Downhole valve which may be installed or removed by a wireline running tool

A disaster valve for downhole use in a gas or oil well is built into a unitary housing having a wireline running tool connector at one end and a control package at the other end. In the center of the housing, a ball valve (in one embodiment) or a piston and cylinder valve (in another embodiment) is arranged to be operated by a new and improved mandrel driven by a motor for rotating a feed screw. The housing includes passages and parts configured so that the lower end of the housing lies along the axis of the tubing to enable a peripheral fluid flow, coaxially around the housing. Near the valve, the fluid is diverted from the peripheral flow into an axial flow. The valve controls the fluid flow at the point where the peripheral flow converts into the axial flow. During catastrophic conditions, a quick release feature enables the valve to be driven to a closed position under spring tension.

This invention relates to devices used downhole in an oil or gas well and 
controlled from the surface, and more particularly to a valve which may be 
installed at or removed from a point deep in the well by means of a 
wireline tool lowered from the top of the well. 
A number of my patents and copending patent applications show features 
which have been combined in the structure of this invention. In U.S. Pat. 
No. 3,961,308, sonic energy is transmitted through the walls of the well 
tubing to a point downhole where it is detected and used to control a 
downhole disaster valve. The valve is spring biased toward a shut 
position, and held open against that bias responsive to the continuous 
receipt of sonic energy. Therefore, the valve automatically shuts if the 
sonic energy disappears. 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,901,315 shows a ball valve which may be used downhole to 
control the flow of oil or gas from the well and up the tubing. The ball 
rotates as it moves up or down between closed and open positions within 
the tubing. Normally, a spring biased follower pushes the ball upwardly 
toward a closed position. As long as a sonic energy signal is transmitted 
down the tubing walls of the pipe line, a hydraulic ram actuator pushes 
the ball downwardly against the bias of the spring. If the sonic energy 
disappears (even by destruction of the line itself), the hydraulic 
actuator releases and the spring pushes the ball to its closed position. 
One difficulty with this design is that sliding seals between the 
hydraulic ram and housing wall wear out quickly. 
A tool for installing and removing devices in a downhole position is shown 
in copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 741,855, filed Nov. 15, 1976, 
by William H. Parker and Lawrence Hart, and entitled "WIRELINE RUNNING 
TOOL", now U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,762, granted Feb. 21, 1978. This wireline 
running tool may be used for lowering, seating and leaving devices in an 
oil line tubing, or for dislodging and removing the devices from their 
seated positions. 
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide new and improved 
valves which may be lowered, installed and removed by wireline running 
tools. 
Another object of the present invention is to combine the features of my 
prior inventions to provide an oil well valve which may be installed or 
removed by means of a wireline running tool and which may be controlled by 
sonic energy transmitted down the tubing. 
Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved 
valve which overcomes certain marginal operating characteristics 
encountered heretofore. 
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a completely 
self-contained unit which combines valves, controls, and all other parts 
required to provide and control a disaster valve. 
A further object of the invention is to eliminate resilient sliding seals 
(such as O-rings) which have heretofore been subject to severe wear. 
In keeping with an aspect of the invention, these and other objects are 
provided by a valve built into a unitary housing having a wireline running 
tool connector at one end and a control package at the other end. In 
approximately the center of the housing, a valve is arranged to be 
operated by a new and improved mandrel which is moved responsive to a 
motor driving a feed screw. The housing includes peripheral passages so 
that fluid flows coaxially around the housing. Near the valve, the fluid 
flow is diverted into an axial bore, where the valve controls the fluid 
flow. When the valve is in its open position, a slight additional motion 
toward the open position releases the valve and a spring quickly drives it 
shut. Two embodiments of valves are provided. One is a ball valve and the 
other is a piston sliding in a cylinder.

In greater detail, the inventive device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a 
wireline running tool connector 10, a ball valve 12, and a control package 
14. The oil line tubing 16 is connected by a coupler 18 to a housing 
support 20 for the inventive valve and by a coupler 22 to the remainder of 
the oil line tubing (not shown). The inventive device itself is 
incorporated in a housing 24 extending from an upper end 26 to a lower end 
28. 
The ball valve 30 is positioned near the upper end of the housing 24, 
immediately beneath the wireline running tool connector 10. Beneath the 
ball valve 30, fluid flows peripherally around the housing 24 (in the 
region marked 32 and 34, for example). Above the ball valve 30, the fluid 
flows through an axial bore 36. 
The wireline coupler 10 has a running neck 38 comprising a circumferential 
ledge 40 which is undercut at 38 so that it may be hooked and released by 
a device which may be lowered and raised through the tubing. The wireline 
tool (not shown) includes a conically shaped member having controllable 
latches which fit into the running neck 38 and latch under the ledge 40. 
The outside of the upper end of the housing 24 includes a circumferential 
groove 42 which may be captured and released by mating landing lock 
latches 43, 44 built into the tube line housing support 20. 
In operation, a wireline running tool may be lowered down the tubing while 
it is latched into the running neck 38. The inventive downhole valve 
device may be lowered through the tubing until the landing lock latches 
43, 44 snap into the circumferential groove 42. Thereafter, the tool's 
latches may be retracted from the neck 38 and the tool may be pulled up 
the tubing. If it later becomes necessary to remove the inventive downhole 
device, the wireline running tool is lowered through the tubing until it 
reaches, enters, and comes to rest in the running neck 38. Then the 
wireline tool latches are extended to hook under the peripheral ledge 40 
and into the running neck 38. The running tool latches and the lock 
latches 43, 44 may be constructed and controlled in any well known manner. 
Coaxially positioned inside the wireline tool connector 10 is a spring 
biased cylindrical mandrel 48 having a circumferential flange 49 which 
forms a seat for a surrounding coiled spring 50. The bore 36 for enabling 
an axial fluid flow is defined by the inner wall of the cylindrical 
mandrel 48. At all times, the coiled spring 50 urges the flange 49 toward 
the ball valve, thereby continuously maintaining the mandrel seated upon 
the surface of the ball valve 30. The clearance space 52 provides 
sufficient room for the flange 49 to follow the ball movement throughout 
its entire excursion. 
A packing 54 may be any suitable form of gasket or similar material for 
sealing the valve housing 24 against the inside of the tubing housing 
support 20. This gasket prevents fluid flowing up the tubing from 
bypassing the valve, thereby insuring that the fluid will flow through the 
bore 36 and will be controlled by the ball valve 30. 
In the region 56 of the inventive structure, the fluid flow passage 
converts from a peripheral flow into an axial flow. That is, before the 
fluid reaches the region 56, it flows through the circumferential passage 
including the spaces 58, 60. After the region 56, the fluid flows through 
the axial bore 36. The ball valve 30 controls the flow at the point where 
the conversion occurs. 
In greater detail, the ball 30 includes an axial bore 62 which penetrates 
the ball and provides a continuation of the axial bore 36 when the ball 30 
is rotated to align these two bores 36, 62. However, when the ball is 
rotated so that these two bores 36, 62 do not communicate, the valve is 
closed and the lower end of the mandrel 48 is sealed against an unbroken 
segment of the outer surface of the ball 30. The spring 50 holds the 
mandrel in its sealing engagement with the ball. 
The ball 30 is restrained by a pair of oppositely disposed pins (one of 
which is seen at 64) which are securely anchored in a ball support mandrel 
65. These pins are restrained in slots (not shown) formed in the ball so 
that it may both roll and slide through the tube. In addition, associated 
with the ball 30 is a second pair of pins (one of which is seen at 66) 
which are securely anchored to a ball rotating mandrel. Again, this second 
pair of pins also fit into a second pair of slots to enable the ball 30 to 
roll back and forth within the housing 24. The four pins represented by 
pins 64, 66 have a mutually rectilinear relationship. 
From an inspection of the drawings, it should be obvious that the ball 
rotates to align the bores 36 and 62 (open the valve) when the pins 66 
move upwardly (as viewed in the drawings). Conversely, the ball 30 rotates 
so that the bores 36, 62 do not communicate (close the valve) when the 
pins 66 move downwardly. During this motion, the pins 64 stabilize and 
guide the ball. Also during this motion, the mandrel 48 rides on the 
surface of the ball, compressing and expanding the spring 50, as the ball 
30 moves up and down in the housing 24. 
Resilient link means, spring 68, is a pressure equalization device 
positioned beneath the ball supporting mandrel 65 to drive it upwardly in 
the valve housing. This spring is a resilient link between the ball valve 
and the means for pulling the valve open for preventing the valve from 
opening when there is excessive downhole pressure. 
In greater detail, the valve housing 24 contains a section of relatively 
large diameter having a ball rotating mandrel 70 slidingly received 
therein. A pair of upstanding ears (one of which is seen at 71) on the 
mandrel 70 carry the pins 66 which engage and move the ball 30. Spring 68 
is captured between the bottom of the ball support mandrel 65 and an upper 
surface of a spring seat formed on the rotating mandrel 70, in order to 
urge the ball 30 upwardly at all times, thereby assisting in a maintenance 
of the seating relationship between the ball 30 and the bottom of the 
mandrel 48. If the ball is subject to unequal pressures when an open 
command is received, the spring 68 may compress and the valve may not open 
because pins 64, 66 slide without changing their relative positions with 
respect to the ball. When the ambient pressures equalize, the spring 68 
returns to its normal extension and the ball valve may open as pins 64 
move up relative to pins 66. Beneath the ball rotating mandrel 70 is a 
second coiled spring 72 which continuously urges the ball 30 toward a 
closed valve position. 
Rigidly connected to the bottom of the ball rotating mandrel 70 is a ball 
follower 74, which is a hollow cylindrical member having a plurality of 
ports (as at 76, for example) formed in the bottom thereof. Fluid flowing 
up the peripheral part of the tubing passes through the ports 76 and 78, 
the interior of the ball follower 74, the bore 62 (when the valve is 
open), the bore 36, and up the tubing 16 to the surface. 
Connected to and integrally movable with the ball follower 74 is a valve 
operating tension rod 80 which slides through a bulkhead 82 that is 
permanently affixed inside the valve housing. Any suitable packing 84 is 
provided within the bulkhead 82 to prevent the fluid in the pipe from 
leaking around the rod 80. 
Beneath the bulkhead 82, and in the part of the housing which is free of 
the fluid flowing in the tubing, there is a rod pulling mandrel 86. A lift 
spring 88 normally pushes the rod pulling mandrel 86 upwardly to assist 
the springs 68, 72 in driving the ball 30 to a closed position. 
To open the valve, the rod pulling mandrel 86 moves downwardly and the 
spring 88 is compressed. The mandrel 86 eventually encounters a nut 90 on 
the valve operating tension rod 80. Thereafter, a continued pulling of the 
rod 80, by the mandrel 86, lowers the ball follower 74, which in turn 
pulls the ball rotating mandrel 70 downwardly. The play provided by the 
distance which the mandrel 86 travels before it engages the nut 90 
eliminates almost all need for precise adjustments. 
As the ball rotating mandrel 70 and its pins 66 move downwardly, the ball 
30 rotates to align the bores 36, 62. When the rod pulling mandrel 86 
moves upwardly, all of the springs cooperate to raise the ball rotating 
mandrel 70 and its pins 66. The pins 66 engage the ball 30 and rotate it 
so that the bores 36, 62 no longer communicate. One or more supporting 
rods 92 guide and direct the rod pulling mandrel 86 as it moves up and 
down. 
The motive power for controlling the opening and closing of the valve is 
provided by an electrical motor 96, connected through a reduction gear 
train 98 to a ball screw 100, which is threaded through a nut 102 
associated with the rod pulling mandrel 86. Thus, if the motor 96 drives 
the screw 100 in one direction, the nut 102 is lowered to pull the ball to 
an open valve position. If the motor 96 reverses its direction of 
rotation, the ball valve raises to a closed valve position. 
A magnet 104 is permanently mounted on and movable with the rod pulling 
mandrel 86. As the mandrel moves up or down, the magnet operates upper and 
lower limit switches 106, 108. These limit switches open the circuit to 
energize the motor 96 and thereby control the extent of the rod pulling 
mandrel excursion and the ball valve movement. A brake 110 is selectively 
controlled to prevent a rotation of the ball screw 100 at all times except 
when the motor 96 is positively being driven. 
For emergency or catastrophic valve closures, the lower end of the rod 
pulling mandrel 86 terminates in a pair of hooks 112, 114 for capturing 
the ball screw nut 102. When the ball valve 30 is opened, the limit switch 
108 will have stopped these hooks 112, 114 in a position which is 
immediately above a conical disengaging cam 116. Therefore, if an 
emergency should occur, a few additional rotations of the ball screw 100 
cause hooks 112, 114 to engage the cam 116, which spreads them far enough 
apart to release the ball screw nut 102. At this time, the springs drive 
the ball home very quickly -- up to 100 times faster than other presently 
used valves. 
It is presently thought that, after such a catastrophic valve closure, the 
valve should not be able to open responsive to signals transmitted 
downhole. Therefore, a preferred procedure requires the valve to be pulled 
up the tube and to be either reset at the surface or replaced entirely. 
Of course, the arrangement may also be such that, if the motor is driven 
far enough in the valve closing direction, the ball screw nut 102 is 
driven again into the grasp of the hooks 112, 114. Once the ball screw nut 
is so recaptured by the rod pulling mandrel, the valve may resume its 
normal operation. 
The motor 96 is controlled by an electronic circuit 120. This circuit 
preferably responds to sonic energy transmitted down the walls of the tube 
line. However, it may also be controlled in another well known manner. 
A second embodiment of a downhole valve 130 is seen in FIGS. 4-6. This 
valve may be substituted for the ball valve 30 in FIG. 1. The FIG. 4 
piston valve closing spring 72 may be the same as the ball valve closing 
spring 72 in FIG. 1. The piston valve operating rod 80 (FIG. 4) may be the 
same as the ball valve operating rod 80 in FIG. 1. A valve seat 132 (FIG. 
4) may be located above the valve, in the general area of the housing that 
is occupied by the mandrel 48 and the bore 36 of FIG. 1. This valve seat 
132 may be a short section of pipe threaded into the walls of the housing 
24. 
The valve of FIGS. 4-6 includes a piston 134 which can slide up and down 
inside a cylinder 136. Piston 134 is pulled down and into the open valve 
position seen in FIG. 4. Then fluid 138, 140 flowing up the peripheral 
passageway 58, 60 (FIGS. 1 and 4) may enter any suitable number of slots 
142, 144 through the cylinder wall and exit through the central bore 36. 
When the piston 134 moves up the cylinder 136, the periphery of its top 
146 seats itself against the bottom of the valve seat 132 (FIG. 6). This 
closes the valve and blocks the flow of the fluid 138, 140. 
The outside of the piston 134 is constructed as seen in FIG. 4, and its 
interior is constructed as seen in FIG. 5. The top of the piston 
terminates in a generally conical crown section 148 which guides, directs 
and centers the piston in the bore 36. At the base of the conical crown 
section 148 is the circumferential seat 146 which abuts against the valve 
seat 132, when the valve is closed. 
A plurality of piston rings 149, 150, 151 are seated in mating 
circumferential grooves 152, 153, 154 (FIG. 5) formed in the piston 134. 
These piston rings are made approximately the same as piston rings used in 
an internal combustion engine. The metallurgy of the rings is well known 
and the rings are extremely wear resistant. They greatly outlast the 
rubber-like O-rings conventionally used to form sliding seals in downhole 
valves. These piston rings 149-151 slide inside the walls of the cylinder 
136 and actually provide the seal against fluid flow through the valve 
when it is closed. 
As seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, the interior of the piston 134 is a hollow 
cylinder lying coaxially with the piston. This hollow cylinder contains a 
stem 155 (also coaxial with the piston and hollow) having a perpendicular 
disc 156 integrally formed at its top. Between the disc 156 and the bottom 
162 of piston 134 are a number of Bellville springs (two of which are 
numbered 158, 160), which form a resilient link between the piston and the 
pulling rod 80. Each of these Bellville springs is inverted relative to 
its two adjacent neighbors. For example, the base of the spring 158 is 
pointing toward the bottom 162 of the piston 134, and the base of the 
spring 160 is pointed toward the top 148 of the piston. A moment's 
reflection should make it apparent that these springs behave somewhat as a 
resilient accordion bellows would behave. 
The Bellville springs 158, 160 behave as spring 68 behaves in the 
embodiment of FIG. 1, in that excessive downhole pressure keeps the valve 
from closing. More particularly, if the valve is commanded to open when 
there is excess downhole pressure, the piston 134 is held in an upward or 
a closed position by the force of such pressure, which is greater than the 
resilience of the Bellville springs. Therefore, these springs 158, 160 
compress and the disc 156 is able to move downwardly when the stem 155 is 
being pulled by the rod 80 while downhole pressure holds the piston valve 
134 in its shut position. When the downhole pressure reduces to a level 
which is less than the force of springs 158, 160, they drive the valve 
piston 134 downwardly to an open position. 
Another use for the Bellville springs 158, 160 is to jar the valve if it 
should become stuck. The stem 155 may be pulled and the disc 156 may be 
moved downwardly. Then, the stem may be released to cause the springs to 
drive the disc 156 upwardly against the housing of the piston valve. If 
desired, the quick release feature may be used to open the grip of the 
springs 112, 114, which will cause the disc 156 to snap back to its 
relaxed spring position, thereby striking a blow against the interior wall 
of the piston 134. The nut 102 may then be driven back into the grasp of 
springs 112, 114, to repeat the blow. 
The invention departs from present practice by a complete inversion of the 
operating system. The sonic energy detector is now located at the bottom 
of the system and the valve is located at the top of the system. 
Furthermore, the system offers a more intrinsically fail-safe mode of 
operation. 
Philosophically, a valve closing spring is compressed in such a way that 
the energy required to shut the well is contained in the spring. Earlier 
practice has been to drive a hydraulic ram means which shoves the ball to 
compress this spring. The inventive system approaches the problem from the 
standpoint that the only task required of the downhole system is to 
compress the valve closing spring. The valve operator provides a fail-safe 
way to cause the spring to be released whenever the valve is to be slammed 
shut under emergency conditions. 
A number of advantages are realized by the invention. First, the invention 
provides a structure which does not use a hydraulic ram. Therefore, the 
valve does not contain a conventional ram-type of sliding seal (e.g., an 
O-ring), which has been the most unreliable component in the prior art 
valves. Second, the valve is actuated by pulling a very small diameter 
rod, which is relatively easy to seal by the only sliding seal. Third, the 
system operates substantially independent of the setting depths. Insofar 
as valve operation is concerned, ambient pressure acts only upon a sliding 
seal on the small rod 80, which is relatively unaffected by pressure due 
to the small area exposed to the ambient pressure. This is different from 
the excessive pressure which may slam or hold a valve shut. Fourth, the 
mechanical drive unit 96 provides a mechanical means to crank the valve 
open and hold the springs in tension so that the valve will always fail 
shut. This method of operation uses minute amounts of power from a battery 
to place the spring under tension. Fifth, the valve closes more quickly 
than hydraulic ram controlled types of valves because a capillary line 
between the valve and its controller is eliminated. 
Those who are skilled in the art will readily perceive how various 
modifications may be made, without departing from the invention. 
Therefore, the appended claims are to be construed to cover all equivalent 
structures.