Sealed gap sub

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11280437-B2
Application number	US-201716473210-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2017
Priority date	Dec 23, 2016
Publication date	Mar 22, 2022
Grant date	Mar 22, 2022

Abstract

One or more seals may be provided in a gap sub to prevent the ingress of drilling fluid into an insulating gap between a male member of the gap sub and a female member of the gap sub. A first seal may comprise an internal gap sub seal provided near the tip of the male member of the gap sub. A second seal may comprise an external gap sub seal provided near the tip of the female member of the gap sub. The first and second seals may comprise non-conductive materials. The first and second seals may each comprise one or more O-rings. The first and second seals may comprise one or more lips, protrusions or flanges to engage the male and/or female members of the gap sub for maintaining contact with the male and/or female members during deformation of the gap sub.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gap sub comprising:
a male member;
a female member, the female member comprising an opening, wherein the opening matingly receives at least a portion of the male member in a radially spaced apart relationship to provide an electrically-insulating gap separating the male and female members;
the male and female members having bores in fluid communication with one another to define a bore of the gap sub;
one or more electrically insulating bodies disposed between the male member and the female member, the bodies spaced apart around the male member to maintain the male member and the female member in the radially spaced apart relationship;
a first electrically-insulating seal disposed between a tip of the male member and the female member, the first seal located within the opening of the female member, wherein the first seal comprises a generally tubular body comprising:
a first section having a first internal diameter approximately equal to the external diameter of the tip of the male member; and
a second section, defining an internal bore of the first seal, having an internal diameter approximately equal to an internal diameter of the bore of the male member and an internal diameter of the bore of the female member; and

wherein:
the first section of the first seal engages the tip of the male member; and
the internal bore of the male member abuts and is aligned with the internal bore of the first seal and the internal bore of the female member abuts and is aligned with the internal bore of the first seal, the first seal preventing fluid from entering the insulating gap between the male member and the female member from the bore of the gap sub;

wherein the tip of the male member engages a first internal shoulder formed into the internal bore of the first seal.

2. A gap sub according to claim 1 comprising one or more first O-rings between the first seal and at least one of: the male member and the female member.

3. A gap sub according to claim 2 wherein each of the one or more first O-rings are received in one or more grooves on the male member or the female member.

4. A gap sub according to claim 1 comprising a first external O-ring compressed in a first external channel defined at least in part by a groove on the female member and an external surface of the first seal and a first internal O-ring compressed in a first internal channel defined at least in part by a groove on the male member and an internal surface of the first seal.

5. A gap sub according to claim 4 wherein the first external O-ring and the first internal O-ring each lie in a plane orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the gap sub.

6. A gap sub according to claim 1 wherein the first seal comprises a third section having an internal diameter approximately equal to an internal diameter of a cavity within the opening of the female member and the cavity receives the third section of the first seal.

7. A gap sub according to claim 6 wherein a fit between the cavity of the female member and the third section of the first seal is an interference fit.

8. A gap sub according to claim 1 wherein a fit between the first section of the first seal and the tip of the male member is an interference fit.

9. A gap sub according to claim 1 comprising a second electrically-insulating seal between the female member and the male member, wherein:
the second seal is located within the opening of the female member at a tip of the female member;
the second seal is located externally to the male member adjacent the at least a portion of the male member matingly received in the opening of the female member; and
the second seal comprises a generally tubular body comprising a non-conductive material.

10. A gap sub according to claim 9 comprising one or more O-rings between the second seal and at least one of: the male member and the female member.

11. A gap sub according to claim 10 wherein each of the one or more O-rings are received in a groove on the second seal.

12. A gap sub according to claim 9 wherein the second seal comprises an axial flange protruding from an outer edge of the generally tubular body of the second seal and the axial flange is compressed in a space between the male member and the female member.

13. A gap sub according to claim 9 wherein a radial fit between the second seal and the male and female members is an interference fit.

14. A gap sub according to claim 9 wherein an axial fit between the second seal and the male and female members is an interference fit.

15. A gap sub according to claim 9 comprising a curable material substantially filling the insulating gap between the male member and the female member around the bodies between the first seal and the second seal.

16. A gap sub according to claim 15 wherein the first seal comprises a material having a higher melting temperature than a melting temperature of the curable material and the second seal comprises a material having a higher melting temperature than the melting temperature of the curable material.

17. A gap sub according to claim 15 wherein the first and second seals are effective to keep the curable material within the gap during injection of the curable material into the gap.

18. A gap sub according to claim 9 comprising a third electrically-insulating seal between the female member and the male member, wherein the third seal is concentric to and axially spaced apart from the second seal.

19. A gap sub according to claim 1 wherein one or more electrically insulating bodies are received in a circumferential channel defined by the male member and the female member near the internal gap sub seal to thereby secure the tip of the male member within the female member and maintain contact between the first seal and the male and female members.

20. A gap sub according to claim 1 wherein a curable material is injected to substantially fill the insulating gap between the male member and the female member around the bodies.

21. A gap sub according to claim 20 wherein the first seal comprises a material having a higher melting temperature than a melting temperature of the curable material.

22. A gap sub according to claim 1 wherein the first seal is removable while the opening matingly receives at least a portion of the male member.

23. A gap sub according to claim 1 wherein the first seal comprises one or more retainers within the internal bore of the first seal to hold the first seal between the tip of the male member and the female member.

24. A gap sub comprising:
a male member;
a female member, the female member comprising an opening, wherein the opening matingly receives at least a portion of the male member in a radially spaced apart relationship to provide an electrically-insulating gap separating the male and female members;
the male and female members having bores in fluid communication with one another to define a bore of the gap sub;
one or more electrically insulating bodies disposed between the male member and the female member, the bodies spaced apart around the male member to maintain the male member and the female member in the radially spaced apart relationship;
a first electrically-insulating seal disposed between a tip of the male member and the female member, the first seal located within the opening of the female member, wherein the first seal comprises a generally tubular body comprising:
a first section having a first internal diameter

Assignees

• Evolution Engineering Inc

Inventors

• Stack Luke A
• Logan Aaron W
• Logan Justin C
• Derkacz Patrick R
• Lee Gavin Gaw-Wae
• Hepguvendik Hasan Alper
• Kazemi Miraki Mojtaba
• Ahmoye Daniel W
• West Kurtis K L
• Francoeur Angelica J B

Classifications

• E21B17/0285

  characterised by electrically insulating elements · CPC title

• E21B17/04

  between rod {or the like} and bit or between rod and rod {or the like} · CPC title

• F16L25/02 Primary

  specially adapted for electrically insulating the two pipe ends of the joint from each other · CPC title

• F16L13/10

  Adhesive or cemented joints · CPC title

• F16L25/021

  for screw-threaded joints · CPC title