Fragment barrier of expandable metal material for retrievable downhole tools

Abstract

A system for forming a fragment barrier in a wellbore downhole is described. The system may include a mandrel, a recoverable downhole tool, and a fragment ring. The mandrel is positionable within the wellbore. The recoverable downhole tool is positionable around the mandrel to perform a task in the wellbore downhole. The fragment ring may include an expandable material positionable around the mandrel to form a fragment barrier. The fragment barrier is formed in response to exposing the expandable material to wellbore fluid.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to wellbore operations, and more specifically (though not exclusively) to debris barriers in recoverable downhole tools. Background Technology

[0002] Various tools can be deployed downhole in the wellbore and retrieved after completing wellbore-related tasks. Examples of such tools include packers, tubing hangers, etc. Tools can be left downhole for extended periods to complete wellbore-related tasks, during which time sediment or other debris can be disturbed downhole, causing debris to settle or accumulate inside or around the tool. In some instances, tools with accumulated debris deployed downhole may be difficult to retrieve, and in some cases, removing tools containing accumulated debris may result in damage to the wellbore and downhole tools. Attached Figure Description

[0003] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a set of retrievable downhole tools according to an example of the present disclosure, the set of retrievable downhole tools having at least one debris ring disposed in the wellbore.

[0004] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional side view of a recoverable downhole tool including a debris ring, according to an example of this disclosure.

[0005] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of a recoverable downhole tool comprising a fragmentation ring and a polymer ring, according to an example of this disclosure.

[0006] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of an example of a fragment ring encapsulated by a non-inflatable sheath, according to an example of this disclosure.

[0007] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a process for forming a debris barrier on a retrievable downhole tool, according to an example of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0008] Certain aspects and examples of this disclosure relate to the formation of a fragment barrier on a recoverable downhole tool within a wellbore using fragment rings comprising an expandable material. The expandable material may include expandable metallic materials, expandable elastomer materials, or other suitable expandable materials for forming the fragment barrier. The fragment rings form a fragment barrier that prevents sediment or other types of debris from settling in or around the recoverable downhole tool during wellbore-related operations. The recoverable downhole tool may include packers, hangers, or other tools used to perform wellbore-related operations and that can be lowered into and raised out of the wellbore. In an example where the expandable material is an expandable metallic material, the expandable metallic material may include at least one metallic element or at least one metallic alloy that expands to form a fragment barrier when exposed to wellbore fluids such as brine. In another example where the expandable material is an expandable elastomer material, the expandable elastomer material may include at least one nonmetallic element or at least one nonmetallic material that expands to form a fragment barrier when exposed to wellbore fluids.

[0009] Recoverable downhole tools can be deployed or otherwise positioned in the wellbore to perform wellbore-related tasks. During wellbore-related tasks, sediment or other types of debris may accumulate in or around the recoverable downhole tool. In some instances, the accumulation of debris can hinder or increase the difficulty of removing the recoverable downhole tool. In some cases, removing a recoverable downhole tool, including accumulated debris, may result in damage to the recoverable downhole tool, the wellbore, etc.

[0010] Fragment rings can be positioned on a mandrel including a recoverable downhole tool to prevent or otherwise mitigate the buildup or accumulation of fragments. In some instances, the fragment ring may include an expandable metallic material that forms a fragment barrier after the recoverable downhole tool has reached the desired depth in the wellbore. Once the recoverable downhole tool is positioned at the desired depth in the wellbore, the expandable metallic material may undergo an expansion process upon exposure to brine or other wellbore fluids to form the fragment barrier. The expansion of the expandable metallic material may not be triggered by downhole operations or other fluid circulation operations.

[0011] Retrievable downhole tools may include slips, wedges, grooved surfaces, and other suitable components for performing wellbore-related tasks. The fragment ring may be positioned as an adjacent wedge such that a portion of the retrievable downhole tool receives contact support from the fragment ring. The fragment ring may be a tensioned component and must not be removed or otherwise disturbed from its original position during downhole operations or wipe tests.

[0012] The fragment ring may include an expandable metallic material, and in some instances, the fragment ring may include other materials for modifying or improving its properties. For example, the fragment ring may include a combination of an expandable metallic material and a polymeric material. In this example, the expandable metallic material may be a composite with a polymeric material, wherein the expandable metallic material is the continuous phase (where metal foam is combined with a polymer), or wherein the polymeric material is the continuous phase (where expandable metal particles are mixed into a polymer).

[0013] In other instances, the fragment ring may include an expandable metallic material and a sheath comprising a non-expandable material. The non-expandable material may include a metallic element or alloy, a polymeric material, or other suitable non-expandable material. The expandable metallic material may be at least partially encapsulated by the non-expandable sheath, and the non-expandable sheath may delay the interaction of a catalytic fluid or material (such as wellbore fluid) with the expandable metallic material. This delay may result in a delayed expansion reaction that forms a fragment barrier. For example, a delayed expansion reaction may be used when a recoverable downhole tool comprising a fragment ring with a non-expandable sheath is positioned downhole and a circulation operation, run-in operation, or other related operation is performed. During operation, the recoverable downhole tool may be moved or otherwise disturbed, and if the expansion reaction is not delayed in this instance, damage to the wellbore, the recoverable downhole tool, or a combination thereof may occur.

[0014] In some instances, the fragment ring may comprise an expandable elastomer material. The expandable elastomer material may comprise a polymer material or other suitable non-metallic expandable material. The expandable elastomer material may expand in a similar or identical manner to expandable metallic materials in response to exposure to wellbore fluids to form a fragment barrier. In some instances, the expandable elastomer material may expand by absorbing wellbore fluids. Compared to fragment barriers formed by expandable metallic materials, fragment barriers formed by expandable elastomer materials can sustain a similar or identical duration and have similar or identical effects.

[0015] Expandable metallic materials with fragmented rings can expand to form metal hydroxides through hydrolysis in the presence of brine. Metal hydroxides can occupy more space than alkali metal reactants. This volume expansion allows the expandable metallic material to form a barrier at the interface between the expandable metallic material and any adjacent surface. For example, molar magnesium has a molar mass of 24 g / mol and a density of 1.74 g / cm³. 3 Its density gives it a volume of 13.8 cm³ / mol. Magnesium hydroxide has a molar mass of 60 g / mol and a volume of 2.34 g / cm³. 3Its density results in a volume of 25.6 cm³ / mol. This 25.6 cm³ / mol volume is 85% greater than 13.8 cm³ / mol. As another example, molar calcium has a molar mass of 40 g / mol and a volume of 1.54 g / cm³. 3 Its density gives it a volume of 26.0 cm³ / mol. Calcium hydroxide has a molar mass of 76 g / mol and a volume of 2.21 g / cm³. 3 Its density results in a volume of 34.4 cm³ / mol. This 34.4 cm³ / mol volume is 32% greater than 26.0 cm³ / mol. For example, molar aluminum has a molar mass of 27 g / mol and a volume of 2.7 g / cm³. 3 Its density is such that it produces a volume of 10.0 cm³ / mol. Aluminum hydroxide has a molar mass of 63 g / mol and a volume of 2.42 g / cm³. 3 Its density produces a volume of 26 cm³ / mol. 26 cm³ / mol is 160% more volume than 10 cm³ / mol.

[0016] Expandable metallic materials may include any metal or metal alloy that can undergo a hydration reaction to form a metal hydroxide with a volume larger than that of an alkali metal or metal alloy reactant. During the hydration reaction, the metal may become individual particles, and these individual particles may lock together or bind together to form what is considered an expandable metallic material. Examples of suitable metals for expandable metallic materials include, but are not limited to, magnesium, calcium, aluminum, tin, zinc, beryllium, barium, manganese, or any combination thereof. Examples of suitable metal alloys for expandable metallic materials may include, but are not limited to, any alloy of magnesium, calcium, aluminum, tin, zinc, beryllium, barium, manganese, or any combination thereof. Specific examples of metal alloys may include magnesium-zinc, magnesium-aluminum, calcium-magnesium, or aluminum-copper.

[0017] In some instances, metal alloys may include alloying elements that are not metals. Examples of such non-metallic elements include, but are not limited to, graphite, carbon, silicon, boron nitride, etc. In some instances, metals may be alloyed to improve reactivity or control oxide formation. In some instances, metal alloys may be alloyed with dopant metals that promote corrosion or inhibit passivation and thus increase hydroxide formation. Examples of dopant metals include, but are not limited to, nickel, iron, copper, carbon, titanium, gallium, mercury, cobalt, iridium, gold, palladium, or any combination thereof.

[0018] In examples of expandable metallic materials including metal alloys, the metal alloys can be produced by solid solution processes or powder metallurgy processes. Fragment barriers comprising metal alloys can be formed by metal alloy production processes or by subsequent processing of the metal alloy. As used herein, the term "solid solution" refers to an alloy formed from a single melt, wherein the components of the alloy (such as a magnesium alloy) are melted together in a casting. The casting can then be extruded, forged, hot-forged, or machined to form the desired shape of the fragment barrier of the expandable metallic material. It should be understood that some minor variations in the distribution of alloy particles may occur.

[0019] A solid solution can be a solid solution of one or more solutes in a solvent. Such mixtures can be considered solutions rather than compounds when the crystal structure of the solvent remains unchanged by the addition of solutes and when the mixture remains a single homogeneous phase. Powder metallurgy processes typically involve obtaining or producing a fusible alloy matrix in powder form. The powdered fusible alloy matrix is ​​then placed in a mold or mixed with at least one other type of particle and then placed in a mold. Pressure can be applied to the mold to compact the powder particles together to fuse them into a solid material that can be used as an expandable metallic material. In some instances, the expandable metallic material may include oxides. As an example, calcium oxide reacts with water in a high-energy reaction to produce calcium hydroxide. One mole of calcium oxide occupies 9.5 cm³. 3 One mole of calcium hydroxide occupies 34.4 cm³. 3 This represents a 260% volume expansion. Examples of metal oxides comprising oxides of any metal disclosed herein include, but are not limited to, magnesium, calcium, aluminum, iron, nickel, copper, chromium, tin, zinc, lead, beryllium, barium, gallium, indium, bismuth, titanium, manganese, cobalt, or any combination thereof. The selected expandable metal material may be chosen such that the formed fragment barrier does not degrade into the brine. Therefore, the use of metals or metal alloys that form expandable metal materials that are relatively insoluble in water hydration products is preferred. For example, magnesium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide have low solubility in water.

[0020] Additionally, the fragment barrier can be positioned within the downhole tool such that the geometry of the area where the barrier is located limits degradation into the brine, thus reducing the exposure of the fragment barrier. For example, the volume of the area containing the expandable metal material can be smaller than the expansion volume of the expandable metal material. In some instances, the volume of the area is up to 50% smaller than the expansion volume. Alternatively, the volume of the area where the fragment barrier can be located can be less than 90%, less than 80%, less than 70%, or less than 60% of the expansion volume.

[0021] In some instances, the metal hydration reaction may include an intermediate step where the metal hydroxide is in the form of small particles. When confined, these small particles may lock together to form a barrier. Therefore, an intermediate step may exist where the expandable metallic material forms a series of fine particles between the step of becoming a solid metal and the step of forming the barrier. The small particles may have a maximum size of less than 0.1 inches and typically have a maximum size of less than 0.01 inches. In some instances, the small particles comprise 1 to 100 fine grains (metallurgical fine grains).

[0022] In some instances, the expandable metallic material of the fragment barrier may be dispersed into an adhesive material. The adhesive may be degradable or non-degradable. In some instances, the adhesive may be hydrolyzable. The adhesive may be expandable or non-expandable. If the adhesive is expandable, it may be oil-swellable, water-swellable, or both oil-swellable and water-swellable. In some instances, the adhesive may be porous. In some alternative instances, the adhesive may not be porous. General examples of adhesives include, but are not limited to, rubbers, plastics, and elastomers. Specific examples of adhesives may include, but are not limited to, polyvinyl alcohol, polylactic acid, polyurethane, polyglycolic acid, nitrile rubber, isoprene rubber, PTFE, silicone, fluoroelastomers, vinyl rubbers, and PEEK. In some embodiments, the dispersed expandable metal may be chips obtained from a machining process. In some instances, the metal hydroxide formed from the expandable metallic material may be dehydrated under sufficient expansion pressure. For example, if the metal hydroxide resists movement due to additional hydroxide formation, increased pressure may be created, which may dehydrate the metal hydroxide. This dehydration can lead to the formation of metal oxides from expandable metals. For example, magnesium hydroxide can dehydrate under sufficient pressure to form magnesium oxide and water. As another example, calcium hydroxide can dehydrate under sufficient pressure to form calcium oxide and water. As yet another example, aluminum hydroxide can dehydrate under sufficient pressure to form aluminum oxide and water. Dehydration of expandable metallic materials in the form of hydroxides allows the expandable metallic material to form additional metal hydroxides and continue to expand.

[0023] In one instance, the brine used to form metal hydroxides within the wellbore can be saline water (e.g., water containing one or more salts dissolved therein), saturated saline water (e.g., saline water derived from underground formations), seawater, fresh water, or any combination thereof. Generally, the brine can originate from any source. The brine can be monovalent or divalent. Suitable monovalent brines may include, for example, sodium chloride brine, sodium brine, potassium chloride brine, potassium brine, etc. Suitable divalent brines may include, for example, magnesium chloride brine, calcium chloride brine, calcium brine, etc. In some instances, the salinity of the brine may exceed 10%.

[0024] Illustrative examples are provided to introduce the general topics discussed herein and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosed concepts. Various additional features and examples are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein similar numbers denote similar elements, and directional descriptions are used to describe illustrative aspects, but, like the illustrative aspects, should not be used to limit this disclosure.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram 100 of a set of recoverable downhole tools 102 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the set of recoverable downhole tools having at least one debris ring 104 disposed in a wellbore 106. The debris ring 104 may comprise an expandable material, such as an expandable metallic material, an expandable elastomer material, or other suitable expandable material. At a desired depth, the recoverable downhole tool 102 may be exposed to wellbore fluid, such as brine, and the debris ring 104 may expand to contact adjacent wellbore wall 108 to form a debris barrier. In the illustrated embodiment, two recoverable downhole tools 102 with two debris rings 104 are shown, but other suitable numbers of recoverable downhole tools 102 or debris rings 104 may be included for performing wellbore-related tasks. When the debris ring 104 forms a debris barrier, a portion 110 of the wellbore 106 or the recoverable downhole tool 102 may be isolated from other portions of the wellbore 106 or the recoverable downhole tool 102 to prevent debris from settling in or around the recoverable downhole tool 102.

[0026] The fragment ring 104 may be positioned on a recoverable downhole tool such that the fragment ring 104 is positioned adjacent to a barrier wedge to provide contact support for a system including the recoverable downhole tool 102. In some instances, the fragment ring may be positioned on the top or upper portion of the recoverable downhole tool 102. In some instances, the fragment ring 104 may comprise an expandable metallic material. In such instances, the expandable metallic material is expandable to form a fragment barrier in the wellbore 106. The fragment barrier may be formed by the expandable metallic material undergoing a hydrolysis reaction or undergoing a hydrolysis reaction followed by a dehydration reaction. In instances where the expandable material is an expandable elastomer material, the fragment barrier may be formed in the same or similar manner as the expandable metallic material. In some instances, the fragment ring 104 may comprise a non-expandable sheath that at least partially encapsulates the expandable material. In other instances, the expandable material included in the fragment ring 104 may comprise a combination of polymeric materials and expandable metallic materials.

[0027] Figure 2This is a cross-sectional side view of a recoverable downhole tool 200 including a fragmentation ring 202, according to one embodiment of this disclosure. The recoverable downhole tool 200 may include a packer, a liner hanger, a fragmentation dart, a shearable isolation plug, or other suitable downhole tool having a tight-fit tolerance between the outer diameter of the recoverable downhole tool 200 and the inner diameter of the wellbore wall 106. The recoverable downhole tool 200 may additionally include a mandrel 204, slips 206, a wedge 208, and a shear pin 210. The mandrel 204 may be positioned downhole in the wellbore 106 to allow the recoverable downhole tool 200 to perform wellbore-related tasks. In some embodiments, wellbore-related tasks may involve using the wedge 208 to expand the slips 206 to bring the slips 206 into contact with the wellbore wall 108. When the wellbore-related task is completed, the slips 206 may retract along the wedge 208 to allow the mandrel 204 and the recoverable downhole tool 200 to be removed from the wellbore 106. When the mandrel 204 is lifted and the process of removing the mandrel 204 and the recoverable downhole tool 200 from the wellbore 106 begins, the shear pin 210 is shearable, allowing the slips 206 and wedge 208 to retract to a diameter that allows the removal of the mandrel 204 and the recoverable downhole tool 200 without damage.

[0028] The fragment ring 202 may include an expandable material, which may be positioned around the mandrel 204 such that, upon expansion, the expandable material forms a fragment barrier to prevent the accumulation of deposits or other debris in or around the recoverable downhole tool. The expandable material may be an expandable metallic material and an expandable elastomer material, a combination thereof, or other suitable expandable materials for forming the fragment barrier. The expandable material may expand in response to exposure to well fluids such as brine to contact the wellbore wall 108 and form the fragment barrier. The expandable material may expand for a certain period of time to form the fragment barrier. For example, when the expandable material is exposed to well fluids, it may expand for a period of time ranging from several hours to several days, and once expansion is complete, the expandable material may contact the wellbore wall 108 to form the fragment barrier.

[0029] In some instances, wedge 208 can be a barrier setting wedge, allowing debris ring 202 to be positioned adjacent to wedge 208. Once the expandable material of debris ring 202 has expanded to form a debris barrier, the recoverable downhole tool 200, or a system including debris ring 200, can benefit from contact support. In this case, contact support can direct the components including debris ring 202, wedge 208, and slip 206 to contact adjacent components such that the contact sides of the adjacent components are parallel. In this way, the work performed by each component can be optimized.

[0030] Figure 3This is a cross-sectional side view of a portion 300 of a recoverable downhole tool 200 including a fragment ring 202 and a polymer ring 302, according to an embodiment of this disclosure. The portion 300 may additionally include a mandrel 204, slips 206, a wedge 208, and a shear pin 210. The polymer ring 302 may include a polymeric material such as polytetrafluoroethylene, and the polymer ring 302 may serve as an auxiliary fragment barrier. In some embodiments, the portion 300 may not include the polymer ring 302. The fragment ring 202 may include an expandable material, such as an expandable metallic material, and the fragment ring 202 may additionally include a non-expandable sheath 304 that partially encapsulates the expandable material. The following relates to... Figure 4 Further description of the non-expandable sheath 304.

[0031] Such as about Figure 2 As described, wedge 208 may be a barrier setting wedge. Fragment ring 202 may be positioned such that fragment ring 202 abuts wedge 208 to provide contact support to a recoverable downhole tool 200 including portion 300, or a system including recoverable downhole tool 200 (including portion 300). Portion 300 of the recoverable downhole tool 200 may additionally include a grooved surface 306 positionable between wedge 208 and shear pin 210. Grooved surface 306 may include a concave surface compared to adjacent surfaces. Grooved surface 306 may allow mandrel 204 and recoverable downhole tool 200 including portion 300 to be removed from wellbore 106. For example, once mandrel 204 is lifted out of the downhole position in the surface direction, shear pin 210 may shear to cause slips 206 and wedge 208 to collapse inward or otherwise contract to allow mandrel 204 and recoverable downhole tool 200 to be removed from wellbore 106 without damage. However, in some instances, the shear pin 210 may not shear in a manner that impacts the fragmentation ring 202. The grooved surface 306 may interact with the fragmentation ring 202 in response to the shearing of the shear pin 210, thereby disarming the fragmentation barrier formed by the fragmentation ring 202 to allow the mandrel 204 and the recoverable downhole tool to be removed from the wellbore 106 without damage.

[0032] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of an example 400 of a fragment ring 202 encapsulated by a non-expandable sheath 304 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The non-expandable sheath 304 may comprise a non-expandable material or a combination of non-expandable materials (such as polymers, ceramics, organic materials, metals, metal alloys, combinations thereof, or other suitable non-expandable materials). The non-expandable sheath 304 may comprise an anodic oxide coating or a plasma electrolytic oxide coating, wherein in examples where the fragment ring 202 comprises an expandable metallic material, the non-expandable sheath 304 is formed by oxidizing a portion of the fragment ring 202.

[0033] In some instances, the non-expandable sheath 304 may be hydrophobic, such as grease or wax. The non-expandable sheath 304 may be produced by physical vapor deposition or chemical vapor deposition processes. Furthermore, the non-expandable sheath 304 may be applied by spraying, impregnation, electrodeposition, wetting, application using an autocatalytic reaction, vacuum evaporation from a solvent, or other suitable techniques. The non-expandable sheath may delay the interaction between the wellbore fluid 402 and the expandable material, and this delay may allow the recoverable downhole tool 200, including portion 300, to be positioned downhole without damage or premature expansion. The non-expandable sheath 304 may include inhibitors that delay the interaction between the wellbore fluid 402 and the expandable material.

[0034] As shown, example 400 of the fragment ring 202 includes a non-inflatable sheath that completely encapsulates the fragment ring 202, but in other examples, the non-inflatable sheath may partially encapsulate the fragment ring 202. For example, three sides of the fragment ring 202 may be positioned adjacent to features of the recoverable downhole tool 200 (such as wedge 208, slip 206, etc.). Thus, in this example, the non-inflatable sheath 304 may be positioned adjacent to the outward-facing sides of the fragment ring 202 to partially encapsulate the fragment ring 202. Encapsulating the fragment ring 202 with the non-inflatable sheath 304, whether partially or completely, may result in a delay in the formation of a fragment barrier. For example, in response to being positioned in the wellbore 106, the recoverable downhole tool 200 may be exposed to wellbore fluid 402. In some examples, causing the fragment ring 202 to immediately form a fragment barrier may result in damage to the wellbore 106, the recoverable downhole tool 200, etc. Inhibitors included in the non-inflatable sheath 304 may delay the formation of the fragment barrier and thus prevent damage. When exposed to wellbore fluid 402, the inhibitor of the non-expandable sheath 304 can physically bind to the wellbore fluid 402, which may redirect the wellbore fluid 402 or otherwise delay its migration to the fragmentation ring 202. Upon reaching the fragmentation ring 202, the wellbore fluid 402 can cause an expansion reaction within the fragmentation ring 202, thereby enabling the fragmentation ring 202 to form a fragmentation barrier.

[0035] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of a process 500 for forming a fragment barrier on a retrievable downhole tool 200 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. At block 502, process 500 involves positioning a mandrel 204, including the retrievable downhole tool 200 and a fragment ring 202, in a wellbore 106 to perform wellbore-related tasks. The fragment ring 202 may include an expandable material, such as an expandable metallic material. In some embodiments, the expandable metallic material may be combined with a polymeric material, and in other embodiments, the expandable metallic material may be at least partially encapsulated with a sheath comprising a non-expandable material. In some embodiments, the expandable material may include a combination of expandable metallic and polymeric materials.

[0036] At box 504, process 500 involves exposing an expandable metallic material to a wellbore fluid to form a fragment barrier. The wellbore fluid may include brine or other suitable wellbore fluids or catalytic fluids to cause the expandable metallic material to expand and form a fragment barrier. When exposed to the wellbore fluid, the expandable metallic material expands, contacts the wellbore wall 108, and forms a fragment barrier to prevent debris from accumulating in or around the recoverable downhole tool 200.

[0037] In instances where the expandable metallic material is at least partially encapsulated by a non-expandable sheath, the expansion of the expandable metallic material can be delayed because wellbore fluid can travel through or around the non-expandable sheath before interacting with the expandable metallic material. In this instance, the non-expandable sheath may not interact with or otherwise respond to exposure to wellbore fluid. In one instance, a combination of the non-expandable sheath 304 or the fragment ring 202, or both, may result in the fragment ring 202 being prevented from expanding until after 30 days of exposure to wellbore fluid. An inhibitor may be embedded in the non-expandable sheath, and the inhibitor may delay the expansion reaction that forms a fragment barrier. In some instances, the inhibitor may delay the expansion reaction by 30 days, or in other instances, the inhibitor may delay the expansion reaction by another suitable predetermined amount of time to, for example, allow the recoverable downhole tool 200 to be correctly positioned in the wellbore 106.

[0038] When the inhibitor delays the expansion reaction, the recoverable downhole tool 200 can be correctly positioned and other operations can be performed within the wellbore, such as running it into the well, wiping tests, circulation, or other operations. In this case, the fragmentation ring 202 can be in an unexpanded state, which prevents damage to the recoverable downhole tool 200, the wellbore 106, etc.

[0039] At frame 506, process 500 involves maintaining a fragment barrier during wellbore-related tasks. In response to fragment barrier formation, the fragment barrier may be maintained for a period of time. In some instances, this period may be a predetermined amount of time that corresponds to or is otherwise associated with a wellbore task. In other instances, the fragment barrier may be manually removed by an operator or supervisor of the wellbore-related task. The fragment barrier can be removed by lifting mandrel 204 in the surface direction. Once mandrel 204 is lifted, the grooved surface 306 positioned on the recoverable downhole tool 200, adjacent to wedge 208 and shear pin 210, can interact with fragment ring 202, causing fragment ring 202 to at least partially displace, resulting in the removal of the fragment barrier.

[0040] In some respects, systems, methods, and fragment rings for forming fragment barriers on recoverable downhole tools in wellbores are provided, based on one or more of the following examples:

[0041] As used below, any reference to a series of instances should be understood as a separate reference to each of those instances (e.g., "Instance 1-4" should be understood as "Instance 1, Instance 2, Instance 3 or Instance 4").

[0042] Example 1 is a system comprising: a mandrel that can be positioned within a wellbore; a recoverable downhole tool that can be positioned around the mandrel to perform a task in the wellbore downhole; and a debris ring comprising an expandable material that can be positioned around the mandrel to form a debris barrier in response to exposing the expandable material to wellbore fluid.

[0043] Example 2 is a system according to Example 1, wherein the expandable material includes an expandable metallic material or an expandable elastomer material, which interacts with the wellbore fluid to expand and form the debris barrier.

[0044] Example 3 is a system according to Example 1, wherein the recoverable downhole tool further includes a barrier setting wedge of a barrier setting system, and wherein the debris ring is positioned such that the debris ring abuts the barrier setting wedge to provide contact support for the barrier setting wedge of the barrier setting system.

[0045] Example 4 is a system according to Example 1, wherein the fragment ring further comprises a polymer material, wherein the polymer material can be combined with the expandable material to form an expandable composite material.

[0046] Example 5 is the system according to Example 1, wherein the fragment ring further includes a non-inflatable sheath, wherein the non-inflatable sheath at least partially encapsulates the inflatable material.

[0047] Example 6 is a system according to Example 1, wherein the recoverable downhole tool further includes a grooved surface that can be positioned adjacent to a barrier wedge to allow the recoverable downhole tool to be removed from the wellbore, wherein the grooved surface is positioned to interact with the fragment ring to facilitate movement of the fragment ring in response to movement of the mandrel in the surface direction.

[0048] Example 7 is a system according to Example 1, wherein the fragment ring can remain in an unexpanded state when exposed to the well fluid for less than a preset time, and can expand to form the fragment barrier after being exposed to the well fluid for a preset time.

[0049] Example 8 is a system according to Example 1, wherein the expandable material is an expandable metallic material, and wherein the fragment barrier can be formed by the hydrolysis reaction of the alkaline earth metal or transition metal of the expandable metallic material.

[0050] Example 9 is a method comprising: positioning a mandrel within a wellbore, the mandrel including a recoverable downhole tool and a fragment ring, the fragment ring including an expandable metallic material positioned around the mandrel; exposing the expandable metallic material to wellbore fluid to form a fragment barrier from the fragment ring adjacent to the wall of the wellbore; and maintaining the fragment barrier during wellbore-related operations of the recoverable downhole tool.

[0051] Example 10 is the method according to Example 9, wherein exposing the expandable metal material to wellbore fluid to form a fragmentation barrier includes forming the fragmentation barrier by hydrolysis of the expandable metal material with an alkaline earth metal or a transition metal.

[0052] Example 11 is the method according to Example 9, wherein the fragment ring remains in an unexpanded state when exposed to the well fluid for less than a preset time, and expands to form the fragment barrier after being exposed to the well fluid for a preset time.

[0053] Example 12 is the method according to Example 9, wherein the recoverable downhole tool includes a barrier setting wedge, and wherein the debris ring is positioned such that the debris ring abuts the barrier setting wedge.

[0054] Example 13 is the method according to Example 9, wherein the fragment ring comprises a polymer material, wherein the polymer material is combined with the expandable metal material to form an expandable composite material.

[0055] Example 14 is the method according to Example 9, wherein the fragment ring includes a non-expandable sheath, wherein the non-expandable sheath at least partially encapsulates the expandable metal material.

[0056] Example 15 is the method according to Example 9, further comprising removing the recoverable downhole tool from the wellbore by lifting the mandrel in the uphole direction, wherein: lifting the mandrel causes the shear pin to shear and causes the fragment ring to move at least partially into the grooved surface of the mandrel to at least partially remove the fragment barrier; and at least partially removing the fragment barrier enables efficient removal of the recoverable downhole tool to be removed from the wellbore.

[0057] Example 16 is a debris ring comprising: an expandable metallic material that can be positioned around a mandrel and expands in response to exposure of the expandable metallic material to wellbore fluid when in the wellbore downhole to form a debris barrier in a recoverable downhole tool.

[0058] Example 17 is a fragment ring according to Example 16, further comprising a non-expandable sheath, wherein the non-expandable sheath comprises a polymer, ceramic, organic material or metal, and wherein the non-expandable sheath at least partially encapsulates the expandable metal material.

[0059] Example 18 is a fragment ring according to Example 16, wherein the recoverable downhole tool includes a barrier setting wedge, and wherein the fragment ring is positioned such that the fragment ring abuts the barrier setting wedge of the recoverable downhole tool.

[0060] Example 19 is a fragment ring according to Example 16, which further includes a polymer material, wherein the polymer material is combined with the expandable metal material to form an expandable composite material.

[0061] Example 20 is a fragmentation ring according to Example 16, wherein the fragmentation barrier can be formed by the hydrolysis reaction of the alkaline earth metal or transition metal of the expandable metal material.

[0062] The foregoing description of certain examples (including illustrative examples) is presented for illustrative and descriptive purposes only and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit this disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications, adaptations, and uses therein will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A system comprising: The mandrel can be positioned inside the wellbore; A recoverable downhole tool that can be positioned around the mandrel to perform a task downhole in the wellbore; as well as Fragmentation rings, which include: An expandable material may be positioned around the mandrel to form a debris barrier in response to exposing the expandable material to wellbore fluid; as well as A non-expandable sheath that at least partially encapsulates the expandable material, and is non-expandable in at least two directions after the expandable material is exposed to the wellbore fluid, the non-expandable sheath comprising one or more inhibitors that can physically bind to the wellbore fluid to cause a delay in the interaction between the wellbore fluid and the expandable material.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the expandable material comprises an expandable metallic material or an expandable elastomer material, the expandable metallic material or expandable elastomer material interacting with the wellbore fluid to expand and form the debris barrier.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the recoverable downhole tool further comprises a barrier setting wedge of a barrier setting system, and wherein the debris ring is positioned such that the debris ring abuts the barrier setting wedge to provide contact support for the barrier setting wedge of the barrier setting system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the fragment ring further comprises a polymeric material, wherein the polymeric material can be combined with the expandable material to form an expandable composite material.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the recoverable downhole tool further comprises a grooved surface that can be positioned adjacent to a barrier wedge to allow the recoverable downhole tool to be removed from the wellbore, wherein the grooved surface is positioned to interact with the fragment ring to facilitate movement of the fragment ring in response to movement of the mandrel in the surface direction.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the fragment ring can remain in an unexpanded state when exposed to the well fluid for less than a preset time, and can expand to form the fragment barrier after being exposed to the well fluid for the preset time.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the expandable material is an expandable metallic material, and wherein the fragment barrier is formed by the hydrolysis reaction of the alkaline earth metal or transition metal of the expandable metallic material.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-expandable sheath is hydrophobic.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the non-inflatable sheath comprises grease or wax.

10. A method comprising: A mandrel is positioned within the wellbore, the mandrel comprising a recoverable downhole tool and a fragmentation ring, the fragmentation ring comprising: Expandable metallic material, positioned around the mandrel; and A non-expandable sheath that at least partially encapsulates the expandable metal material and, in response to the expandable metal material being exposed to wellbore fluid, is non-expandable in at least two directions, the non-expandable sheath comprising one or more inhibitors that can physically bind to the wellbore fluid to cause a delay in the interaction between the wellbore fluid and the expandable metal material; Exposing the expandable metallic material to the wellbore fluid to form a debris barrier adjacent to the wellbore wall from the debris ring; and The debris barrier is maintained during wellbore-related tasks involving the retrievable downhole tool.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein exposing the expandable metal material to wellbore fluid to form a fragmentation barrier comprises forming the fragmentation barrier by hydrolysis of the expandable metal material with an alkaline earth metal or a transition metal.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the fragment ring remains in an unexpanded state when exposed to the wellbore fluid for less than a preset time, and expands to form the fragment barrier after being exposed to the wellbore fluid for the preset time.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the recoverable downhole tool includes a barrier setting wedge, and wherein the fragment ring is positioned such that the fragment ring abuts the barrier setting wedge.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the fragment ring comprises a polymeric material, wherein the polymeric material is combined with the expandable metallic material to form an expandable composite material.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising removing the recoverable downhole tool from the wellbore by lifting the mandrel in the surface direction, wherein: Lifting the mandrel causes the shear pin to shear and causes the debris ring to move at least partially into the grooved surface of the mandrel, thereby at least partially removing the debris barrier; and Removing at least partially the debris barrier enables the efficient removal of the retrievable downhole tool to be removed from the wellbore.

16. A fragment ring, comprising: An expandable metallic material that can be positioned around a mandrel and expands in response to exposure to wellbore fluid when in the wellbore downhole to form a debris barrier in a recoverable downhole tool; as well as A non-expandable sheath that at least partially encapsulates the expandable metal material, and is non-expandable in at least two directions after the expandable metal material is exposed to the wellbore fluid, the non-expandable sheath comprising one or more inhibitors that can physically bind to the wellbore fluid to cause a delay in the interaction between the wellbore fluid and the expandable metal material.

17. The fragment ring of claim 16, wherein the non-inflatable sheath comprises a polymer, ceramic, organic material, or metal.

18. The fragment ring of claim 16, wherein the recoverable downhole tool includes a barrier setting wedge, and wherein the fragment ring is positioned such that the fragment ring abuts the barrier setting wedge of the recoverable downhole tool.

19. The fragment ring of claim 16, further comprising a polymeric material, wherein the polymeric material is combined with the expandable metallic material to form an expandable composite material.

20. The fragmentation ring of claim 16, wherein the fragmentation barrier may be formed by hydrolysis of the alkaline earth metal or transition metal of the expandable metal material.

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