Otis Engineering Corporation

Halliburton Company

Timothy J Noack

Kenneth L Schwendemann

Craig William Godfrey

Rennie L Dickson

John C Gano

Colby M Ross

Jimmie R Williamson, Jr

Jack W Tamplen

Lester C Rathie

Wesley R Allred

A ball valve having the capability of cutting coiled tubing extending therethrough. The valve includes a ball rotatably disposed within a housing and adjacent to a seat. Control arms prevent relative longitudinal movement between the ball and seat. The ball defines a pair of slots therein, each slot having a bearing surface. A pair of control pins are disposed on opposite sides of the ball and rotatably disposed in corresponding control frames disposed on opposite sides of the ball. Each control pin has an end with a bearing surface thereon extending into a corresponding slot in the ball so that flat contact is provided between the control pin and the ball. This greater area of contact between the pins and the slots allows a greater load to be transmitted to the ball to provide the shearing load necessary to shear relatively large diameters of coiled tubing which extend through the open valve. The valve is opened and closed by pressure actuation of a piston.

Ball valve with coiled tubing cutting ability

A valve assembly comprising: a valve seat having a first end, a second end, and a valve seat passageway extending therethrough from said first end to said second end; a valve ball assembly rotatably positionable adjacent the second end of the valve seat passageway for selectively sealing the valve seat passageway; a first control arm connectable between the valve seat and the valve ball assembly, the connection between the first control arm and the valve ball assembly defining an axis of rotation for the valve ball assembly; a sealing member, reciprocatably positionable in the valve seat passageway adjacent the second end of the valve seat, for preventing fluid flow between the second end of the valve seat and the exterior of the valve ball assembly; and an urging member, positionable in the passageway, for urging the sealing member against the valve ball assembly.

Valve apparatus

A valve employing a coupling disk to rotate the valve member so that rotative force is applied to the valve member in a direction away from the seat during opening of the valve and/or in a direction toward the seat during closing of the valve. Closing force is provided by a spring in a dome chamber and a gas charge in the dome chamber. A float valve controls fluid entry into the dome chamber to trap the gas charge therein while permitting the introduction of liquid from a balance-closure assist line to increase the pressure of the gas charge and assist in closing the valve member.

Valve with pressure assisted closing system

Valve

A hydraulic control system for controlling a retainer valve in an underwater well test system. The control system is contained in a housing in the test string above the retainer valve. The control system and valve are operated by a surface control manifold via control conduits extending between the manifold and control system housing. The system provides opening and closing and very quick closure of the retainer valve by eliminating the requirement for closing pressure to be conducted through a long conduit from surface and by utilizing well pressure to close the valve and lock the valve closed. One embodiment of the control system requires a pressure pulse from surface to start quick retainer valve closure. Another embodiment of the control system monitors control conduits for loss of pressure while the retainer valve is open and automatically closes the valve on loss of control pressure. This control system permits killing fluid to be pumped through the retainer valve into the well after automatic closure or control system operation to reopen the valve and monitor.

Valve control system

A system and method for attaching and removing equipment from a subsea wellhead in which equipment is lowered and raised on a flexible riser pipe, cables extend from the equipment to the wellhead and are winched in and out to control movement of the equipment adjacent the wellhead. While the cables are being winched in or out, the cables are maintained in tension by the cable reel or a motion compensator, between the equipment and riser pipe, permits the riser pipe to reciprocate vertically with the vessel in response to wave action, while the equipment is insulated from this action during engagement and disengagement with the wellhead. The equipment may include a guide frame, which may be made in two pieces, so that the upper section of the guide frame together with a riser pipe connector, may be released from the remainder of the frame and connector and lifted off by the riser pipe or by buoyancy means. The cable winch system may thereafter be used to reconnect the riser pipe lower connector to the remainder of the equipment. Whether a one or two piece frame is used, after the frame is landed on the wellhead with the equipment spaced from the wellhead, the equipment is preferably lowered into engagement with the wellhead. The motion compensator between the frame and riser pipe may provide this function.

Method and system for attaching and removing equipment from a wellhead

A subsurface valve which functions as a lubricator valve and a retainer valve in response to changes in control pressure which may be pumped through to kill a well and which is provided with a lock means for locking the valve in closed position.

In a locking mandrel for releasably locking a well tool in a well flow conductor of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,208,531 which includes a tubular body mandrel adapted for securing with a running tool and with a well tool, a locking dog retainer sleeve on the body mandrel, expandible and contractible locking dogs carried by the retainer sleeve, and a locking sleeve movable on the body mandrel within the retainer sleeve between a first position at which the locking dogs are expanded and release positions at which the locking dogs are movable inwardly to release positions, the improvement for releasably latching the locking sleeve at the first locking position on the body mandrel which includes an annular latching boss on the body mandrel and an annular latching flange and recess within the locking sleeve. When the locking sleeve is moved to the first locking position the latching flange passes over the latching boss which is received in the latching recess of the locking sleeve releasably latching the locking sleeve at the first position on the body mandrel. The locking sleeve is unlatched by movement to one of the release positions at which the latching boss moves out of the latching recess. The improved latching structure prevents accidental unlocking of the locking mandrel at low flow rates through the tool.

Growing community of inventors

Grapevine, TX, United States of America

Timothy J Noack