Patent US2192621A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3827501A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for automatically terminating uncontrolled flow of well fluids from a subsurface formation
Assignee: Macco Oil Tool Co Inc
•
Filing: 1973-04-09
•
Granted: 1974-08-06
•
Expires: 1993-04-09
Abstract
Abstract Disclosed is a self-contained, automatic valve assembly designed to be anchored at a subsurface location within a well conduit which extends into a subterranean formation employed as a reservoir to store pressurized natural gas. The valve is preferably supported by a retrievable packer which anchors the valve within the conduit and forms a seal to force gas flowing in the conduit to flow through the valve. Operation of the valve is governed by a pressure charged dome control which acts through a bellows to move a valve stem to the closed position to terminate flow through the valve when the flowing well pressure drops by a predetermined amount relative to the dome pressure. Compensating means included in the dome control permit the value of the flowing well pressure required to close the valve to be raised or lowered by controlling the pressure at the wellhead. In the method of the invention, the pressure acting on the dome control is automatically increased as gas is injected into the formation so that the differential between the dome pressure and the reservoir pressure remains at a substantially fixed value. During periods when gas is being removed from the well, the control pressure acting in the dome is periodically reduced by control of the wellhead pressure so that the valve remains open as the reservoir pressure falls. During gas injection or gas removal, the valve functions as a safety device and closes automatically to terminate well flow any time the flowing well pressure drops below the dome control pressure by an established value.
Inventors
- 👤 J Johnson
- 👤 S Guidry
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 17:44
CPC Classifications
E; E21; E21B; E21B34/00; E21B34/06; E21B34/08; E21B43/00; E21B43/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
174 words
An automatic safety valve for regulating flow of fluids from a well conduit extending into a subsurface formation comprising: a. pressure actuated, subsurface safety valve means connected with said conduit, said valve means including movable valve closure means movable to a closed position for terminating fluid flow through said conduit; b. gas filled dome control means included in said safety valve means and operatively connected with said valve closure means; c. surface controlled, pressure operated compensator means included in said valve means and operatively connected with said dome control means for changing the pressure in said dome control means; d. closing means included in said valve means and responsive to the pressure differential between the pressure in said dome control means and the flowing well pressure in said conduit for causing said valve closure means to move to said closed position; and e. opening means included in said valve means and responsive to pressure applied to said conduit above said closed valve means for moving said valve closure means from closed to open position.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
174 words
An automatic safety valve for regulating flow of fluids from a well conduit extending into a subsurface formation comprising: a. pressure actuated, subsurface safety valve means connected with said conduit, said valve means including movable valve closure means movable to a closed position for terminating fluid flow through said conduit; b. gas filled dome control means included in said safety valve means and operatively connected with said valve closure means; c. surface controlled, pressure operated compensator means included in said valve means and operatively connected with said dome control means for changing the pressure in said dome control means; d. closing means included in said valve means and responsive to the pressure differential between the pressure in said dome control means and the flowing well pressure in said conduit for causing said valve closure means to move to said closed position; and e. opening means included in said valve means and responsive to pressure applied to said conduit above said closed valve means for moving said valve closure means from closed to open position.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
111 words
A safety valve as defined in claim 1 wherein said compensator means includes: a. discharge valve means connected with said dome control means and responsive to a predetermined pressure differential between said dome control means and the pressure in said conduit above said safety valve means for discharging gas from said dome control means whereby the pressure in said dome control means is reduced; and b. charge valve means connected with said dome control means and responsive to a predetermined pressure differential between said dome control means and the pressure in said conduit for charging said dome control means with gas whereby the pressure in said dome control means is increased.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
68 words
A safety valve as defined in claim 2 further including: a. a compensator chamber included with said safety valve means in a pressure communication with said dome control means through opening of said charge and discharge valve means; and b. pressure communication means included with said valve means for providing continuous pressure communication between said compensator chamber and the area in said conduit above said safety valve means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
46 words
A safety valve as defined in claim 3 wherein said charge and discharge valve means include: a. spring bias means for urging said charge and discharge valve means to their closed position; and b. adjustment means for altering the force exerted by said spring bias means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
44 words
A safety valve as defined in claim 1 including means for altering the value of the pressure differential required between the pressure in said dome control means and the flowing well pressure for causing said valve closure means to move to said closed position.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
217 words
An automatic safetY valve as defined in claim 1 wherein: a. said safety valve means includes valve body means having a flow passage with inlet and outlet means extending through at least a portion of said valve body means; b. said movable valve closure means is connected with said valve body means for opening or closing said flow passage to respectively permit or terminate the flow of fluids or gases through said flow passage; c. a substantially circular valve seat surface is connected with said closure means and said flow passage; d. said valve closure means includes valve stem means including sealing means for sealingly engaging and disengaging said seat surface to respectively terminate or permit flow through said passage, said valve stem means and said seat surface being mounted for linear movement with respect to each other; and e. said valve means includes surface operable anchoring and sealing means for respectively anchoring said valve body at a subsurface location within a well conduit and forming a seal between said well conduit and said valve body means to prevent fluids or gases in said well conduit from flowing axially past said sealing means without first flowing through said flow passage whereby closure of said closure means may terminate flow of fluids or gases through said well conduit.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
45 words
An automatic safety valve as defined in claim 6 wherein said anchoring and sealing means includes a retrievable packer means with radially expansible and retractable securing means, a radially expansible and retractable elastomeric seal and a flow opening extending axially through a supporting packer body.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
89 words
An automatic safety valve as defined in claim 7 wherein: a. said valve body means includes a substantially tubular valve housing means connected to and supported by said packer body; b. said valve stem means is mounted for linear movement within said valve housing; c. said seat surface is formed in said valve housing means and encircles said flow passage; and d. said inlet end of said flow passage opens through the walls of said valve housing and said flow passage outlet end opens into said packer flow opening.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
98 words
An automatic safety valve as defined in claim 8 wherein said closing and opening means includes: a. contractable and expansible bellows means for forming a pressure seal between first and second pressure areas; b. first chamber means cooperating with said bellows means to form confining boundaries about said first pressure area; c. compressed spring means; and d. release means connected with said spring means for releasing said compressed spring means from its compressed position when movement of said bellows means exceeds a predetermined amount to thereby produce a fast, powering movement of said stem means to closed position.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
90 words
An automatic safety valve as defined in claim 9 further including bellows protection means including a noncompressible fluid contained in this said bellows means, a first chamber means enclosed within a portion of said bellows means and filled with said fluid and a selectively closable safety seal means operable by motion of said bellows means to seal said fluid in said first chamber means whereby the portion of said bellows means surrounding said first chamber means is prevented from contracting when said safety seal means seals said first chamber means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
101 words
An automatic safety valve as defined in claim 10 wherein: a. said bellows means includes a second enclosed bellows chamber means connected through said safety seal means with said first chamber means; b. incompressible fluid is contained in said first and second chamber means; and c. said safety seal means is operable by movement of said bellows means to seal either said first or second chamber means whereby fluid in the unsealed chamber means is isolated from the fluid in the sealed chamber means to prevent contraction of the bellows means in said sealed chamber means beyond a predetermined mAximum amount.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
100 words
An automatic safety valve as defined in claim 9 wherein said release means includes: a. radially movable detent means extending through said stem means and adapted when in radially extended position to engage and lock with said valve housing means for preventing relative axial movement between said stem means and said valve housing means to hold said closure means in open position; and b. triggering means operable by movement of said bellows means for permitting said detent means to retract radially whereby said compressed spring means is suddenly released to snap said stem means into engagement with said seat means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
56 words
A safety valve as defined in claim 1 wherein said compensator means includes discharge valve means responsive to a predetermined pressure differential between said dome control means and the pressure in said conduit above said safety valve means for discharging gas from said dome control means whereby the pressure in said dome control means is reduced.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
51 words
A safety valve as defined in claim 1 wherein said compensator means includes charge valve means responsive to a predetermined pressure differential between said dome control means and the pressure in said conduit for charging said dome control means with gas whereby the pressure in said dome control means is increased.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
101 words
A method of regulating the automatic closure of a compensator equipped, pressure dome actuated subsurface safety valve disposed in a well conduit extending into a subsurface formation comprising the steps of: a. reducing the flowing well pressure sufficiently to cause said safety valve to automatically close; b. reducing the pressure in the conduit area above the closed safety valve sufficiently to permit the pressure in said dome to begin to reduce; c. pressurizing the conduit area above the closed valve to reopen the valve; and d. increasing the dome pressure to a predetermined operating value relative to the flowing well pressure.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
101 words
A method of regulating the automatic closure of a compensator equipped, pressure dome actuated subsurface safety valve disposed in a well conduit extending into a subsurface formation comprising the steps of: a. reducing the flowing well pressure sufficiently to cause said safety valve to automatically close; b. reducing the pressure in the conduit area above the closed safety valve sufficiently to permit the pressure in said dome to begin to reduce; c. pressurizing the conduit area above the closed valve to reopen the valve; and d. increasing the dome pressure to a predetermined operating value relative to the flowing well pressure.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
53 words
A method as defined in claim 15 including the further step of increasing the operating pressure of the gas in the dome of the safety valve through said compensator as the pressure of the formation increases whereby a predetermined pressure differential is maintained between the operating dome pressure and the increasing formation pressure.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3045759A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-08-05 | 1978-02-04 | 1978-08-06 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-08-05 | 1982-02-04 | 1982-08-06 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-08-05 | 1986-02-04 | 1986-08-06 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |