Disintegrable and conformable metallic seal, and method of making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9605508-B2
Application number	US-201213466311-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2012
Priority date	May 8, 2012
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

A seal includes a metal composite that has a cellular nanomatrix that includes a metallic nanomatrix material, a metal matrix disposed in the cellular nanomatrix, and a disintegration agent; an inner sealing surface; and an outer sealing surface disposed radially from the inner sealing surface. The seal can be prepared by combining a metal matrix powder, a disintegration agent, and metal nanomatrix material to form a composition; compacting the composition to form a compacted composition; sintering the compacted composition; and pressing the sintered composition to form the seal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A seal comprising:
a metal composite including:
a cellular nanomatrix comprising a metallic nanomatrix material;
a metal matrix disposed in the cellular nanomatrix; and
a disintegration agent;

a first sealing surface; and
a second sealing surface opposingly disposed from the first sealing surface, wherein the seal further comprises a gland in the second sealing surface.

2. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the first sealing surface is disposed on the interior of the seal, and the second sealing surface is radially disposed from the first sealing surface on the exterior of the seal.

3. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the disintegration agent is further disposed in the cellular nanomatrix external to the metal matrix.

4. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the metal matrix comprises aluminum, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

5. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the disintegration agent comprises cobalt, copper, iron, nickel, tungsten, zinc, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

6. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the metallic nanomatrix material comprises aluminum, cobalt, copper, iron, magnesium, nickel, silicon, tungsten, zinc, an oxide thereof, a nitride thereof, a carbide thereof, an intermetallic compound thereof, a cermet thereof, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

7. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the amount of the metal matrix is about 50 wt % to about 95 wt %, based on the weight of the seal.

8. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the amount of the disintegration agent is about 0.25 wt % to about 15 wt %, based on the weight of the seal.

9. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the amount of the metal nanomatrix material is about 10 wt % to about 50 wt %, based on the weight of the seal.

10. The seal of claim 1 , further comprising an additive particle which includes a metal, carbon, metal oxide, metal nitride, metal carbide, intermetallic compound, cermet, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

11. The seal of claim 10 , wherein the amount additive particle is about 0.5 wt % to about 25 wt %, based on the weight of the seal.

12. The seal of claim 1 , further comprising an elastomer disposed in the gland.

13. The seal of claim 12 , wherein the elastomer includes butadiene rubber, butyl rubber, chlorosulfonated polyethylene, epichlorohydrin rubber, ethylene propylene diene monomer, ethylene propylene rubber, fluoroelastomer, nitrile rubber, perfluoroelastomer, polyacrylate rubber, polychloroprene, polyisoprene, polysulfide rubber, sanifluor, silicone rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

14. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the seal is a temporary seal is a temporary seal.

15. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the seal has a percent elongation of about 10% to about 75%, based on the original size of the seal.

16. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the seal has a yield strength of about 15 ksi to about 50 ksi.

17. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the seal has a compressive strength of about 30 ksi to about 80 ksi.

18. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the seal has a temperature rating of up to 1000° F.

19. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the seal is disintegrable in response to contact with a fluid.

20. The seal of claim 19 , wherein the fluid comprises brine, mineral acid, organic acid, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

21. An article comprising the seal of claim 1 , wherein the article is a frac plug, bridge plug, a gasket, or a flapper valve.

22. The article of claim 21 , wherein the seal is configured to form a metal-to-metal seal in response to application of a compressive force.

23. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the amount of the metal matrix is about 50 wt % to about 95 wt %, the amount of the disintegration agent is about 0.25 wt % to about 15 wt %, and the amount of the metal nanomatrix material is about 10 wt % to about 50 wt %, each based on the weight of the seal.

24. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the metal matrix comprising magnesium, manganese, zinc, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

25. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the metal matrix comprising magnesium metal or a magnesium alloy.

26. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the metal matrix comprises a particle core material that is discontinuously and discretely distributed as particles within the metal composite.

27. The seal of claim 26 , wherein the particle core material includes a nanostructures material.

28. The seal of claim 1 , wherein the cellular nanomatrix is substantially continuous.

29. The seal of claim 28 , wherein the metal composite comprises deformed powder particles formed by compacting powder particles comprising a particle core and at least one coating layer, the coating layers joined by solid-state bonding to form the substantially continuous cellular nanomatrix and leave the particle cores as the dispersed particles.

30. A method for temporarily sealing an element, the method comprising:
applying pressure to deform a seal of claim 1 ;
conforming the seal to a space to form a temporary seal; and
contacting the temporary seal with a fluid to disintegrate the temporary seal.

31. The method of claim 30 , wherein the temporary seal is a metal-to-metal seal.

32. The method of claim 30 , wherein the first sealing surface is an inner sealing surface, and the second sealing surface is an outer sealing surface disposed radially from the inner sealing surface.

Assignees

• Xu Zhiyue
• Xu Yingqing
• Hern Gregory Lee
• Richard Bennett M
• Baker Hughes Inc

Inventors

• Xu Zhiyue
• Xu Yingqing
• Hern Gregory Lee
• Richard Bennett M

Classifications

• F16J15/28

  with sealing rings made of metal · CPC title

• E21B33/134

  Bridging plugs · CPC title

• E21B33/1212

  including a metal-to-metal seal element · CPC title

• E21B33/1208 Primary

  characterised by the construction of the sealing or packing means (E21B33/1277 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E21B33/1204 Primary

  permanent; drillable · CPC title