Improving Reliability in a High-Temperature Environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016258272-A1
Application number	US-201315031324-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 27, 2013
Priority date	Dec 27, 2013
Publication date	Sep 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A housing contains an internal volume. A heat-sensitive device is contained by the housing and consumes a device percentage of the internal volume. The device percentage equals the percentage of the internal volume of the housing consumed by the heat-sensitive device. A phase-change material is positioned within the housing to conduct heat from the heat-sensitive device. The phase-change material consumes a percentage of the internal volume equal to 100 percent minus the device percentage minus an expansion percentage. The phase-change material expands in volume by an amount more than 75 percent of the expansion percentage upon occurrence of a phase-change event.

First claim

1 . An apparatus comprising:
a housing containing an internal volume; a heat-sensitive device contained by the housing and consuming a device percentage of the internal volume, wherein the device percentage equals the percentage of the internal volume of the housing consumed by the heat-sensitive device; and a phase-change material positioned within the housing to conduct heat from the heat-sensitive device, wherein the phase-change material consumes a percentage of the internal volume equal to 100 percent minus the device percentage minus an expansion percentage, wherein the phase-change material expands in volume by an amount more than 75 percent of the expansion percentage upon occurrence of a phase-change event.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the phase-change material comprises a paraffin wax.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the phase-change event is the heat-sensitive device reaching a phase-change temperature, T c .

4 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a vacuum flask containing the housing.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
an expansion housing that contains the housing; and
a valve in a wall of the housing that allows the phase-change material to flow from the housing into the expansion housing.

6 . The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the valve is a check valve that prevents flow from the expansion housing into the housing

7 . A method comprising:
enclosing a heat-sensitive device in a housing, wherein:
the housing has an internal volume,
the heat-sensitive device consumes a device percentage of the internal volume, and
the device percentage equals the percentage of the internal volume of the housing consumed by the heat-sensitive device;
positioning a phase-change material within the housing to conduct heat from the heat-sensitive device, wherein:
the phase-change material consumes a percentage of the internal volume equal to 100 percent minus the device percentage minus an expansion percentage, and
the phase-change material expands in volume by an amount more than 75 percent of the expansion percentage upon occurrence of a phase-change event.

8 . The method of claim 7 further comprising:
exposing the housing to a circumstance in which the phase-change event occurs, causing the phase-change material to change phases and become exhausted;
removing the exhausted phase-change material; and
enclosing a fresh phase-change material in the housing.

9 . The method of claim 8 wherein the circumstance comprises exposing the housing to heat such that the phase-change material reaches a phase-change temperature, T c .

10 . The method of claim 7 further comprising:
enclosing the housing in an expansion housing; and
inserting a valve in a wall of the housing that allows phase-change material to flow from the housing into the expansion housing.

11 . The method of claim 10 wherein inserting a valve comprises inserting a check valve that prevents flow from the expansion housing into the housing.

12 . The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising:
enclosing the housing in a vacuum flask.

13 . The method of claim 7 further comprising:
creating a mold for the phase-change material to match a three-dimensional contour of the heat-sensitive device; and
molding the phase-change material using the mold.

14 . The method of claim 13 wherein creating the mold comprises using a three dimensional printer to create the mold.

15 . The method of claim 7 further comprising:
disposing the housing downhole.

16 . A method comprising:
constructing a drill string, wherein the drill string comprises a tool section, wherein the tool section comprises:
a housing containing an internal volume,
a heat-sensitive device contained by the housing and consuming a device percentage of the internal volume, wherein the device percentage equals the percentage of the internal volume of the housing consumed by the heat-sensitive device, and
a phase-change material positioned within the housing to conduct heat from the heat-sensitive device, wherein the phase-change material consumes a percentage of the internal volume equal to 100 percent minus the device percentage minus an expansion percentage, wherein the phase-change material expands in volume by an amount more than 75 percent of the expansion percentage upon occurrence of a phase-change event.

17 . The method of claim 16 further comprising:
exposing the tool section to a circumstance in which the phase-change event occurs while using the drill string to drill a well thereby causing the phase-change material to change phases and become exhausted;
removing the exhausted phase-change material; and
enclosing a fresh phase-change material in the housing.

18 . The method of claim 16 wherein the circumstance comprises exposing the tool section to heat such that the phase-change material reaches a phase-change temperature, T.

19 . The method of claim 16 further comprising:
creating a mold for the phase-change material to match a three-dimensional contour of the heat-sensitive device; and
molding the phase-change material using the mold.

20 . (canceled)

21 . The method of claim 16 wherein the phase-change material expands in volume upon occurrence of the phase-change event so that the volume of the heat-sensitive device plus the volume of the phase-change material is greater than 100 percent.

Assignees

• Dillon William George
• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Bonavides Clovis S
• Dillon William George

Classifications

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29L2031/757

  Moulds, cores, dies · CPC title

• B33Y50/02

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• H05K5/0209

  Thermal insulation, e.g. for fire protection or for fire containment or for high temperature environments · CPC title

• E21B47/0175

  Cooling arrangements · CPC title