Contingency for surface controlled gas lift valve
A contingency for non-operation of a valve in a side pocket mandrel of production tubing includes creating a selective barrier to fluid communication across sidewalls of the production tubing. The barrier is formed by an insert that is installed in the side pocket mandrel, which includes a valve that responds to pressures inside and outside the production tubing to selectively allow fluid flow across the production tubing sidewalls. Types of the valve include a surface controlled gas lift valve, an inflow control valve, and an inflow control device.
1 . A method of wellbore operations comprising:
monitoring a surface controlled valve that controls a flow of fluid through a sidewall of production tubing disposed in a subterranean wellbore;
when the surface controlled valve is in a non-operational state and is not responsive to control signals, providing a contingency flow of the fluid through the sidewall of the production tubing by installing a contingency insert inside a cylinder in the production tubing; and
forming a contingency port through the sidewall of the production tubing, and
wherein the contingency insert comprises a pressure-controlled valve having an inlet port and an exit port,
wherein the cylinder is defined by opposing ends of a semi-circular skirt that are attached to an inner surface of the production tubing,
wherein a side port is formed radially through the skirt, and
wherein when the pressure-controlled valve is installed in the cylinder, the contingency port registers with the inlet port and the exit port registers with the side port.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein fluid inside of the cylinder is vented through passages in the insert during the step of installation.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein an exit of the surface controlled valve attaches to a side pocket mandrel formed on the production tubing.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the pressure controlled valve is selected from the group consisting of an injection pressure operated valve and a production pressure operated valve.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the control signals are from surface.
6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying an operational state of the surface controlled valve.
7 . A method of wellbore operations comprising:
monitoring a surface controlled valve that controls a flow of fluid through a sidewall of production tubing disposed in a subterranean wellbore;
when the surface controlled valve is in a non-operational state and is not responsive to control signals, providing a contingency flow of the fluid through the sidewall of the production tubing by installing an injection pressure operated valve inside a cylinder in the production tubing, wherein the injection pressure operated valve has an inlet port and an exit port and the cylinder is defined by opposing ends of a semi-circular skirt that are attached to an inner surface of the production tubing; and
forming a contingency port through the sidewall of the production tubing; and
injecting lift gas into an annulus that circumscribes the production tubing to a designated pressure that opens the injection pressure operated valve so that lift gas flows from the annulus to inside of the production tubing, and
wherein a side port is formed radially through the skirt, and
wherein when the injection pressure valve is installed in the cylinder, the contingency port registers with the inlet port and the exit port registers with the side port.
8 . A system for operating a wellbore comprising:
production tubing disposed in a wellbore;
a surface controlled valve that is selectively in contact with a primary flow of fluid that passes through a sidewall of the production tubing, the surface controlled valve comprising an exit end that is connected to an outer surface of the production tubing;
a contingency flow system insertable inside the sidewall of the production tubing and that is selectively in contact with a contingency fluid flow that passes through the sidewall of the production tubing when the surface controlled valve is in a non-operational state;
a cylinder in the production tubing, the cylinder formed by a skirt having opposing lateral ends and an axial end attached to an inner surface of the production tubing; and
a contingency insert installed in the cylinder that forms a barrier to fluid communication through the cylinder between outside and inside of the production tubing.
9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the contingency insert comprises a pressure controlled valve.
10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the pressure controlled valve operates by opening in response to a pressure difference, opening in response to a pressure inside an annulus around the production tubing, or opening in response to a pressure inside the production tubing.
11 . The system of claim 9 , further comprising a side pocket mandrel formed in the production tubing, wherein the side pocket mandrel comprises a manifold having an a first axial bore that defines the cylinder and a second axial bore that is in communication with the first axial bore and the surface controlled valve, wherein upper and lower ends of the cylinder are in communication with a bore in the production tubing, and wherein the contingency insert is selectively installed in the cylinder.
12 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the contingency insert is selectively removeable from the production tubing.
13 . The system of claim 8 , further comprising a vent passage inside the contingency insert that selectively vents fluid collected in the cylinder as the contingency insert is inserted into the cylinder.