Blowout-preventers (BOP) elastomer seals with improved self-healing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12448558-B2
Application number	US-202318335473-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2023
Priority date	Jun 15, 2022
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

A self-healing elastomeric compound for use in blowout preventer packers includes one or more elastomers, carbon black, silica, and a self-healing agent evenly distributed throughout the compound.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A self-healing elastomeric compound for comprising:
one or more elastomers;
carbon black;
silica;
a self-healing agent; and
a curing agent comprising sulfur and a peroxide,
wherein the self-healing agent comprises polyethyleneimine,
wherein the self-healing agent has a concentration between 0.05 and 30 parts per hundred resin (phr) of the one or more elastomers,
wherein the silica has a concentration between 5 and 50 phr of the one or more elastomers,
wherein the sulfur has a concentration between 0.1 and 5 phr of the one or more elastomers,
wherein the peroxide has a concentration between 0.1 and 10 phr of the one or more elastomers, and
wherein the self-healing elastomeric compound is used for a packer in a blowout preventer (BOP) mounted on a wellhead casing.

2. The compound of claim 1 , wherein the one or more elastomers is selected from the group consisting of nitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR), hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR), carboxylated nitrile butadiene rubber (XNBR), fluoroelastomers (FKM), perfluoroelastomers (FFKM), and natural rubber (NR).

3. The compound of claim 1 , wherein the carbon black has a concentration between 5 and 40 parts per hundred resin (phr) of the one or more elastomers.

4. The compound of claim 1 , wherein the silica is a precipitated silica, fumed silica, or a combination thereof.

5. The compound of claim 1 wherein the self-healing agent is evenly distributed throughout the self-healing elastomeric compound.

6. The self-healing elastomeric compound of claim 1 , further comprising a fatty acid having a concentration of between 0.1 and 5 phr of the one or more elastomers.

7. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the curing agent further comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of an accelerator and a coagent,
wherein the accelerator comprises at least one of 2-2′-Dithiobis (benzothiazole), tetramethylthiuram disulfide, and tetraethylthiuram disulfide,
wherein the coagent comprises at least one of N,N′-m-phenylenedimaleimide, C12H15N3O3, triallyl cyanurate, N,N′-m-phenylene dimaleimide, and trimethylol propane triacrylate.

8. A system, comprising:
at least one elastomeric packer, wherein each of the at least one elastomeric packer is made of a self-healing elastomer compound, comprising:
an elastomer;
a self-healing agent evenly distributed throughout the self-healing elastomer compound;
carbon black;
silica; and
a curing agent comprising sulfur and a peroxide,
wherein the self-healing agent comprises polyethyleneimine,
wherein the self-healing agent has a concentration between 0.05 and 30 parts per hundred resin (phr) of the elastomer,
wherein the silica has a concentration between 5 and 50 phr of the elastomer,
wherein the sulfur has a concentration between 0.1 and 5 phr of the one or more elastomers,
wherein the peroxide has a concentration between 0.1 and 10 phr of the one or more elastomers, and
wherein the at least one elastomeric packer is used in a blowout preventer (BOP) mounted on a wellhead casing.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one elastomeric packer comprises a variable bore ram packer.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one elastomeric packer comprises an annular packer.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one elastomeric packer comprises a fixed bore ream packer.

12. The self-healing elastomeric compound of claim 8 , wherein the elastomer comprises at least one of a fluoroelastomer (FKM), a perfluoroelastomers (FFKM), or combinations therein.

13. A method for increasing a life of a blowout preventer (BOP) comprising:
assembling a BOP packer in the BOP, wherein the BOP is mounted on a wellhead casing, and wherein the BOP packer is made of a self-healing elastomer compound comprising:
an elastomer;
a self-healing agent;
carbon black;
a curing agent comprising sulfur and a peroxide; and
silica,
wherein the self-healing agent comprises polyethyleneimine,
wherein the self-healing agent has a concentration between 0.05 and 30 parts per hundred resin (phr) of the elastomer,
wherein the silica has a concentration between 5 and 50 phr of the elastomer, and
wherein the sulfur has a concentration between 0.1 and 5 phr of the one or more elastomers, and
wherein the peroxide has a concentration between 0.1 and 10 phr of the one or more elastomers, and

activating the self-healing agent in the BOP packer, wherein the self-healing agent is activated by initiating a chemical bond creation within the self-healing elastomer compound at crack-propagating conditions.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the silica is fumed silica dispersed throughout the BOP packer.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising using the self-healing agent to repair micro-cracks in the BOP packer.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the self-healing elastomer compound is formed by:
dispersing and distributing the self-healing agent, the carbon black, and the silica evenly into the elastomer by mixing at a temperature in a range of greater than 100° F. up to 300° F. to produce a stock;
mixing, with the stock, a curing agent to produce a mixture; and
curing the mixture at a temperature of greater than 210° F. and less than 320° F. to produce the BOP packer.

Assignees

• Hydril Usa Distrib Llc

Inventors

• Incavo Joseph
• Farzana Nusrat
• Huang Ming Yu

Classifications

• E21B33/1208

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

• C09K8/422 Primary

  specially adapted for sealing expandable pipes, e.g. of the non-hardening type · CPC title

• E21B33/061 Primary

  Ram-type blow-out preventers, e.g. with pivoting rams · CPC title