Spherical Relief Valve Housing for Well Casing Pressure Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pressure relief valve systems for well production tubing lack the necessary strength and design to effectively manage excess fluid pressures due to blockages or obstructions, leading to potential tubing ruptures and overpressure-related failures, and they often have thin housing walls that compromise tensile and compressive strength.
Innovation Solution
A pressure relief valve system with two identical relief valve assemblies mounted on opposite sides of a hollow cylindrical housing, featuring a spherical segment valve element, a cylindrical valve seat, and a leaf spring providing biasing force, with thick-walled housing reinforcement and a design that allows for easy installation in well casings while maintaining a small outside diameter and large inside diameter for tool compatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If thin-walled housing is used to reduce device size, then the outside diameter is reduced for better fit in well casings, but the tensile and compressive strength of the housing is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is constructed using composite material structure with an inner corrosion-resistant liner and an outer structural shell. This composite construction allows the housing to maintain high strength-to-weight ratio while resisting both corrosion and mechanical loads, solving the contradiction between thin walls for compact size and thick walls for strength.
2Volume of moving object
If the valve is designed with a compact structure to fit in well casings, then the device size is reduced, but the structural integrity under high pressure is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is designed with a spherical or spheroidal shape, which is the most efficient geometry for withstanding uniform internal pressure. The curved surfaces distribute stress evenly throughout the structure, maximizing structural integrity while minimizing material usage and overall device size.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite construction with corrosion-resistant liner and structural shell provides both compact dimensions and high reliability under pressure, allowing the valve to maintain structural integrity in a compact form factor suitable for well casing installation.
3Strength
If the housing walls are made thick to increase strength, then the tensile and compressive strength is improved, but the outside diameter increases making it difficult to fit in well casings
Solution Approach 1:
The composite material construction allows achieving high strength with thinner overall wall thickness by combining materials with complementary properties, thus maintaining strength requirements while minimizing outside diameter for well casing compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The spherical geometry provides optimal stress distribution that reduces the required wall thickness for a given pressure rating, allowing high strength performance with compact dimensions that fit within well casing constraints.
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 effectively releases excess fluid pressure through an annular gap when internal pressure exceeds the cracking pressure, preventing tubing damage and ensuring the production string can fit within well casings while maintaining structural integrity and allowing tools to pass through.
Implementation Method 1
a leaf spring providing biasing force
Implementation Method 2
when internal pressure exceeds the cracking pressure
Implementation Method 3
releases excess fluid pressure through an annular gap when internal pressure exceeds the cracking pressure
Data Source
AI summary
A production string pressure relief system comprising a hollow cylindrical housing with an outer wall, a first relief valve assembly that is mounted on a first support base that is welded to the outer wall of the housing, and a second relief valve assembly that is mounted on a second support base that is welded to the outer wall of the housing directly opposite the first support base. Each of the first and second relief valve assemblies comprises a valve element that is in the shape of a spherical segment with a spherical sealing face, a cylindrical valve seat with a circular sealing face, and a leaf spring. The leaf spring provides a biasing force that pushes the spherical sealing face of the valve element against the circular sealing face of the valve seat to form a fluid-tight seal when the valve is in a normally closed position.