IN-LINE LIQUID TRIGGER VALVE

Abstract

A trigger valve may be disposed between a fluid source and a gas utilization destination. A trigger valve can have housing with an inlet and an outlet. A trigger material may be disposed between the inlet and outlet within the housing. The trigger material can seal the housing to prevent fluid flow to the outlet in response to liquid being present in the housing.

Description

SUMMARY

A liquid blocking trigger valve, in accordance with various embodiments, has a housing with an inlet and an outlet. A trigger material is disposed between the inlet and outlet within the housing and is configured to seal the housing to prevent fluid flow to the outlet in response to liquid being present in the housing.

Both the immediate inlet side of the housing and separating filter porous member have a pore size that is smaller than the granular dry size of the trigger material used in the trigger valve to entrap the trigger material between the immediate inlet port side and the separating filter porous member. Gasses are not adsorbed by the trigger material. Upon normal operation, sample gases from a source normally pass through the housing from the inlet port side to the outlet port side unimpeded. If the sample gasses passing through the apparatus contains a liquid component with the gaseous component, then the liquid component will be adsorbed and held by the trigger material and will not pass through to the outlet.

If enough liquid passes into the housing, the trigger material expands up to 400 times in size and can turn into a soft gel which contains and holds the liquids. If enough liquids enters into the housing, then the expanding gel will block the inlet and/or outlet entirely and eliminate the possibility of liquid or gases passing through the housing, thereby protecting any distal or proximal equipment that is sensitive to liquid intrusion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 represents an example sample system arranged in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 2 displays an example testing system configured and operated in accordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 3A & 3B respectively show line representations of an example trigger valve that may be employed in the systems of FIGS. 1 & 2.

FIGS. 4A-4C respectively convey cross-sectional line representations of example trigger valves that can be utilized in the systems of FIGS. 1 & 2.

FIG. 5 depicts a block representation of an example transmission assembly capable of being used by the systems of FIGS. 1 & 2.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example sample flow routine carried out by the systems of FIGS. 1 & 2 in accordance with various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments are generally directed to apparatus, systems, and methods of using a liquid trigger valve in an in-line capacity.

In assorted fluid transport systems and environments, liquid is unwanted and can even be detrimental to operating performance. It is to be understood that a fluid is hereby meant as a genus term that may consist of any number and volume of liquids and gases. A liquid is hereby meant as an incompressible substance with firmly, but not rigidly, bound particles that can freeze or evaporate at predetermined temperatures. A gas is hereby meant as a compressible substance with widely separated and free moving particles that can condense into a liquid or undergo deposition into a solid form.

While some embodiments will be directed to the collection, transport, and measurement of fluids associated with hydrocarbon exploration, extraction, and transmission, which can be characterized generally as mudlogging, the disclosure is not so limited. For instance, a liquid trigger valve may be used in the transportation, processing, and measurement of any type of fluid combination of gas and liquid, gas alone, or liquid alone.

Throughout the history of the mudlogging industry, a focus is the collection of sample gasses out of the drilling fluid utilized in the drilling of natural resources and the subsequent quantitation and analyzation of the drilling fluid to ascertain information about the fluid as well as the underground source of the fluid. Such ascertained fluid information allows people in charge of drilling operations to make critical decisions during the drilling process, such as where to drill and where to stop drilling.

A sample gas can be extracted from drilling fluid using a mechanical agitation means, for example, that is entrapped within some kind of enclosure and then drawn from an extraction apparatus to analyzing equipment using a vacuum principal of some sort. During the mechanical sample gas extraction, water and other liquids may become atomized and drawn into the vacuum collection system with the sample gasses. This vaporous water and other liquids can condensate within the sample transport line during the travel from the extraction method to the analyzation equipment.

While liquid extraction means, such as a moisture trap and drop-out jar, can capture some liquids before the liquids reach the analyzation equipment, issues occur when the liquid extraction means fail or have degraded performance that allows liquids to reach destinations reserved solely for gas. For instance, a drop out jar or collection vessel may fill to capacity thereby allowing a full flow of liquid into the sample gas analyzer. Generally, if condensate liquids are drawn through the sample gas analyzer, the sample gas analyzer will be damaged and be in need of repair. Hence, it is a continued industry interest to provide liquid capture systems that reliably stop any flow of condensate liquids from reaching downstream gas-specific devices.

Accordingly, embodiments of this disclosure are generally directed to systems that provide selective mechanical blocking of liquids in a sample line. In some embodiments, a trigger material, such as Sodium Polyacrylates, polymer gel, and superabsorbent polymers, is positioned in a housing so that gases flow through the housing until liquid is present and the trigger material mechanically expands to seal the housing against sample flow. The ability of the trigger material to expand considerably, such as 400 times its normal dry size or more, within a housing attached to the sample line allows for quick and efficient physically blockage the flow of the sample line once the trigger material encounters liquid. As a result of the mechanical trigger material expanding, the maintenance of the sample line is forced to remove any condensate liquids and the downstream gas-specific destination is preserved.

FIG. 1 is a block representation of an example sample system 100 in which various embodiments may be practiced. A fluid sample 102 can originate at one or more sources 104 that may be dissimilar physical locations and/or types of fluid. For example, the source 104 can be a combination of a first source that is a naturally occurring reservoir of a fluid combination of different liquids and gases while a second source is a stream of man-made gas. Hence, it is contemplated that a sample system 100 can concurrently or sequentially collect fluid samples containing a diverse variety of constituent liquids and/or gases from one or more sources 104.

Regardless of where and what type of fluid sample 102 is provided by a source 104, a transmission assembly 106 can transport the sample 102 to one or more gas utilization destinations 108. While not limiting, the transmission assembly 106 can have various valves 110 and at least one pressure means 112 to direct the fluid sample 102 towards the gas utilization destinations 108. The gas utilization destinations 108 may be gas-specific devices, such as measurement equipment, that are sensitive to the presence of liquids in the fluid sample 102. Thus, the transmission assembly 106 can consist of one or more devices that process the fluid sample 102 into a gas sample 114 that has negligible liquid or liquid vapor.

FIG. 2 represents an example mudlogging testing system 130 that is arranged in accordance with some embodiments. The testing system 130 has a downhole fluid sample source 132 that is transported to a gas utilization destination 108 via a transmission assembly 106. The downhole sample source 132 can be a wellbore 134 having a depth 136 below ground-level 138, such as 100 feet or more. The wellbore 134 may be an open bore or a cased production string designed to extract underground hydrocarbons in various forms, such as liquid oil and natural gas.

At any depth 136 in the wellbore 134, a fluid sample 140 can be collected via a sample extractor 142. The sample extractor 142 may be placed anywhere drilling fluid 144 is present, such as above ground-level 138, to extract a sample 140 from the drilling fluid 144. The fluid sample 140 may contain any combination of liquids and gases that are carried through the transmission assembly 106 via a pressure source 112, which may be a pump, compressor, or combination of the two to provide positive or vacuum pressure on the fluid sample 140.

The transmission of the fluid sample 140 towards the gas utilization destination 108 via the pressure source 112 flows through at least one conduit 146, which may be rigid or flexible tubing and/or piping. The conduit 146 may continuously extend for a length, such as 100 feet or more, that exposes the fluid sample 140 to environmental conditions outside the conduit 146 that can condense vaporized liquid in the fluid sample 140. As the fluid sample 140 collects condensed liquids, the pressure/vacuum from the pressure source 112 will send the liquid towards the gas utilization destination 108, which is problematic for destinations like the example mudlogging device 148 shown in FIG. 2 that are designed to receive gas samples exclusively.

It is contemplated that the transmission assembly 106 can comprise one or more sample processing means 150, such as a moisture trap, filter, separator, and valves. However, conventional liquid trapping and/or separating means have proven unreliable over time, particularly in harsh conditions commonly associated with hydrocarbon exploration and processing. Accordingly, various embodiments position at least one trigger valve 152 in-line with the conduit 146 between the wellbore 134 and the mudlogging device 148 to provide a failsafe that prevents liquid from arriving at the mudlogging device 148.

It is noted that the mudlogging device 148 can be positioned anywhere relative to the wellbore 134, but in some embodiments, is on-site with the wellbore 134, such as within 1000 feet, and contained within a single explosion-proof housing with computing equipment that allows for the input of a gas sample 114 and the output of at least one gas measurement, such as the presence of one or more constituent gases, while on-site. As a non-limiting example, the mudlogging device 148 can have at least one local processor 154, such as a microprocessor or programmable controller, that directs gas measurements activity with at least one sensor 156 as directed by software 158 stored in local memory 160. The results of the gas sample measurements can be locally stored or sent to a remote host via a communication circuit 162, such as a wireless or wired radio, telephone, secure, or non-secure broadcast means.

FIGS. 3A and 3B respectively display line representations of an example trigger valve 170 that may be employed by the systems 100/130 in accordance with assorted embodiments to prevent liquids from reaching a gas utilization destination 108. The trigger valve 170 may be utilized anywhere in-line along a transmission assembly 106 to receive a fluid sample 102 that may contain any number and volume of liquids, liquid vapor, and gas. The trigger valve 170 has a sealed housing 172 with an inlet 174 and separate outlet 176 connected to one or more pipes, tubes, or conduits. In some embodiments, the housing has an affixed, or adjustable, electrical float switch that is activated by a high level of liquid within the housing.

The housing 172 contains a trigger material 178 that, in its initial configuration, allows gas to freely pass from the inlet 174 to the outlet 176. The trigger material 178 may be a powder, solid, or gel in its initial state that occupies less than all, or the entirety of, the region between first 180 and second 182 porous members. The It is contemplated, but not required, that the porous members 180 and 182 retain the trigger material 178 in a predetermined location regardless of the volume and speed of sample flow through the valve 170. The porous members 180/182 can be rigid, semi-flexible, or wholly flexible material, such as mesh, paper, polymer, or rubber, of any size and thickness to reliably retain the trigger material 178 without degrading sample flow.

While the trigger material 178 allows sample flow through the valve 170 unimpeded as initially constructed, as shown in FIG. 3A, the presence of liquid or liquid vapor in the housing 172 automatically reacts with the trigger material 178 to cause the material to drastically expand, such as over 100 times the material's original size. That is, any liquid in the valve housing 172 is absorbed by the trigger material 178 causing the material to expand to fill the housing 172, as shown in FIG. 3B, and prevent the flow of liquids or gases to the outlet 176. It is contemplated that the trigger material 178 partially or completely transforms into a gelatin state in the presence of liquid. It is further contemplated, but not required, that the trigger material comprises a material that changes color in response to encountering liquid and/or liquid vapor.

The material construction of the trigger material 178 is not limited to a particular substance, and may be a combination of multiple different substances. However, some embodiments utilize Sodium Polyacrylate as the trigger material 178 while other embodiments utilize a combination of multiple different superabsorbent polymers to ensure the presence of liquid of any appreciable volume in the housing 172 results in the trigger material 178 expanding to seal the outlet 176 and render the valve 170 useless for the purposes of sample flow.

The trigger material 178, in a non-limiting embodiment, can be constructed to allow gas molecules of a particular size, such as 1 micron or less, to flow through the valve 170 despite the trigger material 178 having expanded to prevent the flow of any molecules larger than the particular size. Such restricted flow despite an expanded trigger material 178 can be created by engineering the trigger material 178 of a substance, or multiple substances, that have a density, molecule packing arrangement, and molecule size that inhibits flow above the predetermined particular size while allowing flow below that particular size. It is further contemplated that veins, such as nanotubes, can be positioned within the housing 172 to resist trigger material 178 expansion so that at least one pathways of a particular molecular size is present through the expanded trigger material 178.

Regardless of the material construction of the trigger material 178 or whether some molecules are allowed to flow after expansion, the presence of liquid in the housing 172 quickly and efficiently closes the valve 170 to normal operation, which protects the downstream gas utilization destination 108. As such, the valve 170 would need to be replaced to regain normal flow through the transmission assembly 106. In yet, the protection of sensitive downstream equipment is deemed a worthwhile sacrifice for the system downtime and expense of a new trigger valve 170.

The position of the trigger material, and any retaining porous members 180/182, can be tuned within the housing to provide varying sensitivities to the presence of liquids in a fluid sample. FIGS. 4A-4C respectively display different trigger material configurations for an example trigger valve 190 that can be employed in a fluid sample system in accordance with various embodiments. In FIG. 4A, a trigger valve housing 192 has an inlet 194 and outlet 196 separated on a common surface 198 of the housing 192.

The trigger material 200 is retained proximal the common surface 198 by a single porous member 202. The position of the trigger material 200 allows, but does not require, the flow of gases from inlet 194 to outlet 196 without contact with the trigger material 200 or porous member 202. However, the close proximity of the trigger material to the outlet 198 corresponds with a fast reaction time to encountered liquids to seal the outlet 198. It is noted that the position of the trigger material 200 can result in less than all the interior space of the housing 192 being occupied after expansion, as illustrated by the segmented line 204.

The example trigger valve 190 of FIG. 4B conveys how the trigger material 200 can be positioned proximal an inlet 194 and distal from an outlet 196 by a single porous member 202. In a housing 206 that positions the inlet 194 and outlet 196 on different surfaces, the trigger material 200 can be positioned so that the inlet 194 is sealed before the outlet 196 in response to material expansion as a result of encountered liquid or liquid vapor. The positioning of trigger material 200 proximal the inlet 194 can ensure that the fluid sample contacts the trigger material 200.

It is contemplated that multiple separate trigger materials 200 can be utilized in a single valve 190. FIG. 4C displays how a first porous member 208 retains a first trigger material 200 proximal the inlet 194 while a second porous member 210 retains a second trigger material 212 proximal the outlet 196. By placing separate trigger materials 200/212 in a single housing 214, the overall sensitivity to liquids and liquid vapor can be increased. Also, separate trigger regions allows for different trigger materials 200/212 to be concurrently utilized. For instance, the first trigger material 200 can be different and exhibit different expansion characteristics, such as expansion speed and density, than the second trigger material 212.

The ability to tune the size, position, and number of trigger materials in a trigger valve 190 allows a diverse variety of fluids and fluid conditions to be accurately accommodated. For instance, a single trigger material valve (FIG. 4B) can be swapped with a multiple trigger material valve (FIG. 4C) to change the sensitivity and reaction of the valve to liquid present in a fluid sample. Regardless of the configuration of the trigger material, the trigger valve can process a fluid sample 102 into a gas sample 114 that is assuredly void of liquids.

However, a transmission assembly 106 may have additional sample processing means that can act in concert with one or more trigger valves to efficiently provide a gas sample to a downstream gas utilization destination. FIG. 5 illustrates a block representation of an example transmission assembly 220 that can be used to transport and process fluid samples 102 into a gas sample 114 ready for use in one or more gas utilization destinations. As shown, a fluid sample 102 from at least one source 104 can encounter a check valve 222, first trigger valve 224, filter 226, moisture trap 228, condenser 230, and second trigger valve 232 in route to a gas utilization destination 108.

Although FIG. 5 conveys the respective aspects of the transmission assembly 220 in a sequence, such arrangement is not required or limiting as any number and type of device can be placed in-line between a source 104 and the destination 108. As a result of flow through the transmission assembly 220, the fluid sample 102 that has an unknown composition upstream results in a gas sample 114 with a solely gaseous composition downstream.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example sample flow routine 240 that can be conducted with the various embodiments of FIGS. 1-5. The routine 240 begins by connecting at least one source, such as a downhole wellbore, to at least one gas utilization destination, such as a mudlogging device, in step 242 via a transmission assembly. The transmission assembly consists of at least one trigger valve and may comprise other devices, as conveyed in FIG. 5.

Step 244 extracts a fluid sample from a source and delivers the sample to the transmission assembly where it encounters a trigger valve in step 246. Once within the housing of the trigger valve, decision 248 is determinative on the presence of liquid and/or liquid vapor in the fluid sample. If liquids are present, step 250 automatically responds by expanding the trigger material of the trigger valve to seal housing and prevent any flow through the valve. It is noted that step 250 may consist of partial sealing of the housing to allow gases of a particular molecular size to flow after trigger material expansion, but such is not required.

After step 250, a new trigger valve must be installed before the routine 240 can return to step 246. In the event decision 248 does not encounter liquid and/or liquid vapor, step 252 delivers a now gas sample to a gas utilization destination where gas measurements are conducted in step 254 to provide at least the composition of the gas sample in step 256.

Through the various embodiments of the present disclosure, liquids are reliably prevented from reaching a gas-specific destination. Configuring a trigger valve with one or more trigger materials at one or more locations within a valve housing allows for customization of how the trigger material reacts to encountered liquids and liquid vapor, which accommodates different sample processing tolerances and conditions. With a gas sample exiting a trigger valve without any appreciable liquids present, a gas utilization destination can employ more precise testing with heightened performance due to the elimination of safety mechanisms that guard against liquids contaminating the gas-specific destination.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a housing having an inlet and an outlet, a trigger material disposed between the inlet and outlet within the housing, the trigger material sealing the housing to prevent fluid flow to the outlet in response to liquid being present in the housing.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the trigger material is Sodium Polyacrylate.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the trigger material occupies less than all of an interior volume of the housing prior to the presence of liquid.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the trigger material is a powder prior to the presence of liquid.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the trigger material is positioned proximal the inlet and separated from the outlet.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the trigger material comprises multiple different superabsorbent polymers.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the trigger material is retained in a predetermined position in the housing by a single porous member.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the trigger material is disposed between first and second porous members within the housing.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquid is water.

10. A system comprising a first housing connected in-line between a wellbore and a mudlogging device as part of a transmission assembly, the first housing having a first trigger material disposed between an inlet and an outlet within the first housing, the first trigger material sealing the first housing to prevent fluid flow to the outlet in response to liquid being present in the first housing.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first housing is positioned within 1000 feet of the wellbore.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first housing has an electrical float switch responsive to a high level of liquid within the first housing.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the transmission assembly comprises a pressure source and a second housing containing a second trigger material, the first and second housings being separate and connected via a conduit.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the transmission assembly comprises a moisture trap upstream of the first housing.

15. A method comprising:

connecting a housing between a fluid source and a gas utilization destination, the housing having an inlet and an outlet, a trigger material disposed between the inlet and outlet within the housing;

flowing a gas sample through the housing inlet to the housing outlet unimpeded by the trigger material;

introducing liquid into the housing; and

sealing the housing with the trigger material to prevent flow to the outlet in response to liquid being present in the housing.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the trigger material expands in size by absorbing the liquid to cover and seal the inlet and outlet of the housing.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the trigger material expands over 100 times in size in response to encountering the liquid to seal the housing.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the trigger material changes color in response to encountering the liquid.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the trigger material converts to a gel state in response to encountering the liquid.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the trigger material expands to force a porous member to contact and seal the inlet of the housing.