Gas Lift Valve Having Ratcheting Orifice
AssigneeWeatherford Technology Holdings, LLC
InventorDonavan H. Brown
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A gas lift valve is opened and closed by subjecting a pressure-sensitive piston to pressure differentials between annulus and tubing pressures. The piston can be held in (and released from) a closed position by rotatably indexing an indexing assembly in incremental rotations on the piston when in the closed position. The indexing assembly is rotated when the piston is alternatingly moved in opposing axial directions when the pressure differential is alternated. In response to those incremental rotations, an outer ratchet on the piston can be alternately expanded and contracted. When expanded, the outer ratchet engages a ratchet profile in the gas lift valve to prevent the piston from moving open. When the outer ratchet is contracted, however, the piston can be moved open.
Claims20
A gas lift valve comprising:
- a housing defining an internal passage having a first port, a second port, and a third port, the first port being exposed to an annulus pressure, the second port being exposed to a tubing pressure, the third port being configured to at least communicate outside the housing, a portion of the internal passage defining a catch profile disposed thereabout;
- a piston disposed in the internal passage, the piston being movable in first and second axial directions with axial movement in the internal passage at least in response to a pressure differential between the first and second ports, the piston being configured to at least control fluid communication between the first port and the third port;
- an indexing assembly disposed on the piston, the indexing assembly being indexed in indexed increments in response to the axial movement of the piston alternatingly in the first and second axial directions;
- and
- a catch disposed relative to the indexing assembly, the catch being configured to alternatingly engage and disengage with the catch profile in response to the indexed increments of the indexing assembly, the catch engaged with the catch profile being configured to prevent the axial movement of the piston in the first axial direction, the catch disengaged with the catch profile being configured to permit the axial movement of the piston in the first axial direction.
A method used for a gas lift completion in a wellbore, the method comprising:
- at least controlling fluid communication through a gas lift valve by:
- producing pressure differentials in an internal passage of the gas lift valve between an annulus pressure of the wellbore and a tubing pressure of the gas lift completion;
- and
- alternatingly moving a pressure-sensitive piston in first and second axial directions with axial movement in the gas lift valve in response to the pressure differentials;
- holding and releasing the pressure-sensitive piston by:
- indexing an indexing assembly in indexed increments in response to the axial movement of the pressure-sensitive piston alternatingly in the first and second axial directions;
- and
- alternatingly moving a catch in an engaged state and a disengaged state in response to the indexed increments of the indexing assembly on the pressure-sensitive piston;
- and
- alternatingly preventing and allowing the axial movement of the pressure-sensitive piston in the first axial direction by alternatingly engaging and disengaging the catch in the engaged state and the disengaged state with a catch profile defined in the internal passage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.