Patent ID: 7478672
Filing Date: 2009-01-20
Classification: E21B

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for controlling a choke assembly, wherein the choke assembly includes a housing having an inlet and an outlet in fluid communication with a wellbore, a fixed plate located between the inlet and the outlet and having an orifice therethrough for communicating fluid from the inlet to the outlet, a choke plate rotatably retained against the fixed plate and having an orifice therethrough, wherein the choke plate is rotatable to adjust a size of an orifice resulting from the relative positions of the orifice through the choke plate and the orifice through the fixed plate and is further rotatable to close the resulting orifice to prevent fluid communication therethrough, the apparatus comprising: an air source; an air purge system in fluid communication with the air source; a remote operating panel receiving data from at least one remotely located wellbore sensor, the remote operating panel comprising: a local operating panel in electronic communication with the remote operating panel, the local operating panel comprising: an actuator coupled to the choke assembly to control pressure within the wellbore, the actuator comprising: