Patent Grant
8371375
The field of the invention is barrier valves for subterranean use and more particularly such valves that can be run in on wireline and latch to a specific landing nipple and which can be subsequently operated mechanically or hydraulically.
String mounted barrier valves are made up with a string when the string is run into a subterranean location. If the valve is hydraulically operated such as with one or more control lines, the control lines are made up and run outside the tubular string until the valve is at its proper location. Barrier valves isolate one part of the wellbore from another against flow in either direction. One type of such hydraulically actuated barrier valve that is run in as part of a string is illustrated in US Publication 20080110632. Insert safety valves can be run into a string and latch into a landing nipple with dogs that extend for support off the existing safety valve where the insert valve runs off a control system of the initial safety valve as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,865. U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,044 illustrates an annular chamber in a safety valve in a string that is penetrated by a penetrating tool and an insert safety valve is run into the string mounted safety valve and pressure in the penetrated annular chamber communicates to the insert safety valve to subsequently operate it.
There are applications where barrier valves are not initially needed and could be needed in the future. It is economical in these situations for the well operator to delay the purchase of such expensive items as barrier valves until the time they are actually needed downhole. The present invention allows such flexibility by providing a valve that can be run into a predetermined location or locations and latched into position. These locations are landing nipples that have been put into the string initially at desired locations. Preferably they have unique patterns for a valve latching system to engage only on a desired landing nipple that matches the profile of the latch mechanism that mates with it and is mounted on the barrier valve that is preferably run into the wellbore on wireline. In the case of a hydraulically operated barrier valve, the landing nipple or nipples in the string will already have control lines initially installed with the string in a landing nipple or nipples. The barrier valve hydraulic connections are lined up and in a sealing relation to the control line connections in the landing nipple so that the barrier valve can latch in and immediately be operated hydraulically with the control lines. Alternatively, a wireline tool can be run in to open communication to the landing nipple before the barrier valve is run in. These and other aspect of the present invention will be more readily appreciated by those skilled in the art from a review of the attached specification and drawings while appreciating that the full scope of the invention is determined by the appended claims.
A unique landing nipple has spaced control line connections and external control lines running from the surface to those connections. A hydraulic barrier valve, such as a ball valve, is run in to a predetermined landing nipple and latched in position where the control line connections are in the right locations to operate the valve. A landing nipple with a latching groove alone can be used with a wireline run barrier valve to latch it into position at the desired location. A shifting tool is used to operate the mechanically actuated valve. More than one valve can be positioned or used in the string at a time or the same valve can also be positioned at different landing nipples at different times to meet the production needs of the well operator.
In the preferred embodiment, valve 10 is a barrier valve that has a ball 28 between seat sleeves 30 and 32. A through passage 34 runs through valve 10 through sleeves 30 and 32 and ball 28, shown in
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a landing nipple 54 can be installed within a string with hydraulic lines connected to it at 60 and 64 without a valve 76 being in position until it is later needed. One or more such landing nipples 54 can be installed in a string with different engaging profiles 16 so that more than one valve at a time can be run in with a wireline 14 and landed in the location where the dog assembly 18 matches the profile 16. While a wireline 14 is illustrated, other forms of conveyance of the valve 10 or 76 are envisioned such as coiled tubing or rigid tubing, for example. While the seals for chambers 78 and 80 can be on the valve 76 and abut a seal bore in the landing nipple 54 they can also be located on the landing nipple 54 as an alternative. Alternatively, connections 60 and 62 can be used for other functions than hydraulic lines. Signal and power lines can be connected at those locations such as wires or fiber optic cable. In those instances the valve 76 can have the opposite end of a connection that mates with a connection on the inside of the landing nipple 54 simply by insertion and locking the valve 76 into position. In those instances the landing nipple can also have tapered guide surfaces to ensure proper orientation of the valve 76 when in locks into groove 16 with dogs 18. The pattern of groove 16 can be a unique pattern in a string where there is more than one landing nipple 54 and the dog pattern on a particular valve can match only one pattern to ensure the intended valve 76 lands in the desired landing nipple 54. While the valve 76 is illustrated as a ball valve that is hydraulically operated with opposed piston assemblies 66 and assemblies 70 the valve type can vary as can the nature of the hydraulic system that actuates it. For example, valve 76 can be a choke or a sliding sleeve or a plug valve or the device need not even be an isolation valve of any type and can be other downhole tools that operate with hydraulic pressure. Such devices can also operate off a single control line with a pressurized onboard reservoir or spring to push in opposed direction than the action created by application of control line pressure.
The landing nipple 54 when used alone in a string with the lines 56 and 58 run in at the same time allows the later rapid insertion of a tool such as a barrier valve to be run in only when needed. This allows the operator to save money by running a simpler string and not purchasing the expensive tool until it is determined that it is absolutely needed. The tool could also be removed for repair, redress, or reconfiguration of the string without removing the entire string. The modular style tools that can be run in and locked into position also allow for rapid deployment and avoidance of the expense of installation until the actual need arises. Such drop in tools as barrier valves can be rapidly deployed by wireline or slickline or other conveyance modes as mentioned above and quickly locked into position with an accessory tool to create relative movement to support the dogs 18 in groove 16.
The barrier valve 10 can also be simply operated with a shifting tool (not shown) pushing on shoulder 40 or pulling on shoulder 38. This tool can merely shift sleeve 36 for the open and closed positions of ball 28 and it can also be configured to deliver the valve such as 10 or later retrieve it. On the subject of retrieval it should be noted that fishing neck 100 can be grabbed by a running or fishing tool to pull sleeve 20 by breaking a securing device such as a shear pin that allows sleeve 20 to shift so as to remove support for dogs 18 so that the valve 10 can be removed when no longer needed. Valve 76 or other downhole tools delivered in this manner can be removed as just described.
The above description is illustrative of the preferred embodiment and various alternatives and is not intended to embody the broadest scope of the invention, which is determined from the claims appended below, and properly given their full scope literally and equivalently.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20110132614 A1 | Jun 2011 | US |
