Fresh water degradable downhole tools comprising magnesium and aluminum alloys

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016201435-A1
Application number	US-201514896700-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 13, 2015
Priority date	Aug 28, 2014
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Downhole tools, methods, and systems of use thereof, the downhole tools comprising at least one component made of a doped alloy that at least partially degrades by micro-galvanic corrosion in the presence of fresh water having a salinity of less than about 1000 ppm, and wherein the doped alloy is selected from the group consisting of a doped magnesium alloy, a doped aluminum alloy, and any combination thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A downhole tool comprising:
at least one component of the downhole tool made of a doped alloy that at least partially degrades by micro-galvanic corrosion in the presence of fresh water, the fresh water having a salinity of less than about 1000 ppm,
wherein the doped alloy is selected from the group consisting of a doped magnesium alloy, a doped aluminum alloy, and any combination thereof.

2 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the salinity of the fresh water is in the range of about 10 ppm to about 1000 ppm.

3 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the salinity of the fresh water is due to ions selected from the group consisting of chloride, sodium, nitrate, calcium, potassium, magnesium, bicarbonate, sulfate, and any combination thereof.

4 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the doped alloy comprises a dopant in the range of about 0.05% to about 15%.

5 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the doped alloy comprises a dopant in the range of about 1% to about 10%.

6 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the doped alloy comprises a dopant selected from the group consisting of iron, copper, nickel, tin, chromium, cobalt, calcium, lithium, silver, gold, palladium, gallium, mercury, and any combination thereof.

7 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the doped magnesium alloy comprises a nickel dopant in the range of about 2% to about 6%, a copper dopant in the range of about 6% to about 12%, and/or an iron dopant in the range of about 2% to about 6%.

8 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the doped aluminum alloy comprises a copper dopant in the range of about 8% to about 15%, a gallium dopant in the range of about 0.2% to about 4%, a nickel dopant in the range of about 1% to about 7%, and/or an iron dopant in the range of about 2% to about 7%.

9 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the doped magnesium alloy is selected from the group consisting of a doped WE magnesium alloy, a doped AZ magnesium alloy, a doped ZK magnesium alloy, a doped AM magnesium alloy, and any combination thereof.

10 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the doped aluminum alloy is selected from the group consisting of a doped silumin aluminum alloy, a doped Al—Mg aluminum alloy, a doped Al—Mg—Mn aluminum alloy, a doped Al—Cu aluminum alloy, a doped Al—Cu—Mg aluminum alloy, a doped Al—Cu—Mn—Si aluminum alloy, a doped Al—Cu—Mn—Mg aluminum alloy, a doped Al—Cu—Mg—Si—Mn aluminum alloy, a doped Al—Zn aluminum alloy, a doped Al—Cu—Zn aluminum alloy, and any combination thereof.

11 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the doped alloy exhibits a degradation rate of greater than about 0.01 milligram per cubic centimeter per hour at about 93° C.

12 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the downhole tool is selected from the group consisting of a wellbore isolation device, a perforation tool, a cementing tool, a completion tool, and any combination thereof.

13 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the downhole tool is a wellbore isolation device selected from the group consisting of a frac plug, a frac ball, a setting ball, a bridge plug, a wellbore packer, a wiper plug, a cement plug, a basepipe plug, a sand screen plug, an inflow control device (ICD) plug, an autonomous ICD plug, a tubing section, a tubing string, and any combination thereof.

14 . The downhole tool of claim 1 , wherein the at least one component is selected from the group consisting of a mandrel of a packer or plug, a spacer ring, a slip, a wedge, a retainer ring, an extrusion limiter or backup shoe, a mule shoe, a ball, a flapper, a ball seat, a sleeve, a perforation gun housing, a cement dart, a wiper dart, a sealing element, a wedge, a slip block, a logging tool, a housing, a release mechanism, a pumpdown tool, an inflow control device plug, an autonomous inflow control device plug, a coupling, a connector, a support, an enclosure, a cage, a slip body, a tapered shoe, and any combination thereof.

15 . A method comprising:
introducing a downhole tool into a subterranean formation, the downhole tool comprising at least one component made of a doped alloy selected from the group consisting of doped a magnesium alloy, a doped aluminum alloy, and any combination thereof; performing a downhole operation; and degrading by micro-galvanic corrosion at least a portion of the doped alloy in the subterranean formation by contacting the doped alloy with fresh water having a salinity of less than about 1000 ppm.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the salinity of the fresh water is in the range of about 10 ppm to about 1000 ppm.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the doped alloy comprises a dopant in the range of about 0.05% to about 15%.

18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the doped alloy comprises a dopant selected from the group consisting of iron, copper, nickel, tin, chromium, cobalt, calcium, lithium, silver, gold, palladium, gallium, mercury, and any combination thereof.

19 . A system comprising:
a tool string connected to a derrick and extending through a surface into a wellbore in a subterranean formation; and a downhole tool connected to the tool string and placed in the wellbore, the downhole tool comprising at least one component made of a doped alloy that at least partially degrades by micro-galvanic corrosion in the presence of fresh water, the fresh water having a salinity of less than about 1000 ppm,
wherein the doped alloy is selected from the group consisting of a doped magnesium alloy, a doped aluminum alloy, and any combination thereof.

20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the salinity of the fresh water is in the range of about 10 ppm to about 1000 ppm.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc
• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Fripp Michael Linley
• Walton Zachary William

Classifications

• E21B41/00 Primary

  Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00 · CPC title

• C22C23/00

  Alloys based on magnesium · CPC title

• C22C21/18

  with zinc · CPC title

• C22C21/16

  with magnesium · CPC title

• C22C21/14

  with silicon · CPC title