RUBBER PUMP FOR GAS EXTRACTION

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods for a pump rubber of a degassing pump are described herein. In some examples, one or more embodiments include a first number of materials forming an interior surface of the pump rubber and a second number of materials forming an exterior surface of the pump rubber. The pump rubber may be configured as a hollow elongated cylinder. The first number of materials may be configured to provide abrasion resistance due to wear of a drilling fluid passing through the pump rubber and resistance to thermal and chemical stresses of a drilling fluid passing through the pump rubber. The second number of materials may be configured to provide fatigue resistance during compression and decompression of the pump rubber.

Description

Title of the invention: RUBBER PUMP FOR GAS EXTRACTION Context

[0001] Wells may be drilled in a surface location or in a seabed for various exploration or extraction purposes. For example, a well may be drilled to access fluids, such as liquid and / or gaseous hydrocarbons stored in subterranean formations, and to extract the fluids from the formations. Casing may be used to line the walls of the wells used for the production or extraction of the fluids. Various drilling methods may be adopted, depending in particular on the characteristics of the formation through which the well is drilled.

[0002] A drilling system may exert weight on the drill bit using one or more drill collars positioned in a downhole block proximate the drill bit. The downhole blocks may also include communication devices for transmitting information about the drill bit and other downhole parameters to receiving devices located upstream of the drill bit. Brief description of the drawings

[0003] [Fig.l] is an exemplary schematic representation of a drilling system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.

[0004] [Fig.2] is a perspective view of an example of a degassing pump block for use in a drilling system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.

[0005] [Fig.3] is a perspective view of an exemplary pump rubber for use with a degassing pump, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.

[0006] [Fig.4] is a perspective view of an example of an inner rubber layer of pump for use with a degassing pump in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.

[0007] [Fig.5] is a perspective view of an example of an outer layer of a rubber pump for use with a degassing pump in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.

[0008] [Fig.6] is a perspective view of an example of rubber formation of in-mold pump for use with a degassing pump in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. Detailed description

[0009] Drilling operations for fluids such as liquid and / or gaseous hydrocarbons may utilize a drilling system to drill a well to locate the fluids in question. During such drilling operations, gas may become trapped in the drilling fluid. This gas may be transported from the wellbore to the surface by the drilling fluid. In some examples, such gas may be removed for sampling purposes. However, the presence of this gas in the drilling fluid may result in a reduction of the hydrostatic pressure in the drilling system.

[0010] Samples of this gas and / or other extractions may be performed using a degasser. As used herein, a degasser may be a device for removing occluded gas from a drilling fluid. The drilling fluid may be supplied to the degasser by a degasser probe. As used herein, a degasser probe may be a device transporting the drilling fluid to a degasser. For example, the degasser probe may use a degasser pump to generate negative pressure and transport (e.g., by suction) the drilling fluid to the degasser.

[0011] During drilling operations, a drill bit may drill into an earth formation to locate and / or access the aforementioned fluids. In some examples, the drilling fluid may be transported to the degasser by a degasser pump. The degasser pump may be a peristaltic pump that includes a pump rubber disposed within the body of the degasser pump. The pump rubber may serve as a conduit to pass the drilling fluid through the degasser pump and to the degasser. The pump rubber may be compressed and decompressed by a number of rollers in the degasser pump as part of the pumping process. As a result, the pump rubber may become susceptible to fatigue and fail due to the compression and decompression cycles.

[0012] In addition, the pump rubber may be subjected to chemical or thermal stresses and / or the abrasive action of the drilling fluid passing through the pump rubber. The pump rubber may wear and fail due to the chemical and / or thermal stress and the abrasive action of the drilling fluid. Previous approaches used a single material to form the pump rubber. However, due to fatigue and / or wear of the pump rubber due to compression and decompression cycles by the degassing pump rollers as well as chemical and / or thermal stresses and also the abrasive action of the drilling fluid, a single material may not be able to provide resistance to both fatigue due to compression and decompression cycles and chemical and / or thermal stresses as well as the abrasive action of the drilling fluid.Embodiments of the present invention may include . a pump rubber formed from a first number of materials and a second number of materials. The first number of materials may be configured to provide resistance to abrasive action and resistance to chemical and / or thermal stresses caused by a drilling fluid passing through the pump rubber. The second number of materials may be configured to provide fatigue resistance during compression and decompression of the pump rubber.

[0013] In the following description, numerous details are set forth to enable an understanding of certain embodiments of the present invention. It is understood that the following disclosure provides numerous different embodiments, or examples, for implementing various features of the various embodiments. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the disclosure. These are examples only and are presented without limitation. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will, however, recognize that the system and / or methodology may be applied without these details and that numerous variations or modifications from the disclosed embodiments are possible. This description is not to be taken in a restrictive sense, but rather merely for the purpose of describing the general principles of the implementations.The scope of the described implementations shall be determined by reference to the claims made.

[0014] As used herein, the terms "connect," "connection," "connected," "in relation to," and "connecting" are used to mean "in direct relation to" or "in relation to via one or more elements"; and the term "block" is used to mean "one element" or "multiple elements." In addition, the terms "couple," "coupling," "coupled," "coupled together," and "coupled with" are used to mean "directly coupled together" or "coupled together via one or more elements." As used herein, the terms "up" and "down," "upper" and "lower," "top" and "bottom," and other similar terms indicating relative positions with respect to a given point or element are used to more clearly describe certain elements.Generally, these terms refer to a reference point on the surface from which drilling operations are initiated, such point being the highest point and total depth being the lowest point, the well (e.g., wellbore, borehole) being vertical, horizontal, or inclined relative to the surface.

[0015] Terms used herein, such as "about," "roughly," "generally," and "substantially," represent a value, amount, or characteristic that is close to the stated value, amount, or characteristic and still provides the desired function or achieves the desired result. For example, the terms "about," "approximately," "generally," and "substantially" may refer to an amount that is within 10%, less than 5%, less than 1%, less than 0.1%, and / or less than 0.01% of the stated amount. As another example, in some embodiments, the terms "generally parallel" and "substantially parallel" or "generally perpendicular" and "substantially perpendicular" refer to a value, quantity, or characteristic that deviates from exactly parallel or perpendicular, respectively, by an amount of 15, 10, 5, 3, 1, or 0.1 degrees or less.

[0016] These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable persons of ordinary skill in the art to practice one or more of the embodiments of this invention. It is understood that other embodiments may be applied and that processing, electrical and / or structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0017] As will be understood, the elements shown in the various embodiments of the present invention may be added, interchanged, combined and / or eliminated so as to provide a number of additional embodiments of the present invention. The proportion and relative scale of the elements provided in the figures are intended to illustrate the embodiments of the present invention and are not to be taken in a restrictive sense.

[0018] The figures herein follow a numbering convention in which the first number or numbers correspond to the figure number of the drawing and the remaining numbers identify an element or component in the drawing. Similar elements or components between different figures may be identified by the use of like numbers. For example, 111 may refer to the element "11" in [Fig.l], and a similar element may be referenced as 211 in [Fig.2].

[0019] As used herein, "a," "an," or "a number of" something may refer to one or more of these things, while "a plurality of" something may refer to more than one of these things. For example, "a number of components" may refer to one or more components, while "a plurality of components" may refer to more than one component.

[0020] [Fig. 1] is an exemplary schematic representation of a drilling system 100, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. The drilling system 100 includes a drilling rig 103 for rotating a drilling tool assembly 104 that extends downwardly into the wellbore 102. The drilling tool assembly 104 may include a drill string 105, a downhole block 106, and a drill bit 110 attached to the downhole end of the drill string 105.

[0021] The drill string 105 may include a plurality of drill pipe joints 108 connected end-to-end by tool joints 109. The drill string 105 transmits drilling fluid through a central bore and transmits rotational power from the drilling rig 103 to the downhole block 106. In some embodiments, the drill string 105 may also include additional components such as subassemblies, pup joints, etc. The drill pipe 108 provides a hydraulic passage through which drilling fluid is pumped from the surface. The drilling fluid is discharged through nozzles, jets, or other orifices of selected size in the drill bit 110 for the purpose of cooling the drill bit 110, cutting structures thereon, and lifting cuttings out of the wellbore 102 as they are being drilled.

[0022] The downhole assembly 106 may include the drill bit 110 or other components. An exemplary downhole assembly 106 may include additional or other components (e.g., coupled between the drill string 105 and the drill bit 110). Exemplary additional components of the downhole assembly 106 include a degassing probe, drill collars, stabilizers, measurement-while-drilling (“MWD”) and logging-while-drilling (“LWD”) tools, rotary steerable system (“RSS”) tools, sensors, downhole motors, steering tools, underreamers, section cutters, hydraulic disconnects, jars, vibration or damping tools, other components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0023] In general, the drilling system 100 may include other drilling components and accessories, such as special valves (e.g., Kelly taps, blowout preventers, and safety valves). Additional components included in the drilling system 100 may be considered part of the drilling tool assembly 104, the drill string 105, or a portion of the downhole assembly 106 depending on their locations in the drilling system 100.

[0024] The drill bit 110 in the downhole assembly 106 may be any type of drill bit suitable for degrading downhole materials. For example, the drill bit 110 may be a drill bit suitable for drilling the earth formation 101. Examples of types of drill bits used for drilling earth formations are fixed-cut or bladed bits. In other embodiments, the drill bit 110 may be a grinder used to remove metals, composites, elastomers, and other downhole materials and / or combinations thereof. For example, the drill bit 110 may be used with a whipstock to mill into the casing 107 lining the wellbore 102. The drill bit 110 may also be a waste grinder used to remove tools, plugs, cement, other materials in the wellbore 102 and / or combinations thereof. Chips or other debris formed by the use of a crusher may be lifted to the surface or may be allowed to fall into the wellbore.

[0025] As mentioned above, the downhole assembly 106 may include a drill bit 111. The drilling bit 111 may transport the drilling fluid to a degasser 112. The degasser 112 may remove occluded gas from the drilling fluid recovered by the drill bit 111. The degasser 112 may include a suction head, a filter screen, and an auger for filtering the drilling fluid and a degasser pump 120 for transporting the drilling fluid to the degasser 112. The degasser pump 120 may be a peristaltic pump configured to pump the drilling fluid to the degasser 112.

[0026] [Fig.2] is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary degassing pump block 220 for use in a drilling system in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. As illustrated in [Fig. 2], the degassing pump 220 may include a pump rubber 230 coupled to a pump inlet 224 and a pump outlet 222. The pump rubber 230 may be a conduit passing drilling fluid and formation rock cuttings through the degassing pump 220. The drilling fluid may enter the degassing pump 220 through the pump inlet 224 and exit the degassing pump 220 through the pump outlet 222.

[0027] The degassing pump 220 may include a rotor 226 and a number of rollers 228-1, 228-2, and 228-3 attached to the rotor 226. The pump 220 of [Fig. 2] shows 3 rollers, but embodiments may include any number of rollers. The rotor 226 may be powered and configured to rotate about its central axis, causing the rollers 228-1, 228-2, and 228-3 to rotate and contact the pump rubber 230. The number of rollers 228-1, 228-2, and 228-3 may be configured to contact the pump rubber 230 where the pump rubber 230 is folded into the degassing pump 220.When the wheel rotates around the central axis of the rotor 226, the number of rollers 228-1, 228-2 and 228-3 can compress and decompress the pump rubber 230 to cause the drilling fluid to enter the degassing pump through the pump inlet 224, pass through the pump rubber 230 and exit the degassing pump 220 through the pump outlet 222 at a constant flow rate.

[0028] The pump rubber 230 may be compressed and decompressed by the rollers 228-1, 228-2 and 228-3 in the degassing pump when the rollers are rotated in a circular motion by the rotor 226 as part of the pumping process. As a result, the pump rubber 230 may be subject to fatigue phenomenon and fail due to compression and decompression cycles. In addition, the pump rubber 230 may be subjected to chemical or thermal stress and / or abrasive action of the drilling fluid passing through the pump rubber 230. The pump rubber 230 may wear and fail due to chemical and / or thermal stress and abrasive action of the drilling fluid. The pump rubber 230 may be formed from a first number of materials and a second number of materials. The first number of materials may be exposed to the cuttings and drilling fluid on the interior surface of the pump rubber 230 and may be configured to provide abrasion and / or fatigue resistance and resistance to chemical and / or thermal stress related to wear caused by the cuttings and drilling fluid passing through the pump rubber 230.The second number of materials may be contacted by a number of rollers 228-1, 228-2 and 228-3 which compress and decompress the pump rubber 230 and the outer layer of the pump rubber 230 may be configured to provide fatigue resistance and structural strength when compressing and decompressing the pump rubber 230 with the rollers 228-1, 228-2 and 228-3.

[0029] The pump rubber 230 may be configured to be bent at an angle of about 60 degrees in the degassing pump 220. The pump rubber 230 may be under tension and compression where the pump rubber is bent in the degassing pump 220. The first number of materials and the second number of materials forming the pump rubber 230 may be configured to provide fatigue resistance for the pump rubber 230 when the pump rubber 230 is compressed and decompressed by the number of rollers 228-1, 228-2, and 228-3 under tension and compression.

[0030] [Fig. 3] is a perspective view of an exemplary pump rubber for use with a degassing pump, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. The pump rubber 330 may include an inner layer 338 and an outer layer 336 formed in the shape of a hollow elongated cylinder. The elongated hollow cylinder may include a first opening 332 that may be configured to attach to an inlet of the degassing pump and a second opening 334 that may be configured to attach to an outlet of the degassing pump.

[0031] The inner layer 338 of the pump rubber 330 may be formed from a first number of materials. The first number of materials may include a first material capable of providing resistance to abrasion from cuttings in the drilling fluid passing through the pump rubber 330. The first material may include glass, Kevlar, aramid, polyester, among other types of materials. The first number of materials may include a second material that may provide resistance to wear due to fatigue caused by compression and decompression of the pump rubber 330 when pumping drilling fluid through said pump rubber 330. The second material may include nitrile, hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR), and / or neoprene, among other types of materials.

[0032] The outer layer 336 of the pump rubber 330 may be formed from a second number of materials. The second number of materials may provide resistance to wear due to fatigue caused by compression and decompression of the pump rubber 330 when pumping drilling fluid through said pump rubber 330. The second material may include nitrile, hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR), and / or neoprene, among other types of materials.

[0033] The pump rubber 330 may include an inner surface 340 that may define an opening through the pump rubber where drilling fluid passes through the pump rubber. The inner surface 340 is part of the inner layer 338 formed of the first number of materials. The inner surface 340 formed of the first numbers may provide resistance to abrasion and chemical and / or thermal stresses caused by drilling fluid contacting the inner surface as drilling fluid passes through the pump rubber.

[0034] The pump rubber 330 may include an outer surface 342. The outer surface may be formed from the second number of materials that may provide resistance to wear caused by the rollers attached to the rotor compressing and decompressing the pump rubber 330. The outer surface 342 formed from the second number of materials may also provide resistance to abrasive wear caused by the rollers passing over the outer surface 342 of the pump rubber as the rollers compress and decompress the pump rubber 330.

[0035] [Fig. 4] is a perspective view of an exemplary inner layer of pump rubber for use with a degassing pump in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. The inner layer 438 of the pump rubber may be formed from a first number of materials. The first number of materials may include a first material 444 that may provide abrasion resistance from drilling fluid passing through the pump rubber. The first material 444 may include glass, Kevlar, aramid, polyester, among other types of materials. The first material 444 may be a woven fabric and / or formed with openings between the strands of the first material 444. The first number of materials may include a second material 446 that may provide resistance to fatigue wear caused by compression and decompression of the pump rubber when pumping drilling fluid through said pump rubber. The second material 446 may include nitrile, hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR), and / or neoprene, among other types of materials. The second material 446 may be formed in openings between portions of the first material 444. The combination of the first material 444 and the second material 446 may provide resistance to abrasion, chemical stress, and thermal stress from the drilling fluid in contact with the inner surface 440 of the pump rubber and resistance to fatigue wear caused by compression and decompression of the pump rubber.

[0036] [Fig. 5] is a perspective view of an exemplary outer layer of a pump rubber for use with a degassing pump in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention. The outer layer 536 of the pump rubber may be formed from a second number of materials 548. The second number of materials 548 may provide resistance to wear due to fatigue caused by compression and decompression of the pump rubber when pumping drilling fluid through said pump rubber 330. The second number of materials 548 may include nitrile, hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR), and / or neoprene, among other types of materials.

[0037] The outer layer 536 may be formed over the inner layer. The outer layer 536 may provide additional resistance to fatigue wear caused by compression and decompression of the pump rubber as well as abrasion resistance to rollers that contact the outer layer 536 during compression and decompression of the pump rubber. The outer surface 542 of the outer surface 536 may be formed from the second number of materials that may provide resistance to wear caused by rollers attached to the rotor compressing and decompressing the pump rubber 330. The outer surface 542 of the outer layer 536 formed from the second number of materials may also provide resistance to abrasive wear caused by the rollers passing over the outer surface 542 of the pump rubber as the rollers compress and decompress the pump rubber 330.

[0038] [Fig. 6] is a perspective view of an example of forming pump rubber in a mold for use with a degassing pump in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention.

[0039] Forming the pump rubber 630 may include forming the inner layer 638 by forming a first material of the inner layer 638 to a particular thickness (e.g., inner diameter dimensions), forming a second material in the openings between a portion of the first material, and forming the outer layer 636 over the first material and the second material of the inner layer 638. The outer layer 636 may be formed to the dimensions of the outer diameter. The second material of the inner layer 638 and the outer layer 636 may then be cured to bond the inner layer 638 and the outer layer 636 together.

[0040] Forming the pump rubber 630 may include forming the inner layer 638 by forming a first material of the inner layer 638 to a particular thickness and forming the outer layer 636 over the first material and the second material of the inner layer 638. The inner layer 638 may be formed on a mandrel. The inner layer 638 may be placed in the mold 650 and the outer layer 636 may be formed over the inner layer 638 in the mold 650. The outer layer 636 may then be cured to bond the inner layer 638 and the outer layer 636 together.

[0041] Forming the pump rubber 630 may include forming a first inner layer material 638 and a first outer layer material 636. Adding a second material to the first inner layer material 630 and curing the inner layer 638 to the outer layer 636.

[0042] Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will observe that any arrangement calculated to achieve the same objective may be substituted for the specific embodiments illustrated. This disclosure is presented so as to cover any adaptation or variation of the various embodiments.

[0043] It should be understood that the above description has been given for illustrative purposes and not as a limitation. Combinations of the above-mentioned embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the above-mentioned description.

[0044] The scope of the various embodiments of the invention includes any other application in which the above structures and methods are used. Therefore, the scope of the various embodiments of the disclosure should be determined by reference to the appended claims, as well as the full range of equivalents to which these claims are entitled.

[0045] In the foregoing detailed description, various features are grouped into exemplary embodiments illustrated in the figures for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure should not be construed as reflecting an intention that the embodiments of the disclosure require more features than those expressly recited in each claim.

[0046] Rather, as reflected in the following claims, the inventive subject matter lies in less than all of the features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the detailed description, each claim standing alone as a separate embodiment.

Claims

Claims

1. A rubber for a degassing pump, comprising: a first number of materials forming an inner surface of the pump rubber; and a second number of materials forming an outer surface of the pump rubber; wherein the pump rubber is configured as a hollow elongated cylinder and wherein the first number of materials and the second number of materials form the pump rubber.

2. The degassing pump rubber of claim 1, wherein the first number of materials comprises hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) reinforced with Kevlar.

3. The degassing pump rubber of claim 1, wherein the second number of materials comprises HNBR.

4. The degassing pump rubber of claim 1, wherein the first number of materials is configured to provide abrasion resistance to wear of a drilling fluid passing through the pump rubber.

5. The degassing pump rubber of claim 1 wherein the first number of materials can be configured to provide resistance to wear due to thermal and chemical stresses caused by drilling fluid passing through the pump rubber.

6. The degassing pump rubber of claim 1, wherein the second number of materials is configured to provide fatigue resistance upon compression and decompression of the pump rubber.

7. The degassing pump rubber of claim 6 wherein the first number of materials can be configured to provide fatigue resistance during compression and decompression of the pump rubber.

8. A degassing pump, comprising: a first opening of a pump rubber coupled to an inlet of the degassing pump; a second opening of the pump rubber coupled to an outlet of the degassing pump; and a number of rollers configured to compress and decompress the pump rubber as a rotor rotates about an axis, wherein the pump rubber comprises an inner layer comprising a first number of materials and an outer layer comprising a second number of materials.

9. The degassing pump of claim 8, wherein the first number of materials is configured to provide abrasion resistance to wear of a drilling fluid that passes through the pump rubber by the degassing pump.

10. The degassing pump of claim 8, wherein the second number of materials is configured to provide fatigue resistance to the number of rollers configured to compress and decompress the rubber of the pump.

11. The degassing pump of claim 8, wherein the pump rubber is configured to be bent at an angle of about 60 degrees within the degassing pump, to be compressed and bent at an angle providing tension and compression where the pump rubber is bent.

12. A degassing pump according to claim 11, wherein the pump rubber is under tension and compression where the pump rubber is bent inside the degassing pump.

13. The degassing pump of claim 12, wherein the first number of materials and the second number of materials are configured to provide fatigue resistance for the pump rubber when the pump rubber is compressed and decompressed by the number of rollers under tension and compression.

14. A method of forming a pump rubber, comprising: forming a first material on a pin; forming a first portion of a second material in openings between portions of the first material; and forming a second portion of the second material on the first material and the first portion of the second material.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the forming of the first material and the forming of the first portion of the second material form an inner layer of the pump rubber.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the second portion of the second material forms an outer layer of the pump rubber.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising curing the first portion of the second material and the first portion of the second material after forming the second portion of the second material.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising placing the first material and the first portion of the second material in a mold and forming the second portion of the second material in the mold.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein forming the first material comprises forming a fabric of the dimensions of the inner diameter of the pump rubber in the form of a hollow elongated cylinder.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein forming the second portion of the second material comprises forming an elastomeric material to the dimensions of the outer diameter of the pump rubber.

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