Threaded tubular component and resulting connection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9562400-B2
Application number	US-201113824812-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2011
Priority date	Oct 15, 2010
Publication date	Feb 7, 2017
Grant date	Feb 7, 2017

Abstract

The invention concerns a threaded tubular component for drilling or working hydrocarbon wells, said tubular component having at one of its ends ( 1; 2 ) a threaded zone ( 3; 4 ) produced on its outer or inner peripheral surface depending on whether the threaded end is male or female in type, characterized in that at least a portion of the end ( 1; 2 ) is coated with a lubricating dry film ( 12 ) the matrix ( 13 ) of which comprises at least one migrating sliding agent ( 9 ) belonging to the oils or waxes family and principally distributed at the surface of the lubricating dry film ( 12 ) such that the coefficient of friction of the film ( 12 ) is less than 0.07 at loads of less than 40 N while the coefficient of friction of the film ( 12 ) is more than 0.1 at loads of more than 200 N.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tubular element for drilling and/or working hydrocarbon wells, comprising:
an end portion having at least one threaded zone, wherein the end portion is at least partially coated with a dry film which comprises a matrix and at least one migrating sliding agent in the matrix principally distributed in the vicinity of a free surface of the lubricating dry film, the migrating sliding agent being concentrated to 65% by weight in an upper 15 microns of a thickness of the dry film,
wherein said at least one sliding agent is selected from the group consisting of:
polydimethylsiloxane type silicone oil with a surface tension of less than 24 mN/m and a kinematic viscosity in the range 100 to 1850 mm 2 /s at 20° C., and
perfluoropolyether with a kinematic viscosity in the range 150 to 1850 mm 2 /s at 20° C. or functionalized alkylamide or phosphate with a molecular mass in the range 1850 to 3100 g/mol, such that the dry film has a coefficient of friction of less than 0.07 at loads of less than 40 N and more than 0.1 at loads of more than 200 N.

2. An element according to claim 1 , in which said matrix is of the thermoset or thermoplastic type and is selected such that the dry film has a torque on shoulder resistance value at least equal to that obtained with an API RP 5A3 grease.

3. An element according to claim 2 , in which said matrix is of the fluoro-urethane type and is obtained by curing fluoroethylenevinylether in aqueous dispersion.

4. An element according to claim 2 , wherein said matrix is of the thermoplastic type and is obtained from copolymers of polyester-acrylates or styrene-acrylic copolymers in aqueous dispersion.

5. An element according to claim 2 , wherein said matrix is of the thermoplastic hot melt projected type and is selected such that the dry film has a torque on shoulder resistance value at least equal to that obtained with an API RF 5A3 grease.

6. An element according to claim 2 , wherein said matrix is of the copolyamide type.

7. An element according to claim 1 , wherein the lubricating dry film comprises in the range 5% to 10% by weight of polydimethylsiloxane oil as the sliding agent.

8. An element according to claim 3 , wherein the dry film comprises approximately 2% by weight of polydimethylsiloxane oil as the sliding agent.

9. An element according to claim 1 , wherein the lubricating dry film comprises particles of lubricants from a class 1, class 2, class 3, or class 4,
wherein class 1 which is defined as solid bodies owing their lubricating properties to their crystalline structure, class 2 is defined as solid bodies owing their lubricating properties to their crystalline structure and also to a reactive chemical elements in their composition, class 3 is defined as solid bodies owing their lubricating properties to their chemical reactivity, and class 4 is defined as solid bodies owing their lubricating properties to a plastic or viscoplastic behavior under frictional stress.

10. An element according to claim 1 , wherein the dry film further comprises an anti-corrosion agent.

11. An element according to claim 1 , wherein the coated part of the end portion has previously undergone a surface preparation of the type selected from the group formed by sandblasting, conversion treatments, electrolytic deposition and non-reactive treatments.

12. An element according to claim 1 , wherein said end portion comprises at least one sealing surface intended for metal/metal contact, and said sealing surface is coated with lubricating dry film.

13. An element according to claim 1 wherein the whole of said threaded zone is coated with dry film.

14. An element according to claim 1 wherein said threaded zone is free of a coating of lubricating dry film.

15. A tubular connection for drilling and/or working hydrocarbon wells, comprising:
at least one tubular element having an end portion,
wherein said end portion is at least partially coated with a dry film which comprises a matrix and at least one migrating sliding agent in the matrix principally distributed in the vicinity of a free surface of the lubricating dry film, the migrating sliding agent being concentrated to 65% by weight in an upper 15 microns of a thickness of the dry film,
wherein said at least one sliding agent is selected from the group consisting of:
polydimethylsiloxane type silicone oil with a surface tension of less than 24 mN/m and a kinematic viscosity in the range 100 to 1850 mm 2 /s at 20° C., and
perfluoropolyether with a kinematic viscosity in the range 150 to 1850 mm 2 /s at 20° C. or functionalized alkylamide or phosphate with a molecular mass in the range 1850 to 3100 g/mol,
such that the dry film has a coefficient of friction of less than 0.07 at loads of less than 40 N and more than 0.1 at loads of more than 200 N.

16. An element according to claim 10 , wherein the anti-corrosion agent is an ion exchange silica.

17. An element according to claim 9 , wherein the lubricating dry film comprises particles of carbon fluorides and/or synthetic graphites.

Assignees

• Gard Eric
• Pinel Eliette
• Petit Mikael
• Gouider Mohamed
• Vallourec Oil & Gas France
• Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp

Inventors

• Gard Eric
• Pinel Eliette
• Petit Mikael
• Gouider Mohamed

Classifications

• C10N2030/06

  Oiliness; Film-strength; Anti-wear; Resistance to extreme pressure · CPC title

• C10M2217/044

  Polyamides · CPC title

• C10M2215/08

  Amides [having hydrocarbon substituents containing less than thirty carbon atoms] · CPC title

• C10M2209/1023

  used as base material · CPC title

• C10M2229/025

  used as base material · CPC title