Downhole tools having controlled disintegration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10167691-B2
Application number	US-201715472382-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2017
Priority date	Mar 29, 2017
Publication date	Jan 1, 2019
Grant date	Jan 1, 2019

Abstract

A multilayered unit includes a core comprising an energetic material and an activator; a support layer disposed on the core; and a protective layer disposed on the support layer, wherein the support layer and the protective layer each independently comprises a polymeric material, a metallic material, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing, provided that the support layer is compositionally different from the protective layer. The multilayered unit can be embedded in a component, attached to a component, or disposed between two components of a downhole assembly. The downhole assembly containing the multilayered unit has controlled disintegration in a downhole environment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A downhole article comprising:
a matrix; and
a multilayered unit embedded in the matrix, the multilayered unit including:
a core comprising an energetic material and an activator;
a support layer disposed on the core; and
a protective layer disposed on the support layer,
wherein the support layer comprises a first material and the protective layer comprises a second material, the first material and the second material each independently comprises a polymeric material, a metallic material, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing, provided that the first material is different from the second material.

2. The downhole article of claim 1 , wherein the multilayered unit has at least one stress concentration location.

3. The downhole article of claim 1 , the matrix has a pre-crack around the multilayered unit.

4. The downhole article of claim 1 , wherein the activator is a device that is effective to generate spark, electrical current, or a combination thereof to active the energetic material.

5. The downhole article of claim 1 , wherein the energetic material comprises a thermite, a thermate, a solid propellant fuel, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

6. The downhole article of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and the second materials comprises the metallic material, and the metallic material comprises Zn, Mg, Al, Mn, iron, an alloy thereof, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

7. The downhole article of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second materials comprises the polymeric material, and the polymeric material comprises a polyethylene glycol, a polypropylene glycol, a polyglycolic acid, a polycaprolactone, a polydioxanone, a polyhydroxyalkanoate, a polyhydroxybutyrate, a copolymer thereof, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

8. The downhole article of claim 1 , wherein the support layer comprises the metallic material; and the protective layer comprises the polymeric material.

9. The downhole article of claim 1 , wherein the support layer comprises the polymeric material; and the protective layer comprises the metallic material.

10. The downhole article of claim 1 , wherein the core is present in an amount of 5 to 80 vol %, the support layer is present in an amount of 20 to 95 vol %, and the protective layer is present in an amount of 0.1 to 20 vol %, each based on the total volume of the multilayered unit.

11. The downhole article of claim 1 , wherein the matrix is formed from a corrodible metallic material.

12. The downhole article of claim 11 , wherein the downhole article comprises a plurality of the multilayered units embedded in the matrix.

13. A downhole assembly comprising the downhole article of claim 1 .

14. A method of controllably removing a downhole article, the method comprising:
disposing the downhole article of claim 1 in a downhole environment;
performing a downhole operation;
activating the energetic material; and
disintegrating the downhole article.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein disintegrating the downhole article comprises breaking the downhole article into a plurality of discrete pieces; and the method further comprises corroding the discrete pieces in a downhole fluid.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein activating the energetic material comprises triggering the activator by a preset timer, a characteristic acoustic wave generated by a perforation from a following stage, a pressure signal from fracking fluid, an electrochemical signal interacting with a wellbore fluid, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

17. A downhole assembly comprising a first component, a second component, and a multilayered unit disposed between the first and second components, the multilayered unit including:
a core comprising an energetic material and an activator;
a support layer disposed on the core; and
a protective layer disposed on the support layer, wherein the support layer comprises a first material and the protective layer comprises a second material, each of the first and second materials independently comprises a polymeric material, a metallic material, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing, provided that the first material is different from the second material.

18. The downhole article of claim 17 , wherein the activator is a device that is effective to generate spark, electrical current, or a combination thereof to active the energetic material.

19. The downhole assembly of claim 17 , wherein the first component, the second component, or both comprise Zn, Mg, Al, Mn, an alloy thereof, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

20. The downhole assembly of claim 17 , wherein the multilayered unit has at least one stress concentration location.

21. The downhole assembly of claim 17 , wherein at least one of the first and second materials comprises the polymeric material, the polymeric material comprises a polyethylene glycol, a polypropylene glycol, a polyglycolic acid, a polycaprolactone, a polydioxanone, a polyhydroxyalkanoate, a polyhydroxybutyrate, a copolymer thereof, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

22. A method of controllably removing a downhole assembly, the method comprising:
disposing the downhole assembly of claim 17 in a downhole environment;
performing a downhole operation;
activating the energetic material in the multilayered unit; and
disintegrating the downhole assembly.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein disintegrating the downhole assembly comprises breaking the downhole assembly into a plurality of discrete pieces; and the method further comprises corroding the discrete pieces in a downhole fluid.

24. The method of claim 22 , wherein activating the energetic material comprises triggering the activator by a preset timer, a characteristic acoustic wave generated by a perforation from a following stage, a pressure signal from fracking fluid, an electrochemical signal interacting with a wellbore fluid, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

Assignees

• Zhang Zhihui
• Xu Zhiyue
• Shyu Goang Ding
• Perez Juan Carlos Flores
• Baker Hughes A Ge Co Llc

Inventors

• Zhang Zhihui
• Xu Zhiyue
• Shyu Goang-Ding
• Perez Juan Carlos Flores

Classifications

• E21B33/134

  Bridging plugs · CPC title

• E21B34/16

  Control means therefor being outside the borehole {(control systems for submerged well heads E21B33/0355)} · CPC title

• E21B31/002

  Destroying the objects to be fished, e.g. by explosive means · CPC title

• E21B29/00

  Cutting or destroying pipes, packers, plugs or wire lines, located in boreholes or wells, e.g. cutting of damaged pipes, of windows; Deforming of pipes in boreholes or wells; Reconditioning of well casings while in the ground · CPC title

• E21B29/02 Primary

  by explosives or by thermal or chemical means {(freeing stuck objects by explosives E21B31/002)} · CPC title