Valve with pump rotor passage for use in downhole production strings
View Patent ↗Methods and apparatus for utilizing a valve with a pump rotor passage with a downhole production string, the pump rotor being on a rotatable rod with a bobbin moving along the rod between a position for opening the passage to fluid flow, when the bobbin is not seated on a shuttle seat, and a position for closing the passage to fluid flow, when the bobbin is seated on the shuttle seat. The pump rotor and rod are removable through the passage while leaving the pump stator in place upstream of the valve.
1. A valve for use in a downhole production string comprising:
a valve body, a shuttle slidably inserted in the valve body, and a bobbin for mating with the shuttle;
wherein during a production string operation a pump is driven by a rod and during a production operation the bobbin is slidably contacting the rod, the bobbin slidable to the mating position with the shuttle.
2. The valve of claim 1 further comprising:
a production string operation wherein a pump rotor is removed from a pump and passed through the valve body and the shuttle.
3. The valve of claim 2 further comprising:
a production string operation wherein pumped fluid leaving the valve elevates the bobbin above the shuttle.
4. The valve of claim 3 further comprising:
a shuttle seat for blocking flow from the valve to the pump when the bobbin mates with the shuttle seat.
5. The valve of claim 4 further comprising:
a spring for biasing the shuttle to close a valve spill port.
6. The valve of claim 5 wherein a lack of flow through the valve body and the shuttle causes the bobbin to mate with the shuttle and overcomes the spring bias, the mating thereby opening the valve spill port.
7. The valve of claim 1 further comprising:
a flow tube for interconnecting a production tubing with the valve; and,
the flow tube and the production tubing having respective inside diameters FTID and PTID wherein FTID>PTID.
8. A method of retrieving a rotor of a pump through a valve located downhole in a production string the method comprising the steps of:
providing a valve body, a shuttle positioned for sliding in the valve body, and a bobbin for mating with the shuttle;
providing a passageway through the valve body and shuttle; and,
slidably engaging the bobbin with a pump rod extending through the passageway;
wherein during an operation of the production string, the pump is driven by the pump rod to pump fluid through the passageway and the pumped fluid lifts the bobbin away from the shuttle.
9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:
wherein during an operation for removal of the pump rotor, the pump rod is used to retrieve the pump rotor by passing the pump rotor through the passageway.
10. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:
blocking flow between the valve and the pump when the shuttle is mated with the bobbin at a shuttle seat.
11. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:
selectively closing a valve spill port via a spring that biases the shuttle.
12. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:
mating the bobbin with a shuttle seat when the fluid pumped through the passageway is insufficient to separate the bobbin and the shuttle seat; and,
opening a valve spill port when a fluid head above the mated bobbin and seat overcomes a spring bias.
13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the steps of:
providing production tubing in the production string; and,
coupling the production tubing and the valve with an interposed flow tube, the flow tube and the production tubing having respective inside diameters FTID and PTID wherein FTID>PTID.
14. The method of claim 8 further comprising the steps of:
providing production tubing in the production string; and,
coupling the production tubing and the valve with an interposed flow tube, the flow tube and the production tubing having respective inside diameters FTID and PTID wherein FTID>PTID.
15. A valve for use in a downhole production string between a pump and a production tubing, the valve comprising:
a valve body, a shuttle positioned for sliding in the valve body, and a bobbin for mating with the shuttle; and,
a passageway through the valve body and the shuttle;
wherein during a first operation of the production string the pump is driven by a rotatable pump rod on which the bobbin is slidably mounted and fluid pumped through the passageway lifts the bobbin away from a seat of the shuttle.
16. The valve of claim 15 further comprising:
wherein during an operation for removal of a pump rotor, the pump rod is used to retrieve the pump rotor by passing the pump rotor through the passageway.
17. The valve of claim 15 further comprising:
a flow path through a valve spill port established after the bobbin mates with the shuttle seat and a spring biasing the shuttle is compressed.
18. A method of operating a valve in a downhole production string, the method comprising the steps of:
locating a valve between a pump and a production tubing, the valve located downstream of the pump;
locating a spill port in a sidewall of a body of the valve; centrally locating a shuttle within the body, the shuttle for opening and closing the spill port;
providing a passageway through the valve, the passageway including passages through the shuttle and the body; and,
protecting the pump by (i) passing a flow tending to fill the production tubing, the passing flow lifting a bobbin slidably mounted on a rotatable pump rod away from the shuttle, the shuttle being positioned to close the spill port, and (ii) spilling a flow through the spill port, tending to empty the production tubing, the shuttle being positioned to open the spill port.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein the pump is dismantled in place by passing a pump rotor through the passageway.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein the spilled flow is returned to a suction of the pump.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein a spring biasing the shuttle tends to close the spill port.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein the spring is located between a shuttle end and a valve body end.