Wellhead valve removal and installation tool

A tool for removing and replacing wing valves or master valves on an operating wellhead under pressure includes an elongated housing with a fluid coupling on one end for connecting to the outlet end of a wellhead valve and a packing assembly extending from the housing through the valve into the wellhead where it seals fluid flow to the valve. A latch on the packing assembly is used to secure it in the wellhead. The housing is equipped with a manipulator to expand and retract the packing and to engage and release the latch. An auxiliary reaming tool is provided for mounting with the manipulator and inserting through the valve to smooth the bore of a wellhead conduit if necessary prior to inserting the packing assembly into the conduit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention is related to tools used for removing and replacing valves 
which are in a system that must remain pressurized. The tool of this 
invention is designed for use on wellhead assemblies to remove wing valves 
from the side of the casing bowl or spool assembly and also to remove and 
replace master valves. The tool includes a packing assembly that is 
temporarily securable to a wellhead so the valve can be removed while the 
remainder of the system is pressurized. 
One device is known in the prior art for removing wing valves and the like 
from a wellhead assembly, such is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,250,244 issued 
July 12, 1941 to J. R. Yancey. This device has a threaded portion in the 
bore of the wellhead and a threaded plug which is inserted through the 
valve by a suitable manipulator and screwed into the threaded portion to 
seal the fluid flow into the valve. While this scheme may function well on 
new equipment, the threaded portion of the bore will obviously be 
deteriorated by abrasive crude oil flowing through the conduit after a 
period of time. Deterioration of this threaded portion of the bore will 
render this type of tool unusable or at most unsafe considering the high 
pressures often encountered in wellhead assemblies. 
Other devices are known in the art for plugging pipes so that valves can be 
installed directly in the flowline or joined transverse to the flowline by 
a flange. Two of these devices are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,780,224 to H. 
J. Lee issued Feb. 5, 1957 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,170,226 to T. A. Larry 
issued Feb. 23, 1965. The patent of M. M. Raspante, U.S. Pat. No. 
3,275,023 issued Sept. 27, 1966 discloses a device for removing valves 
from large diameter water tanks and the like where the inside of the tank 
is relatively flat. None of these valve removal tools are particularly 
adapted for use on wellheads where high pressures (up to 30,000 pounds per 
square inch) and high temperatures (up to 1,500 degrees F.) may be 
encountered. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In all the embodiments of this invention the tool has an elongated housing 
with a fluid coupling on one end which is mountable with the fluid 
coupling of a valve. An extendable manipulator is positioned through the 
housing and will exit at the fluid coupling. A packing assembly is 
mountable with the manipulator and inserted through the valve into the 
wellhead where it is expanded to temporarily block fluid flow through the 
conduit. A latch is provided on the packing assembly to temporarily secure 
it inside the wellhead in opposition to pressure fluid in the wellhead. 
The manipulator is used to expand and contract the packing and to engage 
and release the latch. 
In one specific embodiment designed for removing master valves from a 
wellhead assembly, the packing is expanded by the tightening of a dual 
diameter and a dual pitch connector member which compresses a packing ring 
between a body member and an end member. In this embodiment the latch has 
a pair of radially outwardly movable latch members shaped like plungers 
which are displaced outwardly into wing valve conduits of the wellhead 
assembly. 
In another embodiment of this invention designed to remove wing valves from 
a wellhead assembly, the packing ring is expanded by rotation of a single 
threaded connector member which compresses the packing ring between two 
portions of the packing assembly. In this embodiment the latch has a 
plurality of radially movable and pivotally mounted members which are 
extended and retracted into the wellhead spool or bowl by motion of the 
connector member that activates the packing ring. 
In another embodiment an auxiliary reaming tool or reamer is provided for 
mounting with the manipulator and insertion through the valve in order to 
smooth the bore of the conduit adjoining the valve. The auxiliary reamer 
is used before the packing assembly is inserted in order to smooth the 
bore of the conduit so the packing assembly can be inserted to seal the 
conduit. 
One object of this invention is to provide a tool for the removing and 
replacing of valves on an operating wellhead which overcomes the 
disadvantages of the aforementioned devices. 
Still one other object of this invention is to provide a tool that is 
usable for conveniently and relatively easily removing and replacing wing 
valves and master valve on both oilfield type and geothermal type wellhead 
assemblies. 
Still, another object of this invention is to provide a tool for removing 
and replacing of valves on a wellhead assembly wherein the tool has a 
powerable piston and cylinder arrangement on a manipulator that inserts 
and actuates a packing and latching assembly for sealing the fluid flow to 
the valve. 
Various other objects, advantages, and features of this invention will 
become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following discussion, 
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
FIG. 1 shows both embodiments of the valve removal and replacing tool of 
this invention mounted on an operative wellhead assembly indicated 
generally at 10. Wellhead assembly 10 has a bowl 12 which is secured to 
the well casing that extends through the ground. A spool 14 is mounted on 
top of the bowl and a master valve 16 is mounted on top of the spool. 
Wellhead bowl 12 is provided with auxiliary outlets on the sides thereof. 
Each of the auxiliary outlets are formed by a wing valve conduit 18 
extending outward from the bowl and having a fluid coupling flange 20 on 
the outer end thereof for mounting a wing valve 22. Wing valve 22 is 
provided with fluid coupling flanges 24 and 26 on the inlet and outlet 
thereof for mounting with wing valve conduit flange 20 on bowl 12 and 
connecting with other portions of the wellhead system. The interior of 
bowl 12 is provided with a relatively smooth and cross-sectionally 
circular interior surface 28. Spool 14 also has a pair of auxiliary 
outlets with each outlet having a conduit 30 and an attached outlet flange 
32 for mounting spool outlet valves 34. The upper portion of spool 14 has 
an outlet flange 36 for connection with master valve 16. The interior of 
spool 14 has a cylindrical bore 38 which is intersected by the bores of 
two spool auxiliary outlet conduits 30. Master valve 16 is provided with 
inlet and outlet flanges 40 and 42 with the inlet flange connected to the 
spool outlet flange 36. Master valve outlet flange 42 is connected to a 
second master valve in some installations and in other installations it 
joins other portions of the wellhead completion system. 
Wellhead assembly 10 is shown with both embodiments of the tool of this 
invention. The master valve tool indicated generally at 44 is shown 
mounted with master valve 16 and the wing valve tool indicated generally 
at 46, is shown mounted with wing valve 22 on bowl 12. Both tools are very 
structurally similar with master valve tool 44 being physically larger to 
accommodate the larger bore diameter of the master valve. 
FIGS. 2 through 9 inclusive illustrate master valve tool 44 and the several 
elements thereof in detail. Master valve tool 44 includes a housing which 
encloses manipulator 50 and a packing and latching assembly indicated 
generally at 52. Manipulator 50 forms an operating mechanism and packing 
assembly 52 forms a sealing and latching mechanism which is releasably 
connected to the operating mechanism. The housing is comprised of an 
elongated cylindrically shaped portion 54 with a radially enlarged portion 
56 at one end thereof. Housing enlarged portion 56 has a flange 58 on the 
exposed end thereof for mounting with the master valve outlet flange 42. 
Housing portion 54 serves as the cylinder portion of a piston and cylinder 
arrangement used to displace manipulator 50. 
Manipulator 50 includes an outer elongated cylindrical member 60 and an 
inner rodlike member 62. A piston 64 is mounted around the exterior of 
manipulator outer member 60 and located within elongated housing portion 
54. A piston and cylinder are formed by housing portion 54, piston 64, and 
manipulator outer member 60. A pair of seals 66 are located at the 
juncture of housing portions 54 and 56 to seal around one end of the 
piston rod formed by manipulator outer member 60. Another annular seal 68 
is positioned in the outer end of elongated housing portion 54 to seal 
around the opposite end of manipulator outer member 60. Passageways 70 and 
72 through opposite end portions of elongated housing portion 54 provide 
fluid communication to opposite sides of piston 64. Conduits connect 
passageways 70 and 72 to a control or switching valve 74 which functions 
to alternately supply and drain fluid pressure from the chambers on the 
opposite sides of piston 64 for extending and retracting manipulator 50. 
Outer and inner manipulator members 60 and 62 are each respectively 
provided with operating handles 76 and 78 to be used by a service 
technician for manually operating the tool. An annular seal 80 is provided 
between the inner and outer manipulator members 60 and 62 to prevent the 
passage of fluid from the tool between these members. 
Enlarged housing portion 56 is a generally bell shaped housing having an 
internal wall 82 of sufficient diameter and length to receive and enclose 
packing assembly 52 when it is in the retracted position. A passageway 84 
through enlarged housing side wall 82 provides fluid communication to a 
pressure gauge 86 and a manually operable relief valve 88. When the tool 
is in use the pressure gauge is used by the technician to determine 
presence of fluid pressure in the tool housing. Relief valve 88 is also 
used to test the sealing integrity of the packing assembly and relieve 
fluid pressure in the housing. Flange 58 is used to securely couple the 
tool to the outlet flange of the valve which is to be removed or installed 
as the case may be. 
Packing and latching assembly 52 is shown in detail in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 
and includes a packing mechanism to pack or seal fluid in the conduit and 
a latching mechanism to latch or secure the packing mechanism or assembly 
in the wellhead. A packing assembly body member 90 has a body end member 
92 positioned on one end thereof with a packing ring 94 disposed between 
facing abutments of the body end member and the body. On an inner end of 
packing assembly body 90, a pair of latch members 96 and 98 are mounted to 
extend in a direction transverse to the flow passage that is to be sealed. 
A body end cover 100 is removably mounted on the inner end of body 90 to 
cover the latch mechanism. 
The packing portion of packing assembly 52 is operated by outer manipulator 
member 60. FIG. 7 is split through the packing portion thereof with the 
upper portion of the figure and the latch mechanism illustrating the 
packing in a radially expanded or energized condition and the lower 
portion of the figure illustrating the packing in a relaxed or constracted 
condition. Body end member 92 is shaped somewhat like a cap to fit over 
the outer end of body member 90 and to retain packing ring 94. Interior of 
body end member 92 and body member 90 are joined by a connector member 102 
which has a dual diameter exterior with coarse threads on the larger 
diameter outer end portion and finer threads on the smaller diameter inner 
end portion. The interior of body end member 92 has a larger diameter than 
the interior of body member 90. The interior of body end member 92 is 
provided with a relatively coarse threaded portion 104 to mate with the 
correspondingly sized coarse threaded portion 106 of connector member 102. 
The interior of body member 90 is provided with a relatively fine threaded 
portion 108 which mates with a relatively fine threaded exterior inner end 
portion 110 of connector member 102. Rotation of connector member 102 in 
either direction will displace body end member 92 a greater distance 
lengthwise on connector member 102 than connector member 102 will be 
displaced relative to body member 90. For a given rotation of connector 
member 102 body end member 92 will be displaced a distance relative to 
body member 90, which is greater than the distance which connector member 
will be displaced relative to body member 90. The relative displacement 
between body end member 92 and connector member 102 is used to change the 
longitudinal dimension of packing 94. Changing the longitudinal dimension 
of packing 94 causes it to radially expand and contract for sealing in the 
wellhead. The interior of connector member 102 is provided with a spline 
that has a plurality of alternating large diameter segments 112 and smal 
diameter segments 114 as shown in FIG. 9. The exterior of manipulator 
outer member 60 is provided with a correspondingly splined end portion 
having alternating small diameter segments 116 and large diameter segments 
118 as shown in FIG. 5 to correspondingly engage the interior of connector 
member 102. A plurality of bolts or fasteners 120 extend through body end 
member 92 into body member 90 to limit the outward movement of body end 
member 92 from the body member. 
The latching portion of packing assembly 52 is located at what is referred 
to as the inner end portion of body member 90. The latching assembly or 
mechanism includes a hub 122 rotatably mounted in a bore through the 
longitudinal axis of body member 90. The interior of the hub is shaped to 
receive the end portion of manipulator inner member 62. The outer 
perimeter of the hub is connected to latch members 96. Body member 90 has 
a central opening joining the bore in which connector member 102 is 
located with the bore in which hub 122 is located. This opening is a 
fluted or splined opening having alternating small diameter segments 124 
and larger diameter segments 126. This central opening is shaped to match 
the inner end of inner manipulator member 62 such that the inner 
manipulator member must be aligned properly before it can be passed 
through the opening. The interior of hub 126 is shaped like the central 
opening with small diameter segments 128 and larger diameter segments 130. 
This portion of the structure is designed so the latch members must be 
fully extended in order for the manipulator member to be inserted into or 
removed from the hub. Latch members 96 and 98 are joined by connecting 
rods 132 and 134 to the opposite sides of hub 122. Wrist pins through 
latch members 96 and 98 pivotally join the associated connecting rods 132 
and 134. Connecting rods 132 and 134 are pivotally mounted to hub 122 by 
support pins 136 and 138 on opposite sides of hub 122. Rotation of hub 122 
will cause latch members 196 and 198 to move inward and outward in a 
coordinated retracting and extending motion. 
FIG. 8 shows latch members 96 and 98 in solid lines in an extended 
position. Latch member 96 is a cylindrical plunger like member having a 
radially enlarged lip 140 on the inner end portion thereof. The bore in 
which latch member 96 is mounted is formed in a dual diameter 
configuration with a smaller diameter portion 142 on the outer portion 
thereof joined by a radially disposed abutment 144 to a larger diameter 
portion 146. Latch member 96 moves longitudinally through bores 142 and 
146 with lip 140 contacting abutment 144 to limit the outward movement of 
the latch member. Latch member 98 and the associated bore in which it 
resides are constructed the same as latch member 96. As shown in FIG. 8 
when latch members 96 and 98 are in their outermost position connecting 
rods 132 and 134 are not positioned with their longitudinal axes in line. 
This construction is selected to prevent the latch members from becoming 
locked in an extended position. With hub 122 in the position shown in FIG. 
8, the larger and smaller diameter hub segments 130 and 128 align with the 
body central opening segments 126 and 124. It is to be noted that only 
when the latches are fully extended does the opening in the hub line up 
with the body central opening to permit insertion or removal of the 
manipulator inner member from hub 122. This feature of this invention is 
important as a safety precaution to prevent the manipulator from being 
removed from the packing assembly at any time except when the latches are 
fully extended. 
FIGS. 1-4 illustrate this master valve embodiment of the valve removal tool 
in use. Prior to attaching the tool to the valve, packing assembly 52 is 
mounted with manipulator 50 and positioned inside housing 56 as shown in 
FIG. 2. Once this has been done then housing 56 is mounted with the valve. 
The valve outlet flange 42 is coupled to the housing flange 58 and the 
tool is secured in the fluid-tight relation to the valve outlet by 
suitable fasteners through the flanges. Next, the master valve is opened 
so that the packing assembly 52 can pass through the bore of the valve. 
The piston and cylinder arrangement on manipulator 50 is used to extend 
the manipulator and thereby displace packing assembly 52 through the 
valve. In order to do this, control or switching valve 74 is connected to 
a fluid pressure source and to a fluid sump and then shifted so that fluid 
pressure is applied through passageway 70 to the outer side of piston 64 
and fluid pressure is vented from the cylinder port 72. The application of 
fluid pressure can be done by any convenient means such as a hand operated 
pump, a powered pump or the like. Although it is possible to displace 
manipulator 50 through valve 16 by hand, the piston and cylinder 
arrangement provides an easy means of overcoming fluid resistance in the 
valve while also providing a simple position control for the packing 
assembly within the valve and wellhead. 
Packing assembly 52 is inserted through valve 16 and into the upper portion 
of the wellhead until latch members 96 and 98 can be extended. Extending 
the latch members is done by manually holding manipulator handle 76 and 
turning manipulator handle 78 in the direction which will cause extension 
of the latch members. Inner manipulator handle 78 is turned to its limit 
of travel which is governed by the lips on latch members 96 and 98 
contacting abutments 144 in the body member which positions the latch 
members as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 8. At this time the packing assembly 
is secured by the latches and the packing can be expanded. Expanding of 
packing 94 is done by rotating outer manipulator member handle 76 which in 
turn rotates connector member 102 in packing assembly and displaces body 
end 92 over the end portion of the packing assembly body 90 thereby 
causing packing ring 94 to be expanded radially outwardly into fluid-tight 
sealing relation with the wellhead bore 38. At this point the packing 
assembly is set in the wellhead and the manipulator is withdrawn from the 
packing assembly by reversing switching valve 74 and applying fluid 
through port 72 to the inner side of piston 64. When the manipulator has 
been withdrawn then fluid pressure within the tool housing is vented by 
relief valve 88 so master valve 16 and the master valve tool 44 can be 
removed from the wellhead as shown in FIG. 4. 
Once the valve and the tool have been removed from the wellhead, the master 
valve is removed from the master valve tool for repair or disposal. In any 
event another valve is again mounted with the master valve tool and the 
tool positioned as shown in FIG. 4 whereupon the valve inlet flange and 
the wellhead outlet spool flange 36 are connected. When this is done 
manipulator 50 is extended so the inner end thereof can be inserted into 
packing assembly 52. Both of the manipulator members are rotated so the 
splined ends of the outer member can be engaged with connector member 102, 
and the inner manipulator member passed through the central opening in 
valve body 90 into hub 122. The inner end of inner manipulator member 62 
slips through the central opening of body member 90 and into the opening 
of hub 122. Once the manipulator is again engaged with packing assembly 52 
the outer manipulator member handle 76 is rotated to displace connector 
member 102 outwardly or away from hub 122 thereby releasing the packing. 
Pressure gauge 86 provides an indicator for the technician to determine 
when fluid pressure from the wellhead is present in the valve and the tool 
housing. When wellhead pressure is present in the valve and the tool 
housing then the latch members can be retracted. If desired to assist in 
retracting the latch members, the packing assembly 52 can be displaced 
slightly further into the wellhead from the position shown in FIG. 3 so 
that latch members will not drag on the conduits as they are retracted 
into body member 90. Once this has been done, manipulator handle 76 is 
held in place manually and handle 78 is rotated to its opposite extreme 
thereby retracting latch members 96 and 98 into body member 90. When the 
latch members have been retracted, then the manipulator including the 
packing assembly is retracted into tool housing 56 as shown in FIG. 2 
whereupon valve 16 can be closed to seal fluid flow from the wellhead in 
the normal manner. Relief valve 88 on housing 56 can be used to check the 
sealing integrity of master valve 16. Opening relief valve 88 releases 
fluid pressure from the valve outlet side and from the tool housing. If 
the new valve leaks fluid will continue to flow from relief valve 88. 
Valve 88 also provides a port for venting fluid from housing 56 prior to 
disconnecting flanges 42 and 58 for removal of the master valve tool. Once 
fluid has been vented from housing 56 then master valve tool 44 is removed 
from the master valve so the wellhead can be again put into service by 
connecting flowlines, etc. to master valve 16. 
FIGS. 10, 11, and 12 show the wing valve tool embodiment of this invention 
with this tool indicated generally at 46. Wing valve tool 46 is a smaller 
size construction than master valve tool 44 and designed to remove the 
auxiliary or wing valves from the side of a wellhead assembly or the like. 
Basically, the two embodiments of the tool of this invention are similar 
with the wing valve tool 46 being physically smaller. The housing portion 
of wing valve tool 46 includes an elongated cylindrical portion 150 
enclosing a portion of the manipulator and an attached enlarged housing 
portion 152. Enlarged housing portion 152 forms an enclosure for the 
packing assembly which is indicated generally at 154. The manipulator 
indicated generally at 156 extends through housing portion 150 and can be 
positioned to extend through housing portion 154. Housing cylinder portion 
150 is an elongated tubular member with flanges 158 and 160 on the 
opposite ends thereof. A housing end member 161 is mounted on the outer 
end of elongated cylinder housing portion 150 and secured to flange 158. 
Enlarged housing portion 152 is also an elongated generally cylindrical 
member having a flange 162 on its outer end to mount with flange 160 of 
cylindrical housing portion 150. The inner end of enlarged housing portion 
152 is provided with a flanged coupling 164 of the type compatible with 
typical flange couplings on wellhead valves. Flange 164 has a passageway 
through one side thereof for mounting a relief valve 168 and a pressure 
gauge 170. Manipulator 156 includes a cylindrical outer manipulator member 
172 which encloses a major center portion of a rodlike manipulator member 
174. Manipulator outer member 172 has an enlarged piston portion 176 in a 
mid-portion thereof. 
Piston 176 is located inside housing portion 150 and provided with a pair 
of seals 178 around the outer perimeter thereof which seal in the bore 180 
of cylindrical housing portion 150. A pair of seals 182 and 184 are 
provided in housing ends 161 and 162 respectively to seal opposite ends of 
the cylinder formed by cylindrical housing portion 150. Flanges 158 and 
160 are provided with passageways 186 and 188 respectively through one 
side thereof to supply fluid under pressure to opposite ends of piston 176 
in cylindrical housing portion 150. A three-way fluid control or switching 
valve 190 is connected by conduits to passageways 186 and 188. The 
switching valve 190 is connected to a fluid pressure source so that fluid 
under pressure can be directed to either side of piston 176 to move 
manipulator 156 between extended and rectracted positions. 
Manipulator 156 is movable between a retracted position shown in FIG. 10 
and an extended position shown in FIG. 11. Inner manipulator member 174 
has an operating handle 192 on the outer end thereof. The outer end 
portion of inner manipulator member is threadedly mounted with the outer 
end portion of outer manipulator member 172. A pin 194 is mounted 
transverse to the elongated axis of inner manipulator member 174 through 
its opposite end. Pin 194 is mounted transversely through the inner end of 
manipulator member 174 and extends outwardly from both sides of the 
manipulator member. A peripheral seal 196 around a mid-portion of inner 
manipulator member 174 provides a fluid-tight seal between the manipulator 
members 172 and 174. Outer manipulator member 172 has an operating handle 
198 on the outer end thereof and a pair of longitudinally oriented slots 
200 on the inner end thereof. Slots 200 are disposed longitudinally on 
opposite sides of the member so they can extend around a pair of 
diametrically opposed pins in packing assembly 154. 
Packing assembly 154 includes a hollow cylindrical body member 202, on 
annular packing 204 at one end of body member 202, and a flange around a 
hollow body inner member 206 at the inner end of packing 204 and extending 
longitudinally outward through the annulus of packing 204 into body member 
202. Body member 202 is provided with a large diameter inside portion at 
its outer end portion and a pair of diametrically opposed pins 208 
extending transversely relative to the body and into the cavity of the 
body. A pair of key members 209 are mounted in keyways between body member 
202 and body inner member 206 to prevent relative rotation between the 
members. An inwardly extending shoulder 210 is formed by the ends of key 
209. An elongated threaded connector 212 extends through the central 
portion of body member 202 and has an enlarged head 214 located in the 
outer portion of the body member with one side resting on shoulders 210. 
The interior opening of body inner end member 206 is threaded and mounted 
with connector 212. Connector 212 is threaded in a mid-portion thereof to 
engage the threaded interior of body end member 206. An annular seal 216 
is provided in the interior of body end portion 206 to seal around 
connector 212. A disc like latch positioner 218 is attached tothe inner 
end portion of connector 212. 
The inner end portion of body member 206 is notched on the opposed sides 
thereof to receive and mount the radially movable latch members. The tool 
shown in FIGS. 10-12 is provided with a pair of identical latch members 
which are both indicated at 220. Latch members 220 are positioned on 
opposite sides of connector 212 and pivotally mounted with body portion 
206 by mounting pins 222. The identical latch members each have an 
inwardly extending lug 224 on the interior side of the outer end portion 
thereof. Lug 224 is disposed outwardly of latch positioner 218. The inner 
end portion of each latch member 220 has an inwardly extending lug 226 on 
the inner side thereof at the innermost end portion of the latch member. A 
shoulder 228 is formed on the outer side of each latch member 220 at a 
position spaced from the inner end of the latch. Shoulder 228 is generally 
transverse to the longitudinal axis of the latch. Lugs 224 and 226 are 
contacted by latch positioner 218 to limit the motion of connector 212 and 
to displace latch members 220 between retracted and extended positions. 
Shoulder 228 engages the interior surface 28 of wellhead bowl 12 when the 
packing assembly is secured as shown in FIG. 11. As connector 212 is 
rotated to be displaced inwardly or to the right from the position shown 
in FIG. 10 the outer perimeter of latch positioner 218 moves over the 
inside surfaces of latch members 220 thereby displacing them outwardly 
relative to the longitudinal axis of the tool. As this occurs when the 
packing assembly is positioned in the wellhead as shown in FIG. 10, it 
causes shoulder 228 to be displaced over the portion of surface 28 which 
is immediately adjacent bore 232 of conduit 30. It is to be noted that 
latch members 220 are so dimensioned as to be inserted into the space 
between interior bowl surface 28 and the exterior surface 234 of wellhead 
inner member 235. In typical common wellhead designs the space between 
surfaces 28 and 234 is relatively small, for example, it is typically on 
the order of two (2) inches or less. 
Outer end portion 214 of connector 212 is shaped to receive and engage the 
inner end portion of manipulator inner member 174. Connector 212 is hollow 
in its center portion and provided with a pair of oppositely extending 
generally L-shaped slots on each side thereof. One of the L-shaped slots 
is shown in FIGS. 10-12 and indicated at 236. Pin 194 on inner manipulator 
member 174 engages both slots on opposite sides of connector outer end 
portion 214 with the rodlike portion of inner manipulator member 174 
resting in the outer end hollow center portion. These slots function to 
couple the manipulator to connector 212. 
In using wing valve tool 46 it is mounted with one of the wing valves on 
the wellhead as shown in FIG. 1 with tool flange 164 being secured to 
valve outlet flange 26. Initially wing valve 22 has the valve member 
thereof 238 in the closed position so that fluid flow is blocked through 
the valve. To begin using wing valve tool 46 the valve member is moved to 
the open position so packing assembly 154 can be inserted through the bore 
of the valve and into the wing valve conduit of the wellhead. Inserting 
packing assembly 154 through the wing valve is done by positioning 
switching valve 190 to apply fluid pressure to the outer side of piston 
176 and vent the inner side of the piston so the manipulator members and 
packing assembly 154 are displaced through the valve. When the packing 
assembly 154 reaches the approximate position shown in FIG. 11, then the 
manipulator outer member handle 198 is manually held in a fixed position 
while handle 192 is rotated. Rotating handle 192 displaces inner 
manipulator member 174 in an inward direction through outer manipulator 
member 172 by virtue of the external threads on the inner member 174 and 
internal threads in handle portion 198. Additionally, rotating manipulator 
inner member 174 rotates connector 212 and this displaces latch positioner 
218 inwardly thereby causing latch members 220 to be displaced or moved 
radially outwardly so that shoulders 228 engage bowl inside surface 28. As 
connector 212 is rotated this causes body end member 206 to be displaced 
toward body member 202 which compresses packing ring 204 between the body 
member and the body end member thereby radially outwardly expanding the 
packing into fluid-tight sealing engagement with wing valve conduit bore 
232. Lugs 226 on the innermost end of latch members 220 will function as a 
stop to limit the movement of latch positioner 218. It may not be 
necessary to rotate connector 212 so that latch positioner 218 is in 
contact with lugs 226 because packing 204 may sufficiently seal without 
the necessity of compressing it completely thus locating latch positioner 
218 in a spaced relation to lugs 226. Once the seal in wing valve conduit 
18 has been established, then wing valve tool 46 and wing valve 22 can be 
removed together from wellhead flange 20. In order to release the 
manipulator from the packing assembly, inner manipulator member handle 192 
is rotated such that pin 194 can be removed from L-shaped slot 236 in 
connector head 214. When this is done the manipulator can be retracted 
from the position shown in FIG. 11 so the valve and the tool can be easily 
removed from the wing valve conduit without disturbing the sealed packing 
assembly. In removing the valve from the conduit the bolts which fasten 
flanges 20 and 24 together can be loosened thereby releasing fluid 
pressure trapped within the tool and the valve. After this the valve is 
completely removed from the wing valve conduit. 
Installing a replacement valve on the wellhead is done after the old or 
used wing valve has been removed from the wing valve tool. The replacement 
wing valve is attached to the tool in the same fashion as the other valve 
which was previously removed from the tool. When the wing valve tool is 
disconnected from packing assembly 154 care should be taken to keep the 
handles 192 and 198 in substantially the same relative position to each 
other so that when the manipulator is extended to the packing assembly 
then slots 200 and pin 194 will easily engage packing assembly 154. If the 
slots 200 do not immediately line up with pins 208 the manipulator members 
should be rotated until the slots line up and then the manipulator members 
extended together in order to place pin 194 in L-shaped slot 236. Once the 
replacement valve flange has been connected to wellhead flange 20 and the 
manipulator engaged with the packing assembly, then manipulator inner 
member handle 192 is rotated to cause manipulator member 174 to be moved 
in an outward direction from outer manipulator member 172. This movement 
displaces connector 212 outward from the wellhead and releases the 
longitudinal compression on packing 204 thereby releasing its fluid-tight 
seal in wing valve conduit 18. Also, at the same time latch positioner 218 
is moved into contact with latch outer lugs 224 and this causes the latch 
members 220 to be rotated about pins 222 thereby pulling shoulders 228 
from engagement with the wellhead interior surface 28. Pressure gauge 170 
on the tool will provide an indication of when packing 204 has released 
the fluid-tight seal because pressure in the tool housing will increase. 
Once latch members 220 are in the fully retracted position as shown in 
FIG. 10, then manipulator 156 can be retracted by applying fluid pressure 
to the side of piston 176 that is closest to the wellhead. Once packing 
assembly 154 is in the position shown in FIG. 10, then the replacement 
valve can be closed to seal the fluid in the wellhead. When the 
replacement valve is closed the valve removal tool can be detached from 
the replacement wing valve to complete the replacement procedure. Once the 
valve removal tool has been removed from the wing valve, then the wing 
valve can be reconnected to the wellhead flowline system as it was before 
the original valve was removed. 
FIGS. 13, 14, and 15 illustrate a reamer which can be used with the valve 
removal tool of this invention to prepare a wing valve conduit or the like 
prior to using the tool with the packing assembly to remove a valve. The 
problem which necessitates the use of a reamer prior to using the tool 
with the packing assembly is illustrated in FIG. 13. FIG. 13 shows a 
portion of a wellhead bowl 240 and the attached wing valve outlet conduit 
242 and wing valve flange 244. The bore 246 of wing valve conduit 242 and 
the bore 248 of flange 244 are substantially coaxial and of approximately 
the same diameter. Flange 244 is joined to conduit 242 by a weld indicated 
at 250. This weld 250 is made from the interior of the conduit thus 
forming a resultant weld bead 252 which extends into the bore defined by 
the conduit and the flange. Weld bead 52 in its smallest diameter portion 
is substantially smaller than the bore of the conduit and the flange 
thereby creating an obstruction to any object which might be inserted into 
the conduit such as the packing assembly used with the valve removal tool. 
At this point it is to be stressed that not all wellheads are constructed 
with the flanges attached in this manner, however, those which are 
constructed with such a welded flange require the bores to be smoothed by 
removing weld bead 252 before the valve removal tool can be used. 
The reamer is shown in FIG. 14 mounted with the manipulator of the wing 
valve removal tool. The reamer has a body 254 which is hollow on an outer 
end portion 256 for mounting with the manipulator. The reamer has a 
plurality of cutters 258 mounted around the exterior thereof. Cutters 258 
extend over the mid-portion of the reamer and terminate at an inner end 
thereof. Hollow body portion 256 is provided with a pair of inwardly 
extending pins 259 which engage slots 200 in manipulator outer member 172. 
A cross-sectionally L-shaped slot 260 is provided on each side of the 
interior of hollow body portion 256 to engage manipulator inner member pin 
194. Cutters 258 comprise a plurality of elongated cutting elements 
mounted around the outer periphery of body 254 and align with the 
longitudinal axis of the manipulator and shaped on their outer surface to 
cut a cross-sectionally circular bore. Cutters 258 as shown are tapered 
with the inner end of the reamer defining a relatively small diameter and 
the outer end of the reamer defining a larger diameter. It is to be 
understood that shapes and arrangements of cutters which are different 
from that shown can be used. Regardless of the shape of the cutters they 
must be shaped to smooth the interior bore of wing valve conduit 
sufficiently to permit passage of the packing assembly. 
FIG. 15 shows the reamer in use in the wellhead. The reamer is connected 
with the wing valve tool and inserted through wing valve 22 in the same 
manner as the packing assembly. When cutters 258 contact weld bead 252, 
then the manipulator outer handle 198 is rotated to turn the reamer 
thereby cutting the weld bead and smoothing the passageway through the 
wing valve conduit. The reamer is rotated and inserted into the conduit in 
a simultaneous fashion to cut weld bead 252. The reamer can be inserted 
until the inner end thereof contacts the wellhead inner member 262, then 
it is withdrawn from the wing valve conduit. When the reamer is fully 
inserted and has been rotated to cut away weld bead 252, then the interior 
of the wing valve conduit and the flange are sufficiently enlarged and 
smoothed so the conduit will admit the packing assembly. After the reaming 
operation is finished the manipulator is retracted to position the reamer 
in the tool housing and then wing valve 22 is closed to contain fluid 
pressure in the wellhead. After the valve is closed the wing valve tool is 
removed from the valve, then the reamer removed from the manipulator and 
replaced by the packing assembly. From this point the wing valve tool is 
used as described above so the wing valve can be removed and replaced. 
In the use and operation of the several embodiments of the valve removal 
tool of this invention, it is seen from the above description that this 
tool provides a simple and safe means of removing valves from an operating 
wellhead. The two embodiments of the valve removal tool function similarly 
in that a housing is attached to the valve which is to be removed and the 
packing assembly is operated by a manipulator that is inserted through the 
valve and secured in the wellhead to temporarily block the fluid flow. In 
each of the embodiments connection between the manipulator and the packing 
assembly provides a positive control of the packing and latching functions 
of the packing assembly to insure safe operation of the tool. These safety 
features are extremely important when using the tool on high pressure oil 
wells and geothermal wells. The reamer is an auxiliary device usable with 
the wing valve tool to prepare the wing valve conduit for the packing 
assembly. The reamer is needed before the valve removal tool can be used 
on wellheads where a weld bead or similar obstruction extends into the 
flow conduit.