Corrosion resistant fluid end for well service pumps

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9435333-B2
Application number	US-201113332452-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2011
Priority date	Dec 21, 2011
Publication date	Sep 6, 2016
Grant date	Sep 6, 2016

Abstract

Corrosion resistant alloys in fluid ends to prolong the life of a well service pump. Methods of using such corrosion resistant alloys that provide a fluid end that has a corrosion resistant alloy having a fatigue limit greater than or equal to the tensile stress on the fluid end at maximum working pressure in the fluid end for an aqueous-based fluid; installing the fluid end in a well service pump; and pumping the aqueous-based fluid through the fluid end.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
providing a well service pump;
providing a fluid end body that comprises a corrosion resistant alloy (a) having a fatigue limit of at least 75 ksi and (b) comprising chromium as an alloying element at 5% or greater by weight of the corrosion resistant alloy;
installing the fluid end body in the well service pump; and
pumping an aqueous-based fluid through the fluid end body, wherein the fatigue limit is greater than or equal to a tensile stress assumed by the fluid end body when the well service pump operates at maximum working pressure while pumping the aqueous-based fluid, wherein the aqueous-based fluid has a salt concentration of about 4% by weight or greater.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising treating the fluid end body by autofrettage and thereby increasing the fatigue limit.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the aqueous-based fluid further comprises a corrosion inhibitor.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the corrosion inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of: an iodide, a surfactant, a hexamine, a benzotriazole, a phenylenediamine, a dimethylethanolamine, a polyaniline, a nitrite, a nitrate, a cinnamaldehyde compound, an acetylenic compound, a quaternary ammonium compound, a condensation reaction product, and any combination thereof.

5. A method comprising:
providing a well service pump;
providing a fluid end body comprising a corrosion resistant alloy (a) having a fatigue limit of at least 75 ksi and (b) comprising chromium at 5% or greater by weight of the corrosion resistant alloy coupling the fluid end body to the well service pump; and
pumping an aqueous-based fluid through the fluid end body, wherein the aqueous-based fluid includes a corrosion inhibitor and the fatigue limit is greater than or equal to a tensile stress assumed by the fluid end body when the well service pump operates at maximum working pressure while pumping the aqueous-based fluid with corrosion inhibitor, wherein the aqueous-based fluid has a salt concentration of about 4% by weight or greater.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the corrosion inhibitor comprises one inhibitor selected from the group consisting of: an iodide, a surfactant, a hexamine, a benzotriazole, a phenylenediamine, a dimethylethanolamine, a polyaniline, a nitrite, a nitrate, a cinnamaldehyde compound, an acetylenic compound, a quaternary ammonium compound, a condensation reaction production, and any combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the corrosion resistant alloy further comprises a second alloying element selected from the group consisting of iron and nickel.

8. The method of claim 5 , further comprising treating the fluid end body by autofrettage and thereby increasing the fatigue limit.

9. A method comprising:
providing a well service pump that comprises a fluid end body made from a corrosion resistant alloy having a fatigue limit of at least 75 ksi, the corrosion resistant alloy comprising:
iron;
chromium in an amount of from about 5% to about 20%; and
an alloying element selected from the group consisting of:

molybdenum, copper, niobium, and any combination of these;
pumping a fracturing fluid through the fluid end body, wherein the fatigue limit is greater than or equal to a tensile stress assumed by the fluid end body when the well service pump operates at maximum working pressure while pumping the fracturing fluid; and
performing a fracturing treatment using the well service pump wherein the fracturing fluid has a salt concentration of about 4% by weight or greater.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising treating the fluid end body by autofrettage and thereby increasing the fatigue limit.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the fracturing fluid comprises a corrosion inhibitor.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the corrosion inhibitor comprises one inhibitor selected from the group consisting of: an iodide, a surfactant, a hexamine, a benzotriazole, a phenylenediamine, a dimethylethanolamine, a polyaniline, a nitrite, a nitrate, a cinnamaldehyde compound, an acetylenic compound, a quaternary ammonium compound, a condensation reaction production, and any combination thereof.

Assignees

• Mccoy Terry H
• Stribling David M
• Brunet John Dexter
• Stephenson Stanley V
• Freeney Timothy A
• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Mccoy Terry H
• Stribling David M
• Brunet John Dexter
• Stephenson Stanley V
• Freeney Timothy A

Classifications

• Y10T137/0402

  Cleaning, repairing, or assembling · CPC title

• F05C2201/0412

  Titanium · CPC title

• F05C2203/083

  Nitrides · CPC title

• F05C2201/0406

  Chromium · CPC title

• F05C2201/046

  Stainless steel or inox, e.g. 18-8 · CPC title