WellDynamics Unveils Next Gen SmartWell Interval Control Valve

WellDynamics

WellDynamics, a Halliburton company, has announced the availability of its HS interval control valve (HS-ICV), which is debris-tolerant and designed for high-pressure, deepwater environments characterized as severe operating conditions.

Building on WellDynamics' 11-year track record as the leading provider of intelligent completion technology, the HS-ICV enables deployment of SmartWell® systems in more extreme environments.

The valve's unique features include:

  • A proprietary metal-to-metal seal, allowing for the highest unloading capacity in the industry.
  • A customizable flow trim.
  • Optional position sensors to provide real-time confirmation of remotely-actuated valve movements.

The HS-ICV's flow trim ensures complete metal-to-metal seal integrity when exposed to heavy wellbore debris. A one-piece valve mandrel design eliminates the potential for wellbore debris to be trapped inside the tool and consequently prevent valve movement. The metal-to-metal flank seal also enables the valve to unload at a maximum differential pressure of 5,000 pounds per square inch (psi) -- the highest unloading capacity in the industry -- and has been rigorously tested for seal integrity at both low and high pressure differentials of up to 10,000 psi.

The valve can be used either in simple intervention avoidance applications or in more versatile advanced reservoir management choking applications. For the choking application, the HS-ICV can be accurately positioned using WellDynamics' Accu-Pulse™ incremental positioning module; alternatively, in dry tree applications, it can be positioned using WellDynamics' surface positioning technology. In either application, optional onboard position sensors track and provide real-time confirmation of the movement of the flow trim.

"The HS-ICV enables the application of SmartWell technology in deepwater and high pressure high temperature environments with industry-leading reliability," said Mike Konopczynski, Vice President of Technology and Marketing, WellDynamics. "This improved technology helps our customers meet their increasing recovery targets in such severe environments."

WellDynamics' SmartWell intelligent completion technology includes solutions for flow control, zonal isolation, permanent monitoring and downhole control, as well as digital infrastructure and fiber optic systems.