Hydrogen-Charged Ferrous Alloy Downhole Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current downhole tools and equipment in the oil and gas industry are difficult and costly to retrieve once they have fulfilled their function, posing risks to well operations and productivity, as they often require complex retrieval processes and can interfere with subsequent operations if left in the well.
Innovation Solution
Ferrous alloys are treated to be more susceptible to cracking and fragmenting, using hydrogen embrittlement and galvanic corrosion, allowing them to break down into harmless debris that can corrode and disappear over time, eliminating the need for retrieval and reducing operational risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If ferrous alloy elements are made more susceptible to cracking through hydrogen charging, then they can be safely abandoned downhole without retrieval operations, but their structural integrity is compromised before intended use
Solution Approach 1:
The ferrous alloy element is pre-treated with hydrogen charging or other conditioning methods before deployment to make it susceptible to cracking. This preliminary action ensures that when the element is abandoned after use, it will break down predictably into harmless fragments without requiring retrieval operations, thereby improving well operation efficiency while accepting temporary structural compromise during service life
Solution Approach 2:
The material properties of the ferrous alloy are changed through hydrogen charging, which alters its mechanical properties to reduce strength and increase susceptibility to cracking. This parameter change allows the element to maintain sufficient strength during normal operation but fail predictably when abandoned, resolving the contradiction between productivity and strength
2Productivity
If downhole tools are designed to break into harmless fragments, then retrieval operations are eliminated, but the tools cannot be reused
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the disposable principle by designing downhole tools made of ferrous alloy that are intended to be used once and then abandoned. The tools are conditioned to break into harmless fragments after service, eliminating the need for retrieval and reuse operations. This approach accepts that the tools cannot be reused but gains significant productivity improvements through simplified well operations and eliminated fishing operations
3Reliability
If ferrous alloy elements are conditioned to fracture predictably, then well safety is improved by eliminating retrieval risks, but the elements must be carefully designed to fail at the right time
Solution Approach 1:
The element is pre-conditioned through hydrogen charging or other methods to ensure predictable failure behavior. This preliminary conditioning allows the element to maintain structural integrity during normal operation while failing safely when abandoned, improving well operation safety without requiring complex active control systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful effect of hydrogen embrittlement into a beneficial controlled failure mechanism. By charging the ferrous alloy with hydrogen, the element becomes susceptible to cracking, which is normally a harmful phenomenon. However, in this application, it is used to ensure the element breaks predictably into harmless fragments when abandoned, improving safety by eliminating retrieval operations and associated risks
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
This approach enables safe and cost-effective abandonment of downhole tools, preventing interference with subsequent operations and enhancing safety and reliability by ensuring that obsolete tools break down into harmless fragments, reducing the need for costly retrieval operations.
Implementation Method 1
charging the alloy with hydrogen to cause the element to be more prone to cracking than before the hydrogen charging
Implementation Method 2
establishing contact between the template and a downhole element and causing the element to be cathodic and the downhole element to be anodic to etch the downhole element according to the pattern
Implementation Method 3
forming at least part of the element from a ferrous alloy and charging the alloy with hydrogen to cause the element to be more prone to cracking
Implementation Method 4
debris that is formed from the disintegration of the element downhole in the well
Data Source
AI summary
A technique includes providing a tool to be deployed in a well to perform a downhole function. The downhole function requires a minimum structural integrity for an element of the tool. The technique includes forming at least part of the element from a ferrous alloy and charging the alloy with hydrogen cause the element to be more prone to cracking than before the hydrogen charging.