This invention relates in general to production of oil and gas wells, and in particular to a wellhead assembly having a shuttle valve moveable in one direction by pressurized fluid.
Wellheads used in the production of hydrocarbons extracted from subterranean formations typically comprise a wellhead assembly attached at the upper end of a wellbore formed into a hydrocarbon producing formation. Wellhead assemblies usually provide support hangers for suspending production tubing and casing into the wellbore. The casing lines the wellbore, thereby isolating the wellbore from the surrounding formation. The tubing typically lies concentric within the casing and provides a conduit therein for producing the hydrocarbons entrained within the formation.
Wellhead assemblies also typically include a wellhead housing adjacent where the casing and tubing enter the wellbore, and a production tree atop the wellhead housing. The production tree is commonly used to control and distribute the fluids produced from the wellbore and selectively provide fluid communication or access to the tubing, casing, and/or annuluses between the tubing and casing. Valves assemblies are typically provided within wellhead production trees for controlling fluid flow across a wellhead, such as production flow from the borehole or circulating fluid flow in and out of a wellhead.
In a type of wellhead system, a concentric tubing hanger lands in the wellhead housing thereby extending tubing into the wellbore and forming an annulus between the tubing and casing that lines the wellbore. A tubing annulus valve is generally located in the tubing hanger since a plug cannot be temporarily installed and retrieved from the tubing annulus passage with this type of tree.
A prior art example of a wellhead assembly 10 is shown in a side partial sectional view in
From time to time access to the annulus 22 and beneath the seal may be required for various downhole operations. Accordingly, shuttle valves 24 are included for fluid communication through the wellhead assembly 10 and into the annulus 22. In the prior art example of
Disclosed herein is an example of a wellhead assembly, that in an example embodiment includes a tubing hanger in a wellhead member and tubing attached to the tubing hanger that inserts into a wellbore. An annulus encircles the tubing. Also included is a shuttle valve assembly in the tubing hanger; where the shuttle valve includes a sleeve, a valve close port, a valve open port, and a piston selectively slidable within the sleeve to a closed position with an amount of pressure applied to the valve close port and the piston selectively slidable to an open position with an amount of pressure applied to the valve open port. In the example embodiment, a flow path extends through the tubing hanger, into the tubing annulus, and through the shuttle valve assembly when the piston is in an open position. An accumulator is included in this example embodiment that is in the annulus and in fluid communication with the valve close port. In an alternative embodiment, the wellhead member can be a wellhead housing or a production tree. The accumulator can be pressurized to a pressure above an ambient pressure. A spring may be optionally included that is biased to urge the shuttle valve into the closed position. In an alternative embodiment, the piston moves into the open position from pressure communication with a passage in the wellhead member and moves into the closed position from pressure communication with the accumulator. In an alternative embodiment, when the valve is moved into the valve open position, pressure in the accumulator maintains a force on the piston to urge the piston toward the closed position. In an alternative embodiment, the shuttle valve assembly is a first shuttle valve assembly and wherein the flow path is a first flow path; in this alternative embodiment a second shuttle valve assembly is included substantially similar to the first shuttle valve assembly.
An alternative example embodiment of a wellhead assembly is described herein, in the alternative example embodiment the wellhead assembly includes a wellhead member with a tubing hanger set therein and tubing hanging from the tubing hanger into a wellbore. The tubing is surrounded by a tubing annulus. In the alternative example embodiment, a shuttle valve is included in the tubing hanger; the shuttle valve is made up of an opening port in fluid communication with pressurized fluid for directing pressure within a portion of the shuttle valve for selectively positioning the shuttle valve into an open position, a flow path extending through the tubing hanger, into the tubing annulus, and through the shuttle valve when the shuttle valve is in the open position, and an accumulator in the tubing annulus in fluid communication with a closing port on the shuttle valve for directing pressure within another portion of the shuttle valve for selectively positioning the shuttle valve into a closed position. In an example embodiment, the shuttle valve has a sleeve and a piston selectively slidable within the sleeve to close the shuttle valve with an amount of pressure applied to the closing port and the piston selectively slidable to open the shuttle valve with an amount of pressure applied to the shuttle valve opening port. In an example embodiment, when the shuttle valve is moved into the shuttle valve open position, pressure in the accumulator maintains a force on the piston to urge the piston in a direction to close the shuttle valve. In an example embodiment, when the valve is moved into the valve open position, pressure in the accumulator maintains a force on the piston to urge the piston toward the closed position. In an example embodiment, the accumulator is suspended in an annulus between a portion of a tubing hanger and a wellhead housing. In an example embodiment, the shuttle valve is actuated into the open position by pressurized fluid in a single line passing through the wellhead housing and actuated into the closed position by pressure in the accumulator. In an example embodiment, another substantially similar shuttle valve is included. In an example embodiment, the accumulator is in fluid communication with a closing port on the second shuttle valve for directing pressure within another portion of the second shuttle valve for selectively positioning the second shuttle valve into a closed position. Optionally, more than one accumulator can be included.
Also disclosed herein is a method of controlling flow through a wellhead assembly. In an example embodiment the method includes providing a shuttle valve in a bore of a tubing hanger. The shuttle valve can be opened by applying pressure, such as through a fluid. This allows flow into a flow passage that extends within an annulus between the tubing hanger and a wellhead housing, through the open shuttle valve and outside of the wellhead assembly. Opening the valve also in turn pressurizes a closing side of the shuttle valve. The pressure in the closing side is stored for later use to close the shuttle valve. In an alternative embodiment, storing pressure can involve directing pressure from the closing side of the shuttle valve to an accumulator. In an alternative embodiment, the accumulator is a closed system disposed in the annulus.
The apparatus and method of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which embodiments are shown. This subject of the present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the illustrated embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. For the convenience in referring to the accompanying figures, directional terms are used for reference and illustration only. For example, the directional terms such as “upper”, “lower”, “above”, “below”, and the like are being used to illustrate a relational location.
It is to be understood that the subject of the present disclosure is not limited to the exact details of construction, operation, exact materials, or embodiments shown and described, as modifications and equivalents will be apparent to one skilled in the art. In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed illustrative embodiments of the subject disclosure and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for the purpose of limitation. Accordingly, the subject disclosure is therefore to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.
An example of a shuttle valve assembly 40 in accordance with the present disclosure is shown in a side sectional view in
Still referring to
Shown in a side sectional view in
Referring now to
In the example of
Shown in
While the invention has been shown or described in only some of its forms, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible to various changes without departing from the scope of the invention.
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GB Search Report dated Apr. 20, 2012 from corresponding Application No. GB1121163.8. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20120160513 A1 | Jun 2012 | US |