Baker Hughes Corporation

Kevin R Plunkett

Ronald Garr

Robert James Dyer

Mark S Megill

John D Lindemann

A barrier valve has an equalizing feature for the ball or plug when in the closed position before it is opened. A hydraulic open and a close line are connected to a housing so that they can move a piston in opposed directions. The piston ends are sealed and the exterior of the piston is tapered to push one or more bypass valves open to connect tubing pressure across the ball when ramped off its seat. Pressure on the main hydraulic line to close the ball reverses the piston movement and allows a spring bias to close the bypass valve or valves. The equalizing system can be integrated into the barrier valve housing or can be separate as a retrofit.

Hydraulically controlled barrier valve equalizing system

A downhole valve that operates on turning of a member having a passage through it with a control system also features a passage from above an uphole seat for the member which communicates to the isolated passage within the member when the valve is closed. The passage features a check valve assembly that preferably has redundant sealing features and filters to prevent debris entry. Pressure applied from above the closed member gets through the check valve assembly to equalize the higher pressure below the ball with the pressure raised in the ball from pressure application at the surface. Removal of the applied pressure reseats the check valve or valves to allow the hydraulic system to rotate the member while the member is no longer subject to a high differential pressure.

Multi-stage pressure equalization valve assembly for subterranean valves

A unique landing nipple has spaced control line connections and external control lines running from the surface to those connections. A hydraulic barrier valve, such as a ball valve, is run in to a predetermined landing nipple and latched in position where the control line connections are in the right locations to operate the valve. A landing nipple with a latching groove alone can be used with a wireline run barrier valve to latch it into position at the desired location. A shifting tool is used to operate the mechanically actuated valve. More than one valve can be positioned or used in the string at a time or the same valve can also be positioned at different landing nipples at different times to meet the production needs of the well operator.

Wireline run mechanically or hydraulically operated subterranean insert barrier valve and associated landing nipple

A downhole tool is hydraulically actuated through a control system that features rod piston(s) that are double acting. The piston bore is in a single housing component with an annular cavity that provides access to all piston bores to move the pistons in a first direction. The housing component that has the piston bore also includes an internal sleeve in a passage in the housing. A second control system connection communicates with a sealed annular space defined between the sleeve and the passage wall that holds the sleeve. A series of radial ports communicate from the annular space into each piston bore on the opposite side of each piston from the annular cavity so that each piston is double acting with a bore in a single housing component.

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Coweta, OK, United States of America

Kevin R Plunkett