US 10,240,429 B2Granted

Rotary sleeve to control annular flow

AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.

InventorsNicolas Rogozinski, Henry Eugene Rogers, Samuel Travis McMillian

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A wellbore completion system includes a container for delivering plugs or other objects to a wellbore. The container includes a sleeve having a sealing surface at a first end and a geared interface at a second, opposing end. The sealing surface includes voids or apertures that align with or obstruct apertures in a diverter plate, depending on the position of the sleeve, to permit or obstruct annular flow around the sleeve, respectively. A ball valve is coupled to the second, opposing end of the sleeve, and has a valve-geared interface that engages the geared interface of the sleeve. A releasable object, such as a cement wiper plug, may be stored within the conduit of the sleeve. The geared interface relates movement of the ball valve to movement of the sleeve, resulting in simultaneous opening of the valve, closing of the annular flow path, and release of the releasable object.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A container for delivering plugs in a cementing application, the container comprising:

a sleeve having a first end, a second, opposing end, and defining a conduit between the first end and second, opposing end, the sleeve further comprising a geared interface at the second, opposing end;
wherein the sleeve has at least one sealing surface at the first end, the at least one sealing surface including at least one void disposed therein;
a diverter disposed adjacent the at least one sealing surface and having at least one diverter aperture,
an outer sleeve, wherein the sleeve is positioned within the outer sleeve to form an annulus between an outer surface of the sleeve and an inner surface of the outer sleeve, and
a ball valve coupled to the second, opposing end of the sleeve, wherein a ball of the ball valve comprises a valve-geared interface that engages the geared interface of the sleeve;
wherein the ball valve is rotatable about a first axis that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the sleeve;
wherein the geared interface of the ball valve engages the geared interface of the sleeve such that rotation of the ball valve about the first axis results in rotation of the sleeve about its longitudinal axis.

4 more elements

A system for use in a wellbore comprising:

a sleeve having a sealing surface at a first end and a plurality of recesses at a second, opposing end;
wherein the sealing surface of the sleeve comprises at least one aperture;
a ball valve coupled to the second, opposing end of the sleeve, wherein a ball of the ball valve comprises a plurality of protrusions;
an outer sleeve, wherein:
the sleeve is positioned within the outer sleeve to form an annulus between an outer surface of the sleeve and an inner surface of the outer sleeve;
and
a diverter plate proximate the sealing surface and having at least one diverter aperture;
wherein the ball valve is coupled to the outer sleeve;
wherein the ball valve is rotatable about a first axis that is perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the sleeve;
wherein the protrusions of the ball valve engage the recesses of the sleeve such that rotation of the ball valve about the first axis results in rotation of the sleeve about its longitudinal axis;
wherein the ball valve is operable to permit flow through the inner sleeve when in an open state and to restrict flow through the inner sleeve when in a closed state;
and
wherein the sealing surface is moveable from a first petition to a second position, wherein,
in the first, open position, the diverter aperture and sealing surface aperture overlap to permit flow through the annulus, and
in the second, closed position, the sealing surface obstructs flow through the diverter aperture to restrict flow through the annulus.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.