Patent Application
20220397018
In the resource recovery and fluid sequestration industries, ball valves are used for flow control and shut off for a myriad of duties. While common valves are generally effective, they do suffer from load induced wear and/or higher torque requirements for activation when under pressure. The art would well receive alternative configurations that avoid the issues presented in the prior art.
An embodiment of a ball valve including a ball defining a bore therein, and a trunnion arm articulated with the ball via a trunnion, the trunnion arm disposed on a resilient member allowing resilient movement of the trunnion arm pursuant to load on the ball.
The following descriptions should not be considered limiting in any way. With reference to the accompanying drawings, like elements are numbered alike:
A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way of exemplification and not limitation with reference to the Figures.
Referring to
The ball 14 is maintained in position by trunnion arms 30, which may be separate structures or a single structure in various embodiments. One example of the trunnion arms 30 being a single structure is illustrated in
Trunnion arms 30 are mounted to a resilient member 36 which may be a coil spring, cone spring, leaf springs etc., which may comprise metal, plastic, rubber, etc. In other words, the trunnion arms 30 are mounted to the tool 12 in a way that allows them to move under load on the ball 14. The movement allows for the shoulder 26 to land on buttress 28. This takes load off trunnions 34 and instead allows for sharing of the load between trunnions 34 and seal 22.
The ball valve 10 allows for low torque activation while also increasing reliability and longevity.
Referring to
Set forth below are some embodiments of the foregoing disclosure:
Embodiment 1: A ball valve including a ball defining a bore therein, and a trunnion arm articulated with the ball via a trunnion, the trunnion arm disposed on a resilient member allowing resilient movement of the trunnion arm pursuant to load on the ball.
Embodiment 2: The valve as in any prior embodiment, further including a sleeve in supportive contact with a surface of the ball.
Embodiment 3: The valve as in any prior embodiment, further including a seal in contact with a seal surface of the ball, the seal supported by a sleeve.
Embodiment 4: The valve as in any prior embodiment, wherein the sleeve includes a shoulder.
Embodiment 5: The valve as in any prior embodiment, wherein the shoulder is spaced from a buttress.
Embodiment 6: The valve as in any prior embodiment, wherein the buttress is part of a tool.
Embodiment 7: The valve as in any prior embodiment, wherein the resilient member extends from the trunnion to a tool.
Embodiment 8: The valve as in any prior embodiment, wherein the trunnion arm is two trunnion arms.
Embodiment 9: The valve as in any prior embodiment, wherein the trunnion arms are one piece.
Embodiment 10: The valve as in any prior embodiment, wherein the trunnion arm includes an opening through which a trunnion may be engaged with the ball.
Embodiment 11: A method for controlling flow including closing a ball as in any prior embodiment, and absorbing load on the ball with the resilient member.
Embodiment 12: The method as in any prior embodiment, further including bringing a shoulder of a seal support sleeve into contact with a buttress of a housing and sharing load on the ball between the trunnion arms and the seal support sleeve.
Embodiment 13: A wellbore tool including a housing, and a valve as in any prior embodiment.
Embodiment 14: A wellbore system including a borehole in a subsurface formation, a string disposed in the borehole, and a valve as in any prior embodiment, disposed within or as a part of the string.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Further, it should be noted that the terms “first,” “second,” and the like herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. The terms “about”, “substantially” and “generally” are intended to include the degree of error associated with measurement of the particular quantity based upon the equipment available at the time of filing the application. For example, “about” and/or “substantially” and/or “generally” can include a range of ±8% or 5%, or 2% of a given value.
The teachings of the present disclosure may be used in a variety of well operations. These operations may involve using one or more treatment agents to treat a formation, the fluids resident in a formation, a wellbore, and/or equipment in the wellbore, such as production tubing. The treatment agents may be in the form of liquids, gases, solids, semi-solids, and mixtures thereof. Illustrative treatment agents include, but are not limited to, fracturing fluids, acids, steam, water, brine, anti-corrosion agents, cement, permeability modifiers, drilling muds, emulsifiers, demulsifiers, tracers, flow improvers etc. Illustrative well operations include, but are not limited to, hydraulic fracturing, stimulation, tracer injection, cleaning, acidizing, steam injection, water flooding, cementing, etc.
While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited.
