Shut-in tools

A downhole multiple shut-in valve apparatus for repeatedly shutting in a production tubing string of a completed producing well to perform multiple buildup and drawdown tests on said well, comprising:

• a housing having a housing bore and having a flow port means defined laterally through said housing for communicating said housing bore with an interior of said production tubing string to allow fluid flow into said flow port means and up through said housing bore and then up through said interior of said production tubing string, said housing having a high pressure zone and a low pressure zone defined therein;
• a setting means attached to said housing for setting said housing in said interior of said production tubing string;
• a shut-in valve element disposed in said housing bore and movable between an open position wherein said flow port means is open and a closed position wherein said flow port means is closed;
• a differential pressure actuating piston having first and second sides, said piston being operably associated with said shut-in valve element to move said shut-in valve element between its open and closed positions in response to movement of said actuating piston;
• and
• pilot valve means, for selectively communicating one of said first and second sides of said actuating piston with said high pressure zone, and for simultaneously communicating the other of said first and second sides of said actuating piston with said low pressure zone, so that a pressure differential between said high pressure zone and said low pressure zone moves said actuating piston and thus moves said shut-in valve element between its open and closed positions.

An automatically controlled downhole shut-in valve apparatus for conducting multiple drawdown and buildup testing of a completed producing well having therein a production tubing string through which well fluids are produced from a subsurface formation intersected by said well, comprising:

• a housing having a flow passage defined therethrough and having a flow port means defined in said housing for communicating said flow passage with an interior of said production tubing string;
• a shut-in valve element disposed in said housing and movable between an open position wherein said flow passage is open and a closed position wherein said flow passage is closed;
• setting means, connected to said housing, for setting said shut-in valve apparatus in place at a downhole location within said production tubing string and sealing said shut-in tool apparatus against an inner bore of said production tubing string at said downhole location so that fluid flow up through said production tubing string past said downhole location must flow through said flow passage of said housing;
• control system means for generating opening and closing command signals;
• and
• operator means for repeatedly opening and closing said shut-in valve element in response to said opening and closing command signals to perform multiple drawdown and buildup tests on said well.

An automatically controlled downhole multiple shut-in valve apparatus for conducting efficient drawdown and buildup testing of a completed producing well having therein a production tubing string through which well fluids are produced from a subsurface formation intersected by said well, comprising:

• a housing having a flow passage defined therethrough and having a flow port means defined in said housing for communicating said flow passage with an interior of said production tubing string;
• a shut-in valve element disposed in said housing and movable between an open position wherein said flow passage is open and a closed position wherein said flow passage is closed;
• setting means, connected to said housing, for setting said shut-in valve apparatus in place at a downhole location within said production tubing string and sealing said shut-in tool apparatus against an inner bore of said production tubing string at said downhole location so that fluid flow up through said production tubing string past said downhole location must flow through said flow passage of said housing;
• monitoring means, disposed in said housing, for monitoring a downhole parameter and generating an input signal representative of said downhole parameter;
• receiving and generating means for receiving said input signal and for generating a command signal when said input signal meets a predetermined drawdown and buildup criterion;
• and
• control means, disposed in said housing, for moving said shut-in valve element between its said open and closed position in response to said command signal.