MECHANICALLY LOCKABLE AND UNLOCKABLE HYDRAULICALLY ACTIVATED VALVE, BOREHOLE SYSTEM AND METHOD

Abstract

A mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve including a mechanical component having a locked position and an unlocked position, a hydraulic component in operational communication with the mechanical component, the hydraulic component including a portion that is unresponsive to pressure events with the mechanical component in the locked position and responsive to pressure events with the mechanical component in the unlocked position. A borehole system including a string disposed within a borehole, the string including a valve. A method of operating a mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve for a borehole includes shifting a mechanical component of the mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve from a locked position to an unlocked position, inducing a differential pressure on a hydraulic component of the mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve, opening a hydraulic valve of the mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve.

Description

BACKGROUND

In the downhole resource exploration and recovery industry, boreholes are created in a formation believed to harbor a desired resource. Such boreholes are completed using a number of strings of materials and tools to achieve certain control and production requirements. Many different types of completions are in use and have been previously used giving operators a large number of options to develop a completion strategy for a particular borehole system. Nevertheless, the art still continues to seek alternate methodologies, techniques and systems to improve operations by for example reducing cost and time for completion.

SUMMARY

A mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve including a mechanical component having a locked position and an unlocked position, a hydraulic component in operational communication with the mechanical component, the hydraulic component including a portion that is unresponsive to pressure events with the mechanical component in the locked position and responsive to pressure events with the mechanical component in the unlocked position.

A borehole system including a string disposed within a borehole, the string including a valve.

A method of operating a mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve for a borehole includes shifting a mechanical component of the mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve from a locked position to an unlocked position, inducing a differential pressure on a hydraulic component of the mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve, opening a hydraulic valve of the mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following descriptions should not be considered limiting in any way. With reference to the accompanying drawings, like elements are numbered alike:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve as disclosed herein;

FIG. 2A is a cross section view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in a mechanically locked unpressured valve closed position;

FIG. 2B is a cross section view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in a mechanically locked pressured valve closed position;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the hydraulic component of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4A is a cross section view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in a mechanically unlocked unpressured valve closed position;

FIG. 4B is a cross section view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in a mechanically unlocked pressured valve closed position;

FIG. 5 is a cross section view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in a mechanically unlocked unpressured valve open position;

FIG. 6-8 are sequential cross section views of another embodiment of a hydraulic component employing an indexing configuration; and

FIG. 9 is a view of a borehole system including a number of valves as disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way of exemplification and not limitation with reference to the Figures.

Referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve 10 is illustrated. In this embodiment the valve employs a mechanical component 12 that is configured to lock and unlock the valve 10 through the action of a mechanical intervention such as a shifting tool or similar. The component 12 through interaction discussed further below will prevent a hydraulic component 14 of the valve 10 from reacting the hydraulic pressure when the mechanical component 12 is in one position and allow the hydraulic component 14 to react to hydraulic pressure when the mechanical component 12 is in another position. The hydraulic component 14 is configured to respond to hydraulic pressure such as a tubing pressure increase to permit flow through the valve 10 from a source of fluid on one side of the valve to a volume on the other side of the valve 10. In an embodiment, the source is outside of the valve 10 such as a formation flowing fluid into a tubing string through the valve 10. Such fluid may come through a screen to remove undesired particulate matter. Alternatively, the fluid flow could be in the opposite direction such that fluid moves from the inside of the tubing string out into the formation through the valve 10. The valve itself provides for operational certainty that it will not open due to pressure fluctuation prior to the mechanical component being unlocked and also provides the benefit that the mechanical component 12 can be unlocked when desired without the valve 10 immediately being open to fluid flow. The valve therefore provides significant utility enabling other operations while also reducing the equipment needed in the hole and reducing number of runs needed to operate a borehole system.

Referring to FIG. 2A, the individual parts of the FIG. 1 embodiment of valve 10 are described and their interaction explained. Valve 10 includes a body 16 within which mechanical component 12 is movable and upon which hydraulic component 14 is mounted. The mechanical component 12 comprises a sleeve 18, a sleeve extension 20 and a mandrel 22 attached to the sleeve extension. It is to be understood that the interconnect feature 20 and mandrel 22 may in some embodiments be one piece of material. The mandrel 22 extends into a piston housing 24 through seal 26 and through a piston 28. The piston includes piston-mandrel seal 30 and piston-housing seal 32. Piston 28 further includes a mechanical interconnect feature 34 such as a collet configured to create a connection with a valve stem 36 of hydraulic valve 38 under conditions described below. The hydraulic valve 38 includes valve seals 40 that seal against valve housing 42.

Still referring to FIG. 2A, a hydraulic actuation port 44 and a flow port 46 are provided through the body 16. Hydraulic actuation port 44 allows tubing (of which the body 16 forms a part) ID pressure access to a space 52 defined by the piston housing 24 and the piston 28. Increased pressure in the tubing ID increases pressure in the space 52 resulting in a differential pressure across the piston 28 and accordingly movement of the piston 28. Flow port 46 allows fluid flow between outside of the valve 10 and inside the body 16, when the hydraulic valve 38 is open. It is also noted that, in an embodiment, a flow path 48 may be defined between a screen 50 and the flow port 46. It is to be understood however that the valve 10 is not limited to use with a screen.

Turning now to operation of the valve 10, and to FIGS. 2A-5 in sequence, the valve 10 is runnable into a borehole 54 on a string 56 to a desired location. In some embodiments this will be as a part of a lower completion after deployment of which, other borehole operations might occur. One of the benefits of the arrangement disclosed herein is that such other borehole operations may be conducted after installation of valve 10 without concern for inadvertent hydraulic actuation of the valve 10 since the mechanical component 12 prevents such hydraulic actuation until specifically enabled by repositioning of the mechanical component 12. It is noted in passing that prior art systems required additional equipment and runs to render lower completions installed for similar purpose but of different types than that disclosed herein safe for other borehole operations. These of course significantly increase cost and require additional rig time.

Valve 10 in FIG. 2A is in the run position with the hydraulic valve 38 closed and locked and the mechanical component 12 locked. FIG. 3 provides a larger view and hence should be referred to simultaneously with FIG. 2A in the following discussion. The distinction in position or attitude of piston 28, and a resilient member 58 such as spring in operable communication therewith can be seen between FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B. This is due to an increase hydraulic pressure in the tubing ID causing a differential pressure across piston 28 as discussed above. It will be noted that because mandrel 22 is in contact with valve stem 36, during this pressure event, two things occur. The valve stem 36 and accordingly the hydraulic valve 38 are immobile and because the mandrel 22 is in contact with the valve stem 36, the interconnection feature 34 cannot engage the valve stem 36 and so movement of the piston 28 will not result in any impetus to the hydraulic valve 38 to move. This is illustrative of the pressure insensitivity of valve 10 while the mechanical component 12 is in its locked position. When the mechanical component 12 is in the unlocked position, this same activity pursuant to a pressure event, will result in the hydraulic valve 38 moving to an open position (addressed further below).

At a time when it is desired to make the valve 10 responsive to hydraulic pressure actuation, a shifting tool is run in the hole to shift the mechanical component 12 to an unlocked position. In FIG. 2A, the component 12 is illustrated as a sleeve 18. The shift in position of sleeve 18 can be seen in HG 4A along with a shift in the position of extension 20 and mandrel 22. The valve 10 is now unlocked and upon a pressure event the hydraulic component 14 will react resulting in opening of the hydraulic valve 38. It is to be understood that the terms “responsive” and “unresponsive” as used herein relate to the hydraulic valve 38 responding to a pressure event or the hydraulic valve 38 not responding to the pressure event. The hydraulic component 14 as a whole in the embodiment illustrated will always respond to a pressure event in that the piston 28 will move. FIG. 4B illustrates a pressure event in the unlocked condition. It will be appreciated that the piston 28 is moved as it was in FIG. 2B but that this time, the mandrel 22 is not against the valve stem 36. Because of this change in condition, the interlock feature 34, which may be a collet or similar, is allowed to snap closed about valve stem 36. Notice that resilient member 58 is compressed in FIG. 4B where is it relaxed in FIG. 4A. This compression of spring 58 means that upon reduction of the pressure event applied to cause the interlock feature 34 to engage the valve stem 36, the spring 58 will push the piston 28 back toward the space 52 taking valve stein 36 and thereby hydraulic valve 38 with it such that the valve 10 is in the position illustrated in FIG. 5. The flow port 46 is open in this position allowing fluid flow between the ID of the body 16 and the volume outside of the body 16.

The valve 10 is resettable by shifting the mechanical component 12 back to the position shown in FIG. 2A. It is also noted that the mechanical component may include a profile 60 that is selected to each valve or is of the same shape for each valve with the purpose of allowing for the shifting tool (not shown) to engage the mechanical component for shifting its position from locked to unlocked or vice versa.

In another embodiment of a hydraulic component there is an indexing configuration allowing for multiple pressure cycles following unlocking of the mechanical component before the hydraulic component will complete its task of opening the hydraulic valve. This configuration allows for pressure testing of borehole tools prior to opening the hydraulic valve. Referring to FIGS. 6-8, an indexing configuration 70, such as a J-slot, is disposed in operable communication with the piston 28. In the illustrated embodiment and in comparison to the foregoing embodiment, one will appreciate that the configuration 70 simply replaced a portion of the longitudinal extent of piston 28. It is to be understood that length is relative and no limitation is intended hereby. The configuration 70 interacts with a pin 72 extending from the piston housing. Upon pressure events in the tubing as in the foregoing embodiment, the piston 28 is moved leftwardly in the drawing (see FIG. 7) causing the configuration 70 to cycle on the pin 72. This motion will continue daring subsequent pressure and pressure relief events until the configuration 70 reaches a position where the pin is allowed to move further allowing engagement of the interlock feature 34 with the valve stem (see FIG. 8). The number of pressure cycles for testing purposes prior to opening of the hydraulic valve may be selected at the time of assembly of the tool either by selecting a configuration 70 having the appropriate number of cycles or by positioning a generic configuration 70 so that a selected number of cycles remain before actuation is possible.

The valve 10 may be used on its own, with a screen, in a multizone configuration as in FIG. 9, etc.

In one iteration of a borehole system a lower completion comprises one or more of the valves 10. These are run in the hole and deployed there. They will have no effect until a shifting tool is run to unlock the mechanical components, normally carried out after or simultaneously with the deployment of an upper completion. Thereafter, one or more of the valves 10 may be opened pursuant to a pressure event caused by pressuring up on the tubing string that represents the upper and lower completions.

Set forth below are some embodiments of the foregoing disclosure:

Embodiment 1

A mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve including a mechanical component having a locked position and an unlocked position, a hydraulic component in operational communication with the mechanical component, the hydraulic component including a portion that is unresponsive to pressure events with the mechanical component in the locked position and responsive to pressure events with the mechanical component in the unlocked position.

Embodiment 2

A valve as in any prior embodiment wherein the hydraulic component is resettable based upon a movement of the mechanical component from the unlocked position to the locked position.

Embodiment 3

A valve as in any prior embodiment wherein the mechanical component comprises a sleeve, and a mandrel movable therewith.

Embodiment 4

A valve as in any prior embodiment wherein the sleeve further includes a profile configured to be engagable by a shifting tool.

Embodiment 5

A valve as in any prior embodiment wherein the profile is selective.

Embodiment 6

A valve as in any prior embodiment wherein the hydraulic component comprises a piston having an interlock feature configured to connect the piston to a hydraulic valve.

Embodiment 7

A valve as in any prior embodiment wherein the hydraulic component further includes a resilient member interactive with the piston.

Embodiment 8

A valve as in any prior embodiment wherein the piston is receptive of a mandrel portion of the mechanical component, the mandrel component when the mechanical component is in the locked position preventing movement of the hydraulic valve.

Embodiment 9

A valve as in any prior embodiment wherein the mandrel position either allows or prevents operation of the interlock feature.

Embodiment 10

A valve as in any prior embodiment further including a screen.

Embodiment 11

A valve as in any prior embodiment wherein the hydraulic component further includes an indexing configuration.

Embodiment 12

A valve as in any prior embodiment wherein the indexing configuration is a J-slot.

Embodiment 13

A borehole system including a string disposed within a borehole, the string including a valve as in any prior embodiment.

Embodiment 14

A method of operating a mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve for a borehole includes shifting a mechanical component of the mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve from a locked position to an unlocked position, inducing a differential pressure on a hydraulic component of the mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve, opening a hydraulic valve of the mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve.

Embodiment 15

The method of operating a mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve as in any prior embodiment further comprising reshifting the mechanical component from the unlocked position to the locked position.

Embodiment 16

The method of operating a mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve as in any prior embodiment wherein the reshifting includes mechanically closing the hydraulic valve with the mechanical component.

Embodiment 17

The method of operating a mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve as in any prior embodiment wherein the opening is by reducing applied pressure.

Embodiment 18

The method of operating a mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve as in any prior embodiment wherein the opening includes permitting movement due to expansion of a resilient member.

Embodiment 19

The method of operating a mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve as in any prior embodiment wherein the inducing is more than one time before opening of the hydraulic valve.

Embodiment 20

The method of operating a mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve as in any prior embodiment wherein the inducing cycles a J-slot configuration.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. Further, it should further be noted that the terms “first,” “second,” and the like herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. The modifier “about” used in connection with a quantity is inclusive of the stated value and has the meaning dictated by the context (e.g., it includes the degree of error associated with measurement of the particular quantity).

The teachings of the present disclosure may be used in a variety of well operations. These operations may involve using one or more treatment agents to treat a formation, the fluids resident in a formation, a wellbore, and/or equipment in the wellbore, such as production tubing. The treatment agents may be in the form of liquids, gases, solids, semi-solids, and mixtures thereof. Illustrative treatment agents include, but are not limited to, fracturing fluids, acids, steam, water, brine, anti-corrosion agents, cement, permeability modifiers, drilling muds, emulsifiers, demulsifiers, tracers, flow improvers etc. Illustrative well operations include, but are not limited to, hydraulic fracturing, stimulation, tracer injection, cleaning, acidizing, steam injection, water flooding, cementing, etc.

While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited.

Claims

1. A mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve comprising:

a mechanical component having a locked position and an unlocked position;

a hydraulic component in operational communication with the mechanical component, the hydraulic component including a portion that is unresponsive to pressure events with the mechanical component in the locked position and responsive to pressure events with the mechanical component in the unlocked position.

2. A valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hydraulic component is resettable based upon a movement of the mechanical component from the unlocked position to the locked position.

3. A valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mechanical component comprises a sleeve, and a mandrel movable therewith.

4. A valve as claimed in claim 3 wherein the sleeve further includes a profile configured to be engagable by a shifting tool.

5. A valve as claimed in claim 4 wherein the profile is selective.

6. A valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hydraulic component comprises a piston having an interlock feature configured to connect the piston to a hydraulic valve.

7. A valve as claimed in claim 6 wherein the hydraulic component further includes a resilient member interactive with the piston.

8. A valve as claimed in claim 6 wherein the piston is receptive of a mandrel portion of the mechanical component, the mandrel component when the mechanical component is in the locked position preventing movement of the hydraulic valve.

9. A valve as claimed in claim 8 wherein the mandrel position either allows or prevents operation of the interlock feature.

10. A valve as claimed in claim 1 further including a screen.

11. A valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hydraulic component further includes an indexing configuration.

12. A valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein the indexing configuration is a J-slot.

13. A borehole system comprising:

a string disposed within a borehole, the string including a valve as claimed in claim 1.

14. A method of operating a mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve for a borehole comprising:

shifting a mechanical component of the mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve from a locked position to an unlocked position;

inducing a differential pressure on a hydraulic component of the mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve;

opening a hydraulic valve of the mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve.

15. The method of operating a mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve as claimed in claim 14 further comprising reshifting the mechanical component from the unlocked position to the locked position.

16. The method of operating a mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve as claimed in claim 15 wherein the reshifting includes mechanically closing the hydraulic valve with the mechanical component.

17. The method of operating a mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve as claimed in claim 14 wherein the opening is by reducing applied pressure.

18. The method of operating a mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve as claimed in claim 14 wherein the opening includes permitting movement due to expansion of a resilient member.

19. The method of operating a mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve as claimed in claim 14 wherein the inducing is more than one time before opening of the hydraulic valve.

20. The method of operating a mechanically lockable and unlockable hydraulically activated valve as claimed in claim 14 wherein the inducing cycles a J-slot configuration.