Self-contained, retrievable valving assembly

A self-contained retrievable valving assembly comprising:

• a. retrievable securing means for releasably securing said valving assembly within a tubular well conduit at a subsurface location;
• b. valving means connected with said securing means and being operable to regulate the flow of fluid through said tubular well conduit, said valving means including:
• i. conduit seal means for forming a sealing engagement with said well conduit;
• ii. a substantially tubular valve housing body adapted to be anchored at a subsurface location substantially concentrically within said well conduit;
• iii. an axially developed flow passage extending through said tubular valve housing body;
• iv. first sealing means included with said flow passage and having a sealing surface extending about said flow passage;
• v. a movable closure element mounted for movement with respect to said first sealing means to open or close said housing flow passage, said closure element including a flapper valve means pivotally mounted in said housing body for movement into and out of sealing engagement with said sealing surface for closing or opening said flow passage to fluid flow;
• vi. control means connected with said valving means and said securing means for controlling operation of said valving means;
• and
• vii. connecting means linking said closure element and said control means whereby said control means governs movement of said closure element to regulate operation of said valving means, said connecting means including flexible, resilient transfer means for transferring linear motion in said control means to pivotal motion in said flapper valve means.

A self-contained, retrievable valving assembly comprising:

• a. retrievable securing means for releasably securing said valving within a tubular well conduit at a subsurface location;
• b. valving means connected with said securing means and being operable to regulate the flow of fluid through said tubular well conduit, said valving means including:
• i. conduit seal means for forming a sealing engagement with said well conduit;
• ii. a substantially tubular valve housing body adapted to be anchored at a subsurface location substantially concentrically within said well conduit;
• iii. an axially developed flow passage means extending through said tubular valve housing;
• first sealing means included with said flow passage;
• v. a movable closure element mounted for movement with respect to said first sealing means to open or close said housing flow passage;
• c. control means connected with said valving means and said securing means for controlling operation of said valving means;
• and
• d. connecting means linking said closure element and said control means whereby said control means governs movement of said closure element to regulate operation of said valving means, said control means including:
• i. contractible and expansible bellows means for forming a pressure seal between first and second pressure areas;
• ii. first chamber means cooperating with said bellows means to form confining boundaries about said first pressure area;
• iii. compressed spring means connected with said movable closure element;
• iv. bellows protection means including a noncompressible fluid and a selectively closable safety seal means operable by motion of said bellows means to seal a portion of said fluid in a chamber means formed in part by said bellows means whereby said bellows means is prevented from moving beyond a predetermined maximum amount;
• and
• v. release means for releasing said compressed spring means when movement of said bellows means exceeds a predetermined amount to thereby produce a fast, powering movement of said closure element to closed position.

A self-contained retrievable valving assembly for the subsurface control of fluid flow through a tubular well conduit comprising:

• a. retrievable securing means for releasably securing said valving assembly at a subsurface location within said tubular well conduit;
• b. valving means connected with said securing means and being operable to regulate the flow of fluid through said tubular well conduit, said valving means including:
• i. conduit seal means for forming a sealing engagement said valving assembly and said well conduit;
• ii. a substantially tubular valve housing body adapted to be anchored substantially concentrically within said well conduit;
• iii. an axially developed flow passage means extending through said tubular valve housing;
• iv. first sealing means included with said flow passage;
• v. a movable closure element mounted for movement with respect to said first sealing means to regulate flow through said flow passage;
• vi. control means connected with said valving means and said securing means for controlling operation of said valving means, said control means being positively separated from and disposed eccentrically relative to said flow passage;
• and
• vii. connecting means linking said closure element and said control means whereby said control means governs movement of said closure element to regulate operation of said valving means.