US 10,851,628 B1Granted

Gas lift system

AssigneeInnovex Downhole Solutions, Inc.

InventorsAdam Anderson, Carlos Isaac Venegas, Jr.

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Abstract

A gas-lift system includes a first valve configured to provide selective communication of a wellbore fluid between an interior of a production tubing an annulus defined exterior to the production tubing, a second valve configured to provide selective communication of the wellbore fluid between the interior of the production tubing and the annulus, and one or more control lines coupled to the first valve and the second valve. The one or more control lines apply a pressure differential to the first and second valves. The first valve is configured to actuate from an open position to a closed position in response to the pressure differential reaching a first pressure differential, and wherein the second valve is configured to actuate from an open position to a closed position in response to the pressure differential reaching a second pressure differential that is different from the first pressure differential.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A gas-lift system, comprising:

a first valve configured to be coupled to a production tubing, wherein the first valve is configured to provide selective communication of a wellbore fluid between an interior of the production tubing an annulus defined exterior to the production tubing;
a second valve configured to be coupled to the production tubing at a position that is subjacent to the first valve, wherein the second valve is configured to provide selective communication of the wellbore fluid between the interior of the production tubing and the annulus;
and
a first control line and a second control line, the first and second control lines coupled to the first valve and the second valve, wherein the first and second control lines are configured to apply a pressure differential to the first and second valves, the pressure differential being a difference in pressure between pressure in the first and second control lines, wherein the first valve is configured to actuate from an open position to a closed position in response to the pressure differential reaching a first value, and wherein the second valve is configured to actuate from an open position to a closed position in response to the pressure differential reaching a second value that is different from the first value,
wherein the first valve comprises:
a chamber;
a piston positioned in the chamber, wherein the first control line communicates with the chamber on a first side of the piston, and wherein the second control line communicates with the chamber on a second side of the piston;
and
a biasing member configured to resist movement of the piston in at least one direction.

6 more elements

A gas-lift system, comprising:

a production tubing extending into a wellbore, wherein an annulus is defined radially between the production tubing and the wellbore;
a plurality of gas-lift valves disposed at different depths in the wellbore and configured to selectively communicate the annulus with an interior of the production tubing;
a surface system comprising a pump configured to pump a hydraulic fluid;
and
a first control line extending from the surface system to the plurality of gas-lift valves, the first control line being configured to deliver the hydraulic fluid from the pump to the plurality of gas-lift valves to control opening and closing of the gas-lift valves independently of a pressure in the annulus,
wherein the surface system further comprises a tank configured to contain the hydraulic fluid, the gas-lift system further comprising a second control line extending from the tank to the plurality of gas-lift valves to at least partially balance a pressure supplied to the plurality of gas-lift valves by the first control line, and
wherein each of the plurality of gas-lift valves comprises:
a pressure chamber in communication with the first and second control lines;
a piston disposed in the pressure chamber and configured to be moved by a pressure differential between the first and second control lines;
and
a biasing member configured to resist movement of the piston in at least one direction.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.