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US 12,584,376 B2Granted
Debris shield for ball valve actuation
AssigneeSchlumberger Technology Corporation
InventorsBrian Walther, Bo Chen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An isolation valve system includes a well string having an isolation valve including a rotatable ball for rotation about a fixed axis. The isolation valve has an extension mandrel and a connecting mandrel disposed above the rotatable ball. The isolation valve has a debris sleeve designed to push debris inward and upward in the extension mandrel accumulated above the rotatable ball when the ball is rotated to alleviate the friction force of the debris acting on the rotating ball.
Claims16
An isolation valve comprising:
- a housing;
- a rotatable ball disposed in the housing;
- an upper cage disposed in the housing and adjacent the ball;
- an extension mandrel;
- a connecting mandrel disposed in the upper cage, the connecting mandrel connected to a lower end of the extension mandrel and operable to rotate the ball valve between a closed position and open position;
- and
- a debris sleeve positioned within the extension mandrel and the connecting mandrel above the ball.
4 more elements
A method of reducing a friction force of debris acting on an isolation valve comprising:
- positioning the isolation valve with a rotatable ball within a well;
- accumulating debris above the ball when the ball is in a closed position,
- wherein the debris is accumulated in a debris sleeve and an extension mandrel, and wherein the debris sleeve is disposed in an upper cage above the ball within a housing and extends into the extension mandrel;
- and
- actuating the extension mandrel to rotate the ball, thereby causing the debris in the debris sleeve and the extension mandrel to move inward and upward within the extension mandrel while the ball rotates.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.