Syntactic foam frac ball and methods of using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9920585-B2
Application number	US-201414272240-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 7, 2014
Priority date	May 21, 2013
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

A method of servicing a wellbore comprising providing a flowable component comprising syntactic foam, communicating the flowable component into a wellbore, and allowing the flowable component to be removed from the wellbore.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of servicing a wellbore comprising:
providing a flowable component comprising syntactic foam, wherein the syntactic foam comprises hollow particles dispersed within a matrix material and wherein the matrix material comprises an oil-soluble material, wherein the flowable component is self-orienting and comprises a center of mass that is offset from a geometric center of the flowable component;
communicating the flowable component into a wellbore;
contacting the flowable component with a seat on a downhole tool disposed in the wellbore;
applying a fluid pressure to the seat via the flowable component to mechanically actuate the downhole tool; and
allowing the flowable component to be removed from the wellbore.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the flowable component is communicated into the wellbore with a wellbore fluid, wherein the flowable component comprises a relative density with respect to the wellbore fluid of less than 1.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein allowing the flowable component to be removed from the wellbore comprises allowing the flowable component to rise within the wellbore fluid.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising reverse-circulating the wellbore fluid while the flowable component rises with the wellbore fluid.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the flowable component rises within the wellbore fluid at a first rate and the wellbore fluid is reverse-circulated at a second rate, wherein the first rate is not less than the second rate.

6. The method of claim 3 , further comprising recovering the flowable component from the wellbore.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the oil-soluble material comprises an oil-soluble polymer, an oil-soluble resin, an oil-soluble elastomer, a polyethylene, a carbonic acid, an amine, a wax, or combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprise communicating a signal from the flowable component to a wellbore servicing tool disposed within the wellbore.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the signal comprises a near-field communication (NFC) protocol signal, a radio-frequency identification signal (RFID), a magnetic signal, an acoustic signal, or combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying the fluid pressure comprises applying a pressure differential of from 4,000 psi to 25,000 psi to the flowable component.

11. A method of servicing a wellbore comprising:
providing a flowable component comprising syntactic foam, wherein the syntactic foam comprises hollow particles dispersed within a matrix material, wherein the matrix material comprises a water-soluble material, and wherein the water-soluble material comprises a hydrolytically degradable polymer, wherein the flowable component is self-orienting and comprises a center of mass that is offset from a geometric center of the flowable component;
communicating the flowable component into a wellbore;
contacting the flowable component with a seat on a downhole tool disposed in the wellbore;
applying a fluid pressure to the seat via the flowable component to mechanically actuate the downhole tool; and
allowing the flowable component to be removed from the wellbore.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the flowable component is communicated into the wellbore with a wellbore fluid, wherein the flowable component comprises a relative density with respect to the wellbore fluid of less than 1.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein allowing the flowable component to be removed from the wellbore comprises allowing the flowable component to rise within the wellbore fluid.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising reverse-circulating the wellbore fluid while the flowable component rises with the wellbore fluid.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprise communicating a signal from the flowable component to a wellbore servicing tool disposed within the wellbore.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the water-soluble material comprises an aliphatic polyester.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein applying the fluid pressure comprises applying a pressure differential of from 4,000 psi to 25,000 psi to the flowable component.

18. A method of servicing a wellbore comprising:
providing a self-orienting flowable component comprising syntactic foam, wherein the self-orienting flowable component comprises a center of mass that is offset from a geometric center of the self-orienting flowable component;
communicating the flowable component into a wellbore;
contacting the flowable component with a seat on a downhole tool disposed in the wellbore;
applying a fluid pressure to the seat via the flowable component to mechanically actuate the downhole tool; and
allowing the flowable component to be removed from the wellbore.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Murphree Zachary R
• Fripp Michael L
• Walton Zachary W

Classifications

• E21B2200/06

  Sleeve valves · CPC title

• C09K8/518 Primary

  Foams · CPC title

• E21B33/16 Primary

  using plugs for isolating cement charge; Plugs therefor {(stage cementing E21B33/146; spacer compositions C09K8/424)} · CPC title

• C09K8/516

  characterised by their form or by the form of their components, e.g. encapsulated material · CPC title

• C09K8/94

  Foams · CPC title