Remote control selector valve

A control system for use on fluid conducting pipe strings in earth boreholes to permit cycling of fluid flow between preselected flow rates to change conditions downhole as a result of surface exercise of fluid flow controls. A resulting change of state downhole is indicated by a change in fluid flow related pressure detectable at the surface.

This invention pertains to apparatus to cause preselected response by 
equipment in earth boreholes in response to actions taken at the earth 
surface. More particularly, apparatus of the invention is used on fluid 
conducting pipe strings in earth boreholes to achieve downlink command and 
optionally to indicate downhole, by signals detectable at the earth 
surface, that the command has been received. 
PRIOR ART 
The following U.S. patents are cited as being germane to this application. 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,415,249, February, 1947; U.S. Pat. No. 3,324,717, June, 
1967; 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,681,567, June, 1954; U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,809, December, 
1973; 
U.S. Pat. No. 2,924,432, February, 1960; U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,277, March, 
1974; 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,039,543, June, 1962; U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,667, July, 1975; 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,051,246, August, 1962; U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,680, July, 1946. 
BACKGROUND 
Various methods have been used to control devices downhole primarily on 
drill strings to cause an action to be carried out as a result of an 
initiating action at the earth surface, usually at the rig floor. Balls 
dropped down the drill string bore were used to cause an action, usually 
not reversible until the drill string was removed from the borehole to 
recover the dropped ball and reset the influenced device. 
Spears were dropped down the well bore to cause a bend to take place in the 
drillstring. The spear could be adapted to be recovered by wire line run 
down the drill string bore. This was quite effective and was a reversible 
action, but time was invested in the wire line trip. This reduced the 
frequency with which the drilling crews were willing to exercise the 
controlled device. 
As mud pulse communication came into common use for measurement while 
drilling, the term downlink command came into common use to describe any 
form of communication initiated at the earth surface to cause a preferred 
action to take place downhole. The U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,680 was issued July 
6, 1976, to cause actions downhole as a result of selecting first to 
rotate the drill string, then start fluid flow to cause one action. The 
procedure was reversed to cause an alternate action to take place. After 
the first selected procedure activated the downhole selector, the pipe 
could be repeatedly started and stopped to select additional choices of 
action. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,667 was issued July 29, 1975, to control downhole 
devices by action of the fluid flow alone. To execute a downlink command, 
an intermediate fluid flow was selected, lower than the flow needed for 
drilling, and the flow rate was held until a timer ran a specific period 
before the elected action would take place. Many choices could be 
exercised. A different flow rate, held for a selected length of time, 
could cancel encoded actions and return to normal drilling configuration. 
This device generated a pulse signal to indicate the downlink command had 
been received and acted upon. 
It is desirable to have a responsie device downhole that will change state 
each time the fluid flow down the string is initiated. If an action is not 
needed but is responsive to the onset of fluid flow, the flow can be 
stopped and restarted to select the alternate state downhole. One such 
apparatus to be controlled is the apparatus of my copending patent 
application 784,261. Feedback information is needed to assure that there 
is no risk of confusion as to which state is activated. 
Apparatus of this invention has recently been used in downhole drilling 
related activities to actuate the apparatus of my copending application 
No. 784,261. 
OBJECTS 
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide apparatus downhole 
which offers a choice of options by the expedient of simply reducing fluid 
flow below a selected level and increasing the flow to an operational 
level. 
It is yet another object of this invention to provide apparatus downhole 
that will provide different flow resistances to fluid flow for the options 
being exercised downhole, so that the state existing downhole can be 
determined by pressure differences observable at the surface. 
It is still another object of this invention to provide apparatus that will 
require no electrical power sources downhole to carry out the downlink 
command function. 
It is yet another object of this invention to carry out downlink command 
functions without requiring drill string rotation or flow meters for 
controlling and activating the response to fluid flow cycling. 
These and other objects, advantages, and features of this invention will be 
apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of this 
specification, including the attached drawings and appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
In FIG. 1 the apparatus of this invention is shown in a mount for centering 
in a sealed and supported situation in a pipe string component such that 
fluid flowing down the pipe string will at least partly be compelled to 
flow through the apparatus. The action to be carried out as a result of 
selective actuation of the apparatus is forceful movement of the actuated 
device which will be attached to or be part of the pipe string. Sealing 
and confining structure for the piston is omitted to emphasize the points 
of novelty. 
Body 1 is secured in the pipe string bore (not shown) with orifice 1a at 
the downstream end. Housing 2 is secured in the body generally concentric 
with the axis of channel 6, secured by spiders 2a, and also has a 
cylindrical co-axial bore. Cams 2b and 2c are secured by pins in the 
housing bore as shown, so contoured and spaced apart as to cooperate to 
form serpentine groove 2d. The cams have a concentric bore to serve as 
support bearings for valve control rod 4. 
Control rod 4 extends into and is fastened to poppet 3. Crosshead pin 4a is 
transverse, extends equally from both sides of but is part of control rod 
4. Pin 4a is confined within groove 2d. For reasons explained later, pin 
4a will be free to move peripherally around the confines of the groove, 
and in this case, there will be four possible locations for one pin, 
permitting at least some axial excursions of the pin in the groove. These 
four positions are about ninety degrees apart. As will be shown, the 
groove at alternate possible axial movement locations will extend far 
enough axially for poppet 3 to move into cooperation with orifice 1a to 
inhibit fluid flow through the orifice. The other cam locations permitting 
axial excursions of the pin stop before allowing the poppet to reach the 
orifice. 
Spring 7 exerts a force between the housing and control rod and tends to 
move the rod and poppet to the right or upstream. Fluid moving left 
through channel 6 tends to entrain the poppet and move it left. This pulls 
rod 4 to the left. A surface 3a is milled into the poppet periphery and 
has a turbine surface exposed to the fluid stream. Viewed from the left, 
this tends to rotate poppet, rod 4, and pin 4a clockwise and move all 
toward the orifice. 
Starting with no fluid flow, the poppet and pin 4a will be positioned as 
shown. As fluid flow moving left in channel 6 increases, the poppet will 
overcome spring bias and move left, and rotate clockwise as described, 
moving pin 4a along the helical path of groove 2d. The helical portion of 
the groove terminates at an axial groove, and as flow increases the pin 
will move as far axially as the groove permits. On alternate axial 
excursions, the poppet is allowed to proceed into cooperation with the 
orifice, which may or may not be closure, but will cause increased flow 
resistance. Fluid will be encouraged to flow through an alternate channel 
and is the effect to be accomplished. 
When fluid flow is sufficiently reduced, spring 7 will begin retraction of 
rod 4 into the housing, and pin 4a will move to the right along the axial 
travel permitted by groove 2d. The poppet will still be urged clockwise, 
as described, and the pin will not re-enter the first helical path 
intersection, and will proceed to the upper limit of travel. With spring 
force still urging the rod to the right, the pin will not be able to enter 
the second helical path encountered by the pin. Restart of fluid flow will 
repeat the process described above, but the next axial excursion permitted 
by groove 2d and pin 4a will stop the poppet before it reaches the 
previous permitted travel limt. 
The effect of the action so far described will be to resist the flow of 
fluid through the orifice. Available alternate paths for fluid flow 
include duct 8b. This will make the available fluid pressure act on an 
annular piston of the actuated device. The actuated device, in this case, 
has the configuration of the apparatus of my co-pending application 
784,261. The piston will move left and open duct 8a. Fluid then returns to 
the bore of the pipe string component. Ducts 8a and 8b are so sized that 
fluid flow through them will have a greater resistance than that existing 
in the open orifice. The resulting pressure increase will be an uplink 
acquisition signal detectable at the surface to indicate which state 
exists downhole. 
Movement of the actuated device and the concomitant pressure change 
detectable at the earth surface represents achieved ends as illustrated 
only. The 8a and 8b duct can simply operate pressure switches or flow 
responsive devices to achieve a communication end. An actuated switch and 
concomitant pressure change constitutes a downlink command and uplink 
communication of action achieved. 
FIG. 2 represents a development of the groove 2d as viewed radially toward 
the centerline of valve control rod 4. 
Crosshead pin 4a is in the position shown in FIG. 1. Arrow 11 shows spring 
bias. Arrow 12 shows the direction of flow induced force on poppet 3. 
Arrow 13 shows the direction of pin travel urged by fluid flow induced 
tendency of rotation of poppet 3. Note that there are two crosshead pins 
4a at 180 degrees apart. 
Groove 10a shows the axial portion of groove 2d that allows the poppet to 
approach the orifice. Axial groove 10b is the alternate groove that 
prevents poppet and orifice cooperation. Helical groove 10c conducts a 
crosshead from a poppet closed cycle to a poppet open cycle, and groove 
10d does the opposite. 
Stated otherwise, in response to fluid flow down the pipe string and 
through channel 6, poppet 3 will respond as a flow sensor to produce an 
output signal by moving downstream. When fluid flow is again increased 
from a preselected flow rate to a higher flow rate crosshead pin 4a, in 
conjunction with serpentine groove 2d, will operate to function as means 
to change the signal characteristics in response to the number of times 
the output signal is produced. The signal characteristic, in this 
embodiment, is the amount of distance poppet 3 can move in response to 
fluid flow. On alternate instances of flow increase, beyond a preselected 
amount, poppet 3 will move down to inhibit flow through orifice 1a. Poppet 
3 and orifice 1a comprise an actuator means responsive to a signal 
characteristic of extended downstream movement of the poppet. A pressure 
differential across the poppet and orifice is available to operate 
downhole machine elements. To signal characteristics of short poppet 
travel, no pressure differential will be produced and the poppet and 
orifice, as a flow restrictor, will not respond. 
Obviously, any number of pins and grooves may be used. The grooves in 
alternate positions do not have to be set up for reversal of state, since 
there may be occasion, for instance, to have several consecutive cycles of 
flow rate change permit unchanged state. This is anticipated and is within 
the scope of the claims. 
From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted 
to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set forth, together with 
advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the method and 
apparatus. 
It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of 
utility and may be employed without reference to other features and 
subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the 
claims. 
As many possible embodiments may be made of the apparatus and method of 
this invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be 
understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying 
drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.