Integrated Chemical Injection Check Valve for Safety Valves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Chemical injection systems in the downhole oilfield industry face challenges such as scale, hydrate, and paraffin buildup on safety valve components, leading to inefficient chemical distribution and increased costs due to expensive devices and connection issues, with chemicals often failing to reach inner workings of safety valves.
Innovation Solution
A hydraulic fluid pressure-operated piston with a flow tube and integrated chemical injection configuration within the safety valve housing, including a new check valve design with a semi-spherical dart and flutes, allows for efficient chemical distribution through the valve's inner components, ensuring effective reach and reduced chemical usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a secondary chemical injection device is connected above the safety valve, then chemicals can be injected to dissolve solids, but the chemicals often fail to reach inner workings of the safety valve and distribution is inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The check valve is nested within the safety valve housing, with the injection port positioned inside the housing near the flapper. This nested configuration allows chemicals to be delivered directly to critical areas where scale and hydrate buildup occurs, ensuring reliable chemical contact with problem areas while improving distribution efficiency throughout the valve interior.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary check valve mechanism that mediates between the injection port and the safety valve interior. This check valve with dart and flutes acts as a mediator to distribute chemicals evenly to inner workings including the flapper and torsion spring areas, solving the problem of chemicals failing to reach these critical components.
2Reliability
If traditional chemical injection devices are used, then chemicals can be injected, but the devices are expensive and cause spacing out issues and connection issues
Solution Approach 1:
The chemical injection system is merged with the safety valve housing itself. The injection port is integrated into the housing structure, and the check valve is positioned within the same housing, eliminating the need for separate external injection devices and their associated connections. This merging reduces device complexity, eliminates spacing issues, and lowers overall system cost while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety valve housing serves multiple functions: it houses the safety valve mechanism and simultaneously provides the structure for the chemical injection system. The housing acts as both a containment structure and an injection system carrier, reducing the need for additional components and simplifying the overall system architecture.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If chemicals are injected from above the safety valve, then scale and hydrates can be dissolved, but excessive chemical injection and treatment time are required
Solution Approach 1:
The injection port is positioned locally within the safety valve housing near the flapper and other critical components prone to buildup. This local positioning allows chemicals to be applied directly where needed rather than relying on migration from a remote location. The check valve with its flutes further enhances local distribution to specific areas, reducing the amount of chemical required and shortening treatment time.
Solution Approach 2:
The check valve is pre-positioned within the housing to facilitate immediate and efficient chemical distribution upon injection. The dart and flute configuration is designed in advance to guide chemicals to all critical areas, eliminating the need for prolonged treatment times associated with traditional migration-based delivery systems.
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 solution enhances the reliability and longevity of safety valves by ensuring chemicals reach all areas prone to buildup, reducing the need for excessive chemical injection and treatment time, while being more cost-effective and efficient than traditional systems.
Implementation Method 1
a spring applying a biasing force to the dart to a sealing position
Implementation Method 2
fluid pressure acting in a direction opposing the spring force
Implementation Method 3
a hydraulic fluid pressure operated piston at the housing
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a safety valve with a chemical injection configuration. The device includes a hydraulic fluid pressure operated piston at the housing. The device further includes a flow tube in operable communication with the piston and a chemical injection configuration disposed within the housing. Further disclosed herein is a method of maintaining the operation of a safety valve by injecting chemical fluid through a configuration within the safety valve.Still further disclosed herein is check valve. The check valve includes a seal, a dart having a closed head and sealable against the seal, one or more flutes on the dart, and a spring applying a biasing force to the dart to a sealing position, that force being overcomeable by a fluid pressure acting in a direction opposing the spring force.