-welded bellows can fracture, as a result of fatigue or high stress, so as to render them incapable of reaching such cycle objectives.
- valve assemblies capable of withstanding pressures in excess of 344 bar. Indeed, several practical applications have arisen generating the need for valve assemblies in which very high fluid pressure is utilized to open or close the valve.
- gas lift valves which are traditionally used in oil wells to aerate crude oil, thereby decreasing the weight of such oil and easing its extraction.
- Standard gas lift valves are well known in the art, and have been described in detail, for example, in U.S. Appl. No. 13/195,468 , assigned to Weatherford/Lamb, Inc., published as U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.
- FIG. 1 of the '468 application demonstrates how gas lift valves 40 are typically housed within side packet mandrels 30 spaced along the production string 20.
- the '468 application notes that conventional gas lift valves are incapable of operating under pressures in excess of 138 bar, even though, as describd therewithin, gas lift system operators sought systems capable of operating in pressures of up to 345 to 414 bar.
- the continuous extraction of oil worldwide has begun to deplete oil resources, with much of the "low hanging fruit" having already been extracted.
- valves be capable of withstanding enormous amounts of pressure-even greater than those stated in the '468 application.
- valve assembly for gas lift valves for current needs should be capable of withstanding up to 689 bar or greater, while lasting for at least 10,000 cycles. It is further believed that conventional valve assemblies have difficulty in withstanding such pressures, especially withstanding such pressures for such long life cycles.
- gas lift valves that are known include those described in U.S. Pat. Publ. No. 2014/0069659 , assigned to Schlumberger Technology Corporation (the "'659 application”), and WO 2009/113875 , assigned to Petroleum Technology Company AS (the “'875 application”).
- the '659 application describes a gas lift valve that incorporates two bellows elements in series, in which the exterior surface of the lower bellows element 140 is fluidly coupled with the interior surface of the upper bellows 170.
- the '659 application teaches that those two bellows are associated with plungers 130 and 160, respectively, which plungers reciprocate to open and close the valve.
- the '875 application discloses the use of incompressible fluid for activating the reciprocation of two bellows. That incompressible fluid is enclosed within a dual-bellows assembly, such that the compression of one bellows forces incompressible fluid to travel into, and to thereby expand, the other bellows.
- the assembly further comprises a pre-charge chamber having a first closed end disposed adjacent said proximal end and a second open end opposite said first closed end, as well as an internal shaft being operably coupled to a system poppet assembly configured to alternatively seal and unseal an outlet in said distal end of said housing.
- the assembly also comprises two bellows:
- FIG. 1 depicts high pressure valve assembly 200 according to a first example (not claimed).
- High pressure valve assembly 200 includes housing 210 having proximal end 212 and distal end 214. Housing 210 also includes a series of circumferential inlets 216, as well as external gas outlet 219.
- Valve assembly 200 comprises housing 210 having proximal end 212 and distal end 214. Valve assembly 200 is configured to regulate the flow of fluid emanating from outside housing 210, in the environment in which high pressure valve assembly 200 is positioned, which fluid enters housing 210 through one or more inlets 216. Upon orientation of valve assembly 200 in its open (unseated) position, as further explained hereinbelow, environmental intake fluid 217 will be allowed to exit housing 210 as outlet fluid 215 through outlet 218, and, in turn, through external outlet 219. As shown in FIG.
- outlet 218 is sealed off by system poppet 220, which, in its closed (seated) position, prevents intake fluid 217 from exiting housing 210 through outlet 218.
- fluid 217 is typically a pressurized gas, and is used to aerate the oil being produced from an oil well.
- valve assembly 200 could be used in other contexts in which it is necessary to regulate the flow of fluids initially introduced under high pressures.
- Pre-charge chamber 222 is disposed at proximal end 212 of housing 210.
- Pre-charge chamber 222 includes first fixed end 224 and second movable end 226, on the back end of shaft flange 230.
- Pre-charge chamber 222 is filled with a predetermined amount of pressurized fluid, typically pressurized gas, using fluid input plug 228.
- the purpose of pre-charge chamber 222 is to set a threshold pressure which must be overcome in order to open system poppet 220, as will be explained further below.
- fluid input plug 228 is capped and sealed to prevent any pressurized fluid from escaping from pre-charge chamber 222.
- Second movable end 226 of pre-charge chamber 222 is operably associated with shaft flange 230, which is itself coupled to shaft 232.
- Shaft 232 extends from shaft flange 230, through fixed fitting 234, all the way to system poppet 220.
- Fixed fitting 234 is operably connected to the elements that form housing 210.
- Shaft 232 also includes biasing spring 231 together with slot-pin mechanism 237, which itself comprises slot 233 and pin 235.
- slot-pin mechanism 237 assists in distributing biasing force from shaft 232 to shaft component 239.
- Slot-pin mechanism 237 may comprise multiple slot-pin combinations spaced, for example, 120° apart. These and other functions of slot-pin mechanism 237 are described in U.S. Appl. No. 13/900,114 , assigned to Weatherford/Lamb, Inc., published as U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2013/0312833 A1 .
- bellows 236 is an edge- welded bellows, which is interposed between shaft flange 230 and fixed fitting 234, with bellows 236 having movable end 238 operably coupled to shaft flange 230.
- Bellows 236 also includes fixed end 240 coupled to fixed fitting 234. In this manner, with fixed end 240 being operably juxtaposed to fixed fitting 234, bellows 236 will expand when movable end 238 of bellows 236 moves towards proximal end 212 of housing 210.
- bellows 236 is a convoluted bellows.
- the weld beads of edge-welded bellows 236 are substantially rectangular in shape and positioned on the interior of the bellows, as shown in FIGS. 14-15 .
- the benefits of such internal rectangular weld beads are discussed in further detail below.
- valve assembly 200 in order to open system poppet 220, a system operator (not shown), which system operator may be a human or computer operator, allows environmental intake fluid 217 to travel about housing 210 and to enter housing 210 through inlets 216.
- intake fluid 217 is typically a pressurized gas. Fluid 217 then travels from inlets 216 through access channels 242 towards proximal end 212 of housing 210, and into bellows 236.
- Access channels 242 may comprise a series of tubes or an annulus surrounding shaft 232.
- the pressure in bellows 236 builds and the fluid in bellows 236 exerts a force against movable end 238 of bellows 236.
- movable end 238 of bellows 236 pushes against shaft flange 230, and bellows 236 begins to expand.
- shaft flange 230 and shaft 232 move towards proximal end 212 of housing 210.
- shaft 232 is operably coupled to system poppet 220, the movement of shaft flange 230 and shaft 232 towards proximal end 212 of housing 210 causes system poppet 220 to likewise move towards proximal end 212 of housing 210, thereby opening system poppet 220.
- system poppet 220 Once system poppet 220 is open, environmental intake fluid 217 entering inlets 216 can freely flow through outlet 218, and out external outlet 219.
- system poppet 220 can move from its closed position (as shown in FIG. 2 ) to its open position (not shown), and back to its closed position.
- the system operator can affirmatively stop the flow of intake fluid 217 outside housing 210, such that fluid 217 stops entering housing 210 at inlets 216.
- the pressure built up in bellows 236 will begin to subside, while the constant pressure in pre-charge chamber 222 continues to exert a force against movable end 238 of bellows 236.
- FIG. 4 depicts high pressure valve assembly 700 according to a second example (not claimed).
- High pressure valve assembly 700 comprises housing 710 having proximal end 712 and distal end 714. Housing 710 also includes a series of circumferential inlets 716, as well as external gas outlet 719.
- FIG. 5 an elevated end view of proximal end 712 of housing 710 is shown.
- FIG. 5 also depicts pre-charge chamber fluid input plug 728, which provides the same function as fluid input plug 228 discussed above in the context of FIG. 2 .
- FIG. 6 shows an elevated end view of distal end 714 of housing 700, showing outlet 718 and external outlet 719, through which fluid exits housing 700 when system poppet 720 is open.
- FIGS. 5 and 6 depict end views of the proximal end and the distal end of the housing for both embodiments.
- the elements referenced in FIGS. 5 and 6 apply equally to both high pressure valve assembly 200 and high pressure valve assembly 700.
- Valve assembly 700 comprises various elements that collectively form housing 710 having proximal end 712 and distal end 714.
- Valve assembly 700 is configured to regulate the flow of intake fluid 717 emanating from the environment outside of housing 710, which fluid 717 enters housing 710 through inlets 716.
- intake fluid 717 will be allowed to exit housing 710 at outlet 718, and through external outlet 719 as outlet fluid 715.
- outlet 718 is sealed off by system poppet 720, which prevents fluid from exiting housing 710 through outlet 718.
- intake fluid 717 is typically a pressurized gas, and is used to aerate the oil being produced from an oil well.
- valve assembly 700 could be used in other applications in which it is necessary to regulate the flow of fluids under high pressure.
- pre-charge chamber 722 is disposed at proximal end 712 of housing 710.
- Pre-charge chamber 722 comprises first fixed end 724 and second movable end 726.
- Pre-charge chamber 722 is filled with a predetermined amount of pressurized fluid, typically pressurized gas, using fluid input plug 728.
- the purpose of pre-charge chamber 722 is to set a threshold pressure which must be overcome in order to open system poppet 720, as will be explained further below.
- fluid input plug 728 is capped and sealed to prevent any pressurized fluid from escaping from pre-charge chamber 722.
- first bellows 736 is operably coupled to pre-charge chamber 722 such that pre-charge chamber 722 and first bellows 736 collectively form a fixed system portion 760 on proximal side 712 of housing 710.
- fixed system portion 760 is characterized on one side by first fixed end 724 of pre-charge chamber 722, and on the other side by fixed front end 740 of first bellows 736.
- movable barrier assembly 762 is formed by the interconnection of second movable end 726 of pre- charge chamber 722 and movable back end 738 of first bellows 736.
- fixed end 740 of first bellows 736 is operably attached to fixed fitting 734, which is itself operably connected to the various elements that together form housing 710.
- Second bellows 746 reciprocates conversely to first bellows 736.
- Second bellows 746 comprises movable front end 748 and fixed back end 750, which is operably attached to fixed fitting 734.
- movable back end 738 of first bellows 736 is coupled to second movable end 726 of pre-charge chamber 722
- movable front end 748 of second bellows 746 is coupled to shaft flange 730, which is itself operatively connected to shaft 732.
- Shaft 732 extends from shaft flange 730 to system poppet 720.
- the dual bellows structure comprised of first bellows 736 and second bellows 746 form movable system 764 on the inside of housing 710.
- movable system 764 is characterized on one side by the attached combination of movable back end 738 of first bellows 736 and second movable end 726 of pre-charge chamber 722, and on the other side by the attached combination of movable front end 748 of second bellows 746 and shaft flange 730.
- fixed fitting 734 maintains its position at all times, regardless of the movement of either bellows.
- fixed fitting 734 comprises fluid passage 744, which hydraulically connects first bellows 736 and second bellows 746.
- first bellows 736, second bellows 746 and fluid passage 744 are filled with an incompressible fluid, such as silicone oil.
- an incompressible fluid such as silicone oil.
- the incompressible fluid can flow from first bellows 736 to second bellows 746 through fluid passage 744 or vice versa, as the flow of the incompressible fluid reciprocates.
- First bellows 736 includes first limiting valve 752, which comprises biasing spring 752a and valve ball 752b, while second bellows 746 includes second limiting valve 754, which itself includes biasing spring 754a and valve ball 754b.
- Each of limiting valves 752, 754 serve important purposes.
- the length of limiting valve 752 coupled with the length of pre-charge extension 735 define the distance between the sealing end of limiting valve ball 752b and movable back end 738 of first bellows 736-to establish a predetermined length, in which valve ball 752b is seated and sealed against fixed fitting 734.
- First bellows 736 is incapable of being completely compressed to a fully-nested bellows orientation.
- limiting valve 754 coupled with the length of shaft extension 733, sets a length to which second bellows 746 can be compressed.
- Second bellows 746 is likewise incapable of being compressed beyond that length due to valve ball 754b being seated and sealed against fixed fitting 734. Once valve ball 754b is so seated and sealed, becomes incapable of being further compressed towards a fully-nested bellows orientation.
- each of first and second bellows 736, 746 can be alternatively compressed until first and second limiting valves 752, 754 prevent further compression, respectively.
- First and second bellows 736, 746 remain in alternating predetermined states of partial compression, a state hereinafter described as “preset partially-compressed.” First and second bellows 736, 746 are not compressed at the same time. Rather, first bellows 736 is compressed when second bellows 746 is expanded, and vice versa.
- limiting valve 752 Upon preventing the full compression of first bellows 736, limiting valve 752 further serves to prevent the complete evacuation of incompressible fluid from preset partially-compressed first bellows 736. Limiting valve 754 likewise prevents the complete evacuation of incompressible fluid from preset partially-compressed second bellows 746 As a result, the preset partially-compressed bellows (in the case of either first bellows 736 or second bellows 746) remain filled with incompressible fluid. This retention of incompressible fluid within at least two tandem bellows serves to minimize any differential pressures across the surfaces of the bellows, thereby enabling the bellows to withstand immense pressures.
- first bellows 736 By way of example, by maintaining preset partially-compressed first bellows 736 full of incompressible fluid, the pressure exerted against movable back end 738 of first bellows 736 by the incompressible fluid, is substantially equal to the pressure exerted by the pressurized fluid contained in pre-charge chamber 722 against second movable end 726 of pre-charge chamber 722.
- the differential pressure across movable barrier assembly 762 is very low-on the order of fractions of a single bar.
- high differential pressures across the surface of a bellows can cause bellows failure.
- limiting valve 752 With a reduction in the differential pressure across movable back end 738 of first bellows 736 relative to second movable end 726 of pre-charge chamber 722, limiting valve 752 likewise minimizes this risk of bellows failure by ensuring that first bellows 736 is not permitted to collapse to its fully- nested, fluid-emptying, unbalanced orientation, such as as shown in FIG. 13 . As a result also, it is believed that first bellows 736 will be capable of withstanding pressures of 689 bar or greater, with at least 10,000 cycles attributable to valve assembly 700. These benefits likewise apply to limiting valve 754, which minimizes the differential pressure across movable front end 748 of second bellows 746 and shaft flange 730.
- valve assembly 700 The full operation of valve assembly 700 is collectively shown in FIGS 9-11 .
- FIG. 9 depicts valve assembly 700 in its "starting,” fully-closed position, in which first bellows 736 is in its preset partially-compressed state, and system poppet 720 is fully seated against outlet 718, thereby preventing any fluid from exiting housing 710 through outlet 718.
- slot-pin mechanism 741 comprising pin 737 and slot 739-performs the same functions as slot-pin mechanism 237, described above with respect to FIG. 2 .
- slot-pin mechanism 747 of first limiting valve 752 and slot-pin mechanism 749 of second limiting valve 754 assist in the proper orientation and compression of limiting valves 752, 754.
- FIG. 9 depicts valve assembly 700 in its "starting,” fully-closed position, in which first bellows 736 is in its preset partially-compressed state, and system poppet 720 is fully seated against outlet 718, thereby preventing any fluid from exiting housing 710 through outlet 718.
- valve assembly 700 depicts valve assembly 700 in an "opening" position, in which shaft 732 and system poppet 720 are moving towards proximal end 712 of housing 710.
- FIG. 11 depicts valve assembly 700 in its fully-open position, in which second bellows 746 is in its preset partially-compressed state, in which system poppet 720 is fully extended away from outlet 718, thereby enabling fluid to exit housing 710 through outlet 718.
- the operation of valve assembly 700 between the various states depicted in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 , respectively, and then back to the state depicted in FIG. 9 represents a single cycle of valve assembly 700. Each step of the operation is explained in further detail below.
- pre-charge chamber 722 has been pressurized, capped and sealed, thereby setting a threshold pressure, with the pre-charge chamber being "extended” such that second movable end 726 is disposed at its greatest distance from first fixed end 724.
- This extended state of pre-charge chamber 722 exerts a force against movable back end 738 of first bellows 736, thereby setting first bellows 736 in its preset partially-compressed state.
- first bellows 736 In that state, preset partially-compressed first bellows 736 is substantially filled with incompressible fluid, and limiting valve 752 is seated against fluid passage 744, thereby preventing any incompressible fluid within first bellows 736 from flowing through fluid passage 744 and into second bellows 746.
- first bellows 736 With first bellows 736 in its preset partially-compressed state and substantially filled with incompressible fluid, the differential pressure across movable barrier assembly 762 is nearly zero.
- second bellows 746- also full of incompressible fluid-is in its extended state, with limiting valve 754 at its farthest distance from fluid passage 744.
- shaft flange 730 is fully extended toward the distal end 714 of housing 710.
- system poppet 720 is fully seated against outlet 718, and system poppet 720 prevents any environmental intake fluid 717 from exiting housing 710 through outlet 718.
- a system operator allows fluid to travel outside housing 710 to enter housing 710 through a series of circumferential inlets 716.
- the fluid is typically a pressurized gas. Fluid then travels from inlets 716 through access channels 742 towards proximal end 712 of housing 710, and exerts a force against shaft flange 730 and second bellows 746, specifically, against the surface of shaft flange 730 facing distal end 714 of housing 710.
- Access channels 742 may comprise a series of tubes, or an annulus surrounding shaft 732.
- fluid that enters housing 710 travels not only through access channels 742 to shaft flange 730, it can also surround second bellows 746 to exert pressure against the sides of second bellows 746 positioned longitudinally in housing 710.
- the pressurized fluid within pre-charge chamber 722 can likewise surround first bellows 736 to exert pressure against the sides of first bellows 736 positioned longitudinally in housing 710.
- valve assembly 700 As fluid continues to enter housing 710, the fluid pressure begins to build against shaft flange 730 and second bellows 746. Once the fluid pressure against shaft flange 730 and second bellows 746 reaches and exceeds the threshold value set within the pre-charge chamber, the internal movement of valve assembly 700 is depicted in FIG. 10 , in which system poppet 720 is beginning to open. In this state, sufficient pressure has built up against shaft flange 730 and second bellows 746 to push shaft flange 730 away from internal housing portion 756, thereby expanding the volume of space that forms access channels 742.
- movable barrier assembly 762 moves contemporaneously with the combination of shaft flange 730 and movable front end 748 of second bellows 746.
- movable system 764 in its entirety moves towards proximal end 712 of housing 710.
- shaft 732 moves towards proximal end 712 of housing 710 until system poppet 720 opens and allows the fluid entering housing 710 through inlets 716 to exit housing 710 through outlet 718 and external outlet 719.
- valve assembly 700 reaches the state depicted in FIG. 11 .
- system poppet 720 is disposed at its greatest distance from outlet 718 and distal end 714 of housing 710.
- the fluid entering inlets 716 has built up enough pressure in access channels 742 to create a significant volume of space between shaft flange 730 and internal housing portion 756.
- second bellows 746 is in its preset partially-compressed state, with limiting valve 754 preventing any further compression of second bellows 746, and also preventing the evacuation of any further incompressible fluid from second bellows 746 through fluid passage 744 and into first bellows 736.
- the pressure exerted by fluid within access channels 742 against shaft flange 730 is substantially equal to the pressure exerted by the incompressible fluid contained within second bellows 746 against movable front end 748. Therefore, the differential pressure across shaft flange 730 and second bellows 746 is, again, nearly zero, minimizing the risk of bellows failure.
- first bellows 736 As shown in FIG. 11 , the preset partially-compressed second bellows 746, at its compressed limit due to limiting valve 754, results in the expansion of first bellows 736. Specifically, movable back end 738 of first bellows 736 exerts a force against second movable end 726 of pre-charge chamber 722, which results in movable barrier assembly 762 being disposed in its position closest to proximal end 712 of housing 710. Moreover, the pressure exerted by the pressurized fluid within pre-charge chamber 722 against second movable end 726 is substantially equal to the pressure exerted by the incompressible fluid contained within first bellows 736 against movable back end 738. Therefore, the differential pressure across movable barrier assembly 762 and first bellows 736 is nearly zero, minimizing the risk of bellows failure.
- pre-charge chamber 722 begins to compress first bellows 736, thereby forcing incompressible fluid from first bellows 736 back into fluid passage 744, to exert a force against limiting valve 754.
- limiting valve 754 opens, and incompressible fluid flows from first bellows 736, through fluid passage 744, and into second bellows 746.
- the additional incompressible fluid in second bellows 746 causes second bellows 746 to begin expanding, by exerting a force against movable front end 748 of second bellows 746.
- movable front end 748 exerts a force against shaft flange 730.
- the attached shaft flange 730 and movable front end 748 move towards distal end 714 of housing 710, towards closing system poppet 720 to seal and seat against outlet 718.
- movable barrier assembly 762 moves contemporaneously with the combination of shaft flange 730 and movable front end 748 of second bellows 746.
- movable system 764 in its entirety moves towards distal end 714 of housing 710.
- shaft 732 moves towards distal end 714 of housing 710 until system poppet 720 closes and seals against outlet 718, thereby preventing any fluid from exiting housing 710 through outlet 718.
- first bellows 736 nor second bellows 746 in valve assembly 700 ever reach full compression.
- a standard edge- welded bellows (not fully shown) consists of bellow plates 1200 having circular weld beads 1210ateachwelding location.
- circular weld beads 1200 function normally.
- the bellows is fully compressed under a relatively high pressure on the order of 69 bar, circular weld beads 1210 will be compacted together.
- the edge-welded bellows (not fully shown) consists of bellows plates 1400 having rectangular, internal weld beads 1410.
- the edge-welded bellows When such a bellows is compressed in its fully nested position, as shown in Fig. 15 , rectangular weld beads 1410 stack neatly on top of one another.
- a bellows having rectangular weld beads 1410 forms a solid, self-supporting cylindrical stack, capable of withstanding much higher pressures than the standard bellows shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 .
- rectangular weld beads 1410 serve to minimize the risk of an incompressible fluid leak.
- Such bellows having rectangular weld beads are available from Senior Aerospace Metal Bellows corporation of Sharon, Massachusetts, and are sold under the trademark HIPRES®, which trademark is owned by the assignee of the present application.
- the bellows could be formed from an INCONEL® alloy, such as INCONEL® alloy 625 or INCONEL® alloy 718, or from AM 350®, stainless steel or titanium.
- INCONEL® alloy is a registered trademark of Huntington Alloys Corporation
- AM 350® is a registered trademark of ATI Properties, Inc.
- FIG. 16 depicts high pressure valve assembly 800 according to an embodiment of the invention.
- high pressure valve assembly 800 comprises housing 810 having proximal end 812 and distal end 814.
- Housing 810 also includes a series of circumferential inlets 816, as well as external gas outlet 819.
- Proximal end 812 and distal end 814 of high pressure valve assembly 800 are identical to proximal end 712 and distal end 714, respectively, of high pressure valve assembly 700, as shown in Fig. 4 .
- the elevated end views of FIG. 16 are equivalent to those of FIGS. 5 and 6 .
- Valve assembly 800 includes various elements that collectively form housing 810 having proximal end 812 and distal end 814. Valve assembly 800 is configured to regulate the flow of intake fluid 817 emanating from the environment outside of housing 810, which fluid 817 enters housing 810 through inlets 816. As further explained hereinbelow, intake fluid 817 will be allowed to exit housing 810 at outlet 818, and through external outlet 819 as outlet fluid 815. As shown in FIG. 18 , outlet 818 is sealed off by system poppet 820, which prevents fluid from exiting housing 810 through outlet 818.
- intake fluid 817 is typically a pressurized gas, which can be used to aerate the oil being produced from an oil well.
- valve assembly 800 could be used in other applications in which it is necessary to regulate the flow of fluids under high pressure.
- pre-charge chamber 822 is disposed.
- Pre-charge chamber 822 includes first closed end 824 and second open end 826.
- Pre-charge chamber 822 is filled with a predetermined amount of pressurized fluid, typically pressurized gas, using fluid input plug 828.
- the purpose of pre-charge chamber 822 is to set a threshold pressure which must be overcome in order to open system poppet 820, as will be explained further below.
- fluid input plug 828 is capped and sealed to prevent any pressurized fluid from escaping from pre-charge chamber 822.
- first bellows 836 is operably and fluidly coupled to pre-charge chamber 822.
- First bellows 836 comprises fixed open end 838 and movable closed end 840.
- Movable closed end 840 of first bellows 836 is operatively coupled to first guide 852, which emanates from movable closed end 840.
- Fixed open end 838 of first bellows 836 is in free fluid communication with second open end 826 of pre-charge chamber 822 such that pre-charge chamber 822 and first bellows 836 collectively form an extended pre-charge chamber 835 at the proximal side 812 of housing 810.
- extended pre-charge chamber 835 is characterized on one side by first closed end 824 of pre-charge chamber 822, and on the other side by movable closed end 840 of first bellows 836. Accordingly, unlike in high pressure valve assembly 700, in which first bellows 736 is filled with incompressible fluid, first bellows 836 of high pressure valve assembly 800 is filled with the same pressurized fluid, typically pressurized gas, as pre-charge chamber 822. As such, the predetermined amount of pressurized fluid utilized in pre-charge chamber 736 is less than the predetermined amount of pressurized fluid used to set a threshold pressure in extended pre-charge chamber 835, because-in addition to pre-charge chamber 822-extended pre-charge chamber 835 also comprises first bellows 836. Again, this threshold pressure must be overcome in order to open system poppet 820, as will be explained further below.
- Second bellows 846 reciprocates conversely to the reciprocation of first bellows 836.
- Second bellows 846 comprises movable back end 850 and fixed front end 848.
- movable closed end 840 of first bellows 836 is coupled to first guide 852
- movable back end 850 of second bellows 846 is coupled to second guide 854, which emanates from movable back end 850.
- Second guide 854 is operably connected to internal shaft 830, which emanates from second guide 854 and extends through second bellows 846, terminating within valve shaft 832.
- valve shaft 832 is operably connected to system poppet assembly 831.
- Environmental intake gas 817 enters into inlets 816 and travels through access channels 842 into second bellows 846, where it bears, and exerts pressure P against, movable back end 850 of second bellows 846. It is pressure P that enables the movement of valve shaft 832 and system poppet assembly 831 to open system poppet 820.
- first bellows 836 and second bellows 846 with respective first guide 852 and second guide 854, create reciprocating compression region 864 on the inside of housing 810.
- reciprocating compression region 864 extends from fixed open end 838 of first bellows 836 all the way to fixed front end 848 of second bellows 846.
- the space between first guide 852 and second guide 854 is referred to as fluid compression chamber 863, which also includes the fluid-filled circumferential region immediately surrounding guides 852 and 854, as well as the fluid-filled circumferential region immediately surrounding first bellows 836 and second bellows 846.
- fluid compression chamber 863 is filled with an incompressible fluid, such as silicone oil.
- an incompressible fluid such as silicone oil.
- the incompressible fluid in fluid compression chamber 863 also surrounds first bellows 836 and second bellows 846 to exert pressure against the sides of those bellows.
- First and second guides 852, 854 also serve to guide the movement of incompressible fluid as guides 852 and 854 reciprocate back and forth as a function of the changes in gas pressure existing within first and second bellows 836, 846.
- First bellows 836 is compressed when second bellows 846 is expanded, and vice versa.
- the expansion of second bellows 846 pushes second guide 854 towards proximal end 812 of housing 810, thereby exerting a force against the incompressible fluid in fluid compression chamber 863.
- This force causes the incompressible fluid to bear against first guide 852, thereby pushing first guide 852 towards proximal end 812 of housing 810, compressing first bellows 836.
- the retention of incompressible fluid within fluid compression chamber 863 serves to minimize any differential pressures across the surfaces of first and second bellows 836, 846, thereby enabling the bellows to withstand immense pressures.
- first bellows 836 full of the pressurized fluid also found in pre-charge chamber 822
- the pressure exerted against movable closed end 840 of first bellows 836 by the pressurized fluid is substantially equal to the pressure exerted by the incompressible fluid contained in fluid compression chamber 863 against first guide 852.
- the differential pressure across first guide 852 is very low-on the order of fractions of a single bar.
- high differential pressures across the surface of a bellows can cause bellows failure.
- first bellows 836 will be capable of withstanding pressures of 689 bar or greater, with at least 10,000 cycles attributable to valve assembly 800. These benefits likewise apply to the minimized differential pressure across second guide 854 relative to movable back end 850 of second bellows 846.
- valve assembly 800 The full operation of valve assembly 800 is collectively shown in FIGS 18-20 .
- FIG. 18 depicts valve assembly 800 in its "starting,” fully-closed position, in which pre-charge chamber 822 and first bellows 836 are in their preset state (filled with a predetermined amount of pressurized gas), with system poppet 820 is fully seated against outlet 818, thereby preventing any fluid from exiting housing 810 through outlet 818.
- slot-pin mechanism 837 performs the same functions as slot-pin mechanism 237, above, with respect to FIG. 2 .
- FIG. 19 depicts valve assembly 800 in an "opening" position, in which valve shaft 832 and system poppet 820 are moving towards proximal end 812 of housing 810.
- FIG. 20 depicts valve assembly 800 in its fully-open position, in which system poppet 820 is fully extended away from outlet 818, thereby enabling fluid to exit housing 810 through outlet 818.
- the operation of valve assembly 800 between the various states depicted in FIGS. 18 , 19 and 20 , respectively, and then back to the state depicted in FIG. 18 represents a single cycle of valve assembly 800. Each step of the operation is explained in further detail below.
- extended pre-charge chamber 835 which includes pre-charge chamber 822 and first bellows 836, are pressurized, capped and sealed, thereby setting a threshold pressure, with first bellows 836 being "extended” such that movable closed end 840 and first guide 852 are disposed at their greatest distance from proximal end 810.
- first bellows 836 With first bellows 836 in its "extended” state and substantially filled with pressurized fluid, and with the incompressible fluid contained in fluid compression chamber 863 exerting a force that is equal and opposite to the set threshold pressure, the differential pressure across first guide 852 is nearly zero.
- first bellows 836 exerts a force against the incompressible fluid contained within fluid compression chamber 863, within reciprocating compression region 864, which incompressible fluid itself exerts a force against second guide 854.
- second bellows 846 is in its compressed state, with second guide 854 at its shortest possible distance from distal end 814 of housing 810.
- system poppet 820 is fully seated against outlet 818, and system poppet 820 prevents any environmental intake fluid 817 from exiting housing 810 through outlet 818.
- a system operator allows the intake fluid to travel outside housing 810 to enter housing 810 through the series of circumferential inlets 816.
- the fluid is typically a pressurized gas. Fluid then travels from inlets 816 through access channels 842 towards proximal end 812 of housing 810, and exerts pressure P against movable back end 850 of second bellows 846, specifically, against the surface of movable back end 850 facing distal end 814 of housing 810.
- Access channels 842 may comprise a series of tubes, or an annulus surrounding valve shaft 832.
- valve assembly 800 As fluid continues to enter housing 810, the fluid pressure begins to build against movable back end 850 of second bellows 846. Once that fluid pressure reaches and exceeds the threshold value set within extended pre-charge chamber 835, the internal movement of valve assembly 800 is depicted in FIG. 19 , in which system poppet 820 begins to open. In this state, sufficient pressure has built up against movable back end 850 of second bellows 846 to push second guide 854 away from distal end 814 of housing 810, thereby extending second bellows 846. This movement of second guide 854 towards proximal end 812 of housing 810 has two immediate results.
- second guide 854 exerts a force against the incompressible fluid within fluid compression chamber 863, which incompressible fluid continues the chain reaction by exerting a force against first guide 852.
- first guide 852 which is operatively connected to movable closed end 840 of first bellows 836, pushes against movable closed end 840, so as to compress first bellows 836.
- First bellows 836 will continue to compress until the pressure in extended pre-charge chamber 835 is equal to the pressure P exerted against movable back end 850 of second bellows 846, or until first bellows 836 becomes fully nested.
- second guide 854 moves towards proximal end 812
- internal shaft 830 which is operatively connected to second guide 854, to likewise move towards proximal end 812.
- Pin 841 enables the cooperation of internal shaft 830 with valve shaft 832.
- the movement of second guide 854 causes a proportional movement of valve shaft 832 and, in turn, of system poppet 820. Once system poppet 820 opens, intake fluid 817 can exit housing 810 through outlet 818.
- first and second guides 852, 854 and the incompressible fluid therebetween and, in turn, fluid compression chamber 863 move contemporaneously with the combination of valve shaft 832 and system poppet 820.
- fluid compression chamber 863 in its entirety, moves towards proximal end 812 of housing 810 and, at the same time, valve shaft 832 moves towards proximal end 812 of housing 810 until system poppet 820 opens and allows the fluid entering housing 810 through inlets 816 to exit housing 810 through outlet 818 and external outlet 819.
- valve assembly 800 reaches the state depicted in FIG. 20 .
- system poppet 820 is disposed at its greatest distance from outlet 818 and distal end 814 of housing 810.
- second bellows 846 is in its extended state.
- the pressure P the pressure exerted by fluid within access channels 842 against movable back end 850 of second bellows 846
- the differential pressure across second guide 854 and second bellows 846 is minimized, which, in turn, minimizes the risk of bellows failure.
- the pressure exerted by the pressurized fluid within extended pre-charge chamber 835 against movable closed end 840 is substantially equal to the pressure exerted by the incompressible fluid in fluid compression chamber 863 against first guide 852. As such, the differential pressure across first guide 852 and first bellows 836 is minimized, minimizing the risk of bellows failure.
- valve will begin to close: when fluid compression chamber 863 begins moving towards distal end 814 of housing 810, internal shaft 830 and valve shaft 832-and, in turn, system poppet 820-move towards the closed position shown in FIG. 18 .
- fluid compression chamber 863 moves contemporaneously with the combination of internal shaft 830 and valve shaft 832.
- fluid compression chamber 863 in its entirety, moves towards distal end 814 of housing 810 and, at the same time, valve shaft 832 moves towards distal end 814 of housing 810 until system poppet 820 closes and seats to form a fluid-tight seal, thereby preventing any fluid from exiting housing 810 through outlet 818.
- bellows 736, 746 which have internal limiting valves 752, 754, bellows 836, 846 lack any limiting valves.
- bellows 836, 846 are prone to a greater degree of compression than 736, 746, which-as noted above-are incapable of being completely compressed into a fully-nested bellows orientation.
- bellows 836, 846 are edge-welded bellows having substantially rectangular weld beads, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 , such that, when nested, bellows 836, 846 form a solid, self- supporting cylindrical stack, capable of withstanding much higher pressures than can standard bellows.
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Description
- The present invention relates to valve assemblies for high pressure fluid applications, and in particular, to valve assemblies having one or more bellows for regulating the pressure of a flowing gas.
- Valves are known to be useful for regulating the flow of fluids. Moreover, compressible and expandable bellows structures have been known to be useful for controlling pressurized fluids to better regulate such valves. In the context of high pressure applications, bellows can be used to control the opening and closing of valves to regulate the flow of fluids through valves, while minimizing the risk of valve failure. However, bellows themselves can also be subject to failure in high pressure conditions.
- A standard edge-welded bellows having spherical welds is typically comprised of metal plates welded together, where the thickness of the plates often measures between approximately 25 and 508 micrometers. More often, the thickness of such plates is typically between approximately 76 and 127 micrometers. Such standard edge-welded bellows can typically last up to a minimum of 10,000 cycles at a relatively low pressure of approximately 6.9 bar. At higher pressures registering in the low hundreds of bars, such standard edge-welded bellows can fracture, as a result of fatigue or high stress, so as to render them incapable of reaching such cycle objectives.
- There is also a tradeoff between the thickness of a bellow's plates and the stress caused by that bellow's deflection. The bending stress of a bellow's deflection can be decreased by reducing the thickness of the bellow's plates. On the other hand, the plates must be thick enough to withstand the pressure differential across the bellows. High differential pressures across the surfaces of the plates within a bellows can cause failure because edge-welded bellows plates are fairly thin, typically less than 254 micrometers in thickness.
- As valve and bellows technology has improved, it has become increasingly important to create valve assemblies capable of withstanding pressures in excess of 344 bar. Indeed, several practical applications have arisen generating the need for valve assemblies in which very high fluid pressure is utilized to open or close the valve. For example, one type of valve assembly that must withstand increasingly high pressure are gas lift valves, which are traditionally used in oil wells to aerate crude oil, thereby decreasing the weight of such oil and easing its extraction. Standard gas lift valves are well known in the art, and have been described in detail, for example, in
U.S. Appl. No. 13/195,468 , assigned to Weatherford/Lamb, Inc., published asU.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2013/0032226 A1 (the '"468 application"). Various other gas lift applications, in which bellows-type valve structures are described, includeU.S. Pat. No. 6,827,146 , as well asU.S. Appl. Nos. 10/393,558 ,12/603,383 13/ 900,114 U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2004/0182437 A1 ,2010/0096142 A1 , and2013/0312833 , respectively. -
FIG. 1 of the '468 application demonstrates how gas lift valves 40 are typically housed within side packet mandrels 30 spaced along the production string 20. ('468 application, at [0003]-[0004].) The '468 application notes that conventional gas lift valves are incapable of operating under pressures in excess of 138 bar, even though, as describd therewithin, gas lift system operators sought systems capable of operating in pressures of up to 345 to 414 bar. ('468 application, at [0013].) The continuous extraction of oil worldwide has begun to deplete oil resources, with much of the "low hanging fruit" having already been extracted. Therefore, oil wells are now located at greater depths than ever before, and extracting that oil at such greater depths, particularly in the context of deep water offshore drilling, requires that valves be capable of withstanding enormous amounts of pressure-even greater than those stated in the '468 application. - It is believed that the ideal valve assembly for gas lift valves for current needs should be capable of withstanding up to 689 bar or greater, while lasting for at least 10,000 cycles. It is further believed that conventional valve assemblies have difficulty in withstanding such pressures, especially withstanding such pressures for such long life cycles.
- Other examples of gas lift valves that are known include those described in
U.S. Pat. Publ. No. 2014/0069659 , assigned to Schlumberger Technology Corporation (the "'659 application"), andWO 2009/113875 , assigned to Petroleum Technology Company AS (the "'875 application"). The '659 application describes a gas lift valve that incorporates two bellows elements in series, in which the exterior surface of the lower bellows element 140 is fluidly coupled with the interior surface of the upper bellows 170. The '659 application teaches that those two bellows are associated with plungers 130 and 160, respectively, which plungers reciprocate to open and close the valve. The '875 application discloses the use of incompressible fluid for activating the reciprocation of two bellows. That incompressible fluid is enclosed within a dual-bellows assembly, such that the compression of one bellows forces incompressible fluid to travel into, and to thereby expand, the other bellows. - In one embodiment of the present invention as specified by claim 1, a reciprocating dual bellows assembly for high pressure valve applications comprises a housing having a proximal end and a distal end, said housing having at least one inlet disposed adjacent said distal end. The assembly further comprises a pre-charge chamber having a first closed end disposed adjacent said proximal end and a second open end opposite said first closed end, as well as an internal shaft being operably coupled to a system poppet assembly configured to alternatively seal and unseal an outlet in said distal end of said housing. The assembly also comprises two bellows:
- a first bellows and a second bellows. The first bellows has a first variable volume and includes a movable closed end and a fixed open end opposite the movable closed end, the fixed open end being operably and fluidly coupled to said second open end of said pre-charge chamber and the movable closed end being operably coupled to a first guide. The pre-charge chamber and said first bellows are in fluid communication with each other to collectively form an extended pre-charge chamber at the proximal end of the housing, said extended pre-charge chamber being filled with a pressurized fluid set at a threshold pressure value. The second bellows has a second variable internal volume, a movable back end operably coupled to a second guide, and a fixed, open front end opposite the movable back end, wherein said fixed front end is positioned closer to said system poppet assembly and said movable back end is positioned farther from said system poppet assembly. The internal shaft is operably connected to the second guide proximate said movable back end;
- said at least one inlet enabling a pressurized intake gas to enter said housing and flow through one or more access channels to exert a gas pressure against said movable back end of said second bellows. In addition, the dual bellows assembly includes a fluid compression chamber operably disposed between the first and second guides and has a third internal volume that is filled with a substantially incompressible fluid to, in turn, operably connect the movable ends of both the first and second bellows to form a reciprocating guide assembly defined by the first guide, the second guide and the fluid compression chamber. The substantially incompressible fluid in the fluid compression chamber surrounds the first bellows and the second bellows to exert pressure against the sides of those bellows.
- Further embodiments of the present invention are set forth by the dependent claims
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FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a high pressure valve assembly according to a first example (not claimed), using a single bellows. -
FIG. 2 is an elevated cross-sectional view of a high pressure valve assembly according toFIG. 1 , taken along line 2-2 and looking in the direction of the arrows. -
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the high pressure valve assembly shown inFIG. 2 . -
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a high pressure valve assembly according to a second example (not claimed), in which two tandem bellows are utilized. -
FIG. 5 is an elevated end view of the proximal end of the high pressure valve assembly ofFIG. 4 . -
FIG. 6 is an elevated end view of the distal end of the high pressure valve assembly ofFIG. 4 . -
FIG. 7 is an elevated cross-sectional view of the high pressure valve assembly according toFIG. 4 , taken along line 7-7 and looking in the direction of the arrows. -
FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the high pressure valve assembly shown inFIG. 4 . -
FIG. 9 is an elevated cross-sectional view of the high pressure valve assembly shown inFIG. 4 , taken along line 9-9 and looking in the direction of the arrows, in which the system poppet is shown seated in its fully closed position. -
FIG. 10 is an elevated cross-sectional view of the high pressure valve assembly shown inFIG. 4 , taken along line 9-9 and looking in the direction of the arrows, in which the system poppet has been partially opened as a result of the introduction of gas through the gas inlets proximate to the system poppet. -
FIG. 11 is an elevated cross-sectional view of the high pressure valve assembly shown inFIG. 4 , taken along line 9-9 and looking in the direction of the arrows, in which the system poppet is fully opened, to permit the release of gas through the outlet proximate to the system poppet. -
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a standard edge-welded bellows featuring spherical weld beads, shown in an extended position. -
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the portion of a standard edge- welded bellows ofFIG. 12 shown in a nested position. -
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of an edge-welded bellows featuring rectangular internal weld beads, shown in an extended position. -
FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the edge-welded bellows ofFIG. 14 , shown in a nested position. -
FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a high pressure valve assembly according to an embodiment of the invention, in which two tandem bellows are also utilized. -
FIG. 17 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the high pressure valve assembly shown inFIG. 16 , taken along line 17-17 ofFIG. 16 and looking in the direction of the arrows. -
FIG. 18 is an elevated cross-sectional view of the high pressure valve assembly shown inFIG. 16 , taken along line 18-18 and looking in the direction of the arrows, in which the system poppet is shown seated in its fully closed position. -
FIG. 19 is an elevated cross-sectional view of the high pressure valve assembly shown inFIG. 18 , in which the system poppet has been partially opened as a result of the introduction of gas through the gas inlets proximate to the system poppet. -
FIG. 20 is an elevated cross-sectional view of the high pressure valve assembly shown inFIG. 18 , in which the system poppet is fully opened, to permit the release of gas through the outlet proximate to the system poppet. - Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, the invention is intended to cover modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims. Furthermore, in the detailed description of the present invention, several specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. Thus, while the invention is susceptible to embodiment in many different forms, the subsequent description of the present disclosure should be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments so illustrated.
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FIG. 1 depicts highpressure valve assembly 200 according to a first example (not claimed). Highpressure valve assembly 200 includeshousing 210 havingproximal end 212 anddistal end 214.Housing 210 also includes a series ofcircumferential inlets 216, as well asexternal gas outlet 219. - Referring now to
FIGS. 2 and 3 , a cross-sectional view of highpressure valve assembly 200 is depicted.Valve assembly 200 compriseshousing 210 havingproximal end 212 anddistal end 214.Valve assembly 200 is configured to regulate the flow of fluid emanating fromoutside housing 210, in the environment in which highpressure valve assembly 200 is positioned, which fluid entershousing 210 through one ormore inlets 216. Upon orientation ofvalve assembly 200 in its open (unseated) position, as further explained hereinbelow,environmental intake fluid 217 will be allowed to exithousing 210 asoutlet fluid 215 throughoutlet 218, and, in turn, throughexternal outlet 219. As shown inFIG. 2 ,outlet 218 is sealed off bysystem poppet 220, which, in its closed (seated) position, preventsintake fluid 217 from exitinghousing 210 throughoutlet 218. In the context of a gas lift valve,fluid 217 is typically a pressurized gas, and is used to aerate the oil being produced from an oil well. However,valve assembly 200 could be used in other contexts in which it is necessary to regulate the flow of fluids initially introduced under high pressures. - At
proximal end 212 ofhousing 210, apre-charge chamber 222 is disposed.Pre-charge chamber 222 includes firstfixed end 224 and secondmovable end 226, on the back end ofshaft flange 230.Pre-charge chamber 222 is filled with a predetermined amount of pressurized fluid, typically pressurized gas, usingfluid input plug 228. The purpose ofpre-charge chamber 222 is to set a threshold pressure which must be overcome in order to opensystem poppet 220, as will be explained further below. Afterpre-charge chamber 222 is filled with pressurized fluid,fluid input plug 228 is capped and sealed to prevent any pressurized fluid from escaping frompre-charge chamber 222. - Second
movable end 226 ofpre-charge chamber 222 is operably associated withshaft flange 230, which is itself coupled toshaft 232.Shaft 232 extends fromshaft flange 230, through fixed fitting 234, all the way tosystem poppet 220. Fixed fitting 234 is operably connected to the elements that formhousing 210.Shaft 232 also includes biasingspring 231 together with slot-pin mechanism 237, which itself comprisesslot 233 andpin 235. By preventing rotational or horizontal displacement ofshaft component 239 relative toshaft 232, and ensuring the gradual, controlled-displacement ofshaft 232, slot-pin mechanism 237 ensures the proper cooperation ofshaft 232 with lower shaft component 239-and, in turn, withsystem poppet 220. At the same time, slot-pin mechanism 237 assists in distributing biasing force fromshaft 232 toshaft component 239. Slot-pin mechanism 237 may comprise multiple slot-pin combinations spaced, for example, 120° apart. These and other functions of slot-pin mechanism 237 are described inU.S. Appl. No. 13/900,114 , assigned to Weatherford/Lamb, Inc., published asU.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2013/0312833 A1 . - In an embodiment, bellows 236 is an edge- welded bellows, which is interposed between
shaft flange 230 and fixedfitting 234, withbellows 236 havingmovable end 238 operably coupled toshaft flange 230.Bellows 236 also includes fixedend 240 coupled tofixed fitting 234. In this manner, withfixed end 240 being operably juxtaposed tofixed fitting 234, bellows 236 will expand whenmovable end 238 ofbellows 236 moves towardsproximal end 212 ofhousing 210. In another embodiment of the present invention, bellows 236 is a convoluted bellows. In a further embodiment, when bellows 236 is an edge-welded bellows, the weld beads of edge-weldedbellows 236 are substantially rectangular in shape and positioned on the interior of the bellows, as shown inFIGS. 14-15 . The benefits of such internal rectangular weld beads are discussed in further detail below. - In the operation of
valve assembly 200, in order to opensystem poppet 220, a system operator (not shown), which system operator may be a human or computer operator, allowsenvironmental intake fluid 217 to travel abouthousing 210 and to enterhousing 210 throughinlets 216. In the context of a gas lift valve,intake fluid 217 is typically a pressurized gas.Fluid 217 then travels frominlets 216 throughaccess channels 242 towardsproximal end 212 ofhousing 210, and intobellows 236. -
Access channels 242 may comprise a series of tubes or anannulus surrounding shaft 232. As fluid continues to enterbellows 236, the pressure inbellows 236 builds and the fluid inbellows 236 exerts a force againstmovable end 238 ofbellows 236. When the internal pressure ofbellows 236 reaches and exceeds the threshold pressure of pre-charge chamber 222,movable end 238 ofbellows 236 pushes againstshaft flange 230, and bellows 236 begins to expand. As a result,shaft flange 230 andshaft 232 move towardsproximal end 212 ofhousing 210. Becauseshaft 232 is operably coupled tosystem poppet 220, the movement ofshaft flange 230 andshaft 232 towardsproximal end 212 ofhousing 210 causessystem poppet 220 to likewise move towardsproximal end 212 ofhousing 210, thereby openingsystem poppet 220. Oncesystem poppet 220 is open,environmental intake fluid 217 enteringinlets 216 can freely flow throughoutlet 218, and outexternal outlet 219. - In a full cycle of
valve assembly 200,system poppet 220 can move from its closed position (as shown inFIG. 2 ) to its open position (not shown), and back to its closed position. The system operator can affirmatively stop the flow ofintake fluid 217outside housing 210, such thatfluid 217stops entering housing 210 atinlets 216. As a result, there will no longer be a continuous flow of fluid throughaccess channels 242 and intobellows 236. At that point, the pressure built up inbellows 236 will begin to subside, while the constant pressure inpre-charge chamber 222 continues to exert a force againstmovable end 238 ofbellows 236. When the internal pressure ofbellows 236 falls below the threshold pressure ofpre-charge chamber 222,movable end 226 ofpre-charge chamber 222 will push againstshaft flange 230, thereby movingshaft flange 230 andshaft 232 towardsdistal end 214 ofhousing 210. Again, withshaft 232 coupled tosystem poppet 220, the movement ofshaft flange 230 andshaft 232 towardsdistal end 214 ofhousing 210 causessystem poppet 220 to likewise move towardsdistal end 214 ofhousing 210, thereby closingsystem poppet 220 againstoutlet 218. -
FIG. 4 depicts highpressure valve assembly 700 according to a second example (not claimed). Highpressure valve assembly 700 compriseshousing 710 havingproximal end 712 anddistal end 714.Housing 710 also includes a series ofcircumferential inlets 716, as well asexternal gas outlet 719. - Referring to
FIG. 5 , an elevated end view ofproximal end 712 ofhousing 710 is shown.FIG. 5 also depicts pre-charge chamberfluid input plug 728, which provides the same function asfluid input plug 228 discussed above in the context ofFIG. 2 .FIG. 6 shows an elevated end view ofdistal end 714 ofhousing 700, showingoutlet 718 andexternal outlet 719, through which fluid exitshousing 700 whensystem poppet 720 is open. Notably,FIGS. 5 and 6 depict end views of the proximal end and the distal end of the housing for both embodiments. Thus, the elements referenced inFIGS. 5 and 6 apply equally to both highpressure valve assembly 200 and highpressure valve assembly 700. - Referring now to
FIGS. 7 and 8 , a cross-sectional view of highpressure valve assembly 700 is depicted.Valve assembly 700 comprises various elements that collectively formhousing 710 havingproximal end 712 anddistal end 714.Valve assembly 700 is configured to regulate the flow ofintake fluid 717 emanating from the environment outside ofhousing 710, whichfluid 717 entershousing 710 throughinlets 716. As further explained hereinbelow,intake fluid 717 will be allowed to exithousing 710 atoutlet 718, and throughexternal outlet 719 asoutlet fluid 715. As shown inFIG. 7 ,outlet 718 is sealed off bysystem poppet 720, which prevents fluid from exitinghousing 710 throughoutlet 718. In the context of a gas lift valve,intake fluid 717 is typically a pressurized gas, and is used to aerate the oil being produced from an oil well. However,valve assembly 700 could be used in other applications in which it is necessary to regulate the flow of fluids under high pressure. - At
proximal end 712 ofhousing 710,pre-charge chamber 722 is disposed.Pre-charge chamber 722 comprises firstfixed end 724 and secondmovable end 726.Pre-charge chamber 722 is filled with a predetermined amount of pressurized fluid, typically pressurized gas, usingfluid input plug 728. The purpose ofpre-charge chamber 722 is to set a threshold pressure which must be overcome in order to opensystem poppet 720, as will be explained further below. Afterpre-charge chamber 722 is filled with pressurized fluid,fluid input plug 728 is capped and sealed to prevent any pressurized fluid from escaping frompre-charge chamber 722. - In this example, first bellows 736 is operably coupled to
pre-charge chamber 722 such thatpre-charge chamber 722 andfirst bellows 736 collectively form a fixedsystem portion 760 onproximal side 712 ofhousing 710. Specifically, fixedsystem portion 760 is characterized on one side by firstfixed end 724 ofpre-charge chamber 722, and on the other side by fixedfront end 740 of first bellows 736. On the inside of fixedsystem portion 760,movable barrier assembly 762 is formed by the interconnection of secondmovable end 726 of pre-charge chamber 722 and movableback end 738 of first bellows 736. Further, fixedend 740 offirst bellows 736 is operably attached tofixed fitting 734, which is itself operably connected to the various elements that together formhousing 710. - Second bellows 746 reciprocates conversely to first bellows 736. Second bellows 746 comprises movable
front end 748 and fixedback end 750, which is operably attached tofixed fitting 734. In the same way that movableback end 738 offirst bellows 736 is coupled to secondmovable end 726 ofpre-charge chamber 722, movablefront end 748 ofsecond bellows 746 is coupled toshaft flange 730, which is itself operatively connected toshaft 732.Shaft 732 extends fromshaft flange 730 tosystem poppet 720. In this manner, the dual bellows structure comprised offirst bellows 736 andsecond bellows 746 formmovable system 764 on the inside ofhousing 710. Specifically,movable system 764 is characterized on one side by the attached combination of movableback end 738 offirst bellows 736 and secondmovable end 726 ofpre-charge chamber 722, and on the other side by the attached combination of movablefront end 748 ofsecond bellows 746 andshaft flange 730. Withinmovable system 764, fixed fitting 734 maintains its position at all times, regardless of the movement of either bellows. Moreover, fixed fitting 734 comprisesfluid passage 744, which hydraulically connects first bellows 736 and second bellows 746. - As a result of this configuration, the variable interior of
first bellows 736, the fixed interior offluid passage 744 and variable interior ofsecond bellows 746 collectively form a variable, reciprocating sealed dual bellows chamber. Once construction of this sealed dual bellows chamber is complete, first bellows 736, second bellows 746 andfluid passage 744 are filled with an incompressible fluid, such as silicone oil. Depending on which bellows is being compressed, the incompressible fluid can flow fromfirst bellows 736 tosecond bellows 746 throughfluid passage 744 or vice versa, as the flow of the incompressible fluid reciprocates. - First bellows 736 includes first limiting
valve 752, which comprises biasingspring 752a andvalve ball 752b, while second bellows 746 includes second limitingvalve 754, which itself includes biasingspring 754a andvalve ball 754b. Each of limitingvalves valve 752 coupled with the length ofpre-charge extension 735, define the distance between the sealing end of limitingvalve ball 752b and movableback end 738 of first bellows 736-to establish a predetermined length, in whichvalve ball 752b is seated and sealed againstfixed fitting 734. First bellows 736 is incapable of being completely compressed to a fully-nested bellows orientation. In the same way, limitingvalve 754, coupled with the length ofshaft extension 733, sets a length to which second bellows 746 can be compressed. Second bellows 746 is likewise incapable of being compressed beyond that length due tovalve ball 754b being seated and sealed againstfixed fitting 734. Oncevalve ball 754b is so seated and sealed, becomes incapable of being further compressed towards a fully-nested bellows orientation. As a result, each of first andsecond bellows valves second bellows second bellows - Upon preventing the full compression of
first bellows 736, limitingvalve 752 further serves to prevent the complete evacuation of incompressible fluid from preset partially-compressed first bellows 736. Limitingvalve 754 likewise prevents the complete evacuation of incompressible fluid from preset partially-compressed second bellows 746 As a result, the preset partially-compressed bellows (in the case of eitherfirst bellows 736 or second bellows 746) remain filled with incompressible fluid. This retention of incompressible fluid within at least two tandem bellows serves to minimize any differential pressures across the surfaces of the bellows, thereby enabling the bellows to withstand immense pressures. - By way of example, by maintaining preset partially-compressed first bellows 736 full of incompressible fluid, the pressure exerted against movable
back end 738 offirst bellows 736 by the incompressible fluid, is substantially equal to the pressure exerted by the pressurized fluid contained inpre-charge chamber 722 against secondmovable end 726 ofpre-charge chamber 722. As a result, the differential pressure acrossmovable barrier assembly 762 is very low-on the order of fractions of a single bar. As noted above, high differential pressures across the surface of a bellows can cause bellows failure. With a reduction in the differential pressure across movableback end 738 offirst bellows 736 relative to secondmovable end 726 ofpre-charge chamber 722, limitingvalve 752 likewise minimizes this risk of bellows failure by ensuring that first bellows 736 is not permitted to collapse to its fully- nested, fluid-emptying, unbalanced orientation, such as as shown inFIG. 13 . As a result also, it is believed that first bellows 736 will be capable of withstanding pressures of 689 bar or greater, with at least 10,000 cycles attributable tovalve assembly 700. These benefits likewise apply to limitingvalve 754, which minimizes the differential pressure across movablefront end 748 ofsecond bellows 746 andshaft flange 730. - The full operation of
valve assembly 700 is collectively shown inFIGS 9-11 . Specifically,FIG. 9 depictsvalve assembly 700 in its "starting," fully-closed position, in which first bellows 736 is in its preset partially-compressed state, andsystem poppet 720 is fully seated againstoutlet 718, thereby preventing any fluid from exitinghousing 710 throughoutlet 718. InFIG. 9 also, slot-pin mechanism 741 comprisingpin 737 and slot 739-performs the same functions as slot-pin mechanism 237, described above with respect toFIG. 2 . Similarly, slot-pin mechanism 747 of first limitingvalve 752 and slot-pin mechanism 749 of second limitingvalve 754 assist in the proper orientation and compression of limitingvalves FIG. 10 depictsvalve assembly 700 in an "opening" position, in whichshaft 732 andsystem poppet 720 are moving towardsproximal end 712 ofhousing 710.FIG. 11 depictsvalve assembly 700 in its fully-open position, in which second bellows 746 is in its preset partially-compressed state, in whichsystem poppet 720 is fully extended away fromoutlet 718, thereby enabling fluid to exithousing 710 throughoutlet 718. The operation ofvalve assembly 700 between the various states depicted inFIGS. 9, 10 and11 , respectively, and then back to the state depicted inFIG. 9 represents a single cycle ofvalve assembly 700. Each step of the operation is explained in further detail below. - In the initial state of
valve assembly 700,pre-charge chamber 722 has been pressurized, capped and sealed, thereby setting a threshold pressure, with the pre-charge chamber being "extended" such that secondmovable end 726 is disposed at its greatest distance from firstfixed end 724. This extended state of pre-charge chamber 722exerts a force against movableback end 738 offirst bellows 736, thereby settingfirst bellows 736 in its preset partially-compressed state. In that state, preset partially-compressed first bellows 736 is substantially filled with incompressible fluid, and limitingvalve 752 is seated againstfluid passage 744, thereby preventing any incompressible fluid withinfirst bellows 736 from flowing throughfluid passage 744 and into second bellows 746. Withfirst bellows 736 in its preset partially-compressed state and substantially filled with incompressible fluid, the differential pressure acrossmovable barrier assembly 762 is nearly zero. - In this same orientation, second bellows 746-also full of incompressible fluid-is in its extended state, with limiting
valve 754 at its farthest distance fromfluid passage 744. Withsecond bellows 746 extended,shaft flange 730 is fully extended toward thedistal end 714 ofhousing 710. As a result,system poppet 720 is fully seated againstoutlet 718, andsystem poppet 720 prevents anyenvironmental intake fluid 717 from exitinghousing 710 throughoutlet 718. - To begin the process by which
system poppet 720 opens to releaseoutlet fluid 715 into a desired environment, a system operator (not shown) allows fluid to travel outsidehousing 710 to enterhousing 710 through a series ofcircumferential inlets 716. Again, in the context of a gas lift valve, the fluid is typically a pressurized gas. Fluid then travels frominlets 716 throughaccess channels 742 towardsproximal end 712 ofhousing 710, and exerts a force againstshaft flange 730 andsecond bellows 746, specifically, against the surface ofshaft flange 730 facingdistal end 714 ofhousing 710.Access channels 742 may comprise a series of tubes, or anannulus surrounding shaft 732. Notably, fluid that entershousing 710 travels not only throughaccess channels 742 toshaft flange 730, it can also surround second bellows 746 to exert pressure against the sides ofsecond bellows 746 positioned longitudinally inhousing 710. In the same way, the pressurized fluid withinpre-charge chamber 722 can likewise surround first bellows 736 to exert pressure against the sides offirst bellows 736 positioned longitudinally inhousing 710. - As fluid continues to enter
housing 710, the fluid pressure begins to build againstshaft flange 730 and second bellows 746. Once the fluid pressure againstshaft flange 730 andsecond bellows 746 reaches and exceeds the threshold value set within the pre-charge chamber, the internal movement ofvalve assembly 700 is depicted inFIG. 10 , in whichsystem poppet 720 is beginning to open. In this state, sufficient pressure has built up againstshaft flange 730 andsecond bellows 746 to pushshaft flange 730 away frominternal housing portion 756, thereby expanding the volume of space that formsaccess channels 742. This movement ofshaft flange 730 towardsproximal end 712 ofhousing 710 begins to compresssecond bellows 746, thereby forcing incompressible fluid fromsecond bellows 746 intofluid passage 744, to exert a force against limitingvalve 752. As a result, limitingvalve 752 opens, and incompressible fluid flows freely fromsecond bellows 746, throughfluid passage 744, and into first bellows 736. The additional incompressible fluid infirst bellows 736 causes first bellows 736 to begin expanding, by exerting a force against movableback end 738 of first bellows 736. As the pressure withinfirst bellows 736 increases, movableback end 738 exerts a force against secondmovable end 726. As a result,movable barrier assembly 762 moves towardsproximal end 712 ofhousing 710. - While described sequentially herein,
movable barrier assembly 762 moves contemporaneously with the combination ofshaft flange 730 and movablefront end 748 of second bellows 746. Thus,movable system 764 in its entirety moves towardsproximal end 712 ofhousing 710. In turn,shaft 732 moves towardsproximal end 712 ofhousing 710 untilsystem poppet 720 opens and allows thefluid entering housing 710 throughinlets 716 to exithousing 710 throughoutlet 718 andexternal outlet 719. - As pressure continues to build, the movement of
movable barrier assembly 762 towardsproximal end 712 ofhousing 710 continues untilvalve assembly 700 reaches the state depicted inFIG. 11 . InFIG. 11 ,system poppet 720 is disposed at its greatest distance fromoutlet 718 anddistal end 714 ofhousing 710. In turn, thefluid entering inlets 716 has built up enough pressure inaccess channels 742 to create a significant volume of space betweenshaft flange 730 andinternal housing portion 756. As a result, second bellows 746 is in its preset partially-compressed state, with limitingvalve 754 preventing any further compression ofsecond bellows 746, and also preventing the evacuation of any further incompressible fluid fromsecond bellows 746 throughfluid passage 744 and into first bellows 736. In this state, the pressure exerted by fluid withinaccess channels 742 againstshaft flange 730 is substantially equal to the pressure exerted by the incompressible fluid contained withinsecond bellows 746 against movablefront end 748. Therefore, the differential pressure acrossshaft flange 730 andsecond bellows 746 is, again, nearly zero, minimizing the risk of bellows failure. - As shown in
FIG. 11 , the preset partially-compressed second bellows 746, at its compressed limit due to limitingvalve 754, results in the expansion of first bellows 736. Specifically, movableback end 738 offirst bellows 736 exerts a force against secondmovable end 726 ofpre-charge chamber 722, which results inmovable barrier assembly 762 being disposed in its position closest toproximal end 712 ofhousing 710. Moreover, the pressure exerted by the pressurized fluid withinpre-charge chamber 722 against secondmovable end 726 is substantially equal to the pressure exerted by the incompressible fluid contained withinfirst bellows 736 against movableback end 738. Therefore, the differential pressure acrossmovable barrier assembly 762 andfirst bellows 736 is nearly zero, minimizing the risk of bellows failure. - To return
valve assembly 700 to its closed position, as shown inFIG. 9 , the system operator can affirmatively stop the flow ofintake fluid 717outside housing 710, such that less, or lower pressure,intake fluid 717stops entering housing 710 atinlets 716. As a result, there will no longer be a continuous high pressure flow ofintake fluid 717 throughaccess channels 742, and the pressure ofsuch intake fluid 717 againstshaft flange 730 will begin to subside. Again, sincepre-charge chamber 722 exerts a constant pressure againstmovable system 764, once the fluid pressure againstshaft flange 732 falls below the threshold pressure set bypre-charge chamber 722,movable system 764 will begin moving towardsdistal end 714 ofhousing 710. Specifically, the pressure against secondmovable end 726 ofpre-charge chamber 722 begins to compressfirst bellows 736, thereby forcing incompressible fluid fromfirst bellows 736 back intofluid passage 744, to exert a force against limitingvalve 754. As a result, limitingvalve 754 opens, and incompressible fluid flows fromfirst bellows 736, throughfluid passage 744, and into second bellows 746. The additional incompressible fluid insecond bellows 746 causes second bellows 746 to begin expanding, by exerting a force against movablefront end 748 of second bellows 746. - As the pressure within
second bellows 746 grows, movablefront end 748 exerts a force againstshaft flange 730. As a result, the attachedshaft flange 730 and movablefront end 748 move towardsdistal end 714 ofhousing 710, towards closingsystem poppet 720 to seal and seat againstoutlet 718. - Again, though described sequentially herein,
movable barrier assembly 762 moves contemporaneously with the combination ofshaft flange 730 and movablefront end 748 of second bellows 746. Thus,movable system 764 in its entirety moves towardsdistal end 714 ofhousing 710. In turn,shaft 732 moves towardsdistal end 714 ofhousing 710 untilsystem poppet 720 closes and seals againstoutlet 718, thereby preventing any fluid from exitinghousing 710 throughoutlet 718. - As noted above, neither first bellows 736 nor
second bellows 746 invalve assembly 700 ever reach full compression. However, if either of these bellows were to fail-if, for example, limitingvalve 754 were to break-then the bellows may be forced into a fully compressed position. As shown inFIGS. 12 and 13 , a standard edge- welded bellows (not fully shown) consists ofbellow plates 1200 having circular weld beads 1210ateachwelding location. When the bellows is extended, as shown inFig. 12 ,circular weld beads 1200 function normally. However, when the bellows is fully compressed under a relatively high pressure on the order of 69 bar,circular weld beads 1210 will be compacted together. Due to their circular shape, thearcs 1214 of each adjacent weld bead could shear, creating an imperfect alignment, resulting in the displaced configuration shown inFig. 13 . Unlimited shearing can lead to further failure of the bellows, which could result in a leak of the incompressible fluid contained therein. - One method for increasing the overall strength and integrity of an edge-welded bellows is to weld the plates together such that the weld beads are substantially rectangular in shape. In
Fig. 14 , the edge-welded bellows (not fully shown) consists ofbellows plates 1400 having rectangular,internal weld beads 1410. When such a bellows is compressed in its fully nested position, as shown inFig. 15 ,rectangular weld beads 1410 stack neatly on top of one another. Thus, when nested, a bellows havingrectangular weld beads 1410 forms a solid, self-supporting cylindrical stack, capable of withstanding much higher pressures than the standard bellows shown inFIGS. 12 and 13 . Thus, in the event of bellows failure,rectangular weld beads 1410 serve to minimize the risk of an incompressible fluid leak. Such bellows having rectangular weld beads are available from Senior Aerospace Metal Bellows corporation of Sharon, Massachusetts, and are sold under the trademark HIPRES®, which trademark is owned by the assignee of the present application. Further, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the bellows could be formed from an INCONEL® alloy, such as INCONEL® alloy 625 orINCONEL® alloy 718, or from AM 350®, stainless steel or titanium. INCONEL® alloy is a registered trademark of Huntington Alloys Corporation, and AM 350® is a registered trademark of ATI Properties, Inc. -
FIG. 16 depicts highpressure valve assembly 800 according to an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, highpressure valve assembly 800 compriseshousing 810 havingproximal end 812 anddistal end 814.Housing 810 also includes a series ofcircumferential inlets 816, as well asexternal gas outlet 819. -
Proximal end 812 anddistal end 814 of highpressure valve assembly 800 are identical toproximal end 712 anddistal end 714, respectively, of highpressure valve assembly 700, as shown inFig. 4 . The elevated end views ofFIG. 16 are equivalent to those ofFIGS. 5 and 6 . - Referring now to
FIGS. 17 and 18 , a cross-sectional view of highpressure valve assembly 800 is depicted.Valve assembly 800 includes various elements that collectively formhousing 810 havingproximal end 812 anddistal end 814.Valve assembly 800 is configured to regulate the flow ofintake fluid 817 emanating from the environment outside ofhousing 810, whichfluid 817 entershousing 810 throughinlets 816. As further explained hereinbelow,intake fluid 817 will be allowed to exithousing 810 atoutlet 818, and throughexternal outlet 819 asoutlet fluid 815. As shown inFIG. 18 ,outlet 818 is sealed off bysystem poppet 820, which prevents fluid from exitinghousing 810 throughoutlet 818. In the context of a gas lift valve,intake fluid 817 is typically a pressurized gas, which can be used to aerate the oil being produced from an oil well. Likewise,valve assembly 800 could be used in other applications in which it is necessary to regulate the flow of fluids under high pressure. - At
proximal end 812 ofhousing 810,pre-charge chamber 822 is disposed.Pre-charge chamber 822 includes firstclosed end 824 and secondopen end 826.Pre-charge chamber 822 is filled with a predetermined amount of pressurized fluid, typically pressurized gas, usingfluid input plug 828. The purpose ofpre-charge chamber 822 is to set a threshold pressure which must be overcome in order to opensystem poppet 820, as will be explained further below. Afterpre-charge chamber 822 is filled with pressurized fluid,fluid input plug 828 is capped and sealed to prevent any pressurized fluid from escaping frompre-charge chamber 822. - In this embodiment of the invention, first bellows 836 is operably and fluidly coupled to
pre-charge chamber 822. First bellows 836 comprises fixedopen end 838 and movableclosed end 840. Movableclosed end 840 offirst bellows 836 is operatively coupled tofirst guide 852, which emanates from movableclosed end 840. Fixedopen end 838 offirst bellows 836 is in free fluid communication with secondopen end 826 ofpre-charge chamber 822 such thatpre-charge chamber 822 andfirst bellows 836 collectively form an extendedpre-charge chamber 835 at theproximal side 812 ofhousing 810. As such, extendedpre-charge chamber 835 is characterized on one side by firstclosed end 824 ofpre-charge chamber 822, and on the other side by movableclosed end 840 of first bellows 836. Accordingly, unlike in highpressure valve assembly 700, in which first bellows 736 is filled with incompressible fluid, first bellows 836 of highpressure valve assembly 800 is filled with the same pressurized fluid, typically pressurized gas, aspre-charge chamber 822. As such, the predetermined amount of pressurized fluid utilized inpre-charge chamber 736 is less than the predetermined amount of pressurized fluid used to set a threshold pressure in extendedpre-charge chamber 835, because-in addition to pre-charge chamber 822-extendedpre-charge chamber 835 also comprises first bellows 836. Again, this threshold pressure must be overcome in order to opensystem poppet 820, as will be explained further below. - Second bellows 846 reciprocates conversely to the reciprocation of first bellows 836. Second bellows 846 comprises movable
back end 850 and fixedfront end 848. In the same way that movableclosed end 840 offirst bellows 836 is coupled tofirst guide 852, movableback end 850 ofsecond bellows 846 is coupled tosecond guide 854, which emanates from movableback end 850.Second guide 854 is operably connected tointernal shaft 830, which emanates fromsecond guide 854 and extends throughsecond bellows 846, terminating withinvalve shaft 832. In turn,valve shaft 832 is operably connected tosystem poppet assembly 831.Environmental intake gas 817 enters intoinlets 816 and travels throughaccess channels 842 intosecond bellows 846, where it bears, and exerts pressure P against, movableback end 850 of second bellows 846. It is pressure P that enables the movement ofvalve shaft 832 andsystem poppet assembly 831 toopen system poppet 820. - In this manner, the dual bellows structure comprised of
first bellows 836 andsecond bellows 846, with respectivefirst guide 852 andsecond guide 854, create reciprocatingcompression region 864 on the inside ofhousing 810. Specifically, reciprocatingcompression region 864 extends from fixedopen end 838 offirst bellows 836 all the way to fixedfront end 848 of second bellows 846. The space betweenfirst guide 852 andsecond guide 854 is referred to asfluid compression chamber 863, which also includes the fluid-filled circumferential region immediately surroundingguides first bellows 836 and second bellows 846. - The entirety of
fluid compression chamber 863 is filled with an incompressible fluid, such as silicone oil. Notably, the incompressible fluid influid compression chamber 863 also surrounds first bellows 836 andsecond bellows 846 to exert pressure against the sides of those bellows. First andsecond guides guides second bellows - First bellows 836 is compressed when second bellows 846 is expanded, and vice versa. In this way, and as further explained below, the expansion of
second bellows 846 pushessecond guide 854 towardsproximal end 812 ofhousing 810, thereby exerting a force against the incompressible fluid influid compression chamber 863. This force causes the incompressible fluid to bear againstfirst guide 852, thereby pushingfirst guide 852 towardsproximal end 812 ofhousing 810, compressing first bellows 836. The retention of incompressible fluid withinfluid compression chamber 863 serves to minimize any differential pressures across the surfaces of first andsecond bellows - By way of example, by maintaining
first bellows 836 full of the pressurized fluid also found inpre-charge chamber 822, the pressure exerted against movableclosed end 840 offirst bellows 836 by the pressurized fluid is substantially equal to the pressure exerted by the incompressible fluid contained influid compression chamber 863 againstfirst guide 852. As a result, the differential pressure acrossfirst guide 852 is very low-on the order of fractions of a single bar. As noted above, high differential pressures across the surface of a bellows can cause bellows failure. With a reduction in the differential pressure acrossfirst guide 852 relative to movableclosed end 840 of extendedpre-charge chamber 835, it is believed that first bellows 836 will be capable of withstanding pressures of 689 bar or greater, with at least 10,000 cycles attributable tovalve assembly 800. These benefits likewise apply to the minimized differential pressure acrosssecond guide 854 relative to movableback end 850 of second bellows 846. - The full operation of
valve assembly 800 is collectively shown inFIGS 18-20 . Specifically,FIG. 18 depictsvalve assembly 800 in its "starting," fully-closed position, in whichpre-charge chamber 822 andfirst bellows 836 are in their preset state (filled with a predetermined amount of pressurized gas), withsystem poppet 820 is fully seated againstoutlet 818, thereby preventing any fluid from exitinghousing 810 throughoutlet 818. As also shown inFIGS. 17 and 18 , slot-pin mechanism 837 performs the same functions as slot-pin mechanism 237, above, with respect toFIG. 2 .FIG. 19 depictsvalve assembly 800 in an "opening" position, in whichvalve shaft 832 andsystem poppet 820 are moving towardsproximal end 812 ofhousing 810.FIG. 20 depictsvalve assembly 800 in its fully-open position, in whichsystem poppet 820 is fully extended away fromoutlet 818, thereby enabling fluid to exithousing 810 throughoutlet 818. The operation ofvalve assembly 800 between the various states depicted inFIGS. 18 ,19 and 20 , respectively, and then back to the state depicted inFIG. 18 represents a single cycle ofvalve assembly 800. Each step of the operation is explained in further detail below. - In the initial state of
valve assembly 800, extendedpre-charge chamber 835, which includespre-charge chamber 822 andfirst bellows 836, are pressurized, capped and sealed, thereby setting a threshold pressure, withfirst bellows 836 being "extended" such that movableclosed end 840 andfirst guide 852 are disposed at their greatest distance fromproximal end 810. Withfirst bellows 836 in its "extended" state and substantially filled with pressurized fluid, and with the incompressible fluid contained influid compression chamber 863 exerting a force that is equal and opposite to the set threshold pressure, the differential pressure acrossfirst guide 852 is nearly zero. - Further, this "extended" state of
first bellows 836 exerts a force against the incompressible fluid contained withinfluid compression chamber 863, within reciprocatingcompression region 864, which incompressible fluid itself exerts a force againstsecond guide 854. In this same orientation, second bellows 846 is in its compressed state, withsecond guide 854 at its shortest possible distance fromdistal end 814 ofhousing 810. As a result,system poppet 820 is fully seated againstoutlet 818, andsystem poppet 820 prevents anyenvironmental intake fluid 817 from exitinghousing 810 throughoutlet 818. - To begin the process by which
system poppet 820 opens to releaseoutlet fluid 815 into a desired environment, a system operator (not shown) allows the intake fluid to travel outsidehousing 810 to enterhousing 810 through the series ofcircumferential inlets 816. Again, in the context of a gas lift valve, the fluid is typically a pressurized gas. Fluid then travels frominlets 816 throughaccess channels 842 towardsproximal end 812 ofhousing 810, and exerts pressure P against movableback end 850 ofsecond bellows 846, specifically, against the surface of movableback end 850 facingdistal end 814 ofhousing 810.Access channels 842 may comprise a series of tubes, or an annulus surroundingvalve shaft 832. - As fluid continues to enter
housing 810, the fluid pressure begins to build against movableback end 850 of second bellows 846. Once that fluid pressure reaches and exceeds the threshold value set within extendedpre-charge chamber 835, the internal movement ofvalve assembly 800 is depicted inFIG. 19 , in whichsystem poppet 820 begins to open. In this state, sufficient pressure has built up against movableback end 850 ofsecond bellows 846 to pushsecond guide 854 away fromdistal end 814 ofhousing 810, thereby extending second bellows 846. This movement ofsecond guide 854 towardsproximal end 812 ofhousing 810 has two immediate results. - First,
second guide 854 exerts a force against the incompressible fluid withinfluid compression chamber 863, which incompressible fluid continues the chain reaction by exerting a force againstfirst guide 852. In turn,first guide 852, which is operatively connected to movableclosed end 840 offirst bellows 836, pushes against movableclosed end 840, so as to compress first bellows 836. First bellows 836 will continue to compress until the pressure in extendedpre-charge chamber 835 is equal to the pressure P exerted against movableback end 850 ofsecond bellows 846, or until first bellows 836 becomes fully nested. - Second, the movement of
second guide 854 towardsproximal end 812 causesinternal shaft 830, which is operatively connected tosecond guide 854, to likewise move towardsproximal end 812.Pin 841 enables the cooperation ofinternal shaft 830 withvalve shaft 832. Thus, the movement ofsecond guide 854 causes a proportional movement ofvalve shaft 832 and, in turn, ofsystem poppet 820. Oncesystem poppet 820 opens,intake fluid 817 can exithousing 810 throughoutlet 818. - While described sequentially herein, first and
second guides fluid compression chamber 863, move contemporaneously with the combination ofvalve shaft 832 andsystem poppet 820. Thus,fluid compression chamber 863, in its entirety, moves towardsproximal end 812 ofhousing 810 and, at the same time,valve shaft 832 moves towardsproximal end 812 ofhousing 810 untilsystem poppet 820 opens and allows thefluid entering housing 810 throughinlets 816 to exithousing 810 throughoutlet 818 andexternal outlet 819. - As pressure continues to build, the movement of
fluid compression chamber 863 towardsproximal end 812 ofhousing 810 continues untilvalve assembly 800 reaches the state depicted inFIG. 20 . InFIG. 20 ,system poppet 820 is disposed at its greatest distance fromoutlet 818 anddistal end 814 ofhousing 810. As a result, second bellows 846 is in its extended state. In this state, the pressure P (the pressure exerted by fluid withinaccess channels 842 against movableback end 850 of second bellows 846) is substantially equal to the pressure exerted bysecond guide 854 on the incompressible fluid. Therefore, the differential pressure acrosssecond guide 854 andsecond bellows 846 is minimized, which, in turn, minimizes the risk of bellows failure. Moreover, the pressure exerted by the pressurized fluid within extendedpre-charge chamber 835 against movableclosed end 840 is substantially equal to the pressure exerted by the incompressible fluid influid compression chamber 863 againstfirst guide 852. As such, the differential pressure acrossfirst guide 852 andfirst bellows 836 is minimized, minimizing the risk of bellows failure. - To return
valve assembly 800 to its closed position, as shown inFIG. 18 , the system operator can affirmatively stop the flow ofintake fluid 817outside housing 810, such that less, or lower pressure,intake fluid 817stops entering housing 810 atinlets 816. As a result, there will no longer be a continuous high pressure flow ofintake fluid 817 throughaccess channels 842, and the pressure ofsuch intake fluid 817 against movableback end 850 ofsecond bellows 846 will begin to subside.Intake fluid 817 will continue to exit throughoutlet 818 until the pressure P (the pressure ofintake fluid 817 against movableback end 850 of second bellows 846) drops below the threshold pressure of extendedpre-charge chamber 835. At that time, the valve will begin to close: whenfluid compression chamber 863 begins moving towardsdistal end 814 ofhousing 810,internal shaft 830 and valve shaft 832-and, in turn, system poppet 820-move towards the closed position shown inFIG. 18 . - Again, though described sequentially herein,
fluid compression chamber 863 moves contemporaneously with the combination ofinternal shaft 830 andvalve shaft 832. Thus,fluid compression chamber 863 , in its entirety, moves towardsdistal end 814 ofhousing 810 and, at the same time,valve shaft 832 moves towardsdistal end 814 ofhousing 810 untilsystem poppet 820 closes and seats to form a fluid-tight seal, thereby preventing any fluid from exitinghousing 810 throughoutlet 818. Unlikebellows valves FIGS. 14 and 15 , such that, when nested, bellows 836, 846 form a solid, self- supporting cylindrical stack, capable of withstanding much higher pressures than can standard bellows. - The foregoing description and drawings merely explain and illustrate the invention, and the invention is not so limited, as those skilled in the art who have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention set forth by the appended claims.
Claims (12)
- A reciprocating dual bellows assembly for high pressure valve applications, said dual bellows assembly comprising:a housing (810) having a proximal end (812) and a distal end (814), said housing (810) having at least one inlet (816) disposed adjacent said distal end (814);a pre-charge chamber (822) having a first closed end (824) disposed adjacent said proximal end (812) and a second open end (826) opposite said first closed end (824);an internal shaft (830) being operably coupled to a system poppet assembly (831) configured to alternatively seal and unseal an outlet (818) in said distal end (814) of said housing (810);a first bellows (836) and a second bellows (846),
whereinsaid first bellows (836) has a first variable internal volume and includes a movable closed end (840) and a fixed open end (838) opposite said movable closed end (840), said fixed open end (838) being operably and fluidly coupled to said second open end (826) of said pre-charge chamber (822) and said movable closed end (840) being operably coupled to a first guide (852);wherein said pre-charge chamber (822) and said first bellows (836) are in fluid communication with each other to collectively form an extended pre-charge chamber (835) at the proximal end (812) of the housing (810), said extended pre-charge chamber (835) being filled with a pressurized fluid set at a threshold pressure value;said second bellows (846) has a second variable internal volume, and includes a movable back end (850) operably coupled to a second guide (854) and a fixed, open front end (848) opposite said movable back end (850), wherein said fixed front end (848) is positioned closer to said system poppet assembly (831) and said movable back end (850) is positioned farther from said system poppet assembly (831);wherein the reciprocating dual bellows assembly further comprises a fluid compression chamber (863) operably disposed between said first guide (852) and said second guide (854), said fluid compression chamber (863) comprising a third internal volume that is filled with a substantially incompressible fluid to, in turn, operably connect said movable ends (840, 850) of both said first and second bellows (836, 846) to form a reciprocating guide assembly defined by said first guide (852), said second guide (854) and said fluid compression chamber (863);wherein the substantially incompressible fluid in the fluid compression chamber (863) surrounds the first bellows (836) and the second bellows (846) to exert pressure against the sides of those bellows;said internal shaft (830) is operably connected to the second guide (854) proximate said movable back end (850); andsaid at least one inlet (816) enables a pressurized intake gas to enter said housing (810) and flow through one or more access channels (842) to exert a gas pressure against said movable back end (850) of said second bellows (846). - The reciprocating dual bellows assembly according to claim 1, wherein said first and second bellows (836, 846) are edge-welded bellows comprising bellows plates (1400) having rectangular weld beads (1410) that enable said bellows to form a solid, self-supporting cylindrical stack when fully nested (1400).
- The reciprocating dual bellows assembly according to claim 1, wherein said internal shaft (830) is operatively coupled to a valve shaft (832), which in turn is coupled to said system poppet assembly (831) through the use of at least one slot-pin mechanism (837).
- The reciprocating dual bellows assembly according to claim 1, wherein the incompressible fluid in said fluid compression chamber (863) exerts a first fluid pressure against said movable closed end (840) of said first bellows (836), said first fluid pressure initially being substantially equal to said threshold pressure value.
- The reciprocating dual bellows assembly according to claim 4, wherein said pressurized pre-charge gas exerts a force within said first bellows (836), said force serving to expand said first bellows (836) by pushing an amount of said incompressible fluid and said first guide (852) towards said second guide (854), thereby compressing said second bellows (846).
- The reciprocating dual bellows assembly according to claims 3 and 5, wherein, upon exertion of said gas pressure against said movable back end (850) of said second bellows (846), said movable back end (850) moves towards said distal end (814) of said housing (810) to, in turn, compress said second bellows (846), to move both said internal shaft (830) and said valve shaft (832) towards said distal end of said housing (810), towards closing and sealing said system poppet assembly (831).
- The reciprocating dual bellows assembly according to claim 1, wherein said second bellows (846) expands when said gas pressure of said pressurized intake gas against said movable back end (850) of said second bellows exceeds said threshold pressure value of said pre-charge chamber (822).
- The reciprocating dual bellows assembly according to claims 3 and 7, wherein the expansion of said second bellows (846) causes said internal shaft (830), said valve shaft (832) and said system poppet assembly (831) to move towards said proximal end (812) of said housing (810), towards opening said system poppet assembly (831) and allowing said pressurized intake gas to exit said housing (810) through said outlet (818).
- The reciprocating dual bellows assembly according to claim 7, wherein the expansion of said second bellows (846) moves said movable back end (850) of said second bellows (846) and said second guide (854) towards said proximal end (812) of said housing (810), thereby pushing said incompressible fluid against said first guide (852) to, in turn, push against and compress said first bellows (836).
- The reciprocating dual bellows assembly according to claim 9, wherein the compression of said first bellows (836) causes the pressure of said pressurized pre-charge gas in said pre-charge chamber (822) to increase until that pressure is equal to said gas pressure of said pressurized intake gas against said movable back end (850) of said second bellows (846).
- The reciprocating dual bellows assembly according to claim 1, wherein the pressure exerted by said incompressible fluid in said fluid compression chamber (863) against said second bellows (846) is substantially equal to said gas pressure of said pressurized intake gas against said movable back end (850) of said second bellows (846).
- The reciprocating dual bellows assembly according to claim 3, wherein said gas pressure of said pressurized intake gas against said movable back end (850) of said second bellows (846) falls below said threshold pressure value of said pre-charge chamber (822), causing said movable back end (850) of said second bellows (846) to compress towards said distal end (814) of said housing (810) to, in turn, move both said internal shaft (831) and said valve shaft (832) towards said distal end (814) of said housing (810), towards closing and sealing said system poppet assembly (831).
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US14/551,821 US9518674B2 (en) | 2014-03-07 | 2014-11-24 | High pressure valve assembly |
PCT/IB2015/058195 WO2016083918A1 (en) | 2014-11-24 | 2015-10-23 | High pressure valve assembly |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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EP3224448A1 EP3224448A1 (en) | 2017-10-04 |
EP3224448B1 true EP3224448B1 (en) | 2020-07-29 |
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EP15793909.1A Active EP3224448B1 (en) | 2014-11-24 | 2015-10-23 | High pressure valve assembly |
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EP (1) | EP3224448B1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2016083918A1 (en) |
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NO20210177A1 (en) * | 2021-02-11 | 2022-08-12 | Tco As | Metal bellows for downhole use |
Family Cites Families (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2761465A (en) * | 1953-03-20 | 1956-09-04 | Garrett Oil Tools Inc | Valve |
WO1984001609A1 (en) * | 1982-10-22 | 1984-04-26 | Metal Bellows Co | High pressure bellows capsule and method of making same |
US6827146B2 (en) | 2001-11-22 | 2004-12-07 | Jean Louis Faustinelli | Double bellows gas lift valve “faustoval” |
US6932581B2 (en) | 2003-03-21 | 2005-08-23 | Schlumberger Technology Corporation | Gas lift valve |
NO328257B1 (en) * | 2008-03-13 | 2010-01-18 | Petroleum Technology Co As | Bellow valve 2 |
US8162060B2 (en) | 2008-10-22 | 2012-04-24 | Eagle Gas Lift, LLC. | Gas-lift valve and method of use |
US9010353B2 (en) | 2011-08-04 | 2015-04-21 | Weatherford Technology Holdings, Llc | Gas lift valve having edge-welded bellows and captive sliding seal |
US20130312833A1 (en) | 2012-05-23 | 2013-11-28 | Weatherford/Lamb, Inc. | Gas lift valve with ball-orifice closing mechanism and fully compressible dual edge-welded bellows |
US9546541B2 (en) * | 2012-09-08 | 2017-01-17 | Schlumberger Technology Corporation | Gas lift valves |
-
2015
- 2015-10-23 EP EP15793909.1A patent/EP3224448B1/en active Active
- 2015-10-23 WO PCT/IB2015/058195 patent/WO2016083918A1/en active Application Filing
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WO2016083918A1 (en) | 2016-06-02 |
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