Precipitation hardened matrix drill bit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016265284-A1
Application number	US-201414764487-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 18, 2014
Priority date	Sep 18, 2014
Publication date	Sep 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Forming a precipitation hardened composite material having reinforcing particles and precipitated intermetallic particles dispersed in the binder material may involve heat treating the hard composite material at a temperature above a solvus line for the binder material and below a melting point of the binder material and quenching the hard composite material to a temperature below the solvus line of the binder material. At least some of the precipitated intermetallic particles in the precipitation hardened composite material may have at least one dimension less than 1 micron. Such precipitated intermetallic particles may optionally be grown to larger sizes by heat treating the precipitation hardened composite material at a temperature below the solvus line of the binder material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
heat treating a hard composite material at a temperature above a solvus line for the binder material and below a melting point of the binder material, the hard composite material having reinforcing particles dispersed in a binder material; and quenching the hard composite material to a temperature below the solvus line of the binder material to form a precipitation hardened composite material having reinforcing particles and precipitated intermetallic particles dispersed in the binder material, wherein at least some of the precipitated intermetallic particles have at least one dimension less than 1 micron.

2 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:
heating the precipitation hardened composite material to a temperature below the solvus line; and
growing the precipitated intermetallic particles at the temperature below the solvus line.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein heating the precipitation hardened composite material to the temperature below the solvus line comprises heating the precipitation hardened composite material to 10° F. to 50° F. below the solvus line.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein heating the precipitation hardened composite material to the temperature below the solvus line involves heating the precipitation hardened composite material to 500° F. to 1000° F.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein heat treating the hard composite material at the temperature above the solvus line for the binder material and below the melting point of the binder material involves heat treating the hard composite material at 900° F. to 1500° F.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein quenching the hard composite material to the temperature below the solvus line of the binder material involves quenching the hard composite material for less than 30 minutes.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein less than 10% of the precipitated intermetallic particles by number are located at gain boundaries within the binder material.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least some of the precipitated intermetallic particles have at least one dimension of 1 nm to 500 nm.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least some of the precipitated intermetallic particles have at least one dimension of 5 nm to 50 nm.

10 . A drill bit comprising:
a matrix bit body having reinforcing particles and precipitated intermetallic particles dispersed in a binder material, at least some of the reinforcing particles having a diameter of 1 micron or greater, and at least some of the precipitated intermetallic particles having at least one dimension less than 1 micron; and a plurality of cutting elements coupled to an exterior portion of the matrix bit body.

11 . The drill bit of claim 10 , wherein less than 10% of the precipitated intermetallic particles by number are located at gain boundaries within the binder material.

12 . The drill bit of claim 10 , wherein the at least some of the precipitated intermetallic particles have at least one dimension of 1 nm to 100 nm.

13 . The drill bit of claim 10 , wherein the at least some of the precipitated intermetallic particles have at least one dimension of 5 nm to 50 nm.

14 . The drill bit of claim 10 , wherein the precipitated intermetallic particles include a transition metal.

15 . The drill bit of claim 10 , wherein the precipitated intermetallic particles include at least two of manganese, nickel, copper, aluminum, titanium, iron, chromium, zinc, or vanadium.

16 . The drill bit of claim 10 , wherein the precipitated intermetallic particles include at least one of: CuM or Cu 3 M, wherein M is a transition metal selected from the group consisting of manganese, nickel, aluminum, titanium, iron, chromium, zinc, and vanadium.

17 . A drilling assembly comprising:
a drill string extendable from a drilling platform and into a wellbore; a pump fluidly connected to the drill string and configured to circulate a drilling fluid into the drill string and through the wellbore; and a drill bit attached to an end of the drill string, the drill bit having a matrix bit body and a plurality of cutting elements coupled to an exterior portion of the matrix bit body, wherein the matrix bit body comprises reinforcing particles and precipitated intermetallic particles dispersed in a binder material, at least some of the reinforcing particles having a diameter of 1 micron or greater, and at least some of the precipitated intermetallic particles having at least one dimension less than 1 micron.

18 . The drilling assembly of claim 17 , wherein less than 10% of the precipitated intermetallic particles by number are located at gain boundaries within the binder material.

19 . The drilling assembly of claim 17 , wherein the at least some of the precipitated intermetallic particles have at least one dimension of 1 nm to 100 nm.

20 . The drilling assembly of claim 17 , wherein the at least some of the precipitated intermetallic particles have at least one dimension of 5 nm to 50 nm.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Voglewede Daniel Brendan
• Olsen Garrett T

Classifications

• C22C30/02

  containing copper · CPC title

• B22F2003/248

  Thermal after-treatment · CPC title

• C22F1/08

  of copper or alloys based thereon · CPC title

• C22C26/00

  Alloys containing diamond {or cubic or wurtzitic boron nitride, fullerenes or carbon nanotubes} · CPC title

• E21B10/55

  with preformed cutting elements · CPC title