DOWNHOLE FLOW DEVICE WITH EROSION RESISTANT AND PRESSURE ASSISTED METAL SEAL

摘要

A downhole flow device has a sliding and ported sleeves. A seal has a first component on the sliding sleeve and a second component on the ported sleeve. These components engage one another to seal flow through the ports in the ported sleeve. The components move apart to allow fluid flow through the ports. The components are protected from abrasion and flow by virtue of the seal's structure and how it is opened. The sliding sleeve moves hydraulically along an axis of the ported sleeve to reveal successive ports defined along the sleeve's axis. Operation of the device and the seal address both erosion and damage from differential pressure problems. Thus, the seal prevents damage when unloading a differential pressure across it, and abrasive flow does not have the opportunity to impinge on the sealing surfaces to cause erosion.