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US 7,604,056 B2Granted
Downhole valve and method of making
AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated
InventorAndrew Haynes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed herein is a downhole valve. The downhole valve includes, a flapper seat, a flapper sealable against the flapper seat, a spring housing in axial alignment with the flapper seat and a metal-to-metal seal disposed between the flapper seat and the spring housing. The metal-to-metal seal is sealable to both the flapper seat and the spring housing when in an energized position. Additionally, the metal-to-metal seal is a separate component from both the flapper seat and the spring housing.
Claims20
A downhole valve, comprising:
- a flapper seat;
- a flapper sealable against the flapper seat;
- a spring housing in axial alignment with the flapper seat;
- and
- a metal-to-metal seal disposed between the flapper seat and the spring housing and sealable to the flapper seat and the spring housing when in an energized position, the metal-to-metal seal being energizable in response to longitudinal compression of between the flapper seat and the spring housing, the metal-to-metal seal being energizable in response to axial compression between the flapper seat and the spring housing.
2 more elements
A method of making a valve, comprising:
- positioning a non-energized tubular member radially between a flapper seat and a spring housing, the tubular member having at least one line of weakness on an outside surface thereof and at least one line of weakness on an inside surface thereof;
- energizing the tubular member with the flapper seat and the spring housing;
- deforming a first portion of the tubular member radially outwardly to sealably engage one of the flapper seat and the spring housing;
- and
- deforming a second portion of the tubular member radially inwardly to sealably engage the other of the flapper seat and the spring housing that is not sealably engaged with the first portion.
2 more elements
A method of sealing valve components, comprising:
- energizing a tubular metal-to-metal seal with longitudinal compression between the flapper seat and the spring housing between a flapper seat and a spring housing to thereby sealingly engage the metal-to-metal seal with the flapper seat and the spring housing, the energizing further comprising:
- radially compressing the metal-to-metal seal in an annular opening between the spring housing and the flapper seat.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.