Annulus access valve

• US 10,450,836 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2015
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Mackie, Darryl Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Buck, Matthew R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lembo, Aaron L
• Application Number:
  US15/737,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20180355697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/04 in underwater well heads
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/10 operated by control fluid supplied from outside the borehole
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/102 with means for locking the closing element in open or closed position E21B34/105 and E21B34/108 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/16 Control means therefor being outside the borehole control systems for submerged well heads E21B33/0355
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 3/24 with cylindrical valve members
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/1221 one side of the piston being spring-loaded

Abstract

A valve includes a chamber within a housing. A sliding member is located within the chamber and configured to move within the chamber. The sliding member includes a lower portion and an upper portion wherein the upper portion includes a passage. A spring device couples the sliding member to one end of the chamber. An inner passage of the housing is coupled between the chamber and an inner passage outlet of the housing. A control fluid inner passage is coupled between the chamber and a control fluid port of the housing. The inner passage is coupled to a gap area adjacent to a top surface of the sliding member. In a closed position, the lower portion of the sliding member is between an outer housing hole and the inner passage. In an open position, the passage couples the outer housing hole to the inner passage.

Claims

1. A valve, comprising:

a housing comprising a longitudinal opening extending through the housing to enable a fluid flow therethrough, an outer hole fluidly coupled to an annulus outside the housing, a control fluid port through a first end of the housing, and an inner passage outlet through a second end of the housing;

a chamber within the housing;

a sliding member to move within the chamber, the sliding member comprising a lower portion and an upper portion, the upper portion comprising at least one passage;

a spring device having a first end mechanically coupled to one end of the chamber and a second end mechanically coupled to the lower portion of the sliding member;

an inner passage fluidly coupled between the chamber and the inner passage outlet;

a control fluid inner passage fluidly coupled between the chamber and the control fluid port, the inner passage fluidly coupled to a gap area adjacent to a top surface of the sliding member;

wherein, in a closed position, the lower portion of the sliding member is between the outer hole and the inner passage and, in an open position, the at least one passage fluidly couples the outer hole to the inner passage; and

wherein the outer hole, the control fluid port, the inner passage outlet, the chamber, the inner passage, and the control fluid inner passage are fluidly isolated from the longitudinal opening.

2. The valve of claim 1, wherein the lower portion of the sliding member comprises a hollow area.

3. The valve of claim 2, wherein the spring device is disposed within the hollow lower portion.

4. The valve of claim 1, further comprising a plug disposed in the chamber at an end opposite to the end of the chamber coupled to the spring device.

5. The valve of claim 4, wherein the plug forms a gap area between the housing and the plug, the control fluid inner passage coupled to the chamber within the gap area.

6. The valve of claim 4, wherein the plug comprises an irregular surface area on a bottom surface adjacent to the top surface of the sliding member.

7. The valve of claim 1, wherein the upper portion of the sliding member comprises a plurality of passages, each of the passages to fluidly couple a corresponding hole in the housing with the inner passage coupled between the chamber and the inner passage outlet.

8. The valve of claim 1, wherein the spring device is configured to provide a spring force to push the sliding member away from the end of the chamber coupled to the spring device.

9. The valve of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a tubing hanger running tool adaptor.

10. A method for operation of a valve, the method comprising

providing a spring force to push a sliding member, in a chamber of a housing, into a closed position, the housing comprising a longitudinal opening extending through the housing to enable a fluid flow therethrough;

injecting a control fluid through a first end of the housing into a control fluid port to increase a control fluid pressure in a gap area adjacent to a top surface of the sliding member; and

increasing the control fluid pressure to a force greater than the spring force to move the sliding member to an open position, the open position comprising a passage in an upper portion of the sliding member fluidly coupling an outer hole of the housing with an inner passage within the housing, wherein an annulus fluid pressure is enabled to traverse the housing from the outer hole to an outlet of the inner passage in a second end of the housing, and wherein the chamber, the control fluid port, the inner passage, and the outlet of the inner passage are fluidly isolated from the longitudinal opening.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

coupling a valve under test to the outlet of the inner passage wherein the annulus fluid pressure is applied to the valve under test when the sliding member is in the open position.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the open position further comprises a plurality of passages coupling outer holes of the housing to the inner passage.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein increasing the control fluid pressure comprises injecting the control fluid into a gap area between a plug and the housing, the gap area adjacent to the top surface of the sliding member, such that the control fluid pressure is applied between the plug and the top surface of the sliding member.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising decreasing the control fluid pressure to less than the spring force such that the sliding member returns to the closed position wherein a lower portion of the sliding member blocks access of the outer hole to the inner passage.

15. A system, comprising:

a string to convey hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon borehole; and

a tubing hanger running tool adaptor housing coupled to the subsea string, the tool adaptor housing comprising a longitudinal opening extending through the housing to enable a fluid flow therethrough and an annulus access valve, the valve comprising;

a chamber within the tool adaptor housing;

a sliding member to move within the chamber, the sliding member comprising a lower portion and an upper portion, the upper portion comprising a plurality of passages;

a spring having a first end mechanically coupled to one end of the chamber and a second end mechanically coupled to the lower portion of the sliding member;

an inner passage fluidly coupled between the chamber and an inner passage outlet in a first end of the tool adaptor housing;

a control fluid inner passage fluidly coupled between the chamber and a control fluid port in a second end of the tool adaptor housing, the inner passage fluidly coupled to a gap area adjacent to a top surface of the sliding member;

wherein, in a closed position, the lower portion of the sliding member is between outer holes in the tool adaptor housing and the inner passage and, in an open position, each of the plurality of passages couples corresponding outer holes to the inner passage; and

wherein the control fluid port, the inner passage outlet, the chamber, the inner passage, and the control fluid inner passage are fluidly isolated from the longitudinal opening.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a cut-off valve coupled to the inner passage outlet.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein annulus fluid pressure can be received at a backside of the cut-off valve when the annulus access valve is in the open position.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the tool adaptor housing comprises a longitudinal opening coupling a lower pipe to an upper pipe.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of passages in the upper portion of the sliding member are approximately perpendicular to each other.