Downhole Valve Shuttle Isolates Pump from Solids
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Solution Overview
Problem
Downhole production strings with pumps and valves used for lifting particulate-laden liquids and slurries face maintenance challenges due to operating conditions outside intended ranges, leading to fouling, plugging, and equipment damage, resulting in lost production and increased expenses.
Innovation Solution
A valve with a shuttle mechanism that includes a spill port and seats, where the shuttle is biased by a spring to seal or unseal flow paths based on fluid conditions, isolating the valve and pump from fluid circuits during insufficient or reverse flow to prevent fouling and protect against solids, allowing flow to spill outside the tubing string.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If pumps and valves are used to lift particulate-laden liquids and slurries, then production capability is improved, but equipment fouling and plugging increases
Solution Approach 1:
The valve is divided into multiple functional segments including a main valve body, a movable shuttle with separate sealing surfaces, and distinct flow paths. The shuttle creates separate zones for clean fluid flow and for handling particulate-laden fluid, allowing the main valve body to remain protected from fouling while still enabling production flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The shuttle acts as an intermediary element between the inlet and outlet flow paths. It provides a protective interface that separates the clean valve body environment from the harsh particulate-laden fluid, allowing the valve to handle difficult fluids without the particulates directly contacting and fouling the main valve body.
2Productivity
If valves are placed in hard to reach places for production, then production efficiency is improved, but maintenance difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The valve components are segmented into modular units that can be independently accessed and maintained. The shuttle can be moved to different positions to isolate different sections, allowing maintenance personnel to access and service specific components without having to retrieve the entire valve assembly from hard-to-reach locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable shuttle provides dynamic flow path configuration that allows for isolation of valve sections during operation. This dynamic isolation capability enables maintenance on specific components while the valve remains installed in its remote location, eliminating the need to physically access the entire valve for routine maintenance.
3Productivity
If the valve allows flow passage under normal conditions, then production continuity is improved, but equipment damage from unintended operating conditions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The valve incorporates preliminary protective actions through its dual-seat design and movable shuttle that can preemptively isolate the valve body from harmful fluid conditions before damage occurs. The first seat provides primary sealing under normal conditions, while the second seat and spill port provide backup protection that activates when abnormal conditions are detected, preventing equipment damage before it happens.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve design includes built-in protective mechanisms that cushion against abnormal operating conditions. The spill port and second seat arrangement provide a pressure relief and isolation pathway that activates before harmful conditions can cause equipment damage, effectively cushioning the valve body from the full impact of unintended operating conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The valve effectively prevents fouling and plugging by isolating the valve and pump from harmful solids and fluid conditions, reducing maintenance downtime and extending equipment life by allowing solids to be removed outside the system, thus maintaining production and reducing operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
A spring is located substantially between the shuttle spring end and a fixture coupled to the valve body
Data Source
AI summary
A method of implementing a substitute for a pump-off controller in a downhole production string, the method including locating a pump and a valve in the production string wherein capabilities include the pump pumping a reservoir product through the valve, the valve transitioning to a bypass mode, and the valve interrupting a reservoir product flow.