Abstract: The gate assembly (24) of an expanding gate valve has projecting pins (74, 76, 78) which engage guide surfaces (54, 66) of guide rails (52, 64) in order to maintain the gate assembly in a collapsed condition between its open and closed positions. At the fully open and fully closed positions, the pins register with gaps (56, 58, 60, 68, 70) in the guide surfaces to permit expansion of the gate assembly against a pair of valve seats (20, 22).

Abstract: A tubing string (86) is connected at its upper end to a hanger (42) and has its lower end anchored within an outer casing. The hanger and tubing string are lifted from a position below the wellhead assembly to tension the tubing string a desired amount. The hanger has a plurality of guide pins (90) extending from and spaced about the outer periphery of the hanger. Upon lifting of the hanger and suspended tubing string, the guide pins enter inverted J-slots (62) in the hanger bowl (30) which receive and guide the pins to a seated position on the bowl.

Abstract: A valve mechanism according to the present invention incorporates at least one movable valve seat that is received within a seat pocket of the valve body and establishes sealing engagement with a movable valve element. An annular universal seat spring formed of a material such as standard carbon steel is deformed from a generally flat configuration to a frusto-conical configuration during assembly of the valve and exerts a force urging the valve seat against the valve element. Depending upon the depth of the seat pocket, the length of the valve seat and the size or thickness of the valve element, the seat spring will be deformed within its elastic limits or beyond the elastic limits of the material thereof, whereupon it will take a permanent set. In either case, the seat spring compensates for tolerance variations and exerts a spring force within a preselected narrow force range to ensure effective sealing capability and low torque operation.

Abstract: A flow control valve 30 between a geothermal wellhead and a steam separator 22 is responsive to fluid pressure flowing through the wellhead to the separator and varies the flow rate to the separator 22 in response to the pressure to equalize the flow to the separator 22. A Y-type expansion spool 14 on the wellhead has a pair of auxiliary inlets 76, 78. One of the auxiliary inlets 76 has an auxiliary hanger 88 therein to suspend flexible tubing 94 for the injection of chemicals into the well and the other auxiliary inlet 78 provides an entrance 122 for taking a steam sample and permitting a tool to be inserted within the well.

Abstract: A relay valve for controlling fluid flow to and from a valve actuator included in a safety system for a flowline such as a production line of an oil or gas well. The relay includes a slide valve (60) which is manually pushed inwardly to the open or set position and held therein by pilot fluid which is also applied to the valve actuator. A visual indicator mounted on a knob (102) of the slide valve is operated by fluid applied to a passage (96) formed in the slide valve. A vent port (82) prevents pilot pressure from moving the slide valve from the closed position to the open position. A modified relay valve (150) has separate inlet ports (198 and 200) for receiving pilot fluid and actuator fluid and a vent port (206) which is in direct fluid communication with the pilot port in the closed position of the slide valve.

Abstract: A ball valve in which cams (82, 84) are mounted on the ball member (34) to engage spring biased seat rings (30, 32) and cam the seat rings to a retracted position at which the seat rings are retained. The ball valve has a removable cover plate (16) so that the ball member (34) and seat rings may be subsequently removed from the valve body (12) while the valve remains in-line. A removable stop (56) engages and blocks rotation of the ball member past its fully opened and fully closed positions and the cams (82, 84) engage the seat rings only after the stop is removed and the ball member is rotated past its normal stroke and beyond fully opened or fully closed positions.

Abstract: A bottom outlet cyclone steam separator having a baffle plate (18) which separates the separator vessel (12) into a steam chamber at the top and a water chamber at the bottom. An inlet (24) to the vessel admits an incoming mixture of steam and water in a swirling flow pattern to provide centrifugal action which separates the water from the steam. A plurality of open ended scoops (52) are spaced around the periphery of the baffle plate (18) to direct water into the water chamber through openings (50) of the baffle plate which underlie the scoops.

Abstract: A metal seat assembly (40) for sealing against the sealing surface of a valve member movable between open and closed positions. The seat assembly comprises an outer metallic ring (44) having an inwardly extending metal seal lip (58) hinged to the main body (48) of the ring by a reduced thickness portion. An intermediate metal backing ring (45) has a plurality of spaced fingers engaging the hinged metal lip to urge continuously the lip (58) into tight sealing contact with the valve member, and the backing ring may be adjusted to control the force exerted by the fingers against the metal lip. An innermost metal wiper ring (46) adjacent the flexible metal lip is urged continuously into contact with the sealing surface of the valve member to minimize contact of foreign matter with the sealing lip.

Abstract: A pressure energized packing arrangement (50, 74) for sealing the stem (64) and bonnet (66) of a high pressure gate valve. A stack of packing rings (90) is compressed against the valve stem and bonnet by retainer rings (92, 94) which are urged together by fluid pressure in the valve body. Extrusion of the packing rings (90) is prevented by metal chamfer rings (102, 108, 114, 120) which are cammed by the retainer rings (92, 94 ) against the valve stem (64) and bonnet (66). The packing assembly is held together by pins (124) against which metal gaskets (132) are cammed by the retainer rings (92, 94) to prevent extrusion of the packing rings (90) along the pins.

Abstract: An expanding gate valve having seats (74) which are mechanically secured in place. The valve body has seat pockets which include undercut grooves (78) intersected by a cylindrical body cavity (24) to form a pair of openings (80) to each groove. Each valve seat has a pair of lugs (90) which may be fitted through the openings and into the undercut groove. Subsequent rotation of the seat locks the lugs in the groove to secure the seat in place in its seat pocket. Each seat is able to pivot about an axis extending between the lugs in order to compensate for irregularities in the contact surfaces of the gate or seat.

Abstract: A relay valve for controlling fluid flow to and from a valve actuator included in a safety system for a flowline such as a production line of an oil or gas well. The relay includes a slide valve (60) which is manually pushed inwardly to the open or set position and held therein by pilot fluid which is also applied to the valve actuator. A visual indicator mounted on a knob (102) of the slide valve is operated by fluid applied to a passage (96) formed in the slide valve. A vent port (82) prevents pilot pressure from moving the slide valve from the closed position to the open position. A modified relay valve (150) has separate inlet ports (198 and 200) for receiving pilot fluid and actuator fluid and a vent port (206) which is in direct fluid communication with the pilot port in the closed position of the slide valve.

Abstract: A manually reset control valve (28) to control the flow of fluid to a fluid actuator (22) in a safety system for closing a valve in a main flowline (10) upon the reaching of predetermined high and low pressures in the main flowline. The control valve includes an elongate housing having a supply port (26) and a bleed port (124) for the actuator, and a sensing port (34) for monitoring the fluid pressure in the main flowline. The valving in the bore of the housing includes a pressure sensing valve mechanism (42) and a control fluid valve mechanism (44). Pressure sensing valve mechanism (42) includes a high pressure spring (94) responsive to a predetermined high pressure in the flowline to actuate the valving and a low pressure spring (58) responsive to a predetermined low fluid pressure in the flowline to actuate the valving for bleeding the actuator.

Abstract: In an expanding gate valve, tangential pins (70) are received loosely in peripheral grooves (62) of floating valve seats (26) to prevent the seats from moving inwardly far enough to drag against a gate mechanism (32) which is collapsed for movement between open and closed positions of the valve. Alternative arrangements provide retainer rings (122, 130) which engage shoulders (128) of the seats to limit their inward floating movement.

Abstract: There is disclosed a seal assembly for sealing between the body of a valve and the closure member thereof, as well as a method for mounting the assembly within an annular groove with the body which surrounds the flowway through one side of the valve. The seal assembly comprises inner and outer seal rings of relatively hard and soft material which are locked within the groove by a resin which has hardened in the groove as the rings are held in predetermined endwise positions therein.

Abstract: A two-piece retainer ring fits within opposed grooves (80,82) in a gate valve seat (64) and the adjacent valve body (12). The opposed grooves are of a width greater than the width of the two ring segments (84) comprising the two-piece ring and limit the movement of the associated floating seat (64). A wave spring (86) urges the ring segments (84) radially outwardly in the grooves and an access opening (88) to the grooves permits the ring segments (84) to be actuated by a suitable tool for removal of the seat, if desired.

Abstract: An expanding gate valve having a pair of seat spacers (70) which hold apart a pair of floating valve seats (32) to prevent them from binding against a gate mechanism (40) which is collapsed for movement between open and closed positions. The spacers (70) are cylindrical segments which fit in the valve chamber of a gate valve having a cylindrical body cavity (20).

Abstract: A manually set relay valve for controlling fluid flow to and from a valve actuator. A slide valve (60) is manually pulled outwardly to the set or open position and held therein by pilot pressure applied to a piston chamber (46) through a passage (104) in the slide valve. When the slide valve is tripped to the closed position due to an interruption of pilot pressure, a cross port (106) of the fluid passage vents the piston chamber to maintain the relay closed until manually reset.

Abstract: A controlled or limited floating seat for an expanding type gate valve. The seat is received in a shrink fit in a groove formed around the flow passage of the valve adjacent the valve chamber. The seat is able to move in the groove toward the valve chamber until a frusto-conical outer side of the seat contacts a frusto-conical outer surface of the groove to prevent the seat from dragging against the gate assembly in the collapsed condition thereof. In the expanded condition of the gate assembly, the seat is bottomed in the groove with a sealing surface of the seat tightly sealing against the gate assembly.

Abstract: A cyclone type steam separator (10) having a square inlet opening (46) which may be adjusted in size by means of an inlet control device (20). The device includes a rigid body (62) having perpendicular arms which form two sides of the square opening. The other two sides are formed by sliding bars (108 and 110) which are connected slidably with the arms and which overlap with one another to define a stationary corner of the opening. The body may be adjusted to vary the effective length of each side of the opening, with one side remaining on the outer side of the inlet conduit to direct the incoming fluid into the steam separator along the inside surface of the separator vessel.

Abstract: An improved pilot valve mechanism for controlling the flow of a pressure medium responsive to predetermined variations in a pressurized system. The pilot valve mechanism is constructed in such manner that a plurality of pilot valves may be connected in an assembly and may be operative to shut down operation of a flow system responsive to sensing of pressures that are above or below a predetermined range of operating pressure.Each of the valves may include a shuttle valve mechanism capable of interrupting fluid communication between the inlet and outlet of the pilot valve mechanism or between the outlet and vent thereof, depending upon the position of a shuttle valve actuating piston that is proportionally movable responsive to variations in the pressure that is sensed by the pilot valve mechanism. Movement of the shuttle valve actuating piston and the shuttle valve are controlled by an urging means that may be adjustably preset for a particular high or low pressure.