RU202002U1 - ACTIVATION VALVE - Google Patents

Abstract

The technical solution relates to the mining industry, in particular to the device of the activation valve, which is used in the layouts of equipment for carrying out multi-stage hydraulic fracturing (MSHF) in vertical, directional and horizontal wells. The claimed activation valve is mainly installed in the lower part of the assembly and allows you to create the necessary pressure drop to activate the hydromechanical packer by closing the inner passageway of the liner, that is, it performs the function of a single-acting shut-off valve. The activation valve contains a hollow valve body with a seat body and a seat concentrically located in it, and the seat is installed in the seat body by shear screws. The valve body is made up of the coupling part body and the nipple part body with the formation of an annular protrusion on the inner surface of the body of the nipple part. The seat body is made on the outside with a flange and is installed in the valve body with a flange supported on the annular protrusion of the nipple part of the valve body, while the seat body in the lower part is equipped with a basket made with through radial channels in the side surface of the basket and with a central hole in the bottom part ... In addition, an annular groove is made on the inner surface of the seat body, in which the retaining ring is located. In this case, the saddle is placed in the saddle body with the possibility of limited axial movement and is made in the form of a glass, in the lower part of which there are radial channels in places corresponding to the channels of the basket. Moreover, the saddle body and the saddle on the outer surface are equipped with annular grooves with sealing elements installed in them. The technical result from the use of an activation valve is to reliably provide a predetermined differential pressure between the inner cavity of the liner string and the annular space by increasing the tightness of the valve structure, a simple process of adjusting the closing pressure and reliably blocking the movable elements of the valve after it is closed. 5 p.p. f-ly, 1 dwg

Description

Technology area

The technical solution relates to the mining industry, in particular, to the device of the activation valve, which is used in the layouts of equipment for multistage hydraulic fracturing (MSHF) in vertical, directional and horizontal wells. The claimed activation valve is predominantly installed in the lower part of the assembly and allows creating the necessary pressure drop to activate the hydromechanical packer by closing the inner passageway of the liner.

State of the art

Various design options for activation valves for the oil and gas industry are known in the art. In particular, from the description of the patent of the Russian Federation for the invention RU2055152, IPC: E21B33 / 12, published on 02.27.1996, an activation valve is known, which serves to fix packers in production strings of oil and gas wells. This valve consists of a body in which a hollow bushing with a seat for a dumped ball is installed on shear screws, placed in the body with the possibility of limited axial movement. In this case, the upper end of the saddle is made inclined, and an additional radial hole is made in the body.

Shear activation landing valve works as follows. After running the tubing string into the well with a packer and a shear activation landing valve located below the packer, a ball is dropped from the wellhead, which sits on the landing chamfer of the inclined end of the valve seat. Further, a calculated excess hydraulic pressure is created at the wellhead, at which the packer is fixed in the production string of the well. Then, at a pressure exceeding the design pressure, the screws are sheared, as a result of which the seat with the ball rushes down until the lower end of the seat fits into the restrictive shoulder of the valve body. At the same time, the ball, under the influence of the fluid flow, rolls along the inclined plane of the upper end of the seat, and then, under the influence of weight, falls into the annular space of the well to the bottom. In this case, the fluid flow together with the ball passes through the radial opening of the housing, as a result of which the excess pressure is released, which excludes the possibility of water hammer when shearing the said screws.

The disadvantage of the design of the known activation landing valve is that its design does not comply with the requirements for equipment for carrying out multistage hydraulic fracturing, since the valve body has an additional radial opening for dumping the ball.

From the description of the patent of the Russian Federation for utility model RU101488, IPC: E21B 33/14, published on January 20, 2011, a landing collar is known, which is installed in the lower part of the liner string, and is designed to activate the hydraulic suspension of the liner by planting a locking plug or ball in the sealing saddle of the coupling ... Thus, the landing collar makes it possible to create the necessary pressure drop to activate the hydromechanical packer of the liner hanger by closing the inner passageway of the said liner string, that is, it performs the function of a single-action activation shut-off valve. This technical solution can be chosen as the closest analogue of the claimed utility model.

A device in the form of a valve is known from the description and drawing of the said utility model according to RU101488, which contains a hollow cylindrical body with a seat body concentrically placed in it and a seat mounted in the seat body on shear screws. Moreover, the upper end of the saddle body and the saddle itself are made in the form of a funnel forming a seat for the plug.

It is noted that the plug can have various configurations. It can be made in the form of a cleaning plug with an annular collar or in the form of a ball.

In the description of the utility model it is also indicated that the seat body and the seat are preferably made of an aluminum alloy for the convenience of drilling out the locking elements of the structure of this valve, which are not reusable.

The disadvantage of the above-described utility model is the low reliability of the device, as well as the fact that after the screws are cut, the saddle falls to the bottom, clogging it. In addition, the device has low tightness, since it is not provided with sealing elements at the joints of the valve body parts with the seat body and seat.

The claimed utility model is aimed at expanding the arsenal of tools that are activation valves for the oil and gas industry.

The declared utility model is also aimed at solving the problem of increasing the reliability, operability and efficiency of the activation valve when used in severe operating conditions as part of a liner string when installing equipment for hydraulic fracturing in oil and gas wells.

Disclosure of the essence of the utility model

The technical result from the use of an activation valve is to reliably provide a predetermined value of differential pressure (pressure drop) between the inner cavity of the liner string and the annular space by increasing the tightness of the valve structure, as well as a simple process of adjusting the closing pressure and reliably blocking the moving valve elements after it is closed ...

To achieve the claimed technical result, an activation valve is proposed, comprising a hollow valve body with a seat body and a seat concentrically located therein, and the seat is installed in the seat body on shear screws. The valve body is made up of the body of the coupling part and the body of the nipple part with the formation of an annular projection on the inner surface of the body of the nipple part, and the seat body is made on the outer side with a flange and is installed in the valve body with a flange support on the annular projection of the nipple part of the valve body, while the saddle body in the lower part is equipped with a basket made with through radial channels in the side surface of the basket and with a central hole in its bottom part. In addition, an annular groove is made on the inner surface of the saddle body, in which a retaining ring is placed, while the saddle is placed in the saddle body with the possibility of limited axial movement and is made in the form of a glass, in the lower part of which there are radial channels in places corresponding to the channels of the basket. Moreover, the saddle body and the saddle on the outer surface are equipped with annular grooves with sealing elements installed in them.

The locking element of the activation valve is a throw-away ball made with the possibility of landing on the seat when it is dropped from the wellhead.

The composite valve body contains a threaded connection of the body of the coupling part and the body of the nipple part, while at the lower end of the coupling part of the body there are additionally made holes in which the pins are installed with an emphasis on the annular groove on the nipple part of the body.

The activation valve body at the end of the coupling part is made with an internal tapered thread for the inlet pipe, and on the other side at the end of the nipple part it is made with an external tapered thread for the outlet pipe.

In the claimed activation valve, the seat entrance is made in the form of a funnel formed by the seat mouth, tightly mated with the seat body mouth and with a conical bore on the adjacent section of the valve body coupling part, which together form a single conical surface forming a receptacle for catching the ball for landing in saddle.

In the claimed activation valve, a blind conical groove is made in the bottom of the seat.

When operating the declared design of the activation valve, there are two possible options for its use, either with the use of one throw ball, or with the use of two throw balls of different sizes, which further increases the reliability of the declared equipment.

An additional locking element in the claimed design of the activation valve is a ball designed to fit on a tapered groove in the bottom of the seat. Such an additional ball is made with a smaller diameter size in comparison with the previously described ball intended to fit on the seat, since the additional ball passes into the seat cavity and reaches its bottom.

The actuation valve is typically installed at the bottom of the liner and operates under severe conditions, elevated temperatures and corrosive environments. To increase reliability and operability, the declared valve can be made with protective coatings, for example, with a coating for protection against hydrogen sulfide.

Brief Description of Drawings

The drawing is presented for a better understanding of the utility model, however, it will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that the disclosed utility model is not limited to the embodiment shown in the drawing.

FIG. 1 shows a general view of a longitudinal section of an activation valve in accordance with the present description of a utility model.

Structural elements of the activation valve are designated in figure 1 by the following positions:

1 - body of the coupling part;

2 - seat body;

3 - spring retaining ring;

4 - sealing seat (for the ball);

5 - body of the nipple part;

6 - activation ball;

7 - shear screws;

10 - pins (with gaskets);

11 - sealing elements installed in the annular grooves of the seat;

12 - sealing elements installed in annular grooves of the seat body.

Implementation of the utility model

FIG. 1 shows a single-action activation valve installed in the lower part of the liner string, which allows, after locking the seat with a ball, to create a differential pressure (pressure drop) between the inner cavity of the liner string and the annulus required to activate the packer of the hydromechanical hydraulic liner hanger (in the drawing not shown).

The activation valve contains a hollow body in which the seat body 2 and the seat 4 are concentrically placed and tightly coupled with each other, and the seat 4 is installed in the seat body 2 on shear screws 7.

For the convenience of installing shear screws, the body of the claimed valve is made of two parts, namely, of the body of the coupling part 1 and the body of the nipple part 5 with the formation of an annular protrusion on the inner surface of the body of the nipple part 5 at the junction of these parts of the valve body.

The seat body 2 is made on the outside with a flange and is installed in the valve body supported by the flange on the annular protrusion of the nipple part 5 of the seat body. The saddle body 2 in the lower part is equipped with a basket made with through radial channels in the side surface of the basket and with a central through hole in its bottom part.

The saddle 4 is made in the form of a glass with a blind bottom, while in the lower part of the side wall of the glass, radial channels are made in places corresponding to the radial channels in the basket, with the formation of a flow communication between the cavity of the seat 4 and the cavity of the valve nipple part 5.

An annular groove is made on the inner surface of the seat body 2, in which the retaining ring 3 is located.

In addition, the body of the seat 2 and the seat 4 on the outer surface are provided with paired annular grooves with sealing elements 11 and 12 installed in them, respectively.

The activation valve body is a one-piece split piece. It consists of the body of the coupling part 1 and of the body of the nipple part 5, interconnected by thread, which are fixedly fixed by pins 10 installed in the holes at the lower end of the coupling part 1 of the body with an abutment in the corresponding groove on the nipple part 5 of the body. The detachable manufacturing of the activation valve body allows concentrically installing inside it the seat body 2 and the seat 4 itself, connected by shear screws 7, with their tight mating with each other and with the valve body along the entire lateral surface of the mentioned parts, while observing the tightness conditions, in contrast to the prototype, in which between There is an annular pocket in the valve body and seat body, which weaken the valve structure under axial loads of the activation pressure. Moreover, the tightness of the connection of the parts of the claimed valve is increased by the annular sealing elements installed in pairs at each junction of the mentioned parts in contact with the liquid medium.

Shear screws 7 control the value of the activation pressure, above which they are sheared off, after which the saddle 4 moves to the "Closed" position, ensuring the operability of the claimed device and the possibility of activating the hydromechanical suspension packer.

To increase the reliability of the valve, a spring retaining ring 3 is placed in the annular groove of the seat body 2, installed opposite the adjacent groove made on the outer surface of the seat 4. When the upper edge of the seat 4 is axially displaced below the groove with the retaining ring 3, the retaining ring 3 is expanded, blocking the seat 4 from reverse axial movements from the "Closed" position.

During operation of the claimed device in inclined wells for more reliable trapping by the saddle 4 of the ball 6, the declared valve is made with a receiving socket in the form of a smooth funnel formed by the mouth of the saddle 4, coupled with the mouth of the seat body 2 and a tapered bore in the adjacent section of the coupling part 1 of the valve body, which form a single conical surface. The absence of gaps between the listed parts increases the reliability of the declared valve design.

The activation valve works as follows.

An activation valve that closes the inner bore of the liner is used in assemblies for multi-stage hydraulic fracturing of an oil and gas reservoir (MSHF) in vertical, deviated and horizontal wells.

The activation valve is usually installed in the lower part of the assembly above the check valve and allows creating the necessary pressure difference between the inner cavity of the liner string and the annulus to activate the hydromechanical hanger packer.

The activation valve is lowered into the well on the tubing string in the open position as part of the MSHF assembly.

The activation valve is triggered after the ball 6 is released from the wellhead. Under the action of gravity, the ball 6 descends along the tubing string channel and reaches the activation valve body, where it sits on the seat 4. When the fluid pressure in the inner cavity of the liner string rises, ball 6 presses on the saddle 4, as a result of which the screws are sheared 7. The saddle 4 is displaced down to the stop against the bottom of the basket, blocking the communication between the flow cavities of the valve, hermetically locking through the side walls of the saddle 4 through radial channels in the side surface of the basket of the saddle body 2, as well as the central hole in its bottom. After moving down the seat 4, the retaining ring 3 is expanded, blocking the seat 4 from reverse axial movements.

Thus, the strength of the shear screws 7 controls the value of the activation pressure, above which the screws are sheared, after which the seat 4 moves to the "Closed" position. The advantage of the claimed utility model is the simple process of adjusting the closing pressure, which increases the reliability of the activation valve.

When operating the activation valve in deviated wells, to increase the reliability of its operation, it is possible to use another ball (not shown in the drawing) of a smaller diameter as a locking element as compared to the ball 6 described above.

The double-ball activation valve option provides the following steps. First, a small diameter activation ball is dropped from the wellhead. It is caught by the receptacle of the activation valve, made in the form of a funnel, and is directed into the seat cavity 4, along which it descends to the bottom of the seat glass. A conical groove is made in the bottom part of the saddle 4, which fixes a small ball. The diameter of the small ball is selected in such a way that, being located in the groove on the bottom of the seat 4, the small ball is able to close the entrances to the radial channels of the seat 4, after which the communication between the flow cavities of the valve in the coupling and nipple parts is terminated and the valve is locked. In this case, the second ball 6 of large diameter will be a safety one. If the closed valve state is achieved with a small ball, then the second ball is not required to start.

For example, with a valve opening of 70 mm as the preferred ball size, the small ball can be 15.04 mm in diameter and the large ball 6 can be 25.4 mm in diameter.

However, if, while moving along the inclined channel of the MSHF assembly, a small ball caught on somewhere along the way and its advance stopped, then a safety large ball 6 is launched after it, which propels the small ball and additionally closes the seat of the activation valve itself.

The ability to operate the valve with two balls of different diameters increases the reliability and performance of the declared design of the activation valve in deviated wells.

The claimed utility model provides an expansion of the arsenal of tools in the form of creating a new version of the design of an activation valve for the oil and gas industry, which effectively solves the problem of increasing the reliability and operability of the valve when used in severe operating conditions as part of a liner string when installing equipment for hydraulic fracturing in oil and gas wells.

Another advantage of the utility model is that the locking elements of the activation valve do not fall to the bottom, but are caught by the valve basket. This allows them to be disposed of when lifting the assembly out of the well.

In addition, the basket catching the locking elements of the activation valve reduces the risk of unplanned opening of the assembly channel, since the basket does not contain shear fastening elements, which increases the reliability of the claimed device as a locking means. To open the mentioned channel, it will be necessary to drill out the seat of the activation valve together with the ball and basket.

Claims (6)

1. An activation valve containing a hollow valve body with a seat body and a seat concentrically placed in it, a ball-shaped locking element made with the possibility of landing on a seat, and the seat is installed in the seat body on shear screws, characterized in that the valve body is made of composite - from the body of the coupling part and the body of the nipple part - with the formation of an annular projection on the inner surface of the body of the nipple part, the seat body is made on the outside with a flange and is installed in the valve body with a flange supported on the annular projection of the nipple part of the valve body, while the seat body is in the lower part is equipped with a basket made with through radial channels in the side surface of the basket and with a central hole in the bottom part, in addition, an annular groove is made on the inner surface of the saddle body, in which a retaining ring is located, while the saddle is placed in the saddle body with the possibility of limited axial movement and made o in the form of a glass, in the lower part of which radial channels are made in places corresponding to the channels of the basket, the saddle body and the saddle on the outer surface are equipped with annular grooves with sealing elements installed in them, and the entrance to the saddle is made in the form of a funnel formed by the mouth of the saddle, tightly conjugated with the mouth of the seat body and a conical bore on the adjacent section of the coupling part of the valve body, which form a single conical surface forming a receptacle for catching the ball. 2. The valve according to claim. 1, characterized in that the composite valve body comprises a threaded connection of the body of the coupling part and the body of the nipple part, and at the lower end of the coupling part of the body there are additionally made holes in which the pins are installed with an emphasis on the annular groove on the nipple part case. 3. The valve according to claim 1, characterized in that a conical groove is made in the bottom of the seat. 4. The valve according to claim. 3, characterized in that it is equipped with an additional locking element in the form of a ball, made with the possibility of landing on the tapered groove in the bottom of the saddle. 5. The valve according to claim. 1, characterized in that its body at the end of the coupling part is made with an internal tapered thread for the inlet pipe, and on the other hand, at the end of the nipple part, it is made with an external tapered thread for the outlet pipe. 6. The valve according to claim 1, characterized in that it is coated to protect against hydrogen sulfide.

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