HISTORY OF THE V-SMART

HISTORY OF THE V-SMART

Background of the Invention:

Our valves are used in Recharge Wells, Injection Wells, Vadose Zone Wells, Water Banking Wells, Sea Water Barrier Wells, Pump and Treat Wells and ASR wells or Aquifer Storage Recovery Wells. The (Variable Orifice Selective Monitored Artificial Recharge Throttle) VoSmart (V-Smart) Valve continuously regulates the flow of water during periods of recharging.

During recharging the water in the column or drop pipe is controlled to prevent air from being entrained or trapped in the fluid flow and carried into the aquifer. Entrained air can adversely effect the recharge efforts, through air-fouling, bio-fouling and calcite formation, by blocking the flow of water into the aquifer. There are cases where the air fouling reached 40% in three months when using an orifice plate for down hole flow control. Similar problems have been experienced when using drop pipes or recharging through the pump. In these cases, the degree is not as extensive since some of the air may be stripped from the aquifer by pumping.

The main limitation is the recharge flow. When using a drop pipe's or when recharging through a pump, 50% of the pumping rate is an acceptable recharge rate. With an orifice plate the flow is be determined by the orifice. With the V-Smart valve you can recharge at or above the pumping rate, therefore maximizing the utilization of the aquifer.

Many Water Districts and Communities have realized the need and value of maintaining the water level and storage capacity of the aquifers that provide their drinking water. Further due to the high demand and to the variability of supply and demand, it is logical that an adequate reserve capacity of the water storage facilities be maintained to provide for extended peak demands, droughts and explosive growths in new customers. Reserve storage capacity to provide for these events in capital facilities are prohibitively expensive to construct and more difficult to justify, therefore, capital facilities typically lag behind demand.

In an effort to reduce these capital facility costs, Water Resource Engineers have become interested in the concept of replacing or storing large volumes (banking) of water in aquifers during periods of the year when both water and facility capacity are available to supply water required to recharge aquifers. The concept of replacing the water pumped from the aquifer or seasonal storage is called Aquifer Storage Recovery or ASR. This scenario is an alternative to the expansion of water supply, treatment, distribution and storage facilities and is quite cost effective in areas where it is technically feasible. In general, a well-based system or one that is partially well based is a system that the wells can be used for both recharge and recovery. In recovery the water may require only disinfection. Recharge wells may be through existing wells or through dedicated recharge wells.

In addition to reduction in facilities expansion costs, other advantages favor recharge technology. In coastal areas reduced levels in aquifer water may permit the intrusion of salt water that can result in the destruction of the fresh water supply. In these areas, a mound of recharged fresh water is placed, through balanced flow control, in the aquifer forming a uniform curtain or barrier between the salt water and the fresh water, effectively preventing salt-water intrusion. At times this volume of water can be used to meet seasonal peak demands. Such storage and water resource techniques have proven extremely advantageous and cost effective in areas where declining ground water levels have reduced or left wells nearly nonproductive.

Another application of this type of device is the use in ground water remediation. In areas where existing ground water supplies are threatened or have been contaminated, flow control devices are effective in managing an effective program. Once the water is extracted and treated this type of flow control device is able to balance the flow in a series of recharge wells to provide a uniform curtain of water, placing the water in the aquifer evenly and uniformly.

Well recharging is also effective where substantial reserves are necessary to improve system reliability in the event of a catastrophic loss of a primary water supply or in communities where strategically located reserves are required to insure an adequate balance in system flows during peak demand.

Although there are obvious benefits obtained from recharging existing production water wells or in constructing new water storage recovery wells, in many applications problems have been encountered with air entrained in the recharge water causing air binding of the aquifer. Air binding effectively decreases the permeability of the aquifer thereby decreasing the effectiveness of the recharging operations. Such air entrainment is most frequently encountered in areas or localities where one or more of three conditions exists. These conditions may be encountered when: 1. The recharge water must drop a considerable distance from the wellhead to the static water level, 2. When the recharge flow is relatively low and 3. Where the recharge capacity of the well is relatively high. The foregoing conditions have resulted in the cascading of water in the column or drop pipe, thereby entrapping large quantities of air that is carried into the well and outwardly into the aquifer.

The entrapped air can effectively plug or seal the aquifer, a condition known as air fouling, resulting in substantially lower permeability and storage capacity. The answer to mitigating this problem is to pump the well thereby restoring a portion of the lost capacity. This also occurs during startup of a recharge well.

There have been flow control devices developed by the oil and gas industry, such controllers are not suitable for downhole use in controlling cascading in recharge, injection or aquifer storage recovery wells. One alternative used to mitigate the air entrainment involves the use of multiple small injection tubes to place the water in the aquifer. Such alternative is possible in wells using large diameter well casing and well screens. This system is costly and generally not suitable for retrofitting existing wells.

Summary of the Invention

This V-SMART Valve is directed to a down hole flow control device for continuously regulating the flow of water during recharge, injection or aquifer storage recovery. U.S. Patent # 5,871,200; 6,073,906 & 6,338,466, Canadian Patent 2,293,391 plus 23 International Patents Pending. During recharge, the flow is controlled to prevent cascading water that would otherwise lead to air fouling or the aquifer plugging through air entrainment. The V-SMART Valve includes two concentric cylinders or tubular members, one of that has flow control ports; the other is connected to and selectively moved by the hydraulic actuator section, thereby setting the flow through the ports by varying their size.

The inner tubular member with the control ports is stationary and the outer tubular member is moved vertically by hydraulic pressure in the double acting hydraulic actuator section. The hydraulic actuator is controlled through 2 capillary hoses (1/4"; I.D./1/2" O.D.) from the wellhead by a solenoid or manually operated 3-position 4-way control valve in series with a flow control valve. An electrically driven or manual pump supplies the hydraulic pressure. The solenoid valve may be controlled locally or by a PLC and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system from a remote location.

The V-SMART Valve is connected in one of four ways:

First by being installed below a vertical turbine pump and above a foot valve, a configuration that may be set up for CO-generation during recharge,

Second is to install the valve above the vertical turbine pump,

Third by being installed above a submersible pump and check valve,

Fourth by being installed at the bottom end of the drop pipe with the V-SMART Valve closed at its lower end.

In dual-purpose wells used for both water production and recharge (also known as aquifer storage and recovery, or ASR, wells), the V-SMART Valve is installed at the base of the pump column, just below the pump bowls and above the foot valve/strainer. This application is best suited for CO-generation during recharge, the pump is rotated during recharge and the motor becomes a generator producing electricity. A second application is with the disclosure installed above a submersible pump and check valve. During recharge the pump and motor are stationary. In single purpose recharge or injection wells, the V-SMART Valve, with a closed lower end, is connected to the bottom of the drop pipe and set near the top of the well screen.

The primary objective of the V-SMART Valve is to provide down hole flow control for use with recharge, injection and aquifer storage recovery (ASR) wells. Wherein the flow of the recharge water is facilitated and controlled in order to eliminate a significant amount of air-fouling or well plugging through air binding from air entrainment.

Another objective of the V-SMART Valve to provide down hole flow control for recharge, injection and ASR wells that are designed to be incorporated within existing or new wells in order to reduce air entrainment that is normally associated with recharge operations.

It is also an objective of this V-SMART Valve to provide a simple, durable and cost effective flow control for regulating the flow hydraulically, while monitoring a flow measuring device (meter) which assures a desired well flow that can be adjusted to meet the specific static and operational pressures that are encountered or anticipated in a variety of environments.

It is a further objective of this V-SMART Valve to provide down hole flow control for maximum recharge while preventing air binding or air fouling in recharge, injection and ASR wells. Wherein minor adjustments to flow may be selectively hydraulically regulated from the wellhead.

U.S. Patents #5,503,363, #5,618,022, #5,871,200, #6,073,906 and

#6,338,466, Canada Patent #2,293,391,

Australian #748767

Plus 23 International Patents Pending.