downhole safety valve in stock

Our downhole safety valves provide your testing operations with fail-safe sustained control downhole in the event of an emergency or to facilitate test procedures.

Surface-controlled subsurface safety valves (SCSSVs) are critical components of well completions, preventing uncontrolled flow in the case of catastrophic damage to wellhead equipment. Fail-safe closure must be certain to ensure proper security of the well. However, this is not the only function in which it must be reliable—the valve must remain open to produce the well. Schlumberger surface controlled subsurface safety valves exceed all ISO 10432 and API Spec 14A requirements for pressure integrity, leakage acceptance criteria, and slam closure.

Through decades of innovation and experience, Schlumberger safety valve flapper systems are proven robust and reliable. The multizone dynamic seal technology for hydraulic actuation of subsurface safety valves is a further improvement in reliability performance when compared with traditional seal systems in the industry.

The multizone seal technology is currently available in the GeoGuard high-performance deepwater safety valves, which is validated to API Spec 14A V1 and V1-H.

Safety valves are designed to automatically shut in the flow of a well in the event surface controls fail or surface equipment becomes damaged. They are classified according to the location from which they are controlled – surface or subsurface. In this article, subsurface safety valve types, operating systems, working principle, setting depth, and selection process are presented.

It is advisable, and in most cases mandatory, to have a secondary means of closure for all wells capable of natural flow to the surface. The installation on of a sub-surface safety valve (SSSV) will provide this emergency closure capability.

Operating systems may be either remotely operated on a fail-safe principle from surface (SCSSV) actuated from a control panel located on surface, or will be a subsurface controlled (SSCSV), designed to close automatically when a predetermined flow condition occurs in the well (actuated by the pressure differential/flow velocity across the valve).

In case of SCSSV, a 1/4″ inch stainless steel control line is attached to the outside of the tubing string and installed when the tubing is installed. Depending on the wellhead pressure, it may be necessary to keep as much as 4000 to 5000 psi on the control line to keep the valve open.

The differential type subsurface controlled subsurface safety valve senses pressure drop across a flow bean. There are several variations of the differential type SSCSV. Although they employ different sealing devices, such as a flapper or ball, they all are controlled with a flow bean and spring tension.

As shown in the following video, when hydraulic pressure is applied down a control line, the hydraulic pressure forces a sleeve within the valve to slide downwards. This movement compresses a large spring and pushes the flapper (in case of flapper type SCSSV) or the ball (in case of ball type SCSSV) downwards to open the valve. When hydraulic pressure is removed, the spring pushes the sleeve back up and causes the flapper (or the ball) to shut. In this way, it is failsafe and will isolate the wellbore in the event of a loss of the wellhead.

The location of the downhole safety valve within the completion is a precisely determined parameter intended to optimise safety. There are arguments against it either being too high or too low in the well and so the final depth is a compromise of all factors. MMS regulations state that the valve must be placed no less than 100′ below the mudline.

A downhole safety valve refers to a component on an oil and gas well, which acts as a failsafe to prevent the uncontrolled release of reservoir fluids in the event of a worst-case-scenario surface disaster. It is almost always installed as a vital component on the completion.

These valves are commonly uni-directional flapper valves which open downwards such that the flow of wellbore fluids tries to push it shut, while pressure from the surface pushes it open. This means that when closed, it will isolate the reservoir fluids from the surface.

Most downhole safety valves are controlled hydraulically from the surface, meaning they are opened using a hydraulic connection linked directly to a well control panel. When hydraulic pressure is applied down a control line, the hydraulic pressure forces a sleeve within the valve to slide downwards. This movement compresses a large spring and pushes the flapper downwards to open the valve. When hydraulic pressure is removed, the spring pushes the sleeve back up and causes the flapper to shut. In this way, it is failsafe and will isolate the wellbore in the event of a loss of the wellhead. The full designation for a typical valve is "tubing retrievable, surface controlled, subsurface safety valve", abbreviated to TR-SCSSV.

The location of the downhole safety valve within the completion is a precisely determined parameter intended to optimise safety. There are arguments against it either being too high or too low in the well and so the final depth is a compromise of all factors. MMS regulations state that the valve must be placed no less than 30 m (100 ft) below the mudline.

The further down the well the DHSV is located, the greater the potential inventory of hydrocarbons above it when closed. This means that in the event of loss of containment at surface, there is more fluid to be spilled causing environmental damage, or in the worst case, more fuel for a fire. Therefore, placing the valve higher limits this hazard.

Another reason relates to the hydraulic control line. Hydraulic pressure is required to keep the valve open as part of the failsafe design. However, if the valve is too far down the well, then the weight of the hydraulic fluid alone may apply sufficient pressure to keep the valve open, even with the loss of surface pressurisation.

As part of the role of the DHSV to isolate the surface from wellbore fluids, it is necessary for the valve to be positioned away from the well where it could potentially come to harm. This implies that it must be placed subsurface in all circumstances, i.e. in offshore wells, not above the seabed. There is also the risk of cratering in the event of a catastrophic loss of the topside facility. The valve is specifically placed below the maximum depth where cratering is expected to be a risk.

If there is a risk of methane hydrate (clathrate) plugs forming as the pressure changes through the valve due to Joule–Thomson cooling, then this is a reason to keep it low, where the rock is warmer than an appropriately-calculated temperature.

Most downhole safety valves installed as part of the completion design are classed as "tubing retrievable". This means that they are installed as a component of the completion string and run in during completion. Retrieving the valve, should it malfunction, requires a workover. The full name for this most common type of downhole safety valve is a Tubing Retrievable Surface Controlled Sub-Surface Valve, shortened in completion diagrams to TRSCSSV.

If a tubing retrievable valve fails, rather than go to the expense of a workover, a "wireline retrievable" valve may be used instead. This type of valve can fit inside the production tubing and is deployed on wireline after the old valve has been straddled open.

The importance of DHSVs is undisputed. Graphic images of oil wells in Kuwait on fire after the First Gulf War after their wellheads were removed, demonstrate the perils of not using the components (at the time, they were deemed unnecessary because they were onshore wells). It is, however, not a direct legal requirement in many places. In the United Kingdom, no law mandates the use of DHSVs. However, the 1974 Health & Safety at Work Act requires that measures are taken to ensure that the uncontrolled release of wellbore fluids is prevented even in the worst case. The brilliance of the act is that it does not issue prescriptive guideline for how to achieve the goal of health and safety, but merely sets out the requirement that the goal be achieved. It is up to the oil companies to decide how to achieve it and DHSVs are an important component of that decision. As such, although not a legal requirement, it is company policy for many operators in the UKCS.

While the DHSV isolates the production tubing, a loss of integrity could allow wellbore fluid to bypass the valve and escape to surface through the annulus. For wells using gas lift, it may be a requirement to install a safety valve in the "A" annulus of the well to ensure that the surface is protected from a loss of annulus containment. However, these valves are not as common and they are not necessarily installed at the same position in the well, meaning it is possible that fluids could snake their way around the valves to surface.

Baker Hughes’s portfolio of subsurface safety valves deliver reliable performance when it matters the most, providing emergency closure in the event that well control is lost. We offer a full range of valves to suit applications ranging from shallow- to deep-set, and the valves are available in surface- and subsurface-controlled, tubing-retrievable, and wireline-retrievable options. All Baker Hughes valves undergo stringent prototype testing and conform to standards and specifications such as API and ISO, as well as requirements requested for your unique situation.

Maintaining fluid control and well protection is critical in your shallow depth well operations. The SelecT™ subsurface safety valve from Baker Hughes addresses the unique challenges that shallow set safety valves (typically <1,000 ft) endure.

The tubing-retrievable SelecT valve includes an ultra-strong power spring that delivers the high closing forces needed to reliably and consistently close the valve in the presence of paraffin and other produced solids.

The SelecT is engineered to avoid failures due to wireline damage during downhole interventions. The valve’s advanced flapper design prevents damage and ensures that all seal surfaces are protected from wireline contact—even during accidental closure of the valve during wireline operations.

Ensure greater seal integrity with the SelecT valve’s patented advances that include thru-the-flapper self-equalizing system. And the radial punch control fluid communication system eliminates accidental communication associated with linear shifting sleeves.

Halliburton provides proven, high-performance tubing-retrievable and wireline-retrievable subsurface safety valves (SSSV) designed to reliably shut-in (fail safe) if a catastrophic event occurs, allowing operators to maintain safe operations.

The valve operates on a hydraulic piston principle. To open, hydraulic pressure slightly higher than the well pressure is applied to move the piston downward. This pressure unseats the secondary seat, allowing pressure to enter through equalizing ports. Then, as additional hydraulic pressure is applied to the piston, it continues downward movement, pushing the flapper open.

Shell has been developing wells in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) in environments that have required 10,000 psi working pressure surface-controlled subsurface safety valves (SCSSVs). The well environments have been sweet service with up to 11,750 psi bottomhole pressures and depths of up to 18,000 ft and SCSSV setting depths of approximately 7,600 ft. Valve failures have not only compromised well integrity but also resulted in production down time, as a SCSSV fails to a closed position. Additional cost is also incurred in order to recomplete the wells. Although failures in current nitrogen-charged SCSSVs and the valve operating systems are not as common as they once were, the incurred costs from these failures prompted a search for an improved safety valve. Requirements were determined for the sought-after safety valves, and the following discussion provides the list of critical needs.

The primary requirement was that the sought-after safety valve be capable of maintaining integrity in the above conditions and be compatible with 4-1/2-in. tubing and 9-5/8-in. casing. To comply with the well design, the SCSSV would require capabilities that would support the following parameters:Dual line set-up for operation of SCSSV and balance of control-line fluids across operating piston

The design of the valve, a comparison with traditional valves in similar well conditions, and the first installation for Shell will be presented. The new valve is successful, and as a result, four additional installations using the magnetic coupler valve have been scheduled.

To protect the surface facilities in case of emergency, the wellbore is isolated from surface facilities using a subsurface safety valve (SSSV). Hence such a safety valve needs to be fail safe in order to isolate well bore in any kind of system failure or damage to surface production, control and safety facilities.

A subsurface safety valve is typically a uni-directional flapper valve, directed in such a way that the flappers open downwards when pressure is applied from an upward direction. The flapper can only open in the downward direction. So even if high pressure is applied by the well fluids from a downward direction, a safety valve can remain closed. This makes a subsurface safety valve fail-safe. To open the valve, hydraulic signal is sent from the surface well control panel. This hydraulic pressure is responsible for keeping the flappers of SSSV open and loss of hydraulic pressure result in closing of the valve. Thus wellbore can be isolated in case of system failure or damage to the surface facilities.

The TSS series subsurface safety valves are tubing retrievable surface controlled subsurface safety valves. Compared with the TS series, the safety valve features super slim outer diameter design. The control line connects the valve to the surface, and the pressurization from surface on the control line controls the opening and closing of the flapper. This series of products includes self-equalizing and non-equalizing types.

Intermediate spool inserted below the Chrtistmas tree; spool provides a profile for landing the control line hanger and hydraulic penetration to allow control on WCS Safety Valve

Weatherford’s Brian Marr, Scott Carline and Scott Deyoung discuss how the Renaissance WDCL system enabled the retrofitting of a new control line inside existing tubing to reestablish connection with a surface-controlled subsurface safety valve (SCSSV). The installation, which was performed without a workover rig, improved production at a significant cost savings.

The well, an offshore oil producer in the Middle East, was required by law to include a SCSSV. Like all downhole safety valves, SCSSVs act as a failsafe to prevent the uncontrolled release of reservoir fluids in the event that surface wellhead integrity is lost. These valves are popular well control options in the industry due to their ease of operation, which consists of hydraulic control from the surface. Hydraulic pressure is applied down a control line connecting the valve to surface. During normal well operation, the continuous application of this hydraulic pressure keeps the valve open. When hydraulic pressure is removed during a wellhead integrity event, the valve is forced shut, thus acting as a failsafe to isolate the wellbore.

However, SCSSVs are prone to malfunction, which is commonly caused by piston failures, leaks within the valve body or some type of control line failure such as crushing, leaking or blocking by an obstruction. Such a control line failure occurred in the offshore Middle East well, which forced the valve closed and shut in production.

The conventional remediation method calls for bringing in a workover rig to pull the tubing, replace the blocked control line and then redeploy downhole. While this option is relatively cost-effective and easy to implement in an onshore well, the logistics, cost and complexity of performing a workover offshore make this a time-consuming and expensive operation. Even a relatively simple workover of an offshore well in the Middle East might cost upwards of US$6 million, according to estimates from the operator. Weatherford collaborated with the operator to develop an alternative process— an intervention that would restore functionality to the SCSSV by retrofitting a new control line and inserting a new valve within the existing well architecture. The operator required the intervention to be performed without killing the well, pulling the tubing or incurring the time delays and costs that commonly come with a major workover.

Upon review of the well parameters and intervention requirements, the operator decided to deploy Weatherford’s Renaissance WDCL system, a wirelineretreivable subsurface safety valve that allows both the control line and the safety valve to be replaced in a straightforward retrofit procedure. The system has a modified packing mandrel and wet connection, and a valve-and-lock assembly that can be installed in an existing tubing-mounted safety valve or safety-valve landing nipple. A capillary line is then run from the surface inside the tubing and connected to the valve to provide control. The retrofit process for this offshore well was performed from a jackup rig, and began by modifying the wellhead to provide the correct profile for the capillary hanger and gain access for the new capillary control line. A wireline crew set plugs in the well to keep the well isolated, after which the tree was pulled and a spool piece containing a hanger profile was installed. The tree was then reinstalled and after the wellhead was pressure tested, the wireline crew went back in and pulled the plugs.

Another trip downhole was conducted to lock open the existing tubing-retrievable safety valve, after which a new subsurface safety valve was deployed and landed inside the previous valve. Once the new valve was set, the capillary control line was run down the center of the tubing to a pod on the valve.

A weighted and centralized stinger placed at the end of the capillary string was used to join the capillary to a mating connection on the valve. This was a wet-connect assembly, which was hydraulically locked in place by applying pressure to the capillary string. The wet connect contains unique design features, including the ability to be mated and unmated should the capillary need to be removed, and dual-back check valves that prevent backflow through the capillary line as an additional safety feature.

The top end of the capillary was then landed into the new spool piece below the tree through a specially designed, 4-in. control-line hanger. A Type-H profile was provided above the hanger to allow for the installation of a backpressure valve, which would be required to secure the well during future wellhead maintenance.

Picture of the WDCL Subsurface Safety Valve in the closed position (flapper shown in gold), the blue highlights the flow path of hydraulic fluid to function the valve.

The Renaissance WDCL was installed without incident, allowing the operator to bring the well back to full production quickly, while adhering to offshore safety regulations in the region.

A new spool piece was placed below the lower master valve on the wellhead. The spool piece was custom-built with a profile to lock the control line hanger in place, and polished bores for the seals.

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There are many uses of valves - mainly controlling the flow of fluids and pressure. Some examples include regulating water for irrigation, industrial uses for controlling processes, and residential piping systems. Magnetic valves like those using the solenoid, are often used in a range of industrial processes. Whereas backflow preventers are often used in residential and commercial buildings to ensure the safety and hygiene of the water supplies. Whether you are designing a regulation system for irrigation or merely looking for a new replacement, you will be able to find whatever type of subsurface safety valve that you need. Our products vary from check valves to pressure reducing valves, ball valves, butterfly valves, thermostatic mixing valves, and a lot more.

We design, test and manufacture downhole safety valves that are tubing run and surface controlled, as well as wireline run. Our range of tubing retrievable surface controlled subsurface safety valves suits 2-3/8” to 7” tubing sizes, in both standard and slim designs. It is a compact design using a concentric piston mechanism and a flapper system. Minimum metal-to-metal body connections are used to eliminate potential leak paths. All our valves include a nickel alloy flapper/flapper seat to ensure long term reliability of the valves in protecting surface facilities from uncontrolled flow from producing wells.

All our safety valves come with an exercise and lock-out facility. With a landing nipple profile in the top sub a wireline retrievable safety valve can be installed within the tubing run valve bore after lock-out allowing the well to continue to produce.

A full range of accessories is available for the downhole safety valves including exercise/lock-out tools, separation sleeves and nipple protection sleeves.