Subsurface well apparatus and method
AssigneeHydril Company
InventorJames D. Mott
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Subsurface well apparatus and method of operating same, wherein a controlled ball valve or closure means is provided, with means for mounting same in a well tubing for normally opening and closing flow through the well tubing, and wherein a fluid flow control assembly having a replacement ball valve therewith is adapted to be dropped in or otherwise lowered through the well tubing so as to position same above said controlled ball valve for subsequent operation of said replacement valve to thereafter serve as a replacement for said controlled valve.
Claims8
A method of operating a well producing hydrocarbons from a subsurface formation, including the steps of:
- controlling flow in the bore of a well production tubing by a safety valve connected in the production tubing at a subsurface location in the well by controlling the control fluid pressure communicated to the safety valve from the surface;
- placing a flow control assembly in the bore of the production tubing at the wellhead;
- moving the flow control assembly through the bore of the production tubing to the safety valve;
- securing the flow control assembly in the bore of the production tubing adjacent the safety valve;
- and,
- operating the flow control assembly with the control fluid communicated to the safety valve for controlling flow through the production tubing with the flow control assembly.
A method of operating a well including:
- installing a flow conductor in said well for conducting fluids from a producing formation therein to the surface;
- controlling flow through said flow conductor by a subsurface safety valve in said flow conductor controlled by control fluid from the surface in response to predetermined conditions;
- moving said subsurface safety valve to open position independently of said control fluid from the surface;
- locking said valve in such open position for performing well servicing operations through an open valve;
- and
- providing a supplemental valve at a subsurface location in the flow conductor for control of fluid flow through the first valve while said first valve is held in the open position.
A method of operably installing a remotely controlled flow control assembly in a well for controlling flow of well fluids through the bore of a well tubing at a desired subsurface location disposed below the wellhead assembly and adjacent a surface controlled safety valve, including the steps of:
- placing the flow control assembly in the bore of a well tubing at a location remote from the subsurface safety valve;
- moving the flow control assembly through the bore of the well tubing to the desired subsurface location adjacent the safety valve for securing with the well tubing;
- securing the flow control assembly in the bore of the well tubing at the desired subsurface location adjacent the safety valve for controlling flow through the well tubing;
- transmitting a control command independently of the well tubing to the safety valve for controlling operation of the flow control assembly;
- and
- operating the flow control assembly in response to the control command transmitted to the subsurface safety valve for controlling flow through the bore of the well tubing at the desired subsurface location.
A method of operating a flow control assembly operably mounted in a safety valve connected in a production tubing at a subsurface location in a well, including the steps of:
- operating the flow control assembly for controlling flow through the safety valve and the bore of the production tubing;
- inserting a retrieval tool in the bore of the production tubing;
- moving the retrieval tool through the bore of the production tubing to the safety valve for connecting with the flow control assembly;
- releasing the flow control assembly from adjacent the safety valve;
- and
- moving the retrieving tool and connected flow control assembly through the bore of the production tubing from the subsurface safety valve for removal from the bore of the production tubing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.