Wells – With electrical means – Electrical motor
Patent
1997-10-14
2000-03-28
Schoeppel, Roger
Wells
With electrical means
Electrical motor
166324, 1663322, 166386, E21B 404, E21B 3312
Patent
active
060418575
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to regulating flow of an given fluid in a particular zone into or out of the production tube. More particularly, the invention relates to selective actuation of a flow control device.
2. Prior Art
As one of skill in the art will readily recognize, flow control devices such as the sliding sleeve, commercially available from Baker Oil Tools, 6023 Navigation Boulevard, Houston, Tex. 77011, have been known to the industry and have been depended upon thereby for a number of years. The tool is very effective but does require that a shifting tool be run to open or close the sliding sleeve. Running a shifting tool is time consuming and incurs the characteristic six figure cost associated with any tool run. Moreover, it is sometimes desired to change the positions of the closing sleeve or insert relative to the sleeve housing in metered increments thereby enabling a closer control over the flow device; doing the same through the employment of a shifting tool is extremely difficult. Several miles of wireline, coil tubing, etc., to move in order to actuate the tool makes small position changes nearly impossible.
Due to advancements in downhole electronic actuators and sensors as well as sophisticated decision making electronics which may be either at the surface or downhole such as that disclosed in U.S. Ser. No. 08/385,992 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,776 filed Feb. 9, 1995 by Baker Oil Tools and incorporated herein by reference, improved control apparati are more feasible.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above-discussed and other drawbacks and deficiencies of the prior art are overcome or alleviated by the electronic actuation mechanisms of the invention. In order to provide reliable and easily meterable flow control device movement, thus reliably regulating flow for any particular zone, a motor and lead screw arrangement or ball screw assembly are provided in several embodiments employing linear actuation and a motor and gear arrangement are provided in another embodiment wherein the sleeve actually rotates to the open or closed position as opposed to linearly sliding open or closed.
In the first lead screw embodiment, the lead screw is rotatably attached to the motor (or motors if desired for enhanced torque characteristics) and is threaded to a sleeve attachment connected to an insert of an otherwise conventional sliding sleeve via a releasable member. The releasable member may be solely shear release or may employ a dog system as well as shear components. Providing power in one polarity to the motor opens the sliding sleeve, reversing polarity closes the sleeve. In the rotatable sleeve embodiment, the motor is operably connected to a gear which drives the rotatable sleeve through teeth (a large ring gear profile) on the sleeve itself. A shearable type release member is not necessary in this embodiment because the threads on the gear will essentially be longitudinally oriented such that the sleeve and the gear are naturally separable from one another. As one of skill in the art will recognize however, an arrangement is required to impart rotational movement to the rotating sleeve; this can be provided by dogs actuated by a pull or push on the assembly. In both embodiments meterability can be accomplished either by regulating time of power availability to the motor or by employing a specialized stepper motor wherein the counts of the motor are employed to determine the position of the sleeve. Moreover, metered operation is enhanced by employing at least one and preferably a plurality of position sensors to provide accurate information about the position of the closing sleeve to logic circuits either downhole or at the surface. Power may be provided downhole in the form of a battery array or a capacitor arrangement or power may be provided from a surface location. In the event of a failure of the electrical system or motor and gear system, a wireline or coil tubing string may be run with a shifting tool to conventionally activate the sleeve by
REFERENCES:
patent: 4715440 (1987-12-01), Boxell et al.
patent: 5220963 (1993-06-01), Patton
patent: 5234057 (1993-08-01), Schultz et al.
patent: 5343963 (1994-09-01), Bouldin et al.
Carmody Michael A.
Coon Robert J.
Edwards Jeffry
Hopmann Mark E.
Jennings Steven L.
Baker Hughes Incorporated
Schoeppel Roger
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