FLOW CONTROL DIVERTER VALVE

• US 20120181044A1
• Filed: 01/14/2011
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Tesco Corporation US (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Nikiforuk, Kevin James
• Granted Patent: US 8,733,474 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/374
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/007 Conveyor belts or like feeding devices
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/377 Cooling or ventilating arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/103 Down-hole by-pass valve arrangements, i.e. between the inside of the drill string and the annulus valves specifically for maintaining circulation of drilling fluid while connecting or disconnecting tubular joints E21B21/019
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/063 Valve or closure with destructible element, e.g. frangible disc E21B34/103 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 34/142 unsupported or free-falling elements, e.g. balls, plugs, darts or pistons
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 7/20 Driving or forcing casings or pipes into boreholes, e.g. sinking; Simultaneously drilling and casing boreholes
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6573 Feeding path after the fixing point and up to the discharge tray or the finisher, e.g. special treatment of copy material to compensate for effects from the fixing
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 21/20 Humidity or temperature control also ozone evacuation; Internal apparatus environment control

Abstract

A method of drilling a well and installing a liner includes assembling concentric inner and outer strings of tubulars. A drill bit is located at the lower end of the inner string and a liner with a liner hanger makes up part of the outer string. The inner and outer strings may be rotated in unison to drill the well. A valve is located upstream of a liner hanger control tool used to release and set the liner hanger in the drill string. The valve comprises a ported sleeve that slides relative to a ported housing to meter flow from the interior of the drill string to the annular space. The redirected flow maintains a minimum flow rate in the annular space to prevent cuttings from settling on the control tool. A portion of the valve can further be used with a dart to manipulate downstream equipment.

Claims

1. A valve for metering fluid flow in drilling operations, comprising:

a housing for connection at a drill string;

at least one port formed in the housing that communicates an inner diameter with an outer diameter of the housing;

a sleeve located within the housing, the sleeve axially movable relative to the housing between a closed position and a metered position;

at least one port formed in the sleeve that communicates fluid from an inner diameter of the sleeve with an outer diameter of the sleeve, wherein the port of the sleeve at least partially aligns with the port of the housing when the sleeve is in metered position to allow fluid to flow from within sleeve to an outer annular space, and the sleeve blocking the port of the housing when sleeve is in closed position;

a spring element within the housing that biases the sleeve to the closed position; and

an orifice within the sleeve sized such that downward flow within the drill string exerts a downward force on the sleeve to move the sleeve downward to the metered position.

2. The valve according to claim 1, wherein the orifice is located with an orifice ring fastened with a shear member to the inner diameter of the sleeve wherein a sealing object may be dropped through the drill string and land sealingly on the orifice ring, enabling fluid pressure to be applied to the drill string to shear the orifice ring from the sleeve.

3. The valve according to claim 2, wherein lower end of the orifice ring has a partially spherical contour.

4. The valve according to claim 1, wherein the orifice is located within an orifice ring fastened with a shear member to the inner diameter of the sleeve;

a plug having a lower extension with an outer diameter corresponding to an inner diameter of the orifice in the orifice ring, the valve further comprises;

the plug landing on the orifice ring such that the lower extension extends below the orifice, and when pressure is applied to the plug, the pressure causes the shear member to shear and thereby release the orifice ring and allow it to move downward.

5. The valve according to claim 4, wherein a retainer spring is located at a lower end of the lower extension that snaps past the orifice of the orifice ring as the plug lands to prevent the plug from separating from the orifice ring as the orifice ring and plug move downward.

6. The valve according to claim 1, wherein the housing has an annular inner recess and the sleeve is located within the recess;

and

an inner diameter of the sleeve is the same as the inner diameter of the housing above and below the sleeve.

7. An apparatus for drilling a well with a liner string, comprising:

a liner hanger adapted for supporting liner string within a well;

a running tool connected to the liner hanger for running and setting the liner hanger into the well and adapted to connect with a drill pipe string through which drilling fluid flows during drilling operations; and

a valve located above the running tool for diverting a portion of drilling fluid flow from within the drill pipe to an outer annular space, the valve being movable from a closed position to a fully open position and to intermediate positions between the closed and fully open position in proportion to the rate of drilling fluid flowing through the valve;

8. The valve according to claim 7, wherein the valve comprises:

a housing for connection at a drill string;

at least one port formed in the housing that communicates an inner diameter with an outer diameter of the housing;

a sleeve located within the housing, the sleeve axially movable relative to the housing between a closed position and a metered position;

at least one port formed in the sleeve that communicates fluid from an inner diameter of the sleeve with an outer diameter of the sleeve, wherein the port of the sleeve at least partially aligns with the port of the housing when the sleeve is in metered position to allow fluid to flow from within sleeve to an outer annular space, and the sleeve blocking the port of the housing when sleeve is in closed position; and

a spring element within the housing that biases the sleeve to the closed position,

9. The valve according to claim 7, wherein the valve comprises:

a housing for connection at a drill string;

at least one port formed in the housing that communicates an inner diameter with an outer diameter of the housing;

a sleeve located within the housing, the sleeve axially movable relative to the housing between a closed position and a metered position;

at least one port formed in the sleeve that communicates fluid from an inner diameter of the sleeve with an outer diameter of the sleeve, wherein the port of the sleeve at least partially aligns with the port of the housing when the sleeve is in metered position to allow fluid to flow from within sleeve to an outer annular space, and the sleeve blocking the port of the housing when sleeve is in closed position;

a spring element within the housing that biases the sleeve to the closed position; and

an orifice within the sleeve sized such that downward flow within the drill string exerts a downward force on the sleeve to move the sleeve downward to the metered position.

10. The valve according to claim 7, wherein the orifice is located with an orifice ring fastened with a shear member to the inner diameter of the sleeve wherein a sealing object may be dropped through the drill string and land sealingly on the orifice ring, enabling fluid pressure to be applied to the drill string to shear the orifice ring from the sleeve, and wherein lower end of the orifice ring has a partially spherical contour.

11. The valve according to claim 9, wherein a plug having a lower extension with an outer diameter corresponding to a diameter of the orifice in the orifice ring is landed on the orifice ring such that the lower extension extends beyond the orifice, when pressure is applied to the plug, the pressure causes the fasteners connecting the orifice ring to the sleeve to shear and thereby release the orifice ring and allow it to move downstream.

12. The valve according to claim 11, wherein a retainer spring is located at a lower end of the lower extension that snaps past the orifice of the orifice ring as the plug lands to prevent the plug from separating from the orifice ring as the orifice ring and plug move downward.

13. The valve according to claim 8, wherein the housing has an annular inner recess and the sleeve is located within the recess;

and

an inner diameter of the sleeve is the same as the inner diameter of the housing above and below the sleeve.

14. A method of drilling a well and installing a liner, comprising:

(a) assembling concentric inner and outer strings of tubulars, with a drill bit located at a lower end of the inner string and a string of liner with a liner hanger at its upper end comprising the outer string;

(b) lowering the inner and outer strings into the well on a drill pipe string and rotating the drill bit to drill the well;

(c) pumping fluid down the inner string of tubulars during drilling of the well; and

(d) metering a portion of the fluid flowing down the drill pipe string to an outer annular space surrounding the drill pipe string to maintain a minimum flow rate in the annular space to prevent settling of drill cuttings.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the flow rate of fluid being metered to the annular space is proportional to the flow rate of the fluid pumped down the drill string.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein step (d) comprises installing a valve in the drill string;

a port to the annular space fully and partially open positions in response to the flow rate of the fluid being pumped down the drill string.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising;

dropping a sealing object down the drill string;

landing the sealing object in the valve and applying fluid and close pressure in the drill string to cause the sealing object to disable the valve and open a passage through the valve at least equal to an inner diameter of the drill string.

18. The method of claim 17,

step (b) comprises attaching a running tool between the drill pipe string and the liner;

and

causing the sealing object and a portion of the valve to move downward, after the valve is disabled, into a seat in the running tool; and

applying fluid pressure to cause the ring tool to perform a specified function.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the specified function comprises setting a liner hanger of the liner and releasing the drill string running tool from the liner hanger.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the valve is biased to a closed position and the valve has an orifice with a smaller cross-sectional flow area than the drill string, such that downward flowing fluid flowing through the orifice exerts a downward force to open the valve.