A mud saver valve being operable in conjunction with a top drive unit to retain mud in the top drive unit when a tubular is disconnected therefrom. The valve utilizes a spring-loaded piston to control the flow of mud or other fluid onto the work area and environment while the top drive unit is being connected to the new tubular and re-connected to the original tubular string. The valve further comprises multiple check valves for evaluating as well as monitoring wellbore pressure. The valves provides for full bore flow passages for the mud or fluid being pumped into a tubular fluidly connected to the top drive.
In the drilling operation, these valves are typically inserted between the kelly and the tubular string. Typical valves of the mud retaining type are illustrated in the following patents:
| | | | | Patentee | U.S. Pat. No. |
| | |
| | Taylor | 3,331,385 |
| | Garrett | 3,698,411 |
| | Litchfield, et al | 3,738,436 |
| | Williamson | 3,965,980 |
| | Liljestrand | 3,967,679 |
| | |
All of the above listed patents include a downwardly opening spring loaded poppet type valve enclosed in a body having at least two parts. These two extra pieces in the drill string replace a conventional single piece kelly saver sub, which functions to reduce wear on the kelly pin. The two-part body is generally longer than a standard kelly saver sub and consequently increases the length of the string which must be handled at the rig. In most oil and gas drilling and/or production operations, it is mandatory that a lower manually operated kelly inside blowout prevention ("IBOP") safety valve be included in the string at all times, which is another addition to the length of the string which must be handled. Thus, on most oil and gas drilling and/or production rigs, where the height of the derrick or mast is usually limited, it may be impossible to include a mud retaining type valve with a two-part body.
An additional disadvantage inherent in mud retaining valves with two-part bodies is that the pin of the lower body member replaces the pin of the kelly saver sub and is therefore subject to tremendous wear. This wear limits the longevity of the pin and therefore the longevity of the valve. A solution to this problem has been to insert an additional short sub below the lower body member. However, this solution is not entirely satisfactory because it adds still more length to the string.
A further disadvantage of heretofore existing mud retaining valves is in the fact that none of them include means for adjusting the force with which their respective closure members are driven upwardly. The force may be insufficient to close the valve when heavy muds are used.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,108 to Bill Parker, et. al. is yet another example of a mud saver valve, and shows in its FIGS. 2 and 3 a mud saver valve which, when the mud pumps are on, mud can flow through the interior of the valve, but which closes when the mud pumps are turned off based upon a spring-loaded closure mechanism which does not have the spring strength to close the valve until the mud pumps are turned off. As with this mud saver valve and with the other ones above referenced, once the mud pumps are turned off, the valve closes and the mud saver valve provides its desired purpose, that of preventing the mud from being spilled out onto the rig floor when the tubular string is being broken down.
The valves disclosed above are unusable in top drive units. In a top drive unit, space below the top drive and above the tubular string is at a premium and must be kept to a minimum. Typically, the conventional top drive comprises two IBOP valve subs. The upper IBOP sub typically contains a remote controlled shut-off valve and the lower IBOP sub typically contains a manual shut-off valve. These valves are typically utilized to prevent damage from wellbore kicks or pressure surges. However, neither of these IBOP sub valves are automatic. Thus, these valves cannot automatically allow fluid or mud flow into the tubulars and/or tubular string, when the mud pumps are running, or prevent flow through the top drive, when the mud pumps are de-energized or shut down. Further, these IBOP sub valves do not provide a simple monitoring of the pressure in the tubular string connected to the top drive. Further, constant use of the IBOP valves as mudsaver valves may cause premature wear requiring costly repair or replacement; in a worst case, the IBOP valves may not be operable when needed to control the wellbore pressure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an illustration of a cutaway view of an improved mud saver valve sub.
FIG. 1A is an illustration of a conventional upper IBOP in a cutaway view.
FIG. 1B is an illustration of a conventional lower IBOP in a cutaway view.
FIG. 1C is an illustration of a conventional upper IBOP in a cutaway view further illustrating a mud saver valve therein.
FIG. 1D is an illustration of a tool for removing/installing a mud saver valve.
FIG. 1E is an illustration of an adapter for the tool illustrated in FIG. 1D.
FIG. 2 is an illustration of a cutaway view of the improved mud saver valve sub, illustrated in FIG. 1, further illustrating a mud saver valve therein.
FIG. 3 is an illustration of a cutaway view of a mud saver valve retaining ring.
FIG. 3A is an illustration of a special spanner type tool which may be used for the installation and removal of the retaining ring illustrated in FIG. 3.
FIG. 4 is an illustration of a cutaway view of the mud saver valve body.
FIG. 5 is an illustration of a top view of the mud saver valve check valve retainer nut.
FIG. 6 is an illustration of a bottom view of the mud saver valve check valve retainer nut illustrated in FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is an illustration of a cutaway view of the mud saver valve check valve retainer nut illustrated in FIG. 5.
FIG. 8 is an illustration of a top view of the mud saver valve.
FIG. 9 is an illustration of a side view of the mud saver valve piston.
FIG. 10 is an illustration of a cut away view of the mud saver valve piston.
FIG. 11 is an illustration of a spring for the mud saver valve and piston.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIG. 1 there is illustrated a valve sub
10 having a through bore
16 and an upper end with a box connection
12 which is preferably threaded. Further illustrated is the valve pocket
14 wherein preferably is inserted the mud saver valve
21 (FIG. 2). The valve
21 is preferably retained by a conventional snap ring (not shown) which preferably fits in the retaining groove
18. It should be appreciated that the retainer is not limited to a conventional snap ring but can be a variety of retaining devices including, but not limited to, springs, retaining pins, retaining rings, shear pin, shear screws, screws, rivets, bolts, and the like. Preferably, the valve
21 is retained in a manner to secure the valve body against wellbore pressure kicks while still allowing the removal of the valve
21 without destroying the valve sub
10. The lower end of the valve sub
10, preferably, comprises a threaded pin end connection
11. It should be appreciated that the upper
12 and lower
11 valve sub connections are not limited to a box and pin connection respectively. The connections can be reversed or can comprise other connection methods as necessitated by the tubulars, tools or other equipment that may be attached either above or below the valve sub
10. FIG. 2 illustrates the valve
21 positioned within the valve sub
10. It should be appreciated, by those skilled in the art, that the valve sub
10 is preferably attached at the threaded pin end connection
11 to a tubular and/or tubular string. It should be further appreciated that a tubular is preferably a drill pipe but can also include, but not be limited to, pipe, casing, tubing, other oilfield tools, equipment and tubulars, and the like and thus a tubular string is preferably such multiple tubulars connected together.
FIG. 1A illustrates a conventional upper IBOP
29U. It should be appreciated that FIGS. 1A-1C are for clarification purposes only and are not intended to be a detailed depiction of IBOP's but more for aiding in the description of the interaction of the present apparatus with such conventional IBOP's. FIG. 1B illustrates a conventional lower IBOP
29L. For simplicity, both IBOP's are shown with a conventional internal block valve
29a and corresponding stem
29b. The upper IBOP
29U is typically configured for remote operation and is illustrated herein with a conventional remote controlled operator
70. The upper IBOP
29U is typically attached to a conventional top drive
71. Typically, both the upper
29U and the lower
29L IBOP each have a box end
34 and pin end
35. It should be appreciated that the end connections of the IBOP's can vary and should not be viewed as a limitation of the present apparatus.
FIG. 1C illustrates the placement of the valve
21 within an upper IBOP
29U. Preferably, the valve
21 is inserted through the bottom or pin end
35 of the upper IBOP
29U. However, with different configurations, of an upper IBOP, the valve
21 may also be inserted in the top of an IBOP. Preferably, the valve
21 is retained within the upper IBOP
29U by a suitable retainer in retaining groove
18a. As with the retainer for the valve
21 within the valve sub
10, it should be appreciated that the method of retention can include, but is not limited to, snap rings, springs, retaining pins, retaining rings, shear pin, shear screws, screws, rivets, bolts, and the like. It should be further appreciated, by those in the art, that it would preferably be more convenient to retain the bottom of the valve
21 as opposed to the top as in the valve sub
10. However, either place of retention could satisfy the need for detachably retaining the valve
21 within the upper IBOP
29U.
It should be appreciated that the valve
21 is not limited to only placement within valve sub
10 or within the upper IBOP
29U. Valve sub
10 can be installed below a conventional upper IBOP
29U and above a conventional lower IBOP
29L. In such an embodiment, upper connection
12 will preferably be threadably connected to the lower end of the upper IBOP
29U and lower connection
11 would preferably be threadably connected to the lower IBOP
29L. It should further be appreciated that in order to save available vertical length space, the valve sub
10 and the valve
21 may replace the upper IBOP
29U. Thus, only the lower IBOP
29L would be utilized. Still further, the valve
21 may be placed directly into the top or bottom of an upper IBOP
29U which has been modified to enclose the valve
21 (FIG. 1C).
The upper
29U and lower
29L IBOP's allow the insertion of certain tools or wireline equipment into the tubular string. Should a need arise, for such insertion, the valve
21 will preferably be removed. If the valve
21 is positioned within the valve sub
10, then preferably the valve sub will be removed. If the valve
21 is carried within the upper IBOP
29U, the valve
21 is preferably removed using a special tool
40 (FIG. 1D).
The special valve removal tool
40 (FIG. 1D) preferably comprises an all thread shaft
41 having a "T" handle
42, at one end and a reduced threaded portion
43 on the end opposite of the "T" handle
42 which is preferably made up into the top connection
26 (FIGS. 4 and 8) or into a removal tool adapter
47. It should be appreciated that the "T" handle
42 is preferably not for turning the tool, other than for threadedly engaging the valve removal tool
40. The preferred function, of the "T" handle
42 is to aid in maintaining physical control of the valve
21 during installation or removal particularly when installing or removing the valve
21 from a suspended sub or IBOP.
When used, the removal tool adapter
47 is preferably threadedly attached to the internal threads
37 of the retaining ring
30 (FIG. 3). FIG. 1E illustrates the removal tool adapter
47. Preferably, the removal tool adapter
47 will comprise an external threaded area
48 which is adapted to threadably connect to the internal threads
37 of the retaining ring
30. Further, the removal tool adapter includes an internally threaded connection
49 which can threadedly mate with the reduced threaded portion
43 of the special valve removal tool
40. It should be appreciated that the adapter
47 is utilized when removing the valve
21 from the bottom end of a sub or IBOP.
Referring again to FIG. 1D, it is illustrated that preferably the tool
40 further comprises a pull plate
45 and a hex bushing
46, which when preferably turned clockwise, applies pressure against the pull plate
45 causing the valve
21 to be removed from the valve sub
10 or the upper IBOP
29U. It should be appreciated that, although the preferred design of the tool
40 is illustrated, other variations of the tool
40 could be envisioned with the goal of removing the valve
21 and are within the scope of this invention. An example, which is not intended as limiting, the pull plate
45 may comprise threads on the external circumference (not shown) which may engage the box threads of a sub or IBOP to aid in the valve
21 installation or removal. It should further be appreciated that the use of the tool
40 is not intended to only be limited for use in conjunction with the upper IBOP
29U or the valve sub
10 but can be utilized, as is or somewhat modified, to remove the valve
21 from substantially all installations of the valve
21. For example, but not in a limiting sense, a nut
44 may be fixedly attached at some predetermined distance from the reduced threaded portion
43. The nut
44 may allow for the tool
40 to be threadedly locked onto the valve
21 at connection
26 (FIGS. 4 and 8) or to the removal tool adapter
47 at connection
49. Still further, it should be appreciated that the tool
40 can be used to remove the valve
21 from either the top or the bottom of a valve sub or an IBOP. Preferably, the removal tool adapter
47 is used when removing the valve
21 from the bottom of a valve sub or IBOP. It should be noted that although the preferable use of the tool
40, with or without the adapter
47, is to remove the entire valve
21, it is envisioned that an adaptation of the tool to only remove parts of the valve
21 is within the scope of this invention.
It is also envisioned that the valve sub
10, with the valve
21, may be used between a conventional kelly and the tubular string being lowered into the wellbore. The preferable advantage, is that the valve sub
10 will provide a much more compact design primarily by conserving the valuable vertical space on the rig described herein above.
FIG. 3 illustrates the retaining ring
30 which preferably fits in the bottom of the valve body
20 (FIG. 4) in the bottom threaded area
22. Preferably, a set screw
90 may be used to prevent the retaining ring
30 from rotating after installation. It should be appreciated that although a set screw is preferred, a variety of fasteners including, but not limited to, rivets, shear pins, shear screws, bolts, and the like may be used. The upper surface
31 may preferably contact spring
32 (FIG. 11). It should be appreciated that when desired upper surface
31 may not directly contact the spring
32 and may instead include a type of spacer, washer, gasket, or similar element between the upper surface
31 and the spring
32. Further, the upper surface
31, may be coated or treated so as to have a harder surface for contact with the spring
32 in order to avoid undesired wear between the upper surface
31 and the spring
32. Preferably, after installation or assembly, the bottom surface
33, of the retaining ring
30, will not protrude out beyond the bottom surface
23 of the valve body
20. The retaining ring will preferably perform at least two functions including, but not limited to, retaining the spring
32 within the valve body
20 and also compressing the spring
32 such that the force of the spring
32 against the piston
50 (FIG. 9) urges the piston
50 in an axial direction toward the top of the valve body
20. (See FIG. 2 illustrating a general arrangement of the valve
21). The above will be more fully described herein below.
Still referring primarily to FIG. 3 and secondarily to FIG. 3A, the retaining ring
30 can be threaded in and/or removed, from the valve body
20 utilizing a special spanner type tool or wrench
62. Such special spanner type tool
62 may be substantially tubular or another shape such that the pins
65 would preferably be inserted into holes
36 located on the bottom surface
33. Preferably, the special spanner type tool
62 is turned clockwise while pressure is applied to compress the spring
32 (FIG. 11) to aid in installing the retaining ring
30. Preferably, the retaining ring
30 is inserted, into the valve body
20, a certain pre-determined distance to create a pre-calculated compression on the spring
32; thus preferably providing the required spring force against the piston
50 (FIG. 9). To remove the retaining ring
30, the special spanner tool
62 is preferably rotated in a counter clockwise direction while the tool
62 preferably aids in controlling the de-compression of the spring
32. It should be appreciated, by those in the art, that the dimensions and number of the removal holes
36 are dependant on the dimensions of the retaining ring
30 and can be increased if so desired and/or required. It should be understood that directions of rotation, disclosed herein, are the preferred directions of rotation and should not be viewed as a limitation on the operations of the present apparatus nor the scope of the invention. It should be noted that the pressure, to be applied to maintain the spring pressure during the installation or removal of the retaining ring
30 may be preferably attained through the use of a conventional hydraulic cylinder (not shown). In such an embodiment, the conventional hydraulic cylinder would preferably exert pressure on the special spanner tool
62, towards the spring. The hydraulic cylinder would preferably be in communication with shaft
64. This pressure, would preferably counter the spring force exerted on the retaining ring
30 and thus allow the retaining ring to be rotated. The rotation is preferably supplied through the special spanner tool
40 by inserting a pin, rod, stem, or the like, into the rotation holes
63 of the special spanner tool
62, or by the use of a wrench across the flats
66. It should be appreciated that the configuration of the special wrench
62 can vary and that it is deemed within the spirit of this invention. Examples of such may include, but are not necessarily limited to, the location, shape, and number of pins
65, the length and shape of shaft
64, the location and type of wrench connection
66, and the location, size and shape of the rotational holes
63.
Referring now to FIG. 4, a cutaway view of the valve body
20 is illustrated. Preferably, grooves
24 are provided for conventional seals, such as, but not limited to, o-rings (not shown). The seals prevent fluid or pressure leakage around the valve body
20 when it is installed in a sub, such as valves sub
10 or in the upper IBOP
29U. Preferably, the upper surface
81 comprises ball check valves
80 and flow slots
82 which will be described in more detail herein below. The upper surface
81 will preferably further comprise a threaded female connection
26. Connection
26 is preferably used to raise and lower the valve
21. It should be understood that lifting and lowering of the valve includes the installation and removal of the valve. It should further be understood that although the preferred configuration of connection
26 is having female threads, any variety of connections could be used to such as but not limited to eye bolts, hooks, internal lift slots, internal lugs, and the like and that such modifications would also include modifications of any installation and removal tools such as the removal tool
40 (FIG. 1D).
FIG. 4 further illustrates a cutaway view of check valve
80, whose function will be described more fully herein below. The check valve
80 preferably includes, but is not limited to, a ball
83, a ball or valve seat
86, and a ball retainer
84. Preferably, the check valve
80 has a throughbore
87 which passes through the ball retainer
84 (FIG. 7) and the upper surface
81 of the valve body
20. The check valve
80 preferably seals against flow moving from the upper surface
81 toward the lower surface
23.
FIGS. 5,
6, and
7 illustrate several views of the ball retainer
84 of the check valve
80. The check valve seat
86 is preferably integral to the valve body upper end
81. The ball
83 is retained in the check valve
80 by the ball retainer
84. FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of the ball retainer
84 and further illustrates the preferred internal hex drive for removal and installation. FIG. 6 illustrates a bottom view of the ball retainer
84 and further illustrates flow channels
85. The flow channels
85 preferably allow flow in the upward direction to pass through the ball retainer throughbore
87. It should be appreciated that the flow channels
85 are provided so as to prevent the ball
83 from plugging the throughbore
87 as it passes through the ball retainer
84. FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of the ball retainer
84.
It should be understood that the preferred purpose of the check valve
80 is to prevent flow in one direction. Therefore, many varieties of such a check valve can be envisioned within the spirit of this invention. Such variations may include, but are not limited to, a drive configuration, for the ball retainer
84, that is not hexagonal, a shaped plug as opposed to as ball, a one piece pocket type valve that can be inserted in the valve body upper end
81, a multi-piece check valve, an external check valve, or a bypass which might eliminate the need for the check valve.
FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of the upper end
81 of the valve body
20. This view illustrates further detail of the connection
26, the check valves
80 and flow slots
82. As can be seen in FIG. 8, the preferred number of check valves
80 is three. It should be appreciated that this arrangement provides advantages such as a redundancy feature wherein a check valve
80 can become plugged from the fluid passing therethrough or the ball
83 may deform in such a matter as to plug the throughbore
87 passing through the ball retainer
84. A further advantage may be to allow required flow rates or flow volumes to pass through the multiple check valves, particularly if one of the check valves is blocked or otherwise prevents flow. It should be understood that the preferred purpose for the through bore
87 is to allow fluids to pass from portions of the wellbore below the mudsaver valve
21 up through the piston bore
52 and out through the throughbore
87 up to the earth's surface to allow the wellbore pressure to be measured. Therefore, it should be appreciated that the availability of three such passages preferably insures that such fluids will be accessible, from the wellbore, even give a situation wherein one passage becomes blocked.
FIG. 9 is a side view illustration of the valve piston
50. FIG. 10 illustrates a cutaway view of the piston
50. Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the piston has a through bore
52 which preferably allows the flow of fluid or mud into and out of the wellbore. The piston
50 further comprises at least one seal groove
54. The seal groove
54, is preferably fitted with seal, such as, but not limited to, an o-ring (not shown). The o-ring preferably seals against the valve body internal cavity
28 (FIG. 4). It should be appreciated that the specific type of seal is dependant on the fluid environment and thus should not be seen as being limited only to an o-ring, an elastomeric seal, or a single seal. The piston
50, preferably, still further comprises an upper surface
56, a lower surface
57, and a spring contact surface
58.
Referring still to FIG. 10, the piston
50 may preferably comprise an erosion and/or corrosion resistant insert or inserts. In one embodiment, a first insert
59 may form a part of the upper surface
56 and an upper portion of the piston
50 bore wall. A second insert
60 may be fixedly attached, forming a portion of the piston bore
52, below the first insert
59. It should be appreciated that these inserts are preferably of a hard metallic material such as, but not limited to, tungsten carbide. Further, the first
59 and second
60 inserts may be combined as a single insert. Still further, the insert or inserts may be attached by welding, may be threaded into the upper piston bore, or attached by another industry acceptable method. It should also be further appreciated that the piston
50 could be entirely made or cast of an erosion resistant material or that the hard metal surface could be deposited onto the piston by welding, spraying, coating, or the like; thereby eliminating the need for the inserts
59,
60. It should be understood, by those in the art, that the lower surface
89, of the upper end
81 of the valve body
20 (FIG. 4), may also be coated with a hard surface, such as, but not limited to, tungsten carbide. The preferred purpose of harder metallic surface is to prevent pre-mature failure of the piston and/or the corresponding valve body contact surface
89 due to excessive erosion from the fluid flow.
It should be appreciated that in order to allow the necessary flow, through the valve
21, the piston bore
52 must be sufficiently large to allow the necessary flow rate. Preferably, the piston bore
52 will have some pre-determined flow area or cross-sectional area. This cross-sectional area or flow area is preferably sized so that a pre-determined flow is allowed through the piston bore. This flow rate is, in turn, preferably based upon the necessary flow of fluid as required to be introduced into the tubular string attached downstream of the valve
21. To that end, the flow slots
82, of the upper surface
81, are preferably sized such that the total flow area or total cross-sectional area, of all of the flow slots
82, is at least equal to or greater than the flow area or cross-sectional area of the piston bore
52. It should be noted that the cross-sectional area, or flow area, of each slot
82 is preferably pre-determined before the flow slots
82 are manufactured. This will preferably insure that the sum of the flow slot
82 cross-sectional areas is greater than or substantially equal to the cross-sectional area of the piston bore
52. Thus, preferably there will be no substantial flow restriction or reduction, due to flow area reduction, caused by the installation of the valve
21.
It should be appreciated that the materials of construction, of the valve sub
10, the valve
21, and all of its parts are known in the industry and are preferably metallic with the possible exception of the seals. However, as described herein above, some of the metals are harder or are coated with a harder substance to resist erosion. The specific choice of materials is preferably dependant on the environment to resist erosive and corrosive attack and to resist deformation from pressure or contact, as well as for compatibility with parts that are in contact with each other.
For operation, the valve is assembled, in no particular order, but as described herein below. The check valve balls
83 are inserted into the ball cavity
88 (FIG. 4). The ball retainers
84 are preferably threaded into the ball cavity
88 above the check valve balls
83. The piston is fitted with the selected seal in the seal groove
54. The piston
50 is fitted inside the valve body cavity
28. The spring
32 (FIG. 6) is slidably mounted over the piston and inside the valve body cavity
28. Preferably, the spring
32 contacts the spring contact surface
58 of the piston
50 (FIG. 10). The retaining ring
30 is preferably threadedly engaged into the bottom threaded area
22 of the valve body
20. When fully threaded, the retaining ring will preferably compress the spring
32 some pre-determined amount. The compressed spring
32 will preferably exert a pre-calculated force on the piston
50. This pre-calculated force is preferably sufficient for the piston to block the flow of fluid or mud through the flow slots
82 when the mud pumps are de-energized but to allow the piston to be pushed down to allow flow through the flow slots
82 when the mud pumps are energized (i.e. the force of the mud pumps will preferably overcome the spring force exerted upwardly on the piston
50). Further, the fluid or mud, will maintain the balls
83 in contact with the check valve seat
86, whether the mud pumps are energized or de-energized, thus preventing any flow downward into the valve
21. It should be appreciated that the retaining ring
30 (FIG. 3) will preferably allow some adjustment of the spring
32. Thus, the retaining ring
30 can increase or decrease the spring force, exerted against the piston surface
58 (FIGS. 9 and 10) by being further engaged into the bottom threaded area
22 (FIG. 4) or disengaged out of the bottom threaded area
22.
The valve
21 is fitted with the selected seals in the seal grooves
24 (FIG. 4). If the valve
21 is inserted into the valve sub
10, then a suitable retainer is placed in retaining groove
18 (FIG. 1) to preferably retain the valve
21 within the valve sub. If the valve
21 is inserted into the upper IBOP
29U (FIG. 1C), the valve
21 is preferably inserted through the top or bottom end of the upper IBOP
29U. A suitable retainer is placed in a retaining groove
18a located in the bottom of the IBOP
29U to preferably retain the valve
21 within the upper IBOP
29U. It should be appreciated that when installed into the top of a sub or IBOP, the retainer may be above, below, or on both ends of the valve
21.
When the mud pumps or other fluid pumps are energized and/or operating, the mud or fluid will preferably flow through the flow slots
82. The pressure of the pumped fluid or mud will preferably overcome the spring force of spring
32 and urge the piston
50 in a downward direction. As the piston
50 moves away from contact with the piston sealing surface
89 (FIG. 4) the fluid or mud will flow through the piston bore
52 and into the tubular and into the wellbore. It should be understood that preferably there is no flow through the check valves
80 as the balls
83 are seated in the check valve seats
86.
Whenever the mud pumps are shut down or de-energized the spring pressure, exerted by spring
32, will preferably urge the piston
50 up against the piston contact surface
89 of the valve body
20. Thus, when the tubular joints are broken out, the mud is prevented from passing through the valve
21 preferably because of the seal formed between the piston contact surface
89, of the valve body
20, and the upper surface
59,
56 of the piston
50.
Although the mud saver valve
21, according to the present invention, is substantially shut in when the mud pumps are turned off or de-energized, the downhole pressure of the fluids can be measured by the fact that the balls
83, of the check valves
80, are moved off of their engagement with the seats
86 because there is no longer any pressure or flow, from the mud or fluid pumps, being exerted on the balls
83 in a downward direction. It should be appreciated that there is some pressure existing above the balls
83. However, this is typically only a static or head pressure that is a factor of line size and length directly above the check valves
80 on which gravity would act. Therefore, any significant pressure, in the wellbore, would over come this static pressure and move the balls
83 off of the seats
86. Thus, the fluid or mud can flow through the check valve flow bores
87 and the pressure and other parameters related to the downhole fluids can be measured. It should be appreciated that this action only allows flow in one direction. Therefore, if the wellbore pressure falls below the mud or fluid pressure above the check valves
80, the balls
83 will preferably return to the seats
86 and block any flow into the tubular below the valve
21.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention is one well adapted to seal against mud loss particularly in top drive assemblies and in conjunction with a conventional kelly while reducing axial length, allowing full fluid flow, and allowing measurements of desired parameters of the fluid or mud. It should be appreciated that certain embodiments of the present invention are not limited to specifically interact with top drive assemblies, they can likewise be adapted to kelly subs or set between the kelly sub and the tubular string as required or desired. It should be further appreciated that other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the present invention should not be limited by the examples presented in the foregoing descriptions. It will be understood that certain features and sub-combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.
As many possible embodiments may be made of this invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
