Mud systems with pressure relief valve

Abstract

A pressure relief valve assembly useful for relieving fluid pressure in a pressurized device, the assembly in certain aspects including a valve body with an inlet passageway in fluid communication with an outlet passageway, a valve member for selectively controlling fluid flow from the inlet passageway to the outlet passageway, a wear member around a portion of an entrance end of the outlet passageway, the valve member movable within the wear member, the wear member extending into the outlet passageway a distance less than the length of the outlet passageway; and, in certain aspects, the wear member threadedly secured to the valve body.

1 . A pressure relief valve assembly useful for relieving fluid pressure in a pressurized device, the pressure relief valve assembly comprising
 a valve body with an inlet passageway in fluid communication with an outlet passageway,   a valve member within the valve body for selectively controlling fluid flow from the inlet passageway to the outlet passageway, the valve member having a first end and a second end, the outlet passageway having an entrance end and an exit end,   the first end of the valve member movable into the outlet passageway to prevent fluid flow from the inlet passageway through the outlet passageway,   a wear member around a portion of the entrance end of the outlet passageway,   the wear member having an interior surface, the valve member movable within and sealingly contacting the interior surface of the wear member,   the outlet passageway having a length,   the wear member extending into the outlet passageway a distance less than the length of the outlet passageway,   the valve body having an interiorly threaded portion at the entrance of the outlet passageway,   the wear member having an exteriorly threaded portion, and   the wear member releasably secured to the valve body by threaded engagement of the wear member's exteriorly threaded portion with the valve body's interiorly threaded portion.   
   
   
       2 . The pressure relief valve assembly of  claim 1  wherein
 the wear member has a length which is less than half the length of the outlet passageway.   
   
   
       3 . The pressure relief valve assembly of  claim 1  further comprising
 an actuator connected to the second end of the valve member for selectively actuating the pressure relief valve assembly.   
   
   
       4 . The pressure relief valve assembly of  claim 3  wherein
 the actuator includes an actuator housing with a flange,   the flange having bolt holes therethrough,   the flange releasably bolted to the valve body.   
   
   
       5 . The pressure relief valve assembly of  claim 1  further comprising
 a first cap at the first end of the valve member, and   a second cap at the second end of the valve member.   
   
   
       6 . The pressure relief valve assembly of  claim 1  further comprising
 a bore through the valve body,   the wear member accessible through the bore for installation and removal thereof.   
   
   
       7 . The pressure relief valve assembly of  claim 3  further comprising
 a bore through the valve body,   the wear member accessible through the bore for installation and removal thereof,   the actuator having an actuator housing bolted to the valve body, part of the actuator housing projecting into the bore,   the bore accessible when the actuator housing is unbolted from the valve body and the actuator is removed therefrom.   
   
   
       8 . The pressure relief valve assembly of  claim 1  including
 a controller for selectively moving the valve member.   
   
   
       9 . The pressure relief valve assembly of  claim 8  wherein
 the controller includes an automatic reset function to automatically close the pressure relief valve assembly following the pressure relief valve assembly acting to relieve pressure in a pressurized device.   
   
   
       10 . The pressure relief valve assembly of  claim 9  wherein
 the controller is programmable to reset at one of a plurality of different measured pressures at the inlet passageway.   
   
   
       11 . The pressure relief valve assembly of  claim 8  wherein the controller resets the pressure relief valve assembly automatically. 
   
   
       12 . The pressure relief valve assembly of  claim 8  wherein the pressure relief valve assembly is resettable manually. 
   
   
       13 . The pressure relief valve assembly of  claim 1  wherein
 the fluid pressure is pressure of drilling fluid and   the pressurized device includes apparatus for the flow of drilling fluid under pressure.   
   
   
       14 . The pressure relief valve assembly of  claim 13  wherein
 the pressurized device includes at least one mud pump.   
   
   
       15 . The pressure relief valve assembly of  claim 1  wherein the wear member is made of INCONEL material. 
   
   
       16 . The pressure relief valve assembly of  claim 3  wherein
 the actuator is initially acted upon by fluid under pressure to maintain the valve member in a valve-closed position.   
   
   
       17 . A pressure relief valve assembly useful for relieving fluid pressure in a pressurized device, the pressure relief valve assembly comprising
 a valve body with an inlet passageway in fluid communication with an outlet passageway,   a valve member within the valve body for selectively controlling fluid flow from the inlet passageway to the outlet passageway, the valve member having a first end and a second end, the outlet passageway having an entrance end and an exit end,   the first end of the valve member movable into the outlet passageway to prevent fluid flow from the inlet passageway through the outlet passageway,   a wear member around a portion of the entrance end of the outlet passageway,   the wear member having an interior surface, the valve member movable within and sealingly contacting the interior surface of the wear member,   the outlet passageway having a length,   the wear member extending into the outlet passageway a distance less than the length of the outlet passageway,   the valve body having an interiorly threaded portion at the entrance of the outlet passageway,   the wear member having an exteriorly threaded portion,   the wear member releasably secured to the valve body by threaded engagement of the wear member's exteriorly threaded portion with the valve body's interiorly threaded portion,   wherein the wear member has a length which is less than half the length of the outlet passageway,   an actuator connected to the second end of the valve member for selectively actuating the pressure relief valve assembly,   a bore through the valve body,   the wear member accessible through the bore for installation and removal thereof,   the actuator having an actuator housing bolted to the valve body, part of the actuator housing projecting into the bore, and   the bore accessible when the actuator housing is unbolted from the valve body and the actuator is removed therefrom.   
   
   
       18 . A pressure relief valve assembly useful for relieving fluid pressure in a pressurized device, the pressure relief valve assembly comprising
 a valve body with an inlet passageway in fluid communication with an outlet passageway,   a valve member within the valve body for selectively controlling fluid flow from the inlet passageway to the outlet passageway, the valve member having a first end and a second end, the outlet passageway having an entrance end and an exit end,   the first end of the valve member movable into the outlet passageway to prevent fluid flow from the inlet passageway through the outlet passageway,   a wear member around a portion of the entrance end of the outlet passageway,   an actuator connected to the second end of the valve member for selectively actuating the pressure relief valve assembly,   wherein the actuator includes an actuator housing with a housing part,   the housing part having bolt holes therethrough, and   the housing part releasably bolted to the valve body.   
   
   
       19 . The pressure relief valve assembly of  claim 18  wherein
 the fluid pressure is pressure of drilling fluid, and   the pressurized device includes apparatus for the flow of drilling fluid under pressure.   
   
   
       20 . The pressure relief valve assembly of  claim 19  wherein the pressurized device includes at least one mud pump.