Gas lift valve remanufacturing process and apparatus produced thereby

Abstract

Used gas lift valves having a used bellows assembly are remanufactured. Separable components are disassembled, and the used bellows assembly is removed from a dome housing by de-brazing the used bellows at a brazed joint from a mating surface of the dome housing. A replacement bellows is then affixed (e.g., arc welded) to the dome housing's mating surface, and a bellows adapter is affixed (e.g., arc welded) to the replacement bellows. The separable components of the used valve are then reassembled to produce a remanufactured gas lift valve. The remanufactured valve has a replacement bellows composed of a nickel-chromium alloy as opposed to a nickel-copper alloy, has the replacement bellows arc-welded to the dome housing as opposed to being brazed thereto, and has the adapter arc-welded to the bellows as opposed to being brazed thereto.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.