Development of a cutoff valve for thermal-mining oil production

The paper describes a cutoff valve developed by the authors for thermal-mining method of oil production. The location of the cutoff valve components in the initial position and at the maximum opening of the hydrodynamic link between a borehole cavity and a gathering main are schematically shown. The procedure of installing the cutoff valve in the well bore is given. The cutoff valve is used to equip the wells of high-viscosity oil fields developed via thermal treatment. The design of a cutoff valve for a horizontal well at Yaregskoe field was carried out. The given design proved that the device allows for online fine adjustment and tuning of operating practices (opening and closing pressure) without dismantling. The proposed design will make it possible to increase the quality and efficiency of operating wells at Yaregskoe field.