Hydraulic Isolation Valve Trigger With Incremental Spring Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing isolation valve systems lack a reliable mechanism to ensure precise and controlled state changes during fluid transitions, potentially leading to damage from uncontrolled fluid flow during the transition from completion to production.
Innovation Solution
A hydraulic trigger system with a ratchet assembly and power spring mechanism that uses a cycling force to incrementally move a core rod, compressing a power spring and actuating a hydraulic valve through a series of positions, ensuring controlled state changes by shearing a shear screw when the compression force is reached, thereby actuating the valve from one position to another.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a traditional isolation valve mechanism is used, then the valve can provide basic isolation function, but the state changes are not precise or controlled during fluid transitions
Solution Approach 1:
The valve mechanism is segmented into distinct components: a core rod with internal profile, an outer housing with external profile, cycling pistons, and a power spring. The core rod is divided into multiple segments that can move independently within the housing, allowing precise control of fluid flow states through incremental positioning rather than single abrupt transitions.
Solution Approach 2:
The power spring is pre-compressed to store energy before actuation is needed. The cycling pistons are positioned in advance within the housing, ready to convert hydraulic pressure into mechanical motion. This preliminary preparation ensures that when fluid transition is detected, the valve can execute precise state changes immediately without delay or loss of control.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the isolation valve lacks a controlled actuation mechanism, then the structure is simpler, but uncontrolled fluid flow can cause damage during transitions
Solution Approach 1:
The core rod acts as an intermediary component between the hydraulic cycling force and the valve elements. It translates the cycling motion of the pistons into controlled linear displacement, mediating the force transmission to achieve precise valve actuation. The power spring serves as another intermediary, storing and releasing energy to ensure controlled state changes without direct mechanical linkage complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses hydraulic pressure applied to cycling pistons to drive the actuation mechanism. The pistons convert hydraulic force into mechanical motion that moves the core rod incrementally within the housing. This hydraulic actuation provides smooth, controlled state changes without requiring complex mechanical linkages, reducing overall device complexity while preventing uncontrolled fluid flow damage.
3Measurement precision
If the core rod moves in incremental distances, then the state changes are controlled and precise, but the actuation process takes more time
Solution Approach 1:
The valve actuation uses periodic cycling of hydraulic pressure applied to the pistons. Each pressure cycle moves the core rod a small incremental distance in a controlled manner. This periodic action allows the valve to transition through multiple intermediate states precisely, ensuring accurate positioning while the cumulative effect of repeated cycles achieves the full state change efficiently without excessive time delay.
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 system ensures precise and controlled state changes of the isolation valve, preventing fluid damage by reliably actuating the hydraulic valve from one position to another, ensuring safe transitions and maintaining the integrity of the reservoir.
Implementation Method 1
the piston is configured to move in an upward direction as the cycling spring exerts a downward force on the piston head of the piston upon application of a cycling force in the upward direction
Implementation Method 2
movement of the inner axial cycling piston bar in the downward direction also moves the external profile of the inner axial cycling piston bar in the downward direction, thereby causing the core rod to move an incremental distance in the downward direction, which compresses the power spring by the incremental distance
Data Source
AI summary
A core rod has internal and external profiles disposed in a housing assembly. A power spring in cooperation with the core rod within the housing assembly is connected to a power spring stopper that is fixed to the housing assembly with at least one shear screw. An inner axial cycling piston bar includes an external profile for mating engagement with the internal profile of the core rod. The inner axial cycling piston bar is connected to a piston in cooperation with a cycling spring, and the piston is configured to move in an upward direction. When a downward force exerted by the cycling spring exceeds the upwardly applied cycling force, the piston, the inner axial cycling piston bar, and the external profile move in a downward direction, thereby causing the core rod to move an incremental distance in the downward direction, which compresses the power spring by the incremental distance.