Dissolvable connector for downhole application

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11578539-B2
Application number	US-201716467652-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2017
Priority date	Jan 9, 2017
Publication date	Feb 14, 2023
Grant date	Feb 14, 2023

Abstract

A dissolvable connector allows a wireline or similar conveyance to be detached from a downhole tool or device based on conditions in a downhole environment instead of an external action, such as application of tension or an electrical pulse. The dissolvable connector can be strategically positioned to allow retrieval of expensive tools and equipment that are located above the connector. A protective sheath may be provided around the dissolvable connector that opens or unsheathes based on conditions in the downhole environment (e.g., pressure, temperature), a telemetry signal (e.g., from the surface or from a tool string), or tension, to provide greater control over the timing of the release of the dissolvable connector. Such a dissolvable connector allows the device to be detached from the conveyance without the need for wire-cutting operations or weak-point breaking operations.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dissolvable connector for use downhole in a wellbore, comprising:
at least one connector portion connectable to a first device disposed in the wellbore, the at least one connector portion composed of a dissolvable material;
wherein the dissolvable material dissolves at least partially when exposed to a threshold environmental condition in the wellbore to release the first device from a second device, wherein the dissolvable material comprises at least two dissolvable components that are independent from one another and dissolvably attachable to the first device and a non-dissolvable component encompassing the at least two dissolvable components, wherein the at least two dissolvable components include differing materials, wherein the at least two dissolvable components comprise a first dissolvable component comprising a first longitudinal axis and a second dissolvable component comprising a second longitudinal axis that is different from the first longitudinal axis, and wherein the first longitudinal axis and the second longitudinal axis are positionable parallel to each other and to a third longitudinal axis of the non-dissolvable component.

2. The dissolvable connector of claim 1 , wherein the at least one connector portion comprises first and second connector portions and at least one of the connector portions is composed of a dissolvable material that dissolves at least partially when exposed to the threshold environmental condition in the wellbore.

3. The dissolvable connector of claim 2 , wherein the first device is one of a frac plug, a cement plug, an electric submersible pump, a perforating gun, a set packer, a gravel pack screen, a bottom hole assembly, or fishing equipment, and the second device is one of a cable, a wire, a wireline, a slickline, an e-line, a drill string, a cable tubing, a production tubing, a casing string, or a fiber cable.

4. The dissolvable connector of claim 1 , wherein the threshold environment condition includes one or more of a threshold exposure to temperature, a threshold exposure to pressure, a threshold length of time in the wellbore, a threshold exposure to drilling chemicals, a threshold exposure to water, a threshold exposure to hydrogen, a threshold exposure to caustic chemicals, or combinations thereof.

5. The dissolvable connector of claim 4 , further comprising a protective sheath disposed around at least a part of the connector.

6. The dissolvable connector of claim 5 , wherein the protective sheath comprises at least one layer composed of one or more of a metal, a metal alloy, a plastic, a composite material, a ceramic, nano-structured material, an electric braid, an optical braid, or a mechanical braid.

7. The dissolvable connector of claim 6 , wherein the protective sheath is configured to be removed from around the connector by one of tension, dissolution or a telemetry signal.

8. The dissolvable connector of claim 7 , wherein dissolution of the sheath occurs based on one or more of a threshold exposure to temperature, a threshold exposure to pressure, a threshold length of time in the wellbore, a threshold exposure to drilling chemicals, a threshold exposure to water, a threshold exposure to hydrogen, a threshold exposure to caustic chemicals, or combinations thereof.

9. A method of detaching a device in a wellbore, comprising:
attaching the device to a connector composed of dissolvable material, wherein the dissolvable material comprises at least two dissolvable components that are independent from one another and dissolvably attached to the device and a non-dissolvable component encompassing the at least two dissolvable components, and wherein at least a portion of the at least two dissolvable components dissolve partially when exposed to a threshold environmental condition in the wellbore, and the at least two dissolvable components of the dissolvable material dissolve at different rates when exposed to the threshold environmental condition in the wellbore; and
conveying the device and the connector into the wellbore using a conveyance;
wherein the connector detaches the device from the conveyance when the threshold environmental condition in the wellbore is reached, wherein the at least two dissolvable components comprise a first dissolvable component comprising a first longitudinal axis and a second dissolvable component comprising a second longitudinal axis that is different from the first longitudinal axis, and wherein the first longitudinal axis and the second longitudinal axis are positioned parallel to each other and to a third longitudinal axis of the non-dissolvable component.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the device is one of a frac plug, a cement plug, an electric submersible pump, a perforating gun, a set packer, a gravel pack screen, a bottom hole assembly, or fishing equipment.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the conveyance is one of a cable, a wire, a wireline, a slickline, an e-line, a drill string, a cable tubing, a production tubing, a casing string, or a fiber cable.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the threshold environment condition includes one or more of a threshold exposure to temperature, a threshold exposure to pressure, a threshold length of time, a threshold exposure to drilling chemicals, a threshold exposure to water, a threshold exposure to hydrogen, a threshold exposure to caustic chemicals, or combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 9 , further comprising conveying a second device attached to a second connector into the wellbore using the conveyance, the second connector composed of a second dissolvable material that dissolves at least partially when exposed to a second threshold environmental condition in the wellbore to detach the second device from the conveyance.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the threshold environmental condition is the same as the second threshold environmental condition.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the threshold environmental condition is different from the second threshold environmental condition.

16. The method of claim 9 , further comprising disposing a protective sheath around a part of the connector, the protective sheath comprising at least one layer composed of one or more of a metal, a metal alloy, a plastic, a ceramic, a composite material, nano-structured material, an electric braid, an optical braid, or a mechanical braid.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising removing the protective sheath from around the connector by one of tension, dissolution, or a telemetry signal.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein dissolution of the sheath occurs based on one or more of a threshold exposure to temperature, a threshold exposure to pressure, a threshold length of time in the wellbore, a threshold exposure to drilling chemicals, a threshold exposure to water, a threshold exposure to hydrogen, a threshold exposure to caustic chemicals, or combinations thereof.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Stark Daniel J

Classifications

• E21B2200/08

  Down-hole devices using materials which decompose under well-bore conditions · CPC title

• E21B17/028

  Electrical or electro-magnetic connections · CPC title

• H01R3/00 Primary

  Electrically-conductive connections not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• E21B47/13

  by electromagnetic energy, e.g. radio frequency · CPC title

• E21B17/02 Primary

  Couplings; joints {(expandable couplings or joints E21B43/106)} · CPC title