US-12618303-B2 - Single solenoid valve electro-hydraulic control system that actuates control valve

US12618303B2US 12618303 B2US12618303 B2US 12618303B2US-12618303-B2

Abstract

A method comprises charging a first hydraulic line to have greater pressure than a second hydraulic line and energizing a solenoid valve, wherein charging the first hydraulic line and energizing the solenoid valve initiates transition of an interval control valve (ICV) from a first state to a second state. The method comprises discontinuing energizing the solenoid valve and maintaining the greater pressure in the first hydraulic line until the ICV reaches a desired state.

Inventors

Lorenzzo Breda Minassa
Robert William Gissler

Assignees

HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20231206

Claims (11)

1 . A method comprising: charging a first hydraulic line to have greater pressure than a second hydraulic line to enable fluid flow from the first hydraulic line through a shuttle valve to a solenoid valve and energizing the solenoid valve to initiate transition of an interval control valve (ICV) from a first state to a second state; discontinuing energizing the solenoid valve to stop ICV movement when the ICV reaches the second state; charging the second hydraulic line to have a greater pressure than the first hydraulic line to enable fluid flow from the second hydraulic line through the shuttle valve to the solenoid valve and energizing the solenoid valve to initiate transition of the ICV from the second state to the first state; and discontinuing energizing the solenoid valve to stop ICV movement when the ICV reaches the first state.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first state and the second state respectively correspond to an open state and a close state.
3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: extending the first hydraulic line and the second hydraulic line from a hydraulic power system positioned at a surface of a wellbore to the ICV positioned downhole in the wellbore.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the solenoid valve and the ICV are components of a completion sub coupled at a bottom of a tubing string downhole in the wellbore such that an annulus is defined between the tubing string and a casing string in the wellbore, and wherein the method further comprises, regulating flow between an interior of the tubing string and the annulus based on transitioning the ICV between the open state and the close state.
5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: wherein the solenoid valve and the ICV valve are positioned downhole in a wellbore, and wherein energizing the solenoid valve comprises, controlling the solenoid valve to open or close using a power source at the surface of the wellbore and that is electrically coupled to the solenoid valve.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein charging the first hydraulic line to have greater pressure than the second hydraulic line and energizing the solenoid valve comprises energizing the solenoid valve through the shuttle valve coupled with the first and the second hydraulic lines and hydraulically coupled with the solenoid valve.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein initiating transition of the ICV from the first state to the second state comprises initiating transition of the ICV using a first inverse shuttle valve coupled with the second hydraulic line and hydraulically coupled with a close side of the ICV, and using a second inverse shuttle valve coupled to the first hydraulic line and hydraulically coupled with an open side of the ICV.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein initiating transition of the ICV from the first state to the second state comprises initiating transition of the ICV using a dynamic flow restrictor that is hydraulically coupled between the solenoid valve and the first inverse shuttle valve and the second inverse shuttle valve.
9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising: maintaining a constant differential pressure across the dynamic flow restrictor.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the dynamic flow restrictor comprises an automatically adjustable variable-metering orifice.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the solenoid valve comprises a normally closed solenoid valve.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The disclosure generally relates to the field of obtaining hydrocarbons (e.g., as oil or gas) from wells and, more specifically, to methods and equipment for completion of wellbores and control and improvement of production. BACKGROUND Various tools and tool systems have been developed to control, select, and/or regulate the production of hydrocarbon fluids and other fluids produced downhole from subterranean wells. Downhole well tools such as sliding sleeves, sliding windows, interval control valves, safety valves, lubricator valves, and gas lift valves are representative examples of control tools positioned downhole in wells. Sliding sleeves and similar devices can be placed in isolated sections of the wellbore to control fluid flow from such wellbore sections. Multiple sliding sleeves and at least one interval control valve (ICV) can be placed in different isolated sections within tubing to jointly control fluid flow within the particular tubing section, and to commingle the various fluids within a common tubing interior. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments of the disclosure may be better understood by referencing the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 depicts a partial cross-sectional view of a well completion, according to one or more embodiments. FIG. 2 depicts a hydraulic circuit for controlling an ICV, according to one or more embodiments. FIG. 3 depicts a plurality of control modules in a stacked configuration, according to one or more embodiments. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS The description that follows includes example systems and methods that embody examples of the disclosure. However, it is understood that this disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. For instance, this disclosure refers to hydraulic circuits for controlling an interval control valve (ICV) in a completion system in illustrative examples. Embodiments of this disclosure can be also applied to controlling other downhole valves or instruments and can be implemented in any system combining hydraulic power and electric power. In other instances, well-known instruction instances, protocols, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obfuscate the description. Systems for controlling multiple downhole tools, particularly ICVs, can include electric and hydraulic lines (electro-hydraulic systems). These systems use substantial power to control the downhole tools. A single solenoid electro-hydraulic control system is disclosed herein that controls downhole tools with low power consumption. The system's power consumption can be low enough to be compatible with disconnect tools using inductive coupling. In the disclosed electro-hydraulic control system, a control module is coupled with an ICV to control the ICV. The control module is coupled to the surface via two hydraulic lines and an electric line. The control module uses one of the hydraulic lines as an “open” line and the other line as a “close” line. The control module includes a normally closed (NC) solenoid valve (SOV) that is coupled to the electric line and can be controlled from the surface to open or close. The opening or closing of the NC SOV in cooperation with hydraulic pressure on an “open” or “close” line of the hydraulic lines operates (i.e., closes or opens) the ICV. The phrasing “hydraulically coupled with” refers to the coupling of components with a fluid conduit that is charged or under pressure and allows for the variations that may occur in various implementations. For instance, “component A is hydraulically coupled with component B” encompasses these non-limiting cases: A directly connected to B by a hydraulic conduit or A connected to B with one or more intervening components and multiple conduits therebetween. Example Illustrations FIG. 1 depicts a partial cross-sectional view of a well completion 100 that includes a low power electro-hydraulic circuit with an NC SOV that controls an ICV 112. The electro-hydraulic circuit includes a hydraulic power system 113, encapsulated control lines 107, and a control module/hydraulic manifold assembly 111. The ICV 112 controlled via the control module 111 can be considered part of the circuit or external to the circuit. The well completion 100 includes a wellbore 102 extending through, i.e., formed in, a subterranean formation 105 from a wellhead 106 located at a surface 103. The wellbore 102 includes a casing string 108. The casing string 108 can be at least partially cemented into the subterranean formation, e.g., via one or one or more layers of cement 101. Although cement 101 is shown near the surface 103, in one or more embodiments cement can extend the length of the wellbore 102. Although the wellbore 102 is depicted as a single vertical wellbore, other implementations are possible. For example, the wellbore 102 can include one or more deviated or horizontal portions. Although only one casing string 108 is shown, multiple casing strings may be radially