Surface Safety Valve Spring Enclosure Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Surface safety valves for wellheads face challenges such as complexity, corrosion, and maintenance difficulties due to multi-part designs and external spring housings, which increase the risk of damage and corrosion, and complicate installation and operation.
Innovation Solution
A surface safety valve design with a spring biased gate, where the spring is enclosed within a one-piece main valve body, reducing exposure to damage and corrosion, and allowing the valve to maintain functionality even if the actuator or actuator housing is damaged or disconnected, with a hydraulic or electric actuator to control the gate's position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a multi-part design with external spring housing is used, then the valve can be assembled from separate components, but the complexity increases and the risk of damage and corrosion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the spring housing with the main valve body into a single integrated structure. The spring is positioned within a cavity formed directly in the valve body, eliminating the need for a separate external spring housing. This reduces the number of parts, simplifies the design, and decreases the risk of corrosion and damage at connection points while maintaining ease of manufacture through modular internal component placement.
2Ease of repair
If external spring housing is used, then the spring can be accessed for maintenance, but the exposure to damage and corrosion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring is nested within a cavity in the main valve body, protecting it from external damage and corrosion while maintaining accessibility. The actuator can still access the gate through the same interface, and the spring remains accessible through the actuator chamber without requiring external exposure. This nesting approach protects the spring from harmful environmental factors while preserving maintenance capability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a one-piece valve body is used, then the risk of damage and corrosion is reduced, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
While the valve body is manufactured as a single piece to eliminate corrosion-prone connections, the internal components (gate, spring, actuator) are segmented and positioned within cavities in the valve body. This allows the one-piece body to be manufactured using casting or forging processes, while the internal components can be separately manufactured and assembled, maintaining ease of manufacture while achieving the corrosion resistance benefits of a one-piece construction.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the spring is enclosed within the main valve body, then the protection from damage and corrosion increases, but the accessibility for maintenance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator chamber serves as an intermediary space that provides access to the spring without requiring external exposure. The actuator can be removed or opened to access the spring for maintenance, while the spring remains protected within the valve body during normal operation. This intermediary access mechanism maintains protection from damage and corrosion while enabling maintenance when needed.
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
This design enhances the reliability and ease of maintenance by reducing the risk of damage and corrosion, simplifying installation, and ensuring the valve can close safely in emergency situations without external power, while minimizing the need for additional seals and tools.
Implementation Method 1
a spring enclosed within the main valve body and positioned on the second side of the centerline bore axis. The spring is connected to the gate back end and is configured to bias the gate towards the closed position
Implementation Method 2
The actuator includes a hydraulic cylinder that pushes the gate towards the open position in response to a charging of the hydraulic cylinder with hydraulic pressure
Data Source
AI summary
A surface safety valve for a well system includes a main valve body with a central bore through it. The main valve body has a centerline axis and is configured to be connected at a surface location above a surface of the Earth to a surface assembly of the well system and to receive through the central bore a flow of wellbore fluid from a subterranean zone conveyed by a production tubing. A gate is positioned within the main valve body and is configured to move from an open position in which the gate does not block flow of wellbore fluid through the central bore to a closed position in which the gate blocks flow of wellbore fluid through the central bore. The gate travels from the open position to the closed position along a gate movement axis perpendicular to the centerline bore axis. The gate includes a gate front end positioned on a first side of the centerline bore axis and a gate back end positioned on a second side of the centerline bore axis opposite the first side. The surface safety valve also includes an actuator positioned on the first side of the centerline bore axis. The actuator is configured to selectively push the gate towards the open position. The safety valve also includes a spring enclosed within the main valve body and positioned on the second side of the centerline bore axis. The spring is connected to the gate back end and is configured to bias the gate towards the closed position.