Subsurface safety valve with rotating disk

A subsurface safety valve assembly for a subterranean well, the assembly having:

• a valve body located within the subterranean well, the valve body having:
• an axially oriented valve bore having a downhole opening at a downhole end of the valve body and an uphole opening at an uphole end of the valve body, where the downhole opening is in fluid communication with a downhole production tubular, and where the uphole opening is in fluid communication with an uphole production tubular;
• and
• a valve cavity, the valve cavity being an open space intersecting the valve bore within the valve body;
• a disk valve member positioned within the valve cavity, the disk valve member being disk shaped and having a disk bore extending from a downhole side to an uphole side of the disk valve member;
• an uphole seal member circumscribing the valve bore at a downhole facing surface of the valve cavity, forming a seal between the uphole side of the disk valve member and the valve body;
• and
• a downhole seal member circumscribing the valve bore at an uphole facing surface of the valve cavity, forming a seal between the downhole side of the disk valve member and the valve body;
• where
• the disk valve member is moveable between a valve closed position with the disk bore offset from the valve bore, and a valve open position with the disk bore axially aligned with the valve bore.

A method for controlling a flow of fluid within a subterranean well with a subsurface safety valve assembly, the method including:

• securing the subsurface safety valve assembly between an uphole production tubular and a downhole production tubular, the subsurface safety valve assembly having:
• a valve body, the valve body having an axially oriented valve bore extending from a downhole end of the valve body to an uphole end of the valve body, and a valve cavity, the valve cavity being an open space intersecting the valve bore within the valve body;
• a disk valve member positioned within the valve cavity, the disk valve member being disk shaped and having a disk bore extending from a downhole side to an uphole side of the disk valve member;
• a piston member having a base end rotationally secured to the valve body and an extendable end rotationally secured to the disk valve member;
• an uphole seal member circumscribing the valve bore at a downhole facing surface of the valve cavity, forming a seal between the uphole side of the disk valve member and the valve body;
• and
• a downhole seal member circumscribing the valve bore at an uphole facing surface of the valve cavity, forming a seal between the downhole side of the disk valve member and the valve body;
• and
• moving the piston member between a contracted position and an extended position, such that in the contracted position the disk valve member is oriented in a valve closed position with the disk bore offset from the valve bore, and in the extended position the disk valve member is oriented in a valve open position with the disk bore axially aligned with the valve bore.