SPE Production & Operations
Volume 28, Number 1, February 2013, pp. 77-84

Summary

Most offshore oil wells use flow-control safety valves that are either actively controlled from the surface or passively actuated by pressure changes. In this paper, we propose a passive, thermally actuated safety valve that adds redundancy to well systems and significantly increases well safety. We use quasistatic thermal modeling, validated with experimental downhole data, to identify and characterize a suitable temperature regime for shape memory alloy actuation. We develop a complete loading and shut-in procedure with the new valve that is consistent with current practice in artificial lift. Finally, through a true-scale stainless-steel prototype, we demonstrate essential manufacturability and successful valve closure in accordance with predictions.

© 2013. Society of Petroleum Engineers

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History

• Original manuscript received: 17 August 2011
• Revised manuscript received: 6 February 2012
• Manuscript approved: 9 April 2012
• Published online: 31 January 2013
• Version of record: 26 February 2013