# US 11,111,764 B2 · Wellbore annular safety valve and method

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- Number: US 11,111,764 B2
- Document ID: US11111764B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/791,325
- Filed: 2020-02-14
- Published: 2020-06-11
- Granted: 2021-09-07
- Earliest claimed: 2012-08-22
- Assignees: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
- Applicants: Schlumberger Technology Corporation
- Inventors: Oystein Molstre
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11111764B2

## CPC

- E21B 43/12: Methods or apparatus for controlling the flow of the obtained fluid to or in wells (E21B43/25 takes precedence; valve arrangements E21B34/00)
- E21B 33/126: with fluid-pressure-operated elastic cup or skirt (E21B33/122, E21B33/124 take precedence)
- E21B 34/06: in wells
- E21B 34/10: operated by control fluid supplied from outside the borehole
- E21B 43/122: {Gas lift}
- E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS

## Abstract

A method includes deploying a tubing having a tubing bore in a casing in a wellbore, the tubing including a cup packer forming an annular barrier across a tubing-casing annulus separating the tubing-casing annulus into an upper annulus and a lower annulus, the cup packer having a fluid conduit extending substantially parallel to the tubing bore, and a barrier valve coupled with the fluid conduit to permit one-way fluid flow from the upper annulus to the lower annulus, communicating a fluid from the upper annulus through the barrier valve to the lower annulus, and closing the barrier valve in response to pressure in the upper annulus being less than pressure in the lower annulus.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
deploying a tubing having a tubing bore in a casing in a wellbore, the tubing comprising a cup packer forming an annular barrier across a tubing-casing annulus separating the tubing-casing annulus into an upper annulus and a lower annulus, the cup packer having a fluid conduit extending substantially parallel to the tubing bore, and a barrier valve coupled with the fluid conduit to permit one-way fluid flow from the upper annulus to the lower annulus;
communicating a fluid from the upper annulus through the barrier valve to the lower annulus; and
closing the barrier valve in response to pressure in the upper annulus being less than pressure in the lower annulus,
wherein the barrier valve is located in a side pocket of a side pocket mandrel integrated in the tubing,
wherein the cup packer is disposed about a feed-through mandrel having a first side and a second side, the first side being thicker than the second side, and
wherein the side pocket mandrel and the annular barrier are aligned such that the side pocket and the first side of the feed-through mandrel are aligned longitudinally.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the fluid is a pressurized gas and further comprising injecting the pressurized gas from the lower annulus through a gas lift valve into the tubing bore.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising a control line extending from the upper annulus through the annular barrier to the lower annulus.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the barrier valve is normally closed and the barrier valve is opened in response to pressure in the upper annulus being greater than pressure in the lower annulus.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein:
the barrier valve is located in a side pocket mandrel integrated in the tubing;
the fluid is a pressurized gas; and
further comprising injecting the pressurized gas from the lower annulus through a gas lift valve into the tubing bore.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the feed-through mandrel comprises a port to pass a control line across the annular barrier of the cup packer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the cup packer is a dual cup packer.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the barrier valve is located above the annular barrier.