Method of making and using a functionally gradient composite tool

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9366106-B2
Application number	US-201414158055-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 17, 2014
Priority date	Apr 28, 2011
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

A method of making a composite downhole article is disclosed. The method include forming at least one removable core member comprising a first metallic material that is removable in a wellbore fluid at a first removal rate; and disposing at least one outer member on the core member, the outer member comprising a second material that is removable in the wellbore fluid at a second removal rate, wherein the removable core member has a composition gradient or a density gradient, or a combination thereof, and wherein the first removal rate is substantially greater than the second removal rate. A method of using a composite downhole article is also disclosed. The method includes forming a composite downhole article as described above; using the article to perform a first wellbore operation; exposing the article to the wellbore fluid; and selectively removing the second removable member.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of making a composite downhole article, comprising:
forming at least one removable core member comprising a first metallic material that is removable in a wellbore fluid at a first removal rate; and
disposing at least one outer member on the core member, the outer member comprising a second material that is removable in the wellbore fluid at a second removal rate, wherein the removable core member has a composition gradient or a density gradient, or a combination thereof, and wherein the first removal rate is substantially greater than the second removal rate, and wherein disposing the outer member on the core member further comprises forming an access point on the outer member, the access point configured to provide access of a wellbore fluid to the core member in response to a change in a wellbore condition, and wherein the access point comprises a localized thinning of the outer member.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composite downhole article comprises a downhole tool or component.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composite downhole article comprises a ball, ball seat, plug, plug seat, disk, dart, sleeve, or tubular section.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composite downhole article comprises a plurality of nested balls, ball seats, plugs, plug seats, disks, darts, sleeves, or tubular sections.

5. A method of making a composite downhole article, comprising:
forming at least one removable core member comprising a first metallic material that is removable in a wellbore fluid at a first removal rate; and
disposing at least one outer member on the core member, the outer member comprising a second material that is removable in the wellbore fluid at a second removal rate, wherein the removable core member has a composition gradient or a density gradient, or a combination thereof, and wherein the first removal rate is substantially greater than the second removal rate, and wherein disposing the outer member on the core member further comprises forming an access point on the outer member, the access point configured to provide access of a wellbore fluid to the core member in response to a change in a wellbore condition, and wherein the access point comprises an access point material that is different than the second material.

6. A method of making a composite downhole article, comprising:
forming at least one removable core member comprising a first metallic material that is removable in a wellbore fluid at a first removal rate; and
disposing at least one outer member on the core member, the outer member comprising a second material that is removable in the wellbore fluid at a second removal rate, wherein the removable core member has a composition gradient or a density gradient, or a combination thereof, and wherein the first removal rate is substantially greater than the second removal rate, and wherein disposing the outer member on the core member further comprises forming an access point on the outer member, the access point configured to provide access of a wellbore fluid to the core member in response to a change in a wellbore condition, and wherein the access point comprises a check valve.

7. A method of making a composite downhole article, comprising:
forming at least one removable core member comprising a first metallic material that is removable in a wellbore fluid at a first removal rate; and
disposing at least one outer member on the core member, the outer member comprising a second material that is removable in the wellbore fluid at a second removal rate, wherein the removable core member has a composition gradient or a density gradient, or a combination thereof, and wherein the first removal rate is substantially greater than the second removal rate, and wherein the composite downhole article comprises a portion of a tubular section and is selectively removable or reconfigurable to define a feature in the tubular section, and wherein the feature comprises a through-hole, opening, blind hole, blind opening, conduit, passage, groove, protruding rib, or shoulder.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein at least one of forming the removable core member and disposing the outer member comprises forming an unsintered powder compact.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein forming the unsintered powder compact comprises compacting a powder comprising a plurality of metallic powder particles, each powder particle comprising: a particle core, the particle core comprises a core material comprising Mg, Al, Zn, Fe, or Mn, or a combination thereof, and a metallic coating layer disposed on the particle core, wherein compacting causes the metallic coating layers of adjacent particles to form mechanical bonds to one another sufficient to form the powder compact.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein at least one of forming the removable core member and disposing the outer member comprises forming a sintered powder compact.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein forming the sintered powder compact comprises forming a substantially-continuous, cellular nanomatrix comprising a nanomatrix material, a plurality of dispersed particles comprising a particle core material that comprises Mg, Al, Zn, Fe, or Mn, or a combination thereof, dispersed in the cellular nanomatrix, and a bond layer extending throughout the cellular nanomatrix between the dispersed particles.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein forming the removable core member comprises establishing the composition gradient or the density gradient, or a combination thereof, of the first material from an outer portion proximate the outer member toward an inner portion away from the outer member.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein establishing the composition gradient or the density gradient, or a combination thereof, of the first material from an outer portion proximate the outer member toward an inner portion away from the outer member comprises varying the composition gradient or the density gradient, or a combination thereof, continuously from the inner portion to the outer portion.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein establishing the composition gradient or the density gradient, or a combination thereof, of the first material from an outer portion proximate the outer member toward an inner portion away from the outer member comprises varying the composition gradient or the density gradient, or a combination thereof, in discrete steps from the inner portion to the outer portion.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising establishing a composition gradient or a density gradient, or a combination thereof, of the second material in the removable core member from the outer portion proximate the outer member toward the inner portion.

16. The method of claim 7 , wherein disposing the outer member on the core member comprises disposing a powder compact of the second material on the core member.

17. The method of claim 7 , wherein disposing the outer member on the core member comprising depositing a layer of the second material on the core member.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein depositing the layer of the second material comprises dipping, plating, sputtering, cladding, thermal spraying, or laser fusion, or a combination thereof.

19. The method of claim 7 , wherein the composite downhole article comprises a sleeve, and wherein the sleeve is configured to close an orifice in a tubular section.

20. The method of claim 7 , wherein the composite downhole article comprises a selectively removable downhole article that is selectively rem

Assignees

• Xu Zhiyue
• Johnson Michael
• Baker Hughes Inc

Inventors

• Xu Zhiyue
• Johnson Michael

Classifications

• B22F2207/00

  Aspects of the compositions, gradients · CPC title

• B22F7/06

  of composite workpieces or articles from parts, e.g. to form tipped tools {(B22F7/002 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B05D7/14

  to metal, e.g. car bodies (involving a chemical reaction between the metal and the coating C23) · CPC title

• E21B33/12 Primary

  Packers; Plugs (used for cementing E21B33/134, E21B33/16) · CPC title

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title