Wellbore Drill Bit Surface Treatment Against Steel Embrittlement

Solution Overview

Problem

Wellbore drill bits experience excessive forces and stresses during operation, leading to interactions between steel-reinforcing components and construing alloying agents that result in loss of ductility and potential cracking due to embrittlement, which can weaken the drill bit and cause failure.

Innovation Solution

Surface and subsurface treatments of the metallic blank material and metal binding mixture are applied to inhibit interactions between the steel-reinforcing components and construing alloying agents, using techniques such as nitriding, carburizing, bonding, and chemical coatings to form hardened layers or inert complexes that prevent embrittlement and enhance the drill bit's strength.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If steel-reinforcing components are used in the drill bit, then strength is improved, but embrittlement and loss of ductility occur due to interactions with construing alloying agents

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovestrengthVSAvoidductility

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

A barrier coating is applied to the steel-reinforcing components to act as an intermediary layer that prevents direct interaction between the steel and construing alloying agents. This coating allows the steel to provide strength while blocking the chemical reactions that would otherwise cause embrittlement and loss of ductility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The drill bit employs a composite structure combining steel-reinforcing components with a protective barrier coating. This composite approach allows the inner steel layer to provide strength while the outer coating layer prevents embrittlement, effectively combining the benefits of both materials while mitigating their drawbacks.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Ease of manufacture

If mandrel welding process is used to assemble drill bit components, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but rework costs and resource usage increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanufacturing flexibilityVSAvoidrework costs

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The barrier coating is integrated into the mold cavity during the initial infiltration process, combining the coating application step with the drill bit formation step. This eliminates the need for separate mandrel welding operations and reduces manufacturing steps, thereby reducing rework costs and resource usage while maintaining manufacturing flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The barrier coating is applied in advance during mold preparation before the infiltration process begins. This preliminary action ensures that the coating is already in place to prevent embrittlement during the subsequent drilling operations, eliminating the need for post-manufacturing welding or treatment corrections.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The treatments effectively prevent embrittlement and maintain the drill bit's ductility, reducing the risk of cracking and enhancing its strength during drilling operations, allowing for a one-piece metal-matrix drill bit that bypasses the mandrel welding process, thus reducing rework costs and resource usage.

Implementation Method 1

Surface and subsurface treatments of the metallic blank material and metal binding mixture are applied to inhibit interactions between the steel-reinforcing components and construing alloying agents, using techniques such as nitriding

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectNitriding: Nitriding

Implementation Method 2

Surface and subsurface treatments of the metallic blank material and metal binding mixture are applied to inhibit interactions between the steel-reinforcing components and construing alloying agents, using techniques such as carburizing

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCarburizing: Carburizing

Implementation Method 3

Surface and subsurface treatments of the metallic blank material and metal binding mixture are applied to inhibit interactions between the steel-reinforcing components and construing alloying agents, using techniques such as chemical coatings

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectChemical Vapour Deposition: Chemical Vapour Deposition

Data Source

PatentUS11761049B1Surface treatment for a wellbore drill bit

Publication Date: 2023.09.19 HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES INC

AI summary

Wellbore drill bits can be used for excavation through subterranean formations for extracting hydrocarbons from a reservoir. Wellbore drill bits can experience excessive force during extraction processes. Drill bits can be assembled with resilience. Thus, treating a subsurface of a metallic blank material by adding one or more elements to the subsurface of the metallic blank material inhibits chemical interactions between a metal binding mixture and one or more construing alloying agents of the metallic blank material. The metallic blank material and a reinforcing agent can be positioned in the drill bit mold to begin an infiltration process where the metal binding mixture fills gaps between the metallic blank material and the reinforcing agent to generate a metal-matrix composite.