Double bellows gas lift valve "faustoval"

[0001] This application is a nonprovisional application claiming benefit of Venezuelan Patent Application No. 2450-01, filed Nov. 22, 2001, the content of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety.

[0002] The Faustoval Double Bellows is a recoverable gas lift valve that can be seated in a gas lift pocket mandrel in an oil well. The gas is accumulated into the casing and can pass intermittently to the tubing in order to lift the liquid slug. Due to the fact that this valve contains two bellows, the upper one can control the opening casing pressure and the lower one, the closing casing pressure. This spread of the casing pressure can allow an adequate gas injection volume in order to lift the liquid slug to surface.

[0003] When an oil reservoir is almost depleted, it is still possible to obtain commercial production by the intermittent gas lift method, using three different gas lift valves available in the market, which are: a) pressure operated, b) pilot valve, also casing pressure operated, and c) gas lift valve to sensitive liquid pressure. Because all these valves have only one nitrogen charged pressure bellow, they cannot control independently the opening and closing casing pressure. Besides, in most cases, the casing spread is not big enough to deliver the necessary amount of gas to lift the liquid slug to the surface. In this case, the gas lift injection cannot be supplied by a surface choke, and it is necessary to install an intermittent gas lift controller.

[0004] British Patent Application No. 8024430, dated Jul. 25, 1980, and entitled Advanced Semiconductor Materials S.V. is a device of double bellows to control the gas or liquid rate, according to the position of an external actuator. The function of the double bellows is to balance the internal force in order that the actuator can operate smoothly with little force. This is due because the bellows and the valve seat have the same surface areas. This valve cannot control any pressure, only control the flowing rate, according to the position of the external actuator, but the Faustoval Double Bellows can control independently the upstream, opening and closing pressures.

[0005] Soviet Patent Application No. 4473599/93, dated Sep. 15, 1991, is a gas lift valve that opens when the tubing pressure is bigger than the internal bellow pressure. This valve cannot control independently the opening and closing pressure, but the Faustoval Double Bellows is able to do it.

[0006] The phase of this process is done by the functionally of the Faustoval which can assure an adequate pressure spread in the casing, which is able to produce the liquid slug to the surface, and can replace the surface gas lift controller. In addition, it reduces the capital cost, simplifies the surface operations and avoids the sudden pressure reduction of the surface gas lift injection line, which can eventually affect the gas injection in other gas lift wells.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a cutaway view showing both the upper and lower bellows in a closed position;

[0008] FIG. 2 is a cutaway view showing both the upper and lower bellows in an open position; and

[0009] FIG. 3 is a cutaway view showing the upper bellow in a closed position and the lower bellow in an open position.

[0010] The way the Faustoval Double Bellows operates in function of the casing gas lift pressure and the liquid accumulation into the tubing is described as follows:

[0011] FIG. 1 represents an oil well with the Faustoval Double Bellows in closing position. The gas lift injection at the surface is done by an adjustable choke 1 to the casing 2. The upper window 3 communicates the gas with the upper bellow 4, but the gas pressure is lower than the internal pressure of the upper bellow, and so, the bellow cannot actuate. The gas also passes to the lower window 5, but due to the set of packing 6, the gas pressure cannot actuate upon the lower bellow 7. The liquid pressure of the lower chamber 8 passes through the perforated stem 9 to the middle chamber 10, but the pressure is not enough to overcome the internal pressure of the lower bellow 7. In this situation, the liquid also passes by orifice 11 to the upper chamber 19, and acts on the area of the seat 12, trying to push the stem 20, but without any action.

[0012] During this time, the gas casing pressure is increasing and so the liquid slug 13 inside the tubing 14, due to the production of the reservoir 15. the other numbers are the casing packer 16 to isolate the low reservoir pressure from the high gas casing pressure, the cemented casing string 17 and the surface flow line 18.

[0013] FIG. 2 shows that the two stems are in open position with gas flow through each of the seats, with the upper bellow 4 opening first, allowing the gas to pass to the upper chamber 19 and then to the middle chamber 10 to open the lower bellows 7. In this position, the gas passes to the lower chamber 8 to the tubing 14 to push the liquid plug 13 of the surface. Due to the set of packing 6 and the perforated stem 9, the lower bellow 7 can react in two different ways: a) when it is closed, the liquid pressure acts on the bellow, but b) when it is open, the gas acts on the bellow. The way in which the lower bellow reacts according with its position is the advantage of this mechanism.

[0014] FIG. 3 shows that even if the upper bellow 4 is closed, the lower bellow 7 remains open with gas injection from the casing 2 to the production string 14. The upper bellow has been closed due to the rapid decreasing of the casing pressure, but the lower bellow calibrated at a lower pressure continue in the opening position. When the liquid slug 13 reaches the surface, the casing pressure will be similar to the lower bellow pressure and ready to close, in order to return to the position of FIG. 1, and to begin another production cycle.