Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.

Otis Engineering Corporation

Bhanubhai H Patel

William R Welch

Ronald K Churchman

Ralph H Echols, Iii

Robert C Hammett

James B Renfroe, Jr

Assemblies and methods are provided for selectively opening and closing a side port in a flow conductor for a well. In general, the sliding side door assembly includes a housing and a door subassembly. The housing has a generally tubular shape defining a fluid conducting interior and central axis. A side port is formed in the housing, and a ball seat is positioned in the housing adjacent the side port. The door subassembly is operatively engaged with the housing adjacent the side port and includes a translating sleeve positioned within the housing and a ball sealing member adapted to engage the ball seat of the housing. A ball port is formed through the ball sealing member. A cooperatively engaged helical track and follower member are provided for translating a driving movement along the central axis through the translating sleeve to a rotational movement of the ball sealing member about the central axis. Driving movements acting on the door subassembly can be provided by a standard shifting tool. Thus, a first driving movement acting on the door subassembly in a first axial direction along the central axis causes the translating sleeve to rotate the ball sealing member such that the ball port moves into overlapping alignment with the side port, thereby opening the side port. Similarly, a second driving movement acting on the door subassembly in a second axial direction along the central axis causes the translating sleeve to rotate the ball sealing member such that the ball port moves out of overlapping alignment with the side port, thereby closing the side port.

Metal-to-metal sliding side door for wells

A well system employs a pump to lift liquid through a primary tubing and subsurface safety valve. The tubing passes through a packer and a vent valve vents gas from the well through the packer. The power transfer means may extend through the vent valve and the vent valve may also control a cross-over in the packer for recirculation of liquid to the pump when the well is shut-in. The vent valve has associated therewith a kill valve permitting pumping of kill fluid into the well. The vent remains closed in the presence of ambient pressure up to a selected value and above this value the kill valve opens thus permitting testing of the packer with annulus pressure below the selected pressure and pump through to kill the well with pressure above the selected pressure.

Well apparatus

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Grand Prairie, TX, United States of America

Bhanubhai H Patel