Non-magnetic drill string member with non-magnetic hardfacing and method of making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9303305-B2
Application number	US-201213360363-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2012
Priority date	Jan 28, 2011
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

A method for applying a non-magnetic, abrasive, wear-resistant hardfacing material to a surface of a drill string member includes providing a non-magnetic drill string member formed of a non-magnetic material, the drill string member having an outer surface. It also includes providing a non-magnetic hardfacing precursor material comprising a plurality of non-magnetic, sintered carbide pellets and a non-magnetic matrix material; heating a portion of the non-magnetic hardfacing precursor material to a temperature above the melting point of the matrix material to melt the matrix material. It further includes applying the molten non-magnetic matrix material and the plurality of non-magnetic, sintered carbide pellets to the exterior surface of the drill string member; and solidifying the molten non-magnetic matrix material to form a layer of a non-magnetic hardfacing material having a plurality of non-magnetic, sintered carbide pellets dispersed in the hardfacing material.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for applying a non-magnetic, abrasive, wear-resistant hardfacing material to a surface of a drill string member, comprising:
providing a non-magnetic drill string member formed of a non-magnetic material, the drill string member having an outer surface;
disposing a non-magnetic intermediate material on the outer surface of the drill string member, the intermediate material having an outer surface away from the drill string member;
providing a non-magnetic hardfacing precursor material comprising a plurality of non-magnetic, sintered carbide pellets and a non-magnetic matrix material;
heating a portion of the non-magnetic hardfacing precursor material to a temperature above the melting point of the matrix material to melt the matrix material;
applying the molten non-magnetic matrix material and the plurality of non-magnetic, sintered carbide pellets to the outer surface of the intermediate material; and
solidifying the molten non-magnetic matrix material to form a layer of a non-magnetic hardfacing material having a plurality of non-magnetic, sintered carbide pellets dispersed in the hardfacing material and a heat affected zone proximate the outer surface of the intermediate material, the heat affected zone and the layer of the non-magnetic hardfacing material spaced from the outer surface of the drill string member.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hardfacing precursor further comprises a plurality of non-magnetic, cast carbide particles.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-magnetic, sintered carbide pellets comprise a non-magnetic binder; and a plurality of particles of a non-magnetic, metal carbide dispersed within the non-magnetic binder.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the outer surface of the non-magnetic drill string member comprises an outer surface of a bottom hole assembly.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the bottom hole assembly comprises a measurement-while-drilling device or a logging-while-drilling device.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the bottom hole assembly comprises a drilling collar, stabilizer sleeve or device housing, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the non-magnetic precursor hardfacing material comprises providing a welding rod comprising the non-magnetic precursor hardfacing material or providing a powder of the non-magnetic precursor hardfacing material.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein heating the non-magnetic hardfacing precursor material is performed by oxyacetylene welding, atomic hydrogen torch welding, plasma transferred arc welding, metal inert gas welding, tungsten inert gas welding, flame spray welding or laser welding, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 3 , wherein the non-magnetic metal carbide particles comprise tungsten carbide and the non-magnetic binder comprises a nickel alloy.

10. A drill string member, comprising:
a drill string member having an outer surface;
a non-magnetic intermediate material on the outer surface of the drill string member, the intermediate material having an outer surface away from the drill string member; and
a non-magnetic, abrasive, wear-resistant hardfacing material disposed on the outer surface of the intermediate material and heat affected proximate the outer surface of the intermediate material, the heat affected zone and the layer of the non-magnetic hardfacing material spaced from the outer surface of the drill string member, the non-magnetic hardfacing material configured for contact with an earth formation, the non-magnetic hardfacing material comprising a plurality of non-magnetic, sintered carbide pellets dispersed in a non-magnetic matrix material, the non-magnetic, abrasive, wear-resistant hardfacing disposed by a method of applying, comprising:
providing the non-magnetic drill string member formed of a non-magnetic material;
providing a non-magnetic hardfacing precursor material comprising the plurality of non-magnetic, sintered carbide pellets and the non-magnetic matrix material;
heating a portion of the non-magnetic hardfacing precursor material to a temperature above the melting point of the matrix material to melt the matrix material;
applying the molten non-magnetic matrix material and the plurality of non-magnetic, sintered carbide pellets to the exterior surface of the drill string member; and

solidifying the molten non-magnetic matrix material to form a layer of the non-magnetic hardfacing material having the plurality of non-magnetic, sintered carbide pellets dispersed in the hardfacing material.

11. The drill string member of claim 10 , further comprising a plurality of non-magnetic, cast carbide particles dispersed within the non-magnetic matrix alloy.

12. The drill string member of claim 10 , wherein each of the non-magnetic, sintered carbide pellets comprise:
a non-magnetic binder; and
a plurality of particles of a non-magnetic, metal carbide dispersed within the non-magnetic binder.

13. The drill string member of claim 12 , wherein the metal carbide comprises chromium carbide, molybdenum carbide, niobium carbide, tantalum carbide, titanium carbide, tungsten carbide, silicon carbide or vanadium carbide, or a combination thereof.

14. The drill string member of claim 12 , wherein the metal carbide comprises WC.

15. The drill string member of claim 12 , wherein the metal carbide comprises about 90 to about 98 percent by weight of the pellet.

16. The drill string member of claim 12 , wherein the particles of metal carbide have an average size of about 10 microns or less.

17. The drill string member of claim 12 , wherein the particles of metal carbide are substantially spherical.

18. The drill string member of claim 12 , wherein the binder comprises a non-magnetic metal.

19. The drill string member of claim 12 , wherein the binder comprises an Ni alloy that includes Cr, Mo, Fe, or V, or a combination thereof.

20. The drill string member of claim 12 , wherein the hardfacing material has a relative magnetic permeability of less than or equal to 1.01.

21. The drill string member of claim 10 , wherein the non-magnetic, sintered carbide pellets comprise substantially spherical pellets.

22. The drill string member of claim 10 , wherein the non-magnetic, sintered carbide pellets comprise crushed pellets.

23. The drill string member of claim 10 , wherein the non-magnetic, sintered carbide pellets comprise substantially spherical pellets and crushed pellets.

24. The drill string member of claim 11 , wherein the non-magnetic cast carbide particles comprise substantially spherical particle shape, smoothed irregular particle shape or crushed irregular particle shape particles, or a combination thereof.

25. The drill string member of claim 10 , wherein the non-magnetic, sintered carbide and the non-magnetic cast carbide comprise about 40 to about 80 percent by weight of the hardfacing material.

26. The drill string member of claim 10 , wherein the non-magnetic matrix comprises a metal alloy comprising at least about 50 percent by weight of nickel and a balance of at least one alloying constituent.

27. The drill string member of claim 26 , wherein the at least one alloying constituent comprises C, Cr, Mo, Fe, Mn, Si, V, W, Cu, Nb, P, Al or B, or a combination thereof.

28. The drill string member of claim 10 , wherein the outer surface of the non-magnetic dr

Assignees

• Overstreet James L
• Eason Jimmy W
• Puzz Travis
• Baker Hughes Inc

Inventors

• Overstreet James L
• Eason Jimmy W
• Puzz Travis

Classifications

• C23C4/06 Primary

  Metallic material · CPC title

• E21B17/1085

  Wear protectors; Blast joints; Hard facing · CPC title

• C23C30/00

  Coating with metallic material characterised only by the composition of the metallic material, i.e. not characterised by the coating process (C23C26/00, C23C28/00 take precedence) · CPC title

• B23K9/048

  on cylindrical surfaces · CPC title

• B23K31/025

  Connecting cutting edges or the like to tools; Attaching reinforcements to workpieces, e.g. wear-resisting zones to tableware · CPC title