Casing check valve

Abstract

A casing check valve for providing isolation of an open hole section of a wellbore from a cased hole section of the wellbore is described herein. The casing check valve can include a housing and an actuating sleeve movably disposed within the housing between an actuated position and a normal position. The housing can include a housing body, at least one actuating sleeve coupling feature, a flapper assembly, a flapper seat, and at least one casing pipe coupling feature. The actuating sleeve can include an actuating sleeve body, at least one housing coupling feature, at least one operating tool coupling feature, and a distal extension.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A casing check valve for providing isolation of an open hole section of a wellbore from a cased hole section of the wellbore, the casing check valve comprising:
 a housing comprising:
 a housing body forming a housing cavity that traverses therethrough, wherein the housing body comprises a top portion, a middle portion, and a bottom portion; 
 at least one actuating sleeve coupling feature disposed on an inner surface of the middle portion of the housing body; 
 a flapper assembly disposed along the inner surface of the bottom portion of the housing body; 
 a flapper seat disposed on the inner surface of the bottom portion of the housing body adjacent to the flapper assembly; and 
 a first casing pipe coupling feature disposed on the top portion of the housing body, wherein the first casing pipe coupling feature is configured to couple to a first casing pipe; and 
   an actuating sleeve disposed within the housing cavity between an actuated position and a normal position, wherein the actuating sleeve is concentric with and adjacent to the housing, wherein the actuating sleeve comprises:
 an actuating sleeve body forming an actuating sleeve cavity; 
 at least one housing coupling feature disposed on an outer surface of the actuating sleeve, wherein the at least one housing coupling feature is removably coupled to the at least one actuating sleeve coupling feature of the housing as the actuating sleeve moves between the actuated position and the normal position; 
 at least one operating tool coupling feature configured to receive a complementary coupling feature of an operating tool disposed within the actuating sleeve cavity; and 
 a distal extension that extends from a distal end of the actuating sleeve body, wherein the distal extension opens the flapper assembly when the actuating sleeve is in the actuated position, and wherein the distal extension allows the flapper to close when the actuating sleeve is in the normal position. 
   
     
     
         2 . The casing check valve of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a second casing pipe coupling feature disposed on the bottom portion of the housing body, wherein the second casing pipe coupling feature is configured to couple to a second casing pipe.   
     
     
         3 . The casing check valve of  claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises:
 a stop feature disposed on an inner surface of the housing.   
     
     
         4 . The casing check valve of  claim 3 , wherein the stop feature positions the actuating sleeve in the actuated position. 
     
     
         5 . The casing check valve of  claim 3 , wherein the stop feature comprises the flapper seat. 
     
     
         6 . The casing check valve of  claim 1 , wherein the housing further comprises:
 a stop feature disposed on an inner surface of the housing, wherein the stop feature is disposed where the top portion and the middle portion of the housing body adjoin, wherein the stop feature positions the actuating sleeve in the normal position.   
     
     
         7 . The casing check valve of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one actuating sleeve coupling feature comprises a plurality of actuating sleeve coupling features. 
     
     
         8 . The casing check valve of  claim 7 , wherein the actuating sleeve is in the normal position when the at least one first housing coupling feature is coupled to a first actuating sleeve coupling feature of the plurality of actuating sleeve coupling features, and wherein the actuating sleeve is in the actuated position when the at least one first housing coupling feature is coupled to a second actuating sleeve coupling feature of the plurality of actuating sleeve coupling features. 
     
     
         9 . The casing check valve of  claim 8 , wherein the second actuating sleeve coupling feature is disposed closer to the bottom portion of the housing than the first actuating sleeve coupling feature. 
     
     
         10 . The casing check valve of  claim 8 , wherein the at least one housing coupling feature is a collet that protrudes from the actuating sleeve body, and wherein the first actuating sleeve coupling feature and the second actuating sleeve coupling feature are recesses having a shape and a size to receive the collet. 
     
     
         11 . The casing check valve of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one actuating sleeve coupling feature comprises mating threads disposed on the inner surface of the middle portion of the housing body, and wherein the at least one housing coupling feature comprises complementary mating threads disposed on the outer surface of the actuating sleeve body. 
     
     
         12 . The casing check valve of  claim 11 , wherein the actuating sleeve is in the normal position when the complementary mating threads are coupled to a first portion of the mating threads when the actuating sleeve is in the normal position, and wherein the actuating sleeve is in the normal position when the complementary mating threads are coupled to a second portion of the mating threads when the actuating sleeve is in the actuated position. 
     
     
         13 . The casing check valve of  claim 1 , wherein the flapper assembly comprises a hinge that moves a flapper between an open position and a closed position. 
     
     
         14 . The casing check valve of  claim 13 , wherein the bottom portion of the housing body comprises a recessed area, wherein the paddle is positioned within the recessed area when the paddle is in the open position. 
     
     
         15 . The casing check valve of  claim 13 , wherein the paddle is moved to the open position by the distal extension of the actuating sleeve when the actuating sleeve is in the actuated position. 
     
     
         16 . A casing check valve system for providing isolation within a wellbore, the casing check valve system comprising:
 a casing string disposed in a wellbore, wherein the casing string comprises a plurality of casing pipe;   an operational string comprising an operating tool, wherein the operating tool comprises at least one complementary coupling feature;   a casing check valve coupled to a first casing pipe, wherein the casing check valve comprises:
 a housing comprising:
 a housing body forming a housing cavity that traverses therethrough, wherein the housing body comprises a top portion, a middle portion, and a bottom portion; 
 at least one actuating sleeve coupling feature disposed on an inner surface of the middle portion of the housing body; 
 a flapper assembly disposed along the inner surface of the bottom portion of the housing body; 
 a flapper seat disposed on the inner surface of the bottom portion of the housing body adjacent to the flapper assembly; and 
 a first casing pipe coupling feature disposed on the top portion of the housing body, wherein the first casing pipe coupling feature couples to a first casing pipe of the plurality of casing pipe; and 
 
 an actuating sleeve disposed within the housing cavity between an actuated position and a normal position, wherein the actuating sleeve is concentric with and adjacent to the housing, wherein the actuating sleeve comprises:
 an actuating sleeve body forming an actuating sleeve cavity, inside of which the operational string is disposed; 
 at least one housing coupling feature disposed on an outer surface of the actuating sleeve, wherein the at least one housing coupling feature is removably coupled to the at least one actuating sleeve coupling feature of the housing as the actuating sleeve moves between the actuated position and the normal position; 
 at least one operating tool coupling feature that receives the at least one complementary coupling feature of the operating tool disposed within the sleeve cavity; and 
 a distal extension that extends from a distal end of the actuating sleeve body, wherein the distal extension opens the flapper assembly when the actuating sleeve is in the actuated position, and wherein the distal extension allows the flapper to close when the actuating sleeve is in the normal position. 
 
   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the housing of the casing check valve further comprises:
 a second casing pipe coupling feature disposed on the bottom portion of the housing body, wherein the second casing pipe coupling feature couples to a second casing pipe of the plurality of casing pipe.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the at least one complementary coupling feature is mechanically retractable. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 a control unit; and   a control line coupled to the control unit and the at least one complementary coupling feature,   wherein the control unit controls hydraulic fluid through the control line to determine a state of the at least one complementary coupling feature.   
     
     
         20 . A method for isolating a section of a wellbore, the method comprising:
 receiving a coupling feature of an operating tool;   repositioning, based on movement of the operating tool in a direction, an actuating sleeve within a housing body from a first position to a second position, wherein repositioning the actuating sleeve from the first position to the second position changes a flapper assembly from a first state to a second state; and   releasing, based on continued movement of the operating tool in the direction, the coupling feature of the operating tool.