High pressure interventionless borehole tool setting force
View Patent ↗A high pressure compressed gas source is separated from an actuation piston by a pilot valve that is selectively operated with raising annulus pressure to break a rupture disc to provide access to a shuttle type valve. Movement of the shuttle valve using pressure applied to opposing pistons of different sizes connected to a common shaft translates the shaft against a spring bias to open the valve on the high pressure source. This allows the high pressure to reach the actuating piston to operate the tool. One application can be setting a packer without well intervention.
1. An actuation assembly for an actuation piston operated borehole tool operable in a borehole, comprising:
an actuation chamber containing a pressurized fluid during delivery into the borehole, said pressurized fluid selectively isolated from the actuation piston by a valve further comprising a valve member, said valve member responsive to hydrostatic pressure selectively reaching said valve member from removal of a barrier communicating pressure in an annulus about said actuation chamber to said valve member, whereupon movement of said valve member communicates said previously isolated pressurized fluid to said actuation piston to operate the borehole tool; and
said valve member comprises connected spaced apart pistons of unequal surface area defining a pilot chamber therebetween.
2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
said barrier is removed through an annulus surrounding the borehole tool.
3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
said removal of said barrier further comprises enhanced pressure applied to said annulus around the borehole tool.
4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
fluid in a surrounding annulus around the borehole tool removes said barrier leading to said valve member by disintegration.
5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
said barrier breaks or moves to expose a port.
6. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein:
said removal of said barrier communicates pressure from said annulus surrounding the borehole tool to said pilot chamber to create a net force on said valve member.
7. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein:
said net force is opposed by a bias force acting on said valve member.
8. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein:
a smaller of said spaced apart pistons initially blocks an actuation passage between said pressurized fluid and the actuation piston until pressure in said pilot chamber moves said smaller piston from a first to a second position where said actuation passage is opened to said actuating piston.
9. The assembly of claim 8 , wherein:
said smaller of said spaced apart pistons remains in a surrounding bore to retain pressure from said actuation chamber as said pressurized fluid is communicated to said actuation piston.
10. The assembly of claim 8 , wherein:
a bias force acts on a larger of said spaced apart pistons to maintain said first position of said smaller of said spaced apart pistons.
11. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein:
said bias force is located outside of said pilot chamber.
12. The assembly of claim 11 , wherein:
said bias force comprises one of a coiled spring, a stack of Belleville washers and a pressurized compressible gas.