Protective coating for a substrate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9790375-B2
Application number	US-201314047695-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 7, 2013
Priority date	Oct 7, 2013
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

A coating having a gradient composite structure, applied to a substrate, which may be a disposable tool. The gradient composite comprises a bonding component and an erosion and/or corrosion resistant component. When applied to a disposable tool, such as a ball and seat assembly in a downhole environment, the coating enhances the performance of disintegrable materials used in such tools. The coating may be configured to expire at the end of a selected duration, allowing the underlying material to disintegrate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A coating for a transitory substrate having a transitory property defined by a selected rate of disintegration, comprising:
a composite structure having a bonding component and one of an erosion resistant component and a corrosion resistant component, the composite structure having a proximal layer and a distal layer, the proximal layer being attached to the transitory substrate having the transitory property defined by the selected rate of disintegration, the proximal layer having a greater concentration of the bonding component when compared with the distal layer.

2. The coating of claim 1 , the composite structure comprising a plurality of layers disposed between the proximal layer and the distal layer, each of the plurality of layers exhibiting a decrease in a ratio of the bonding component to the erosion or corrosion resistant component, when viewed from the proximal layer.

3. The coating of claim 1 , the transitory substrate being formed of a disintegrable material.

4. The coating of claim 3 , the transitory substrate being formed from a material comprising controlled electrolytic metallic materials.

5. The coating of claim 1 , the bonding component including one or more of cobalt, cobalt alloys, chromium, chromium alloys, copper, copper alloys, iron, iron alloys, nickel, and nickel alloys.

6. The coating of claim 1 , the erosion or corrosion resistant component comprising one or more of a carbide, a nitride, an oxide, a ceramic, and an intermetallic.

7. The coating of claim 1 , the composite structure having a thickness that is between about 0.0005 to about 0.10 inches.

8. The coating of claim 1 , configured to fail after a selected duration.

9. The coating of claim 1 , a ratio of the bonding component to the erosion and/or corrosion resistant component at the proximal layer being between about 90/10 and about 50/50.

10. A disposable tool, comprising:
a transitory substrate having a transitory property defined by a selected rate of disintegration; and
a coating disposed on an outer surface of the transitory substrate, the coating comprising a gradient composite structure, having a bonding component with a greater concentration at a proximal layer, and
a composite structure having a bonding component and one of an erosion resistant component and a corrosion resistant component, the composite structure having a proximal layer and a distal layer, the proximal layer being attached to the transitory substrate having the transitory property defined by the selected rate of disintegration, the composite structure having a ratio of the bonding component to the erosion or corrosion resistant component at the proximal layer that is greater than a ratio of the bonding component to the erosion or corrosion-resistant component at the distal layer.

11. The tool of claim 10 , the transitory substrate being formed from a material comprising controlled electrolytic metallic materials.

12. The tool of claim 10 , the coating being disposed onto the outer surface of the transitory substrate by physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, thermal spray, cold spray, or laser deposition.

13. The tool of claim 10 , the bonding component having a coefficient of thermal expansion that substantially matches a coefficient of thermal expansion of the transitory substrate.

14. The tool of claim 10 , the transitory substrate comprising a plug, plug seat, disk, dart, sleeve or tubular section.

15. The tool of claim 10 , the transitory substrate and coating configured to form at least a part of an apparatus for restricting flow through a well conduit.

16. An apparatus for restricting flow through a well conduit, comprising:
a housing having a longitudinal bore and a seat disposed within the bore; and
a plug member configured to be disposed into the bore and landed on the seat to restrict fluid flow through the bore, wherein at least one of the seat and the plug member being formed of a transitory material having a transitory property defined by a selected rate of disintegration and having a protective coating applied thereon, wherein the protective coating comprises a gradient composite structure having a bonding component and an erosion or corrosion resistant component, the gradient composite structure comprises a proximal layer being attached to the at least one of the seat and the plug member, the proximal layer having a greater concentration of the bonding component when compared with a distal layer of the gradient composite structure.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , the bonding component including one or more of cobalt, cobalt alloys, chromium, chromium alloys, copper, copper alloys, nickel, and nickel alloys.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , the erosion or corrosion resistant component comprising one or more of a carbide, a nitride, an oxide, a ceramic, and an intermetallic.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 , the transitory material comprising controlled electrolytic metallic materials.

20. The apparatus of claim 16 , the protective coating and the transitory material configured to disintegrate each within a selected timeframe.

21. A seat assembly located in a well bore, comprising a seat element having a substrate formed at least partially from a transitory material having a transitory property defined by a selected rate of disintegration and disposed in a well bore, the seat element being configured to receive a plug element, the seat element and the plug element restricting flow through the well bore when the plug is received by the seat element, wherein the disintegrable material includes an outer layer comprising a gradient composite material formed at least partially from a bonding material provided in a greater concentration at an inner surface attached to the substrate than at an outer surface of the outer layer.

22. The seat assembly of claim 21 , wherein the transitory material comprises controlled electrolytic metallic.

23. The seat assembly of claim 21 , wherein the outer layer is deposed on the substrate.

24. The seat assembly of claim 23 , the outer layer formed at least partially from one of an erosion resistant material and a corrosion resistant material.

Assignees

• Xu Zhiyue
• Kumar Deepak
• Baker Hughes Inc

Inventors

• Xu Zhiyue
• Kumar Deepak

Classifications

• C08K3/014

  Stabilisers against oxidation, heat, light or ozone · CPC title

• E21B34/14

  operated by movement of tools, e.g. sleeve valves operated by pistons or wire line tools {(E21B34/066 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• C09D5/084 Primary

  Inorganic compounds · CPC title

• Y10T428/31678

  Of metal · CPC title

• C09D5/08 Primary

  Anti-corrosive paints · CPC title