Differential actuating system for downhole tools
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A downhole tool apparatus for use in a well having a well bore and a tubing string suspended within said well bore so that a well annulus is defined between said well bore and said tubing string, said apparatus comprising:
- a power piston having first and second sides; and
operating valve means having a first position for selectively communicating annulus pressure from said well annulus with said first side of said power piston and simultaneously communicating said second side of said power piston with a zone of said well isolated from said annulus pressure so that a pressure differential between said well annulus and said zone moves said power piston in a first direction, and having a second position for subsequently communicating said annulus pressure with said second side of said power piston and simultaneously communicating the first side of said power piston with said zone so that said pressure differential between said well annulus and said zone moves said power piston in a second direction opposite said first direction.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A differential pressure actuating system for downhole tools provides endless operation by the use of the differential pressure between two isolated zones of a well as a power source for the tool. That differential pressure is applied across a power transfer element to operate the downhole tool.
-
Citations
74 Claims
-
1. A downhole tool apparatus for use in a well having a well bore and a tubing string suspended within said well bore so that a well annulus is defined between said well bore and said tubing string, said apparatus comprising:
-
a power piston having first and second sides; and operating valve means having a first position for selectively communicating annulus pressure from said well annulus with said first side of said power piston and simultaneously communicating said second side of said power piston with a zone of said well isolated from said annulus pressure so that a pressure differential between said well annulus and said zone moves said power piston in a first direction, and having a second position for subsequently communicating said annulus pressure with said second side of said power piston and simultaneously communicating the first side of said power piston with said zone so that said pressure differential between said well annulus and said zone moves said power piston in a second direction opposite said first direction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. A downhole tool apparatus, comprising:
-
a power chamber; first and second isolation chambers; a power transfer element disposed in said power chamber; a first isolation piston slidably disposed in said first isolation chamber and dividing said first isolation chamber into a first tool side chamber portion and a first well side chamber portion; a second isolation piston slidably disposed in said second isolation chamber and dividing said second isolation chamber into a second tool side chamber portion and a second well side chamber portion; conduit means for communicating said first and second tool side chamber portions with said power chamber; and reversing valve means having a first position for communicating a high pressure zone of said well with said first well side chamber portion while simultaneously communicating a low pressure zone of said well with said second well side chamber portion, and having a second position for communicating said high pressure zone with said second well side chamber portion while simultaneously communicating said low pressure zone with said first well side chamber portion. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
-
-
40. A downhole tool apparatus, comprising:
-
a housing having a power chamber defined therein, and having power passage means defined in said housing for providing fluid pressure communication between said power chamber and first and second zones of a well; pressure transfer control means for applying a pressure differential between said first and second zones of said well across said power chamber to operate said downhole tool apparatus regardless of which of said first and second zones contains the higher fluid pressure. - View Dependent Claims (41)
-
-
42. A downhole tool apparatus, comprising:
-
a housing having a power chamber defined therein; power passage means for providing fluid pressure communication between said power chamber and first and second zones of a well; and pressure transfer control means for using a pressure differential between said first and second zones of said well as an endless power source to said power chamber. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45)
-
-
46. A downhole tool apparatus for use in a well, comprising:
-
a housing having a power chamber defined therein; a power transfer element disposed in said power chamber; and energy conversion means for converting a hydraulic differential pressure potential energy between first and second zones of said well into mechanical kinetic energy of said power transfer element as well fluid flows from said first zone of said well through said downhole tool apparatus and into said second zone of said well. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
-
-
52. A method of moving a power transfer element of a downhole tool in a well, comprising:
-
(a) isolating first and second well zones from each other; (b) flowing well fluid from said first zone through said downhole tool into said second zone; and (c) converting a hydraulic differential pressure potential energy between said first and second well zones into mechanical kinetic energy of said power transfer element as said well fluid flows through said downhole tool. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
-
-
59. A method of operating a downhole tool in a well having a well bore and a tubing string suspended within said well bore so that a well annulus is defined between said well bore and said tubing string, said method comprising:
-
(a) isolating said well annulus from another zone of said well; and (b) using a pressure differential between said well annulus and said other zone of said well as an endless power source to move said downhole tool through an unlimited number of operating cycles. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68)
-
-
69. A position sensing apparatus for sensing a position of a structure relative to a base, comprising:
-
displacement means for displacing hydraulic fluid as said structure moves from a first position to a second position relative to said base; a hydraulic accumulator means including an accumulator chamber for accumulating an increasing volume of said hydraulic fluid from said displacement means at a pressure increasing in relation to said increasing volume; and dump value means, in fluid flow communication with said accumulator chamber for discharging at least a portion of said volume of hydraulic fluid into a discharge conduit when said pressure of said volume of hydraulic fluid in said accumulator chamber reaches a predetermined level. - View Dependent Claims (70, 71, 72, 73, 74)
-
Specification