US 8,261,822 B2Granted

Flow regulator assembly

AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated

InventorDustin R. Jordy

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A system for and method of supplying an injection fluid to a well assembly so that the injection fluid flows at a substantially constant flow rate. The fluid can be injected at a single site in the well assembly or multiple sites. A flow control regulator is included that attaches to the well assembly and provides a self adjusting flow control for the fluid being injected. The regulator includes a slidable floating sleeve having an orifice through which the fluid flows. The sleeve includes an inlet port that can register with a fluid supply port to allow the injection fluid to make its way into the sleeve. The fluid exits the sleeve through the orifice to generate a pressure differential across the orifice that in turn exerts a sliding force onto the sleeve. Moving the sleeve misaligns the inlet port and fluid supply port thereby throttling flow through the regulator to a predetermined flow rate.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A method of injecting fluid into a well comprising:

(a) isolating first and second formations in a well from one another;
(b) providing flow valves comprising:
a body,
a bore substantially coaxial formed through the body to define an inlet at an end of the body and an exit at an end of the body distal from the inlet.
a fixed sleeve in the body having an annular chamber with an open end in fluid communication with the inlet, a sidewall, and a opening that extends radially outward through the sidewall,
a sliding sleeve coaxially disposed in the bore having an annular sidewall that coaxially slides over an outer surface of the fixed sleeve, a first opening in the annular sidewall and a second opening in the annular sidewall spaced axially apart from the first opening, wherein the first opening is selectively registerable with the opening in the fixed sleeve, and an orifice in an end of the sliding sleeve distal from the first opening, and
a spring biasing the sliding sleeve towards the inlet in the body,
(c) extending conduit from a wellhead assembly into the well, the conduit having a first port in fluid communication with the first formation and a second port in fluid communication the second formation and providing a flow valve on each of the first port and second port;
and
(d) pumping fluid down the conduit and to the ports, so that when the fluid enters the inlets in the flow valves, flows to an annulus circumscribing the sliding sleeve, flows radially inward through the second openings, flows through the orifice and to the outlet in the body when the first openings are in registration with the openings in the fixed sleeve, and so that when the fluid generates a pressure drop through the orifice, the sliding sleeve is moved to reduce an amount of flow through the first openings
thereby controlling flow through each of the ports so that the flow rates through each of the ports is substantially constant as the pressure difference between the conduit and the first and second formations vary.

8 more elements

A fluid injection system for injection into a subterranean well comprising:

a fluid source;
a fluid supply line in fluid communication with the fluid source;
a first flow control regulator in fluid communication with the fluid supply line comprising:
a body,
a bore substantially coaxial formed through the body to define an inlet at an end of the body and an exit at an end of the body distal from the inlet,
a fixed sleeve in the body having an annular chamber with an open end in fluid communication with the inlet, a sidewall, and a port that extends radially outward through the sidewall,
a sliding sleeve coaxially disposed in the bore having an annular sidewall that coaxially slides over an outer surface of the fixed sleeve , a first port in the annular sidewall and a second port in the annular sidewall spaced axially apart from the first port, wherein the first port is selectively registerable with the port in the fixed sleeve, and an orifice in an end of the sliding sleeve distal from the first port, and
a spring biasing the sliding sleeve towards the inlet in the body, so that when the fluid source supplies fluid to the fluid supply line, the fluid exits from the discharge to the first location within the subterranean well at a constant flow rate;
and
a second flow control regulator in fluid communication with the fluid supply line comprising:
a body,
a bore substantially coaxial formed through the body to define an inlet at an end of the body and an exit at an end of the body distal from the inlet,
a fixed sleeve in the body having an annular chamber with an open end in fluid communication with the inlet, a sidewall, and a port that extends radially outward through the sidewall,
a sliding sleeve coaxially disposed in the bore having an annular sidewall that coaxially slides over an outer surface of the fixed sleeve, a first port in the annular sidewall and a second port in the annular sidewall spaced axially apart from the first port, wherein the first port is selectively registerable with the port in the fixed sleeve, and an orifice in an end of the sliding sleeve distal from the first port, and
a spring biasing the sliding sleeve towards the inlet in the body, so that when the fluid source supplies fluid to the fluid supply line, the fluid exits from the discharge to the second location within the subterranean well at a constant flow rate.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/581,605Filed 19 Oct 2009 · us provisional application
Priority: 21 Oct 2008
Published: US 2010/0096127 A122 Apr 2010
Granted: 11 Sep 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

E21B 34/10
In wells: operated by control fluid supplied from outside the borehole
E21B 34/08
In wells: responsive to flow or pressure of the fluid obtained
E21B 34/16
Valve arrangements for boreholes or wells: control means therefor being outside the borehole
E21B 43/25
Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells: methods for stimulating…