Water-degradable Carrier for Caustic Substances
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional water-degradable carriers for caustic substances, such as soap sticks for gas well reclamation, face issues like surfactant leakage due to the caustic nature of the hot liquid surfactant degrading the water-soluble paper and adhesive, and premature degradation of plugs used to block ends, leading to shipping, storage, and usage problems.
Innovation Solution
A water-degradable carrier with overlapping self-adhered windings formed from a water-degradable paper layer and a chemical-resistant film layer that acts as an adhesive, preventing the caustic substance from degrading the paper and leaking out, and using end closures made from the same material to block the substance, eliminating the need for separate adhesives and reducing material costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If water-soluble paper and adhesive are used to construct the tube, then the carrier is water-degradable and dissolves quickly in well fluid, but the caustic surfactant degrades the paper and adhesive causing leakage through the tube wall
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite tube construction with an inner chemical-resistant layer (such as polyethylene or fluorinated polymer) combined with an outer water-soluble paper layer. This composite structure provides both chemical resistance to prevent surfactant degradation and water degradability for environmental breakdown after use.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a chemical-resistant barrier layer as an intermediary between the caustic surfactant and the water-soluble paper. This intermediate layer protects the paper from chemical attack while allowing the overall structure to remain water-degradable.
2Reliability
If the temperature of the surfactant is reduced to prevent degradation, then the surfactant is less caustic to the tube materials, but the surfactant becomes more viscous and requires more time to flow into the tube
Solution Approach 1:
The chemical-resistant inner layer allows the surfactant to be maintained at higher temperatures without degrading the tube materials, thus maintaining lower viscosity and faster filling speeds while still providing protection to the water-soluble paper.
3Reliability
If plugs made from salt or polyethylene oxide are used to block tube ends, then the ends are sealed, but salt absorbs atmospheric moisture causing premature degradation of the water-soluble paper, and polyethylene oxide plugs require adhesive and can foul launcher valves
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses disposable end caps made from water-soluble material that dissolves along with the tube in the well fluid, eliminating the need for removable plugs and their associated problems with moisture absorption, adhesive requirements, and launcher fouling.
Solution Approach 2:
The end caps are made from the same water-soluble material as the tube body, ensuring uniform degradation behavior and eliminating incompatibility issues between different plug materials and the tube structure.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional adhesives are used to bind paper windings, then the tube is constructed, but separate adhesives increase material cost and add manufacturing steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the adhesive function with the chemical-resistant inner layer by making it sufficiently tacky to bond paper windings. This merges the barrier and bonding functions into a single integrated layer, eliminating the need for separate adhesive applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The chemical-resistant inner layer serves multiple functions: it provides chemical resistance to the surfactant, acts as an adhesive to bind the paper windings, and serves as a structural component of the tube. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate materials and manufacturing steps required.
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 solution effectively prevents surfactant leakage and degradation, simplifies manufacturing by eliminating the need for separate adhesives, and reduces material costs while ensuring the caustic substance remains contained within the carrier.
Implementation Method 1
a chemical-resistant water-degradable film layer that acts as an adhesive when wetted to adhere together the windings
Implementation Method 2
acts as a barrier to substantially prevent the caustic substance from degrading the water-degradable paper layer and leaking out of the tube
Implementation Method 3
the tube is constructed from water-soluble paper windings bound together using a water-soluble adhesive
Data Source
AI summary
A water-degradable carrier for holding a caustic substance includes a tube having a first end, a second end, and a hollow interior disposed between the first and second ends. The tube may be formed from a water-degradable material and have overlapping self-adhered windings. The water-degradable material may include a water-degradable paper layer and a chemical-resistant water-degradable film layer that acts as an adhesive when wetted to adhere together the windings. The chemical-resistant water-degradable film layer is selected from a material that is resistant to a caustic substance that is to be carried by the carrier and acts as a barrier to substantially prevent the caustic substance from degrading the water-degradable paper layer and leaking out of the tube.