Coded fluid control system

A system for controlling a plurality of subsea hydraulic valves from a surface control station, comprising:

• a control conduit associated with each of said subsea valves, said subsea valves each being adapted to operate in response to the application of hydraulic pressure to the corresponding control conduit;
• a hydraulic pressure supply;
• a selector valve situated proximate the seafloor, said selector valve being adapted to establish fluid communication between said pressure supply and a selected one of said control conduits, said selector valve having:
• a binary actuator having a plurality of code input ports and a moveable output member, each of said code input ports being adapted to receive a pressure signal controllably variable between two pressure levels, the pressure level at each code input port representing one bit of a multi-bit binary select code, each select code corresponding to a position of said output member, said binary actuator being adapted to adjust said output member to a position corresponding to the then-existing select code;
• a multiple position valve having an inlet pressure port adapted for receiving pressurized fluid from said hydraulic pressure supply, a plurality of outlet pressure ports each in fluid communication with a corresponding control conduit, and a fluid passageway element adapted to be moved to a number of positions, each such position establishing fluid communication between said inlet pressure port and at least one of said outlet pressure ports;
• and,
• means for coupling said fluid passageway element to said actuator output member so that movement of said output member causes movement of said fluid passageway element, each position of said output member causing said passageway element to assume a corresponding position establishing fluid communication between said inlet pressure port and a corresponding outlet pressure port;
• a plurality of code input conduits, each being in fluid communication with a corresponding one of the code input ports;
• and,
• means for applying to the code input conduits a select code corresponding to that one of the subsea hydraulic valves which it is desired to address.

A hydraulic selector valve for use in controlling a plurality of hydraulically actuated elements, comprising:

• a binary actuator having a plurality of code input ports and a moveable output member, each of said code input ports being adapted to receive a pressure signal, there being two possible pressure signals associated with each code input port, one of said pressure signals being of a higher pressure level than the other, the signal existing at the code input ports at a given time defining the bits of a multi-bit binary select code, said binary actuator being adapted to adjust said output member to a position corresponding to the then-existing multi-bit select code, each select code representing a certain position of said output member;
• and,
• a multiple position valve having:
• a valve body defining at least one input pressure port and a plurality of outlet pressure ports;
• a fluid passageway element adapted to be moved to a number of positions, each such position establishing fluid communication between said input pressure port and at least one of said outlet pressure ports;
• and,
• means for coupling said fluid passageway element to said actuator output member such that movement of said output member causes movement of said fluid passageway element.

A system for controlling a plurality of groups of fluid-actuated valves from a central control station, comprising:

• a control conduit associated with each of said valves, each of said valves being adapted to operate in response to the application of fluid pressure to the corresponding control conduit;
• a fluid pressure supply;
• a plurality of first selector valves and a second selector valve, each selector valve having:
• an input pressure port;
• a plurality of outlet pressure ports;
• a plurality of code input ports, each adapted to receive a pressure signal which can be altered between a first pressure level and a second pressure level higher than said first pressure level, the pressure level at each code input port representing one bit of a binary select code, each output pressure port being represented by a corresponding binary select code;
• and,
• means for adjusting the selector valve upon receipt of a binary select code to establish fluid communication between the input pressure port and that one of the output pressure ports corresponding to the then-existing binary select code;
• each one of said first selector valves being associated with one fluid-actuated valve group, each valve control conduit of said valve group being in fluid communication with a corresponding outlet pressure port of said first selector valve;
• a plurality of first selector valve code input conduits, each being in fluid communications with a corresponding one of said first selector valve code input ports;
• means for applying to said first selector valve code input conduits a select code corresponding to that one of the valves within each group which is to be operated;
• said input pressure port of each first selector valve being in fluid communication with a corresponding one of the outlet pressure ports of said second selector valve, said second selector valve inlet pressure port being adapted to receive pressurized fluid from said fluid pressure supply;
• a plurality of second selector valve code input conduits, each being in fluid communication with a corresponding one of said second selector valve code input ports;
• and,
• means for applying to said second selector valve code input conduits a select code corresponding to that one of the second selector valve outlet pressure ports which is in fluid communication with that one of the first selector valves which it is desired to operate.

A control valve adapted for applying fluid pressure from a fluid pressure source to a selected one of a group of fluid conduits, said control valve comprising:

• a valve body defining an input pressure port and a plurality of outlet pressure ports, said outlet pressure ports each being adapted to be placed in fluid communication with a corresponding one of said fluid conduits, said input pressure port being adapted to receive pressurized fluid from a source external to said control valve;
• a fluid passageway element within said valve body, said fluid passageway element being moveable within said valve body through a series of positions, each outlet pressure port corresponding to one position of said fluid passageway element, said fluid passageway element being configured to establish fluid communication between said inlet pressure port and a selected one of said outlet pressure ports in response to said fluid passageway element being placed in the position corresponding to said selected outlet pressure port;
• an actuator having a plurality of code input ports and an output member moveable through a number of positions, each of said code input ports being adapted to receive a pressure signal, each combination of pressure signals applied to said code input ports at a given time defining a select code, each select code corresponding to a position of said output member, said actuator being adapted to adjust said moveable output member to the position corresponding to the then-existing select code;
• and
• means for coupling said fluid passageway element to said actuator output member so that the application of a select code to said code input ports causes said fluid passageway element to be driven by said actuator output member to a position corresponding to such select code.

A system for operating a plurality of control valves in a subsea well control system, each of said valves having first and second control ports, said system comprising:

• a surface control station;
• a selector valve situated proximate the seafloor, said selector valve having:
• a binary actuator having a plurality of code input ports and a moveable output member, each of said code input ports being adapted to receive a hydraulic signal controllably variable between two pressure levels, the pressure level at each code input port representing one bit of a multi-bit binary select code, each select code corresponding to a position of said output member, said binary actuator being adapted to adjust said output member to a position corresponding to the then-existing select code;
• a multiple position valve having first and second inlet pressure ports, first and second sets of outlet pressure ports, and a fluid passageway element adapted to be moved through a number of positions, each such position establishing hydraulic communication between said first inlet pressure port and one of said first outlet pressure ports and between said second inlet pressure port and one of said second outlet pressure ports;
• and,
• means for coupling said fluid passageway element to said actuator output member so that movement of said output member causes movement of said fluid passageway element, each position of said output member causing said passageway element to assume a corresponding position establishing hydraulic communication between said first inlet pressure port and one of said first outlet pressure ports and between said second inlet pressure port and one of said second outlet pressure ports;
• a first and a second control conduit associated with each of said control valves, said first control conduit establishing hydraulic communication between said first control port and a corresponding one of said first outlet pressure ports and said second control conduit establishing hydraulic communication between said second control port and a corresponding one of said second outlet pressure ports, the first and second outlet pressure port pair associated with each control conduit pair corresponding to a single position of said fluid passageway element, whereby each position of said fluid passageway element establishes fluid communication between said first selector valve inlet pressure port and the first control port of the control valve corresponding to that position and between said second selector valve inlet pressure port and the second control port of said control valve corresponding to that position;
• a plurality of code input conduits, each being in fluid communication with a corresponding one of said code input ports;
• means for applying to said code input conduits a select code corresponding to that one of the control valves which it is desired to address;
• and,
• means for applying hydraulic pressure to a selected one of said first and second inlet pressure ports.