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US 6,382,234 B1Granted
One shot valve for operating down-hole well working and sub-sea devices and tools
AssigneeWeatherford/Lamb, Inc.
InventorsJohn Birckhead, Harry Ehlert
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention relates generally to remotely operated well borehole or sub-sea tools for oilfield use, and more particularly, for a one shot valve useful for activating such well tools or sub-sea devices in a safe and reliable manner.
Claims15
A valve for sub-sea or wellbore use, said valve being a one shot normally closed valve configured to open one time upon activation and stay open, comprising:
- a body member having a bore therethrough and having at least one inlet port and at least one outlet port in the bore for communicating fluid pressure from the inlet port to the outlet port, the bore having the inlet port and the outlet port normally closed or sealed apart from each other by a movable plug member;
- at least one means for force biasing the movable plug member to an open position in which the inlet port and the outlet port are in fluid communication with each other, a first force biasing means being an effective annular piston area acting upon the moveable plug member;
- electrical release means for holding the plug immovable against the at least one force biasing means in the closed position and for releasing the movable plug to move in response to the at least one force biasing means to the open position upon electrical activation thereof.
A normally closed one shot valve for wellbore or sub-sea use which is configured to open once and remain open thereafter, comprising:
- a body member having a bore therethrough and having inlet and outlet ports and fluid communication with each other via the bore;
- a moveable plug in the bore having sealing means for sealing the inlet ports and the outlet ports when in a normally closed position;
- at least one means for force biasing the movable plug member to an open position, the force biasing means being a hydrostatic force biasing means comprising two different diameter sealing means on opposite sides of an inlet port acting upon the moveable plug member, and electrically activated release means for holding the movable plug in its normally closed position until the release means is electrically activated;
- and
- means for electrically activating the release means to allow motion of the movable plug to its open position.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.