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US 11,306,835 B1Granted
Flapper valves with hydrofoil and valve systems
AssigneeKHOLLE Magnolia 2015, LLC
InventorsMark C. Dille, Larry Mitchell Hill, William Brent Stroebel, Scott Taylor Donaldson, E. Lee Colley, III
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Pivot valves have a valve seat and a valve closure mounted for pivoting movement through a closure chamber in a passage. The pivot valves may be selectively set in a check mode and an open mode. Flapper valves have a hydrofoil extending from a flapper. Valve assemblies comprise the pivot valves and flapper valves and have an open condition, a check condition, and a shut-off condition.
Claims12
A system for fracturing a well, said system comprising:
- (a) a flow line adapted to convey frac fluid discharged from one or more high-pressure pumps to a well head;
- and
- (b) a flapper valve mounted in said flow line and adapted to control flow through said flow line, said flapper valve comprising:
- i) a valve housing adapted for assembly into said flow line;
- ii) a passage in said housing providing a valve inlet and a valve outlet;
- iii) a valve seat in said passage;
- iv) a flapper, said flapper mounted for pivoting freely through a flapper chamber in said passage, whereby said flapper is adapted to pivot away from said seat in response to flow through said passage in a flapper valve flow direction and to bear on said seat in response to flow through said passage in a flapper valve reverse-flow direction, whereby said flapper allows flow through said passage in said flapper valve flow direction and checks flow through said passage in said flapper valve reverse-flow direction;
- and
- v) a hydrofoil extending from said flapper.
6 more elements
A system for fracturing a well, said system comprising:
- (a) a flow line adapted to convey frac fluid discharged from one or more high-pressure pumps to a well head;
- and
- (b) a valve assembly mounted in said flow line and having a check condition allowing flow in an assembly flow direction and a shut-off condition shutting off flow in both said assembly flow direction and an assembly reverse-flow direction, said valve assembly comprising:
- i) a flapper valve, said flapper valve comprising:
- (1) a valve housing adapted for assembly into said flow line;
- (2) a passage in said housing providing a valve inlet and a valve outlet;
- (3) a valve seat in said passage;
- (4) a flapper, said flapper mounted for pivoting freely through a flapper chamber in said passage, whereby said flapper is adapted to pivot away from said seat in response to flow through said passage in a flapper valve flow direction and to bear on said seat in response to flow through said passage in a flapper valve reverse-flow direction, whereby said flapper allows flow through said passage in said flapper valve flow direction and checks flow through said passage in said flapper valve reverse-flow direction;
- and
- ii) a pivot valve, said pivot valve comprising:
- (1) a pivot valve housing adapted for assembly into said flow line;
- (2) a passage in said pivot valve housing providing a pivot valve inlet and a pivot valve outlet;
- (3) a valve seat in said passage;
- and
- (4) a pivot valve closure, said closure being mounted for pivoting movement through a closure chamber in said passage;
- (5) wherein said pivot valve may be selectively set in a check mode and an open mode;
- wherein
- (a) said closure in said check mode can pivot freely through said closure chamber, whereby said closure is adapted to pivot away from said seat in response to flow through said passage in a pivot valve flow direction and to bear on said seat in response to flow through said passage in a pivot valve reverse-flow direction, whereby said closure allows flow through said passage in said pivot valve flow direction and checks flow through said passage in said pivot valve reverse-flow direction;
- (b) said closure in said open mode is supported substantially above flow through said passage to allow flow in said pivot valve reverse-flow direction;
- iii) wherein the flapper valve is oriented such that the flapper valve flow direction is the same as the assembly flow direction and the pivot valve is oriented such that the pivot valve flow direction is the same as the assembly reverse-flow direction;
- iv) whereby said valve assembly:
- (1) may be set in its said check condition by setting said pivot valve in its open mode;
- and
- (2) may be set in its said shut-off condition by setting said pivot valve in its check mode.
21 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.