US 12,110,771 B2
Gas lift valve remanufacturing process and apparatus produced thereby
Russell L. Ritchie, Adkins, TX (US); Stanley Wayne Sweet, New Braunfels, TX (US); Dustin Wayne Lott, Katy, TX (US); and Gustavo Pertuz, Katy, TX (US)
Assigned to TRC SERVICES, INC., The Woodlands, TX (US)
Filed by TRC Services, Inc., The Woodlands, TX (US)
Filed on Feb. 9, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/107,603.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/309,708, filed on Feb. 14, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0258061 A1, Aug. 17, 2023
Int. Cl. E21B 43/12 (2006.01); B23K 9/235 (2006.01); B23K 101/10 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 43/123 (2013.01) [B23K 9/235 (2013.01); B23K 2101/10 (2018.08); Y10T 137/2934 (2015.04)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of remanufacturing a used gas lift valve having a used bellows assembly, the used bellows assembly having a used bellows brazed to a used dome housing of the used gas lift valve and having a used bellows adapter brazed to the used bellows, the method comprising:
disassembling separable components of the used gas lift valve;
removing the used bellow assembly from the used dome housing by de-brazing the used bellows at a brazed joint from a mating surface of the used dome housing;
affixing a replacement bellows to a given mating surface of a given dome housing in a first affixing process;
affixing the replacement bellows to a given mating surface of a given bellows adapter in a second affixing process; and
reassembling the separable components of the used gas lift valve.