Hydril Company

Willis Oil Tool Co.

Valve Concepts International, Inc.

Smith International, Inc.

John D Muchow

Victor E Derval

Richard E Wells

Harry R Cove

Maurice Slegers

Harry Richard Cove

Kenneth L Pelata

Graham J Jones

A downhole adjustable choke includes a choke body which is adapted to be lowered into a borehole. The choke body has a bore and an orifice connected to the bore. A sleeve is disposed inside the bore of the choke body. The sleeve has an orifice which is aligned with the orifice in the choke body. An actuator is coupled to move a flow plug inside the sleeve so that the flow area of the orifice in the sleeve is adjustable.

Retrievable downhole adjustable choke

A rotary valve is opened and closed with a combination incremental rachet mechanism and a continuous motor mechanism. Two separate control circuits are used for opening and closing the valve. When the opening or closing circuit is energized alone, the valve is incrementally opened or closed by the ratchet respectively. When the opening circuit is energized and the closing circuit is subsequently energized, the valve is continuously opened by the motor. Likewise, when the closing circuit is energized and the opening circuit is subsequently energized, the valve is continuously closed by the motor.

Bi-directional rotary output actuator

A clamping assembly for connecting and disconnecting aligned hubs of a first and a second pressure vessel is provided. The clamping assembly includes a pair of clamp segments and at least one cam in operable engagement with the clamp segments. The clamp segments are movable between a closed position to engage the hubs and an open position to disengage from the hubs. The movement of the clamp segments from the closed position to the open position operates the cam to separate the hubs.

Pressure vessel clamp connector

A choke valve with a power system operated via a single hydraulic line. The sleeve of the choke valve is operated by a carrier mounted through an eccentric pin and guide track arrangement to open and close the valve with the rotation of a valve drive shaft. A power shaft is driven by a clutch plate, ratchet connected to a drive clutch plate, in turn, operated by the shaft of an hydraulic actuator. The valve actuator creates an incremental step sensing of its full sixteenth turn movement by closing a fluid exhaust port and causing back pressure in the hydraulic line to occur. The actuator is reset by a pre-loaded torsion bar. Reset of the actuator also ratchet resets the drive clutch plate.

Single hydraulic line choke valve system

A choke valve apparatus is accommodated to different conditions of fluid flow (to or from a well, for example) by providing multiple flow control packages each having two flow control units, each package being readily connectible in the same valve body.

Valve body for multiple valve insert packages

A multiposition choke valve assembly comprises:

Drilling choke valve

A new and improved valve apparatus having an operating mechanism sealed in such a manner that the fluid pressure urging thereon produces offsetting or balancing forces to enhance ease of valve operation. To accomplish the force balancing, the flow closure means is continuously sealed to the valve housing and seat to produce the desired pressure responsive surfaces. By balancing the pressure forces, movement of the valve closure element between the open and closed positions with a minimum of operating force is accomplished. In addition the operating mechanism tubular flow closure element and valve seat having a plurality of opposed radially disposed flow opening are arranged so that the controlled flow through the openings into the seat impinges on itself to prevent flow cutting or erosion of the valve seat. When the flow closure element moves to the closed position, it activates a protected second seal on the seat to block flow throuh the flow openings.

Valve apparatus

A fluid flow control valve especially adapted for use during well drilling operations as a drilling choke is disclosed. A replaceable ported seat and movable tubular flow control element cooperate to control flow through the angled body valve housing. The flow closure mechanism is operating fluid pressure balanced for ease of valve operation during extreme pressure working conditions. Internal flow control working parts of the valve are rugged in construction and assemblage. The portions of the valve subject to wear or flow erosion are also easily replaced when required. An indicator is arranged to signal incipient failure of the replaceable parts of the valve in order that they may be replaced prior to the occurrence of a major failure.

Drilling choke

The invention is an improved self-centering, floating metal seal to be used in combination with a ball valve which controls the flow of fluid in a conduit. The ball valve includes a valve body which has a bore extending therethrough and which also has an inlet and an outlet which are axially aligned and adapted to be mechanically coupled to the conduit. The valve body also has an aperture therein. The ball valve also includes a spherical valve member having a port the axis of which is alignable with the axis of the bore of the valve body and a stem having an inner end mechanically coupled to the spherical valve member and an axially outer end which extends through the aperture of the valve body. The ball valve further includes a device for forming a seal between the aperture of the valve body and the stem. The improved self-centering, floating metal seal includes a metal ring which has a planar surface and a contoured surface which is adapted to contact the spherical surface of the valve member and which is axially aligned with the bore of the valve body and is disposed adjacent to the spherical valve member. The seal also includes a metal piston which has a first planar surface which is disposed adjacent to the planar surface of the metal ring and a second planar surface. There is a difference in the dynamic sealing areas of the piston and metal ring so that the upstream pressure mechanically seals the ball valve.

Self centering floating metal seal for a ball valve

An orifice flow control valve is provided with a set of disks mounted in the body of the valve. A downstream disk is mounted in a fixed position in the valve body and an upstream disk is rotatable in the valve body and in face-to-face engagement concentric with the downstream disk. There are holes in the downstream disk and in the upstream disk for control of the amount and direction of flow of fluids through the valve. When the valve is in a position between fully open and closed, there are at least two streams through the disks which impinge on each other for providing a resultant stream flowing generally parallel to the axis of the valve.

Multiple orifice valves

The invention is an improvement for controlling the flow of fluid in a conduit to be used in combination with a ball valve. The ball valve includes a valve body which has a bore extending therethrough and which also has an inlet and an outlet which are axially aligned and adapted to be mechanically coupled to the conduit. The valve body also has an aperture therein. The ball valve also includes a sperical valve member having a port the axis of which is alignable with the axis of the bore of the valve body and a stem having an inner end mechanically coupled to the spherical valve member and an axially outer end which extends through the aperture of the valve body. The ball valve further includes a device for forming a seal between the aperture of the valve body and the stem. The improvement includes a cylindrical sealing member which has an outer cylindrical sidewall and which is axially aligned with the port of the spherical valve member. The cylindrical sealing member has an enclosed top end and a plurality of oppositely disposed holes in its outer cylindrical sidewall so that an erosion trim control is formed in order to cause the flow to impinge upon itself at the center of the cylindrical sealing member. The cylindrical sealing member is slideably engaged within the port of the spherical valve member. The improvement also includes an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the position of the cylindrical sealing member along the axis of the port of the spherical sealing valve member.

Erosion control trim in a control mechanism for a ball valve

Similar transfer units are disclosed for launching pig balls into a pipeline and for receiving the pig balls from a downstream portion of the pipeline, each of the transfer units including a hollow housing providing an axially aligned manually or hydraulically operable valve member and valve seat for closing off a magazine which is inclined from horizontal to permit gravity transfer of the pig balls, the hollow housing being otherwise shaped to facilitate transfer of the pig balls. With a pair of the transfer units being connected with a pipeline, the launching unit includes controlled plungers for regulating passage of individual pig balls into the pipeline while the receiving unit at the downstream portion of the pipeline is arranged for directing the pig balls into the receiving unit. A magazine housing for each unit is separable from the hollow housing to facilitate replacement of the valve seat.

Pig ball transfer unit

The present invention is a bi-directional valve actuator with a ratchet mechanism for use in combination with a control valve which includes a stem which, when turned, adjusts the flow through the control valve. The bi-directional valve actuator includes a frame which is mechanically coupled to the control valve adjacent to the other end of the stem of the control valve. The valve actuator also includes a shaft which is disposed within the frame and which is rotatably coupled thereto with the shaft being mechanically coupled to the stem of the control valve so it can turn the stem thereof, a first ratchet wheel and a second ratchet wheel. Each ratchet wheel is coaxially aligned with the shaft and is fixedly coupled thereto. The valve actuator further includes a pair of pawls, each of which is coupled to one of the ratchet wheels so that when the pawl is driven forward it becomes coupled to the teeth of one of the ratchet wheels and when the pawl is pulled backward it becomes uncoupled from the teeth of one of the ratchet wheels. Each pawl is mechanically coupled to and driven forward by a hydraulic cylinder with a piston, which is fixedly coupled to the pawl and it is also mechanically coupled to and driven backward by a pair of springs mechanically coupled to the frame. The pawl is coupled to the wheel of the ratchet wheel by a collar which is disposed about the peripheral edge of the ratchet wheel and which has a slot and a radially disposed hole with a pin and spring assembly therein. The pin and spring assembly is mechanically coupled to the pawl by a pin.

Valve actuator having a rotary bi-directional apparatus with a dual

The valve spool of a three-way pilot valve responds to changes in pressure in a pipeline downstream from a shut-off valve that is biased to close by spring pressure and has a control cylinder to admit pressurized control fluid to open in opposition to the spring pressure. When the pipeline pressure is in the normal range the valve spool is at a normal position where it places the pressurized control fluid in communication with the control cylinder of the shut-off valve to keep the shut-off valve open. When the pipeline pressure drops below the normal range the valve spool moves in one direction from its normal position to a first alternate position to cause the shut-off valve to close and when the pipeline pressure rises above the normal range the valve spool moves in the opposite direction to a second alternate position to cause the shut-off valve to close. At each of the two alternate positions of the valve spool, it cuts off the source of pressurized fluid and at the same time vents the control cylinder of the shut-off valve to close the shut-off valve. When the pipeline pressure returns to the normal pressure range, the valve spool returns automatically to its normal position to open the shut-off valve.

Automatic reset pilot valve

A shut-off valve in a fluid line closes by spring pressure and incorporates a control chamber wherein pressurized control fluid acting on a piston opens the valve in opposition to the spring pressure. A control system for the shut-off valve comprises a 3-way actuator pilot of the present invention in cooperation with a monitor pilot. The actuator pilot has a valve spool and four ports, namely, a supply port connected to a source of pressurized control fluid, a pilot port connected to the monitor pilot, a control port connected to the control cylinder of the shut-off valve, and an exhaust port for venting the control chamber of the shut-off valve. When the control system is in service and the monitor pilot senses an undue change in the pressure in the fluid line, the monitor pilot vents the actuator pilot to shift the valve spool therein to cut off the control fluid from the control port and simultaneously to place the control port in communication with the exhaust port to cause the shut-off valve to close.

Growing community of inventors

Long Beach, CA, United States of America

John D Muchow