Deployment of expandable graphite

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10196875-B2
Application number	US-201414501889-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2014
Priority date	Sep 30, 2014
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

A method of deploying an apparatus in a wellbore comprises positioning a device at a predetermined location; wherein the device comprises a composition that contains an expandable graphite, and a metallic binder, and wherein the composition has a first shape; and exposing the composition to a microwave energy to cause the composition to attain a second shape different from the first shape. Alternatively, the composition further comprises an activation material comprising a thermite, a mixture of Al and Ni, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing and a method of deploying an apparatus comprising such a composition includes exposing the composition to a selected form of energy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of deploying an apparatus, the method comprising:
positioning a device at a predetermined location; wherein the device comprises a composition that contains an expandable graphite, a binder, and a fiber net disposed exterior to and at least partially enclosing the composition, the composition having a first shape; and
exposing the composition to a microwave energy to cause the composition to attain a second shape different from the first shape.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising disposing a microwave source in the vicinity of the device, wherein the microwave source is effective to generate a microwave energy to heat and expand the composition.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the binder comprises a nonmetal, metal, an alloy of the metal, or a combination thereof;
wherein the nonmetal is selected from the group consisting of SiO 2 , Si, B, B 2 O 3 , and a combination thereof; and
the metal is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, copper, titanium, nickel, tungsten, chromium, iron, manganese, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, molybdenum, tin, bismuth, antimony, lead, cadmium, selenium, and a combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device is selected from the group consisting of seals, high pressure beaded frac screen plugs, screen basepipe plugs, coatings for balls and seats, gaskets, compression packing elements, expandable packing elements, 0 -rings, bonded seals, bullet seals, sub-surface safety valve seals, sub-surface safety valve flapper seals, dynamic seals, V-rings, back up rings, drill bit seals, liner port plugs, atmospheric discs, atmospheric chamber discs, debris barriers, drill in stim liner plugs, inflow control device plugs, flappers, seats, ball seats, direct connect disks, drill-in linear disks, gas lift valve plug, fluid loss control flappers, electric submersible pump seals, shear out plugs, flapper valves, gaslift valves, and sleeves.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device is a seal, a packer, a fluid control device, a tubing having the composition disposed on a surface of the tubing.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises isolating or completing a wellbore by deploying the apparatus in the wellbore.

7. The method of claim 1 , the method comprising:
positioning a tubing at a downhole location; wherein the tubing comprises a composition disposed on a surface of the tubing, the composition comprising an expandable graphite and a binder and having a first shape; and
exposing the composition to a microwave energy to cause the composition to expand to isolate or complete the wellbore.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprises disposing a microwave source in the tubing.

9. A device comprising:
a composition that contains an expandable graphite and a binder; and
a fiber net disposed exterior to and at least partially enclosing the composition;
wherein the binder comprises a nonmetal, metal, an alloy of the metal, or a combination thereof; wherein the nonmetal is selected from the group consisting of SiO 2 , Si, B, B 2 O 3 , and a combination thereof; and the metal is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, copper, titanium, nickel, tungsten, chromium, iron, manganese, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, molybdenum, tin, bismuth, antimony, lead, cadmium, selenium, and a combination thereof.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the binder has a size of about 0.05 to about 10 microns.

11. A device comprising a composition containing:
an expandable graphite;
a binder; and
an activation material comprising a thermite, a mixture of Al and Ni, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing,
wherein the device further comprises a fiber net disposed exterior to and at least partially enclosing the composition.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein the thermite comprises a reducing agent comprising aluminum, magnesium, calcium, titanium, zinc, silicon, boron, and a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing reducing agent, and an oxidizing agent selected from boron oxide, silicon oxide, chromium oxide, manganese oxide, iron oxide, copper oxide, lead oxide, and a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing oxidizing agent.

13. The device of claim 11 , wherein the binder comprises a nonmetal, metal, an alloy of the metal, or a combination thereof; and wherein the nonmetal is selected from the group consisting of SiO 2 , Si, B, B 2 O 3 , and a combination thereof; and the metal is at least one of aluminum, copper, titanium, nickel, tungsten, chromium, iron, manganese, zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, niobium, molybdenum, tin, bismuth, antimony, lead, cadmium, and selenium.

14. The device of claim 11 , wherein the device is selected from the group consisting of seals, high pressure beaded frac screen plugs, screen basepipe plugs, coatings for balls and seats, gaskets, compression packing elements, expandable packing elements, O-rings, bonded seals, bullet seals, sub-surface safety valve seals, sub-surface safety valve flapper seal, dynamic seals, V-rings, back up rings, drill bit seals, liner port plugs, atmospheric discs, atmospheric chamber discs, debris barriers, drill in stim liner plugs, inflow control device plugs, flappers, seats, ball seats, direct connect disks, drill-in linear disks, gas lift valve plug, fluid loss control flappers, electric submersible pump seals, shear out plugs, flapper valves, gaslift valves, and sleeves.

15. A method of preparing a device comprising:
compounding an expandable graphite; a binder; and an activation material comprising a thermite, a mixture of Al and Ni, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing, to form a mixture;
compression molding the mixture at a temperature less than 100° F. to form a compression molded product; and
disposing a fiber net on a surface of the compression molded product.

16. A method of deploying an apparatus, the method comprising:
positioning a device at a predetermined location; wherein the device comprises a composition that contains an expandable graphite, a binder, and an activation material comprising a thermite, a mixture of Al and Ni, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing, and wherein the composition has a first shape; and
exposing the composition to a selected form of energy to cause the composition to attain a second shape different from the first shape,
wherein the device further comprises a fiber net disposed exterior to and at least partially enclosing the composition.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the selected form of energy is at least one of electric current, an electromagnetic radiation, and heat.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the method further comprises isolating or completing a wellbore by deploying the apparatus in the wellbore.

Assignees

• Zhao Lei
• Newman Caleb R
• Wood Edward T
• Xu Zhiyue
• Baker Hughes A Ge Co Llc

Inventors

• Zhao Lei
• Newman Caleb R
• Wood Edward T
• Xu Zhiyue

Classifications

• E21B33/10

  in the borehole {(sealing the junction between main bore and laterals E21B41/0042)} · CPC title

• E21B36/00

  Heating, cooling or insulating arrangements for boreholes or wells, e.g. for use in permafrost zones · CPC title

• C06D3/00

  Generation of smoke or mist (chemical part) (compositions used as biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators A01N25/18) · CPC title

• E21B33/1208 Primary

  characterised by the construction of the sealing or packing means (E21B33/1277 takes precedence) · CPC title