Exxon Production Research Company

James D Burley

Warren E Holland

Henry P Arendt

Ronald D Rogers

Ben D Terral

John A O'Connor, Iii

Fred E Watkins

A circulating (kill) valve for hot, high pressure wells includes a valve assembly to be positioned in an open-ended tubular-shaped side-pocket housing of a mandrel connected into a well tubing string. The valve assembly includes an open-ended cylindrical valve body provided with an interior sealing seat and spaced-apart side openings. A valve element is arranged within the valve body and is urged by unbalanced pressures to the open or closed position depending on the direction of the pressure imbalance. In the closed position a sealing surface on the exterior of the valve element engages and seals with the lower interior sealing seat of the valve body. A ported access to the inner well string pressure permits that pressure to urge the valve element to the closed position. Such pressure may be overcome by pressure imbalance when fluid pressure exterior of the tubing string forces the valve element upwardly from its seat. A wiper seal is arranged on the interior of the valve body and engages the outer surface of the valve element. A ported access to inner tube pressure urges the valve element to the closed position which may be overcome by pressure imbalance when exterior pressure forces the valve element from its seat.

Circulating valve for wells

A sealing ring assembly is disclosed for use in sealing the annular gap between two concentric cylindrical members, one of the members having an annular groove and the other member having a surface opposed to the groove. Deformable seal material and a radially expansible-contractible non-deformable split retaining ring are located in the groove, the seal material engaging one surface of the retaining ring and the retaining ring being positioned on one of the sidewalls of the groove. The seal material and the retaining ring extend radially to the surface of the other cylindrical member, the retaining ring being sized to elastically compress against that surface. The surface of the retaining ring facing the seal material is beveled or chamfered along a portion or all of its width, the beveled surface extending inwardly to the inner edge of the retaining ring. Fluid pressure applied to the seal material deforms the seal material and causes the seal material to urge the outer edge of the retaining ring against the surface of the other cylindrical member. The seal material is deformed to press against the surface of the other cylindrical member to provide a primary seal. The inner edge of the retaining ring is, preferably, spaced from the inner wall of the groove and under pressure the seal material deforms and flows into the gap formed between the inner edge of the retaining ring and the inner wall of the groove to prevent leakage of fluid around the retaining ring.

Sealing retaining ring assembly

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Humble, TX, United States of America

James D Burley