Frangible Flapper Valve with Hydraulic Impact Sleeve
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flapper valves in the oil and gas industry face challenges in reliably isolating wellbore tubulars due to difficulty in predicting when and at what pressure they will break, leading to high pressure differentials and complexity in reopening closed valves.
Innovation Solution
A frangible flapper valve system utilizing a hydraulic impact sleeve and shearable devices, such as shear pins, to selectively isolate wellbore tubulars by moving the sleeve to break the flapper valve at a predetermined pressure, ensuring accurate and controlled shattering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a flapper valve is designed to break under elevated pressure to enable reopening, then the valve can be reopened after closure, but it becomes difficult to predict when and at what pressure the flapper will break
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter of the flapper from conventional materials to frangible material (such as ceramic or glass) that has a predetermined breaking pressure. This parameter change ensures the flapper breaks at a specific, predictable pressure point, resolving the uncertainty in breaking pressure while maintaining reopening capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates a frangible material flapper that is pre-configured to break at a predetermined pressure. This preliminary action of selecting specific frangible material with known breaking characteristics allows the system to automatically reopen at the predicted pressure without requiring additional control mechanisms
2Measurement precision
If a flapper valve is made of frangible material to enable controlled shattering, then the valve can be reliably broken at predetermined pressure, but the valve structure becomes more complex requiring impact sleeves and shearable devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the breaking function from the flapper valve body by using a separate frangible material flapper that is specifically designed to break. This allows the main valve structure to remain simple while the frangible flapper handles the breaking function, reducing overall structural complexity despite the specialized material requirement
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an impact sleeve as an intermediary component that delivers controlled impact to the frangible flapper. This intermediary mechanism allows for reliable breaking at predetermined pressure without requiring complex direct actuation of the flapper itself, simplifying the overall control system
3Reliability
If the flapper valve is closed to hydraulically isolate the wellbore tubular, then effective isolation is achieved, but a high pressure differential is created making it difficult to reopen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a frangible material flapper that is designed to be disposable - it serves its isolation function reliably when closed, then breaks at a predetermined pressure to enable reopening. This disposable approach eliminates the difficulty of reopening durable closed valves, as the frangible flapper automatically fails at the predicted pressure point
Data Source
AI summary
A frangible flapper valve that may be closed to hydraulically isolate a portion of a wellbore tubular. The flapper valve is made of a frangible material adapted to shatter upon impact from an impact sleeve. The sleeve may be used to initially hold open the flapper valve. A latching mechanism may be used to retain the sleeve above its initial position allowing the flapper to close isolating a portion of the tubular. The latching mechanism may engage a piston to retain the sleeve at the second position. A shearable device adapted to shear under a predetermined pressure selectively connects the piston to the tubular. When the pressure within the tubular increases above the predetermined amount the shearable device releases the piston and pushes the sleeve into the closed flapper valve causing the flapper valve to shatter. A second latching mechanism may prevent further movement of the sleeve.