Retrievable fluid control valve and method

Claim 2

A retrievable fluid control valve for seating in a seating nipple within a tubing string to control the flow of fluid downwardly through the tubing string in response to fluid pressure applied thereto, comprising: a valve body having opposite end portions and a longitudinal passageway extending therethrough and having a fluid flow control port and a valve member actuator port formed therein, each port communicating between the passageway and the outer periphery of said valve body; a valve member slidably disposed within the passageway of said valve body for longitudinal movement therein between a closed position blocking fluid flow between the outer periphery of said valve body and the passageway therethrough and an open position allowing fluid flow between the outer periphery of said valve body and the passageway through the fluid flow control port responsive to fluid pressure acting thereon through the valve member actuator port in said valve body; means formed on said valve body intermediate one end portion thereof and the fluid flow control port for seating the valve body in the seating nipple; means formed on said valve body for providing a fluid-tight seal between the outer periphery of said valve body and the tubing string intermediate the fluid flow control port and the one end portion thereof; pIston means slidably disposed in the passageway adjacent to the opposite end portion of said valve body and longitudinally movable therein in response to the fluid pressure within the tubing string acting thereon; and biasing means dispoed intermediate said valve member and said piston means for urging said valve member into the closed position in response to the movement of said piston means responsive to the application of fluid pressure to said piston means.

Claim 3

The retrievable fluid control valve as defined in claim 1 characterized further to include: means carried by said valve body and engageable with said piston means for limiting the movement of said piston means in response to fluid pressure acting therein whereby said biasing means urges said valve member into the closed position with a force corresponding to a predetermined valve-opening fluid pressure.

Claim 4

The retrievable fluid control valve as defined in claim 2 characterized further to include: means securable to said piston means and responsive to an external force applied thereto for moving said piston means in a direction opposite to the direction of movement thereof responsive to fluid pressure within the tubing string.

Claim 5

The retrievable fluid control valve as defined in claim 2 characterized further to include: means securable to said piston means and responsive to an external force for moving said piston means in a direction opposite to the direction of movement thereof responsive to fluid pressure within the tubing string, and unseating said valve body from said seating nipple and retrieving said valve from said tubing string.

Claim 6

A retrievable pressure actuated valve assembly for controlling the flow of fluid through a conduit in response to fluid pressure within the conduit, comprising: a valve body positionable within the conduit, said valve body having an outer periphery, a first end portion and a second end portion, and having a longitudinal passageway extending therethrough and intersecting the first and second end portions; conduit seal means carried by said valve body for sealingly engaging the inner periphery of the conduit; piston means slidably disposed in the passageway through said valve body adjacent to the second end portion thereof for longitudinal movement within said valve body; retaining means formed on the second end portion of said valve body for retaining said piston means within said valve body; rod means connected to said piston means and having the outer end thereof extending through said retaining means for communicating with the fluid in the conduit; limit means secured to the outer end of said rod means for limiting the longitudinal movement of said piston means within said valve body toward the first end portion thereof; means carried by said rod means securable to an external source of power for moving said piston means longitudinally within said valve body toward the second end portion thereof; a valve member slidably disposed within the passageway through said valve body intermediate the first end portion thereof and said piston means, said valve member having an outer periphery, a first end portion positioned proximate to the first end portion of said valve body, a second end portion positioned proximate to said piston means, and a medial portion intermediate said first and second end portions, said valve member having a cavity formed therein and intersecting the first end portion thereof and having a port formed therein communicating between the cavity and the outer periphery of said valve member intermediate the medial portion and the second end portion thereof; a first cylindrically shaped inner surface formed in the passageway of said valve body adjacent to the first end portion of said valve member; a second cylindrically shaped inner surface formed in the passageway of said valve body adjacent to the second end portion of said valve member; a medial cylindrically shapeD inner surface formed in the passageway of said valve body intermediate the first and second cylindrically shaped inner surfaces and adjacent to the medial portion of said valve member, said medial cylindrically shaped inner surface having a diameter greater than the diameter of the first cylindrically shaped inner surface and greater than the diameter of the second cylindrically shaped inner surface; first seal means carried by the first end portion of said valve member for providing a sliding seal between the first end portion of said valve member and the first cylindrically shaped inner surface of said valve body; second seal means carried by the second end portion of said valve member for providing a sliding seal between the second end portion of said valve member and the second cylindrically shaped inner surface of said valve body; medial seal means carried by the medial portion of said valve member for providing a sliding seal between the medial portion of said valve member and the medial cylindrically shaped inner surface of said valve body; means carried by said valve body for restricting the sliding movement of said valve member within the passageway of said valve body between a closed position proximate to the first end portion of said valve body and an open position distal from the first end portion of said valve body; biasing means disposed within the passageway through said valve body intermediate the second end portion of said valve member and said piston means for urging said valve member longitudinally away from said piston means into the closed position; a fluid flow control port formed in said valve body and communicating between the outer periphery thereof and the passageway therethrough, said fluid flow control port being positioned in said valve body such that when said valve member is in the closed position said first seal means is positioned longitudinally intermediate said fluid flow control port and the first end portion of said valve body, and when said valve member is in the open position said first seal means is positioned longitudinally intermediate said fluid flow control port and the second end portion of said valve body; and a valve member actuating port formed in said valve body and communicating between the outer periphery thereof and the passageway therethrough, said valve member actuating port being positioned in said valve body such that it remains longitudinally intermediate said first seal means and said medial seal means in all longitudinal positions of said valve member relative to said valve body.

Claim 7

A retrievable pressure actuated valve assembly for controlling the flow of fluid through a conduit in response to fluid pressure within the conduit, comprising: a valve body positionable within the conduit, said valve body having an outer periphery, a first end portion and a second end portion, and having a longitudinal passageway extending therethrough and intersecting the first and second end portions; conduit seal means carried by said valve body for sealingly engaging the inner periphery of the conduit; piston means slidably disposed in the passageway through said valve body adjacent to the second end portion thereof for longitudinal movement within said valve body; retaining means formed on the second end portion of said valve body for retaining said piston means within said valve body; rod means connected to said piston means and having the outer end thereof extending through said retaining means for communicating with the fluid in the conduit; limit means secured to the outer end of said rod means for limiting the longitudinal movement of said piston means within said valve body toward the first end portion thereof; means carried by said rod means securable to an external source of power for moving said piston means longitudinally within said valve body toward the second end portion thereof; a valve member slidably disposed within the passageway through said valve body intermediate the first end portion thereof and said piston means, said valve member having an outer periphery, a first end portion positioned proximate to the first end portion of said valve body, a second end portion positioned proximate to said piston means, and a medial portion intermediate said first and second end portions, said valve member having a cavity formed therein and intersecting the first end portion thereof and having a port formed therein communicating between the cavity and the outer periphery of said valve member intermediate the medial portion and the second end portion thereof; a first cylindrically shaped inner surface formed in the passageway of said valve body adjacent to the first end portion of said valve member; a second cylindrically shaped inner surface formed in the passageway of said valve body adjacent to the second end portion of said valve member; a medial cylindrically shapeD inner surface formed in the passageway of said valve body intermediate the first and second cylindrically shaped inner surfaces and adjacent to the medial portion of said valve member, said medial cylindrically shaped inner surface having a diameter greater than the diameter of the first cylindrically shaped inner surface and greater than the diameter of the second cylindrically shaped inner surface; first seal means carried by the first end portion of said valve member for providing a sliding seal between the first end portion of said valve member and the first cylindrically shaped inner surface of said valve body; second seal means carried by the second end portion of said valve member for providing a sliding seal between the second end portion of said valve member and the second cylindrically shaped inner surface of said valve body; medial seal means carried by the medial portion of said valve member for providing a sliding seal between the medial portion of said valve member and the medial cylindrically shaped inner surface of said valve body; means carried by said valve body for restricting the sliding movement of said valve member within the passageway of said valve body between a closed position proximate to the first end portion of said valve body and an open position distal from the first end portion of said valve body; biasing means disposed within the passageway through said valve body intermediate the second end portion of said valve member and said piston means for urging said valve member longitudinally away from said piston means into the closed position; a fluid flow control port formed in said valve body and communicating between the outer periphery thereof and the passageway therethrough, said fluid flow control port being positioned in said valve body such that when said valve member is in the closed position said first seal means is positioned longitudinally intermediate said fluid flow control port and the first end portion of said valve body, and when said valve member is in the open position said first seal means is positioned longitudinally intermediate said fluid flow control port and the second end portion of said valve body; and a valve member actuating port formed in said valve body and communicating between the outer periphery thereof and the passageway therethrough, said valve member actuating port being positioned in said valve body such that it remains longitudinally intermediate said first seal means and said medial seal means in all longitudinal positions of said valve member relative to said valve body.

Claim 10

The method as defined in claim 6 and characterized further to include the additional steps of: removing the displacement fluid from the tubing string; and retrieving the valve up through the tubing string.

Claim 13

The method as defined in claim 8 wherein the predetermined amount of treating fluid loaded into the tubing string comprises the predetermined portions of the treating fluid pumped into the first and second zones.

Claim 14

The method as defined in claim 9 characterized further to include the additional steps of: removing the displacement fluid from the tubing string; and retrieving the valve up through the tubing string.

Claim 15

The method as defined in claim 10 characterized further to include the additional steps of: releasing the packer from sealing relation between the tUbing string and the bore hole; releasing the bridge plug from sealing relation with the bore hole; and retrieving the packer and bridge plug from the bore hole.