JPS6237582A - Pilot valve operated by float - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to oil and gas production equipment, and more particularly to oil and gas separation equipment that uses a float-operated pilot valve to control emissions therefrom. It pertains to the model.

Description of the prior art The fluid gushing out from an oil well contains both ura and gas parts,
It is well known that the gas fraction remains dissolved in the liquid under well pressure. It is also known that if these dissolved gas components are exposed to the atmosphere, such components will vaporize. Oil and gas! The apparatus is therefore designed to gradually reduce the pressure of the produced petroleum liquid, thereby allowing the separated gas to be removed or transferred from contact with the liquid. The remaining liquid is separated into water and oil fractions, and the oil thus produced is in greater yields than if the oil flow from the well were "flushed" to the atmosphere. , so the yield will increase.

Typical oil and gas content i! ! The apparatus has a vessel or tank having an inlet pipe for receiving the flow of oil from the oil well, a gas outlet at the top, and a liquid outlet at the bottom.

A liquid level controller is provided using a "float" or displacement sensor to transmit changes in the liquid level in the tank to a pilot valve external to the tank. A signal is sent to the existing drain valve to open and close it depending on the liquid level in the tank.

In the past, pilot valves incorporated in float-type separators were generally pneumatically operated using the feed gas pressure obtained from the production gas. When the level of liquid in the tank is within desired limits, the feed gas is vented to the atmosphere through the pilot valve. When the liquid level rises sufficiently to change the position of the float, the feed gas is diverted within the pilot valve, thereby providing a control signal to the drain valve to allow liquid to flow out of the tank.

Such float controllers and pilot valve systems are known in the industry as "continuous flow control" systems and are simple and reliable controls for oil and gas separation systems. Until the liquid level reaches a specified limit, the supply signal continues to bleed into the atmosphere, wasting a significant amount of energy that could be recovered. m3 (35
The supply gas is consumed at a rate of 0,0OOft3>. Therefore, it is considered desirable from the standpoint of energy conservation and natural resource depletion to recover or prevent waste of the feed gas that is released into the atmosphere in the current continuous flow control W devices currently in use.

C2 Application of the Invention The float-operated pilot valve of the present invention comprises a float actuated in response to the liquid level in the separator to supply line pressure thereto, a discharge valve, and a float-operated pilot valve. A pilot valve for draining liquid from the device when the oil and gas separator is in use. The pilot valve has a valve body with a gas inlet, a lower chamber communicating with the gas inlet, an upper chamber, a gas outlet, and a gas passage connecting the upper chamber, the lower chamber, and the gas outlet. An actuator valve is housed within the upper chamber and has an upper shaft contacted by the float through an upper opening and a lower shaft slidably received within a portion of the gas passageway.

A control valve is housed within the upper chamber and has an upper shaft and a lower shaft in contact with the lower shaft of the actuator valve. The control valve has an overriding closing surface adapted to sealingly engage the opening of the gas passage into the lower chamber. The flow of gas from the gas outlet until the Fukue member steadily presses the override closed surface of the control valve toward the closed position in contact with the gas passage opening, thereby causing the float to act on the actuator valve through the upper opening. It is designed to block outflow.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description that follows.

29 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1 shows an oil and gas separation apparatus, designated generally at 11. The separation device 11 has a tank 13, which is supplied with oil from an oil well (inlet pipe 15, gas outlet 1).
7 and a liquid outlet 19. The separator 11 has a float 21 which controls the partial pressure 2 via a flapper 25 in response to the liquid level 23 within the separator 11.
11 (schematically indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 1).

The separation device 11 further transmits the pilot signal to a controller 27.
It has a drain valve 29 for draining the liquid from the separator 11 through the liquid outlet 19 when it is pumped through the drain line 31 .

Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, the liquid 23 is allowed to remain in the separator 11 until the gaseous components are separated and discharged through the gas outlet 17. If the liquid level 23 rises above the specified point, the float 21
acts on the separation device 11 via the flapper 25 to cause a pilot signal to be sent through the pipe 31 to the discharge valve 29, thereby opening the valve and allowing liquid to be discharged from the tank 13 through the liquid outlet 19. do.

2-4 illustrate the operation of prior art pilot valves used within controller 27. Feed gas was introduced into the controller 27 through the supply pipe 33 and into the pilot valve interior 35 through the gas port 37. As shown in FIG. 3, once the flapper 25 was not in contact with the upper port 39 of the pilot valve 41, the feed gas was released to the atmosphere through the ground opening 39. Since pressure was not allowed to build up within the valve interior 35, the pilot signal from the gas outlet 43 was sufficient 41 to signal the exhaust valve 29 to listen. As shown in FIG.
When the valve contacts the upper port 39 and is forced downwardly to close it, the supply gas entering from the gas port 37 flows into the valve interior 35.
and is sent out from the gas outlet 43 to signal the exhaust valve 29 to listen. The disadvantage of this conventional system is that when the liquid level 23 is within acceptable limits in the tank 13, the flapper 25 is in the position shown in FIG. There was continuous leakage into the interior.

The improved pilot valve of the present invention is indicated generally at 45 in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The pilot valve 45 has a valve body 47 having a gas population 49.
, a lower chamber 51 communicating with the gas population 49 , an upper chamber 53 , a gas outlet 55 , an upper chamber 53 , a lower chamber 51 and a gas outlet 5
5 and a gas passage 57 connected thereto.

An actuator valve 59 is housed within the upper chamber 53 and has an intermediate portion 61 . The middle portion 61 is an upper opening 65 of the valve body 47.
The outer diameter is made thinner to form an upper shaft 63 that can be received inside. As shown in FIG. 5, the upper shaft 63 is attached to the flapper 2.
May be contacted by 5. Actuator valve 59 generally has a lower shaft 67 movably received within a portion of gas passageway 57 . Actuator valve 59 has a sealing surface 69 that contacts and seals gas passage lower 1 . The lower inter-gas passage 1 communicates the gas passage 57 with the upper chamber 53. A resilient sealing member, such as O-ring 73, when actuator valve 59 is biased downwardly by flapper 25;
Seal open lower 1.

As shown in FIG. 5, the gas passage 57 is a T-shaped passage consisting of a vertical passage section 75 and a horizontal passage section 77 arranged at right angles thereto and terminating at the gas outlet 55.

A control valve 79 is housed in the lower chamber 51 and in the middle section 8
1. The outer diameter of the intermediate portion 81 is reduced to form an upper shaft 83. The upper shaft 83 is movably received within the vertical passage portion 75 of the gas passageway 57 and contacts the lower shaft 67 of the actuator valve 59. Control valve 79 further has a lower shaft 85 having a larger outer diameter than upper shaft 83 . A biasing member, such as a coil spring 87, is received within the lower chamber 51 around the lower shaft 85. The spring end 89 remote from the lower shaft 85 contacts a threaded plug 91 engaged in a threaded interior 93 of the valve body 47 . Coil spring 87 is actuator valve 59
The control valve 79 is biased in the direction of . The control valve 79 further includes an overwriting closing surface 95 (
Figure 6). The opening 97 connects the lower chamber 51 to the gas passage 5.
It communicates with 7. A resilient sealing member, in this case an O-ring 99, is disposed between the sealing surface 95 of the control valve 79 and the aperture 97 to seal the aperture 97 when the control valve 79 is in the position shown in FIG. It is made to be.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view showing actuator valve 59 and control valve 79 and their operation. As is clear from FIG. 6, the upper shaft 83 of the control valve 79 is relatively shorter in length than the lower shaft 67 of the actuator valve 59;
A stem of a barb can be used as well. In addition, the actuator valve 59
The cross-sectional area provided by the sealing surface 69 of the control valve 79 is smaller than that provided by the override closing surface 95 of the control valve 79. In other words, the relative diameter of the control valve intermediate section 81 is greater than the diameter of the intermediate section 61 of the actuator valve 59. Further, the diameter of the O-ring 99 in VJ contact with the opening 97 is slightly larger than the diameter of the O-ring 73 adjacent to the open lower lower 1.

Next, the operation of the improved pylon 1 to valve according to the present invention will be explained. As long as the liquid level 23 (FIG. 1) is within the desired limits in the tank 13, the flapper 25 will not exert downward biased pressure on the actuator valve 59, and therefore the pylons 1-45 will be within the desired limits in the tank 13. (ff, f
It's in fi. Coil spring 87 opens control valve 79
7 to compress the O-ring 99 and close the passage of the supply gas entering the lower chamber 51 from the gas passage 57. As soon as the liquid level 23 (FIG. 1) in the tank 13 rises above a specified limit, the float 21 causes the flapper 25 to exert a downward biased pressure against the upper shaft 63 of the actuator valve 59. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the O-ring 73 adjacent to the open lower lower part 1 is roughly compressed, and the lower shaft 67 of the actuator valve 59 is moved to the control valve 79.
This allows the upper shaft 83 of the valve plug 91 to be pressed in the direction of the valve stopper 91. As a result, the O-ring 99 is relaxed to allow the supply gas entering the lower chamber 51 to pass through the opening 97, through the gas passageway 57 and out the gas outlet 55. Gas outlet 55
The gas pressure passing through the . allow yourself to be

When the liquid level 23 is sufficiently lowered, the biased pressure of the flapper 25 on the upper shaft 63 is removed and the valve 45 switches to the fifth position.
Allow to return to the position shown in the figure. Although some residual gas pressure exists in the gas passage 57, the cross-sectional area of the override closing surface 95 of the control valve 79
is prevented from coming out of sealing engagement with opening 97, and thus prevents the flow of feed gas from lower chamber 51 into gas passageway 57.

The operation of the pilot valve according to the invention has been described above for draining liquid from the tank 13 when gas pressure is delivered through the gas outlet 55 of the pilot valve 45. It will be appreciated that depending on the action of the particular controller 27 selected, the action may be precisely reversed. That is, liquid drain valve 29 may remain open until gas pressure is communicated through gas outlet 55. The actuator valve 59 of the pilot valve as well as the control valve 79 are the same in each case.

The invention has notable advantages. The improved pilot valve has a dual valve system that maintains the supply gas in the upper valve chamber until it is actuated. When the valves are actuated, the two valves are relocated to allow feed gas to pass through the valve gas outlet to provide a pilot signal to the discharge valve of the separator. Feed gas pressure is not vented to the atmosphere during normal operating conditions of the pilot valve, as is the case with conventional devices. The improved pilot valve of the present invention is simple and reliable in design and inexpensive to manufacture. The outer shape of the pilot valve according to the invention is the same as that of a conventional pilot valve, so that it can be quickly replaced in controllers currently in use. The dual valve configuration of the water valve allows for significant production gas savings compared to conventional, constant flow control systems currently known in the art.

Although the invention has been shown in a single embodiment thereof, it is not limited thereto; on the contrary, it is possible to make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit of the invention. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an oil/gas separation device featuring the pilot valve of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an enlarged portion 9 of the float-operated pilot valve of FIG. 1; FIG. teeth,
Schematic diagram of a prior art pilot valve in open position: Figure 4 shows:
A schematic view of a conventional pilot valve similar to that shown in FIG. 3 in the closed position; FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the operation of the pilot valve of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway enlarged longitudinal section of the valve of FIG. It is a front view. 11 is "separation device"; 13 is "tank"; 21 is "float"; 23 is "liquid level": 29 is "discharge valve"; 2
5 is the "flapper"; 47 is the "valve body"; 49 is the "gas inlet"; 51 is the "lower chamber"; 53 is the "upper chamber"; 55 is the "gas outlet"; 57 is the "gas passage"; “actuator valve”;
63 is "upper axis"; 67 is r lower axis" near 1 is "upper opening";
79 indicates the "r control valve"; 83 indicates the "upper shaft"; 85 indicates the "lower shaft"; 87 indicates the "biasing member"; and 95 indicates the "upper cesarean surface".

Claims (10)

[Claims] (1) a float-operated pilot valve for an oil and gas separator, wherein the separator exerts an uneven pressure on the pilot valve in response to the liquid level within the separator;
In a type including a discharge valve assembled to the device and a pilot valve that discharges liquid from the device when biased pressure is applied by the float: (a) a gas inlet communicating with the gas inlet; a pilot valve body having a lower chamber, an upper chamber, a gas outlet, and a gas passage communicating the upper chamber, the lower chamber, and the gas outlet; an actuator valve having an upper shaft that can be brought into contact with the lower shaft; and a lower shaft that is slidably received within a portion of the gas passageway; a control valve having an upper shaft and a lower shaft having an upper sealing surface adapted to sealingly engage an opening of the gas passageway into the lower chamber; and an upper sealing surface of the control valve. A float-operated pilot valve including a biasing member that permanently biases a surface toward a closed position in contact with the opening of the gas passageway, thereby blocking the flow of gas from the gas outlet. (2) In the pilot valve operated by a float according to claim 1: the valve body has a T-shaped gas passage connecting the upper chamber, the lower chamber, and the gas outlet, and the actuator valve a lower shaft of the control valve and an upper shaft of the control valve are contained within a common portion of the gas passageway. (3) In the float-operated pilot valve according to claim 2, wherein the actuator valve has a lower sealing surface adapted to sealingly engage the opening of the gas passage into the upper chamber. and wherein the actuator valve lower sealing surface and the control valve upper sealing surface are located at opposite ends of a portion of the T-shaped gas passage. (4) In the float-operated pilot valve according to claim 3, the control valve further includes a valve that is located within the upper chamber between the lower sealing surface of the actuator valve and the gas passage opening and the upper sealing surface of the control valve. and the gas passage opening, the float-operated pilot valve including an elastic sealing member disposed within the lower chamber. (5) In the pilot valve operated by a float according to claim 4: the biased pressure of the float with respect to the upper axis of the actuator valve compresses the sealing member of the upper chamber, and a float-operated pilot valve for relaxing a sealing member of the valve, thereby allowing gas to flow from the lower chamber through the gas passageway to the gas outlet. (6) a float-operated pilot valve for an oil and gas separator, wherein the separator exerts an uneven pressure on the pilot valve in response to the liquid level within the separator;
In a type including a discharge valve assembled to the device and a pilot valve that discharges liquid from the device when biased pressure is applied by the float: (a) a gas inlet communicating with the gas inlet; a pilot valve body having a lower chamber having an upper opening, an upper chamber having an upper opening, a gas outlet, and a T-shaped gas passage communicating the upper chamber, the lower chamber, and the gas outlet; (b) contacting the float; an actuator valve contained within the upper chamber having an upper shaft extending from the upper opening and a lower shaft slidably received within a portion of the gas passageway; having a lower sealing surface adapted to sealingly engage the opening of the gas passage; c. having an upper shaft housed in the lower chamber and in contact with the lower shaft of the actuator valve; and a lower shaft. a control valve having an upper sealing surface adapted to sealingly engage an opening of the gas passageway into the lower chamber, the actuator valve lower sealing surface and the control valve upper sealing surface forming the T-shape; provided at each opposite end of the common portion of the gas passage; within the upper chamber between the actuator valve lower closure surface and the gas passage opening, and between the control valve upper sealing surface and the gas passage opening; an elastic sealing member disposed in the lower chamber between the control valve; and (e) an elastic sealing member disposed within the lower chamber between A float-operated pilot valve that includes a biasing member. (7) In the pilot valve operated by a float according to claim 6: the pilot valve in which the sealing member is an O-ring. (8) In the pilot valve operated by a float according to claim 6, the biasing member is a coil spring received around the lower shaft of the control valve in the lower chamber. (9) A float-actuated pilot valve according to claim 6, wherein the actuator valve lower sealing surface has a smaller relative cross-sectional area than the control valve upper sealing surface. (10) In the pilot valve operated by a float according to claim 6: the biased pressure of the float with respect to the upper axis of the actuator valve compresses the sealing member of the upper chamber, and a float-operated pilot valve for relaxing a sealing member of the valve, thereby allowing gas to flow from the lower chamber through the gas passageway to the gas outlet.