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US 5,176,164 AGranted
Flow control valve system
AssigneeOtis Engineering Corporation
InventorWilliam G. Boyle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flow control valve system for production of wells such as by gas lift including a downhole valve electrically or pressure pulse controlled from the surface including a valve having apparatus for controlling the flow rate through the valve by varying the valve orifice size over a continuous range and maintaining the orifice size constant when desired. Both rotary and poppet type valves are disclosed. Valve orifice size and well conditions are monitored downhole and transmitted to the surface for control of the valve.
Claims11
A flow control valve system, comprising:
- a flow control valve including,
- an outer housing;
- a valve chamber within said housing in flow communication with an inlet port in the wall of said housing and an outlet opening from said housing;
- a variable size orifice between said valve chamber and said outlet opening to control flow therebetween;
- means including a rotary shaft for changing the size of said orifice over a continuous range of sizes from fully closed to fully open;
- energizable means for imparting a liner motion in both axial directions connected to means for converting said linear motion into rotational motion in both rotational directions, respectively, for driving said orifice size changing means to selectively increase or decrease the size of said orifice, said orifice changing means being position stable to maintain the size of said orifice constant when said driving means is not energized;
- means remote from said valve for generating control signals for energizing said driving means;
- and
- a control line for connecting said control signal generating mean sand said driving means to permit selective changes in the orifice size of said flow control valve.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.