Subsea Gate Valve Assembly With Recessed Sealing Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gate valves in subsea workover systems face damage and sealing issues due to accidental drops of tool strings during emergency situations, leading to costly maintenance and potential system failure, as existing solutions either fail to protect the valve from impact or require precise positioning for sealing.
Innovation Solution
A gate valve design featuring a recessed area on the surface exposed to potential impacts, with the recessed part positioned inside the flow path when closed, ensuring the sealing surface remains intact and unaffected by mechanical damage, and incorporating tungsten carbide coating for wear resistance and easy operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a hard coating (tungsten carbide) is applied to the gate valve surface for wear resistance and smooth operation, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates because the coating cannot withstand concentrated impact loads from dropped objects
Solution Approach 1:
The gate valve surface is designed with different properties in different areas: the sealing surface maintains hard tungsten carbide coating for wear resistance and smooth operation, while the impact-receiving surface uses a softer, more impact-resistant material or uncoated region that can absorb dropped object impacts without cracking
Solution Approach 2:
The gate valve surface is divided into functionally distinct zones: a sealing surface area that requires hard coating for operational smoothness, and an impact reception area that prioritizes impact resistance, allowing each zone to be optimized for its specific function
2Reliability
If the gate valve is designed with a recessed area to protect the sealing surface from dropped objects, then the reliability is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements worsen due to the complex geometry
Solution Approach 1:
The recessed area is pre-formed as an integral part of the gate valve body during manufacturing, creating a protective geometry that redirects dropped objects away from the sealing surface before impact occurs, eliminating the need for post-manufacturing adjustments
3Device complexity
If the gate valve sealing surface is exposed to maintain simplicity, then the device complexity is reduced, but the object-affected harmful factors increase due to vulnerability to dropped object damage
Solution Approach 1:
The recessed area acts as an intermediary protective structure between dropped objects and the sealing surface, redirecting impact forces away from the critical sealing area while maintaining the overall simplicity of the gate valve design
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 design effectively protects the sealing surface from damage, maintaining the valve's operational integrity and reducing maintenance needs by allowing the valve to tolerate dropped objects without compromising sealing performance.
Implementation Method 1
The material is very hard but is not able to withstand object that hits the surface, ie to withstand concentrated load. It is however necessary that the gate valve member have this coating to provide an easy opening and closing of the gate and to avoid wear.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a gate valve assembly (20) for use in a subsea workover system comprising: - a valve block (22) having a flow path (21c); - valve seats (33, 34) located within the valve block (22) around a periphery of the flow path (21c), - a gate valve member (40) which is moveable across the flow path (21c) between a first position in which the flow path (21c) is open and a second position in which the flow path (21c) is closed; - said gate valve member (40) comprising a first portion (31) surrounding an opening (32) adapted to mate with the flow path (21c) when the gate valve member (40) is in the first position, said first portion (31) is provided with a cutting member (30) arranged on the periphery of the first portion (31) towards the opening (32). The gate valve member (40) further comprises a second portion (41) having at least one recessed part (42, 43), said recessed part (42, 43) being positioned such that when the gate valve member (40) is in the second position, the gate valve member (40) and the seats (33, 34) forms a sealing area (44, 45) arranged on a planar surface of the gate valve member (40).