3D Printed Flapper Valve Internal Voids
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional machining methods for flapper closure plates in subsurface safety valves limit the complexity of geometries and design, leading to structural distortions and misalignment issues, which result in leakage and reduced safety valve performance, especially due to increased weight and stress on torsion closing springs.
Innovation Solution
The use of additive manufacturing, such as 3D printing, allows for the creation of flapper closure plates with complex internal geometries like voids and channels, reducing weight and stress while maintaining mechanical strength, enabling uniform bending stiffness and improved sealing performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional machining methods are used to manufacture flapper closure plates, then material properties are consistent, but geometries are limited and design complexity is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical machining processes with additive manufacturing (3D printing) technology. This substitution enables the production of flapper closure plates with complex internal geometries, voids, and channels that would be impossible or extremely difficult to achieve through conventional machining methods, while maintaining consistent material properties through controlled deposition processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the manufacturing approach from subtractive (machining) to additive (3D printing) processes. This fundamental parameter change in manufacturing methodology allows for unrestricted geometric complexity, internal void structures, and customized channel configurations while preserving material consistency through precise control of the additive manufacturing parameters.
2Reliability
If flapper size and weight are increased to improve valve performance, then sealing capability is enhanced, but loads and stresses on torsion closing spring increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates internal voids and porous structures within the flapper closure plate design. These voids reduce the overall weight and mass of the flapper while maintaining the external dimensions necessary for sealing capability. The strategic placement of voids creates a lightweight structure that reduces the force required by the torsion closing spring, thereby resolving the contradiction between sealing performance and spring load.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the flapper closure plate into regions of varying material density through the incorporation of internal voids and channels. This segmentation allows different portions of the flapper to have optimized material distribution - solid regions for sealing surfaces and void regions for weight reduction - thereby achieving reliable sealing with reduced overall mass and spring load.
3Strength
If flapper weight is increased, then structural strength is improved, but valve closure speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs internal voids and porous structures to create a lightweight flapper closure plate that maintains structural strength through optimized material distribution. The voids reduce mass and inertia, enabling faster closure speeds, while the strategic placement of material in critical regions preserves the structural strength necessary for reliable operation under pressure differentials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure within the flapper closure plate by combining solid material regions with void spaces. This composite architecture optimizes the strength-to-weight ratio, providing sufficient structural strength for valve operation while minimizing mass to achieve rapid closure speeds when safety shutdown is required.
4Weight of moving object
If complex internal geometries are incorporated into flapper closure plate, then weight and stress are reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex multi-step machining operations with a single additive manufacturing process. The 3D printing technology inherently handles complex internal geometries, voids, and channels without requiring additional manufacturing steps, tooling, or assembly operations. This substitution eliminates the manufacturing complexity that would otherwise arise from trying to machine complex internal features, while achieving significant weight reduction through the designed void structures.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus including a subsurface tool, such as a flapper closure valve, that has an integrally formed body and that includes at least one of an internal void located within the body of the flapper closure plate; and an indentation extending from an exterior surface of the body of the flapper closure plate, the indentation having an opening defining a first dimension along a first direction at the exterior surface of the body, the indentation defining an indentation surface extending within the body, the indentation surface defining a second dimension along the first direction within the body, the second dimension being greater than the first dimension. In one or more exemplary embodiments, the flapper closure plate is at least partially manufactured using an additive manufacturing process.