US 20050161212 A1
A system and method is provided for improving the life and/or function of downhole tools that operate in adverse subterranean environments. Polymeric components, such as seals, are formed with nano-scale filler material. The nano-scale filler material is dispersed in the polymeric material to substantially improve desired material properties.
1. A system for use in a wellbore, comprising:
a downhole tool having a seal member, the seal member comprising a polymer material having a nano-scale filler dispersed therein.
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16. A system for use in a wellbore, comprising:
a downhole tool having a polymer component, the polymer component comprising a nano-scale filler dispersed therein to modify material properties of the polymer component.
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22. A method of improving a downhole component, comprising:
distributing a nano-scale filler through a polymeric downhole component; and
delivering the polymeric downhole component to a desired location within a wellbore.
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25. A method, comprising:
using a seal, having a nano-scale filler, in a downhole component; and
operating the downhole component in a wellbore.
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40. A system for use in a wellbore, comprising:
means for forming a seal in a seal region of the downhole component; and
means for utilizing a nano-scale filler material at the seal region.
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The following is based on and claims priority to Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/538,975, filed Jan. 23, 2004.
In a variety of subterranean environments, such as wellbore environments, downhole tools are used in many applications. For example, downhole tools may be used to construct completions having, for example, packers, safety valves, flow controllers, gas lift valves, sliding sleeves and other tools. The downhole tools often have parts that are sealed with respect to each other via polymeric seal components.
A wellbore or other subterranean region, however, can create a harsh environment for many materials, including conventional polymeric materials. Extreme heat, high differential pressures, chemical attack and other factors can lead to deterioration and failure of such materials.
In general, the present invention provides a system and methodology for improving the life and/or function of downhole tools. The system and methodology utilize nano-scale filler modified polymers in certain downhole components to substantially improve material properties that enhance the functionality of the downhole components in many subterranean environments.
Certain embodiments of the invention will hereafter be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements, and:
In the following description, numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the present invention. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these details and that numerous variations or modifications from the described embodiments may be possible.
The present invention generally relates to a system and method for enhancing the life and/or function of downhole tools. The system and method are useful with, for example, a variety of downhole completions and other production equipment. However, the devices and methods of the present invention are not limited to use in the specific applications that are described herein.
Referring generally to
In this embodiment, downhole tools 30 are deployed within the wellbore 22 by a deployment system 32. Deployment system 32 may be any of a variety of types of deployment systems, such as production tubing, coiled tubing, cable or other suitable deployment devices. Each of these deployment systems is able to move the downhole tools 30 to a desired location in wellbore 22. Depending on the specific application, the types of downhole tools 30 selected may vary substantially. Often, the downhole tools are assembled in a cooperative arrangement and referred to as a completion.
By way of example, the completion illustrated in
In the various completions described above, at least some of the downhole tools utilize polymeric components, e.g. sealing element 36. As described more fully below, the polymeric components utilize nano-scale filler modified polymers to improve material properties and thereby provide substantial benefit with respect to the life and/or functionality of downhole tools 30. With nano-filler modified polymers, as used herein, the filler constituents are primarily nano-scale, generally on the order of a few nanometers. Nano-filler modified polymers can provide significant performance improvements over the base polymers and over reinforced polymers that use conventional fillers in which the reinforcement constituents are much larger, e.g., on the order of microns. For example, polymers with nano-scale fillers show improvements in material strength, modulus and other properties. Due to the resulting high aspect ratio, many material properties of nano-filler modified polymers are substantially improved over those of conventional polymers or polymeric composites at a much lower volume fraction of filler relative to the non-filler material.
Referring generally to
Another embodiment of nano-filler polymeric material 50 is illustrated in
Polymer material 52 can be made from a variety of types of plain or modified elastomeric or thermoplastic materials. Examples of the elastomers include nitrile rubber (NBR), hydrogenated nitrile rubber (HNBR), carboxyl nitrile rubber (XNBR), silicone rubber, ethylene-propylene-diene copolymer (EPDM), fluoroelastomers (FKM, FEPM) and perfluoroelastomer (FFKM). Examples of thermoplastics include Teflon®, polyetheretherketone (PEEK), PP, PE, PS and PPS.
These modified polymer nanocomposites can be used for many downhole applications, such as seal applications. For example, nano-filler modified polymers can be used as a packer sealing element 36, O-rings, backup rings and other types of seals. The nano-fillers 56, 58 can be selected to improve the material properties of the polymeric components, including improvements in tensile strength, compressive strength, tear/shear strength, modulus, compression set, chemical resistance, heat resistance and heat/electrical conductivity properties.
Nano-filler modified polymers can be prepared via a variety of processes. Examples of such processes include solution processes, mesophase mediated processes, in situ polymerization and physical mixing or compounding. Also, a variety of curing methods can be used, including thermal curing, microwave radiation curing and electronic beam radiation curing. The nano-fillers also can be modified prior to manufacture of the polymer nanocomposites to achieve optimum dispersion of nano-fillers. Additionally, functionalized nano-fillers may serve as cross-linking agents in polymer blends. Such techniques can even be used to cross-link thermoplastic materials.
Referring generally to
Sealing element 36 provides an example of a tool component formed at least partially of nano-filler modified polymers. Sealing element 36 also might be formed in a variety of configurations, such as the illustrated embodiment having a pair of end rings 66 and a center element 68. The end rings 66 and center element 68 are formed of nano-filler modified polymers and may comprise a mixture of materials. For example, end rings 66 and center element 68 may be formed of nano-filler modified elastomers in one embodiment. However, in another embodiment, center element 68 is formed of a nano-filler modified elastomer while end rings 66 are formed of nano-filler thermoplastic materials.
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Additional examples of nano-filler modified polymeric seals are illustrated in
A similar embodiment is illustrated in
The nano-filler modified polymeric components discussed above are examples of some components that can be used in downhole applications. However, additional types of seals and other components also can be formed from such materials to improve material properties and provide downhole tools better able to withstand the harsh subterranean environments in which they function. Other component examples include a soft seat 106 used with a downhole tool 30, as illustrated in
Another example is a tool 112 having a bonded seal 114 formed of a nano-filler modified polymeric material bonded to a metal or composite carrier 116 at a bond region 118. Such bonded seals are used in a variety of tools 112, including service pistons, reciprocating clutches, power pistons and other components. Furthermore, other non-seal downhole tool components also can be formed from nano-scale filler modified polymers.
Although only a few embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible without materially departing from the teachings of this invention. Accordingly, such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims.