阅读说明：本技术 具有可溶胀金属的密封设备 (Sealing device with swellable metal ) 是由 M·L·夫瑞普 G·吉尔斯塔德 Z·W·沃尔顿 于 2018-01-29 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供一种密封设备。所述密封设备包括可溶胀金属。所述可溶胀金属在暴露于流体时能从具有初始体积的初始配置转变成具有增大体积的膨胀配置。所述可溶胀金属在流体通道的环空中转变成所述膨胀配置时抵靠所述流体通道的表面形成密封,使得至少部分地限制所述环空中跨所述可溶胀金属的流体连通。(A sealing apparatus is provided. The sealing device comprises a swellable metal. The swellable metal is capable of transitioning from an initial configuration having an initial volume to an expanded configuration having an increased volume upon exposure to a fluid. The swellable metal forms a seal against a surface of a fluid passage when transformed into the expanded configuration in the annulus of the fluid passage such that fluid communication across the swellable metal in the annulus is at least partially restricted.)

1. A sealing apparatus, comprising:

a swellable metal that is transitionable upon exposure to a fluid from an initial configuration having an initial volume to an expanded configuration having an increased volume,

wherein the swellable metal forms a seal against a surface of a fluid passage when transformed into the expanded configuration in the annulus of the fluid passage such that fluid communication across the swellable metal in the annulus is at least partially restricted.

2. The sealing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the swellable metal comprises at least one of an alkaline earth metal, a transition metal, and a post-transition metal.

3. The sealing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a volume of the swellable metal increases by greater than 30% when transitioning to the expanded configuration without being inhibited by the fluid passage.

4. The sealing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the swellable metal comprises at least one of magnesium, aluminum, and calcium.

5. The sealed device of claim 4, wherein the swellable metal comprises a corrosion-promoting dopant, and wherein the dopant comprises at least one of nickel, iron, copper, cobalt, carbon, tungsten, tin, gallium, and bismuth.

6. The seal apparatus of claim 1 wherein the swellable metal is a solid metal piece.

7. The sealing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the swellable metal is in particulate form.

8. The sealing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the swellable metal is carried in a binder, wherein the binder comprises at least one of a degradable binder or a swellable elastomer.

9. The sealing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a sealant encapsulating at least a portion of the swellable metal.

10. The sealed device of claim 9, wherein the sealant is porous to allow the fluid to flow through the sealant, wherein the sealant protects the swellable metal from an acid.

11. The sealing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the sealant is configured to rupture when the swellable metal transitions to the expanded configuration.

12. The sealing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the sealant is porous, wherein the sealant comprises at least one of a swellable rubber, neoprene, a polycarbonate material, or polytetrafluoroethylene.

13. The sealing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the encapsulant encapsulates the swellable metal by at least one of wrapping around the swellable metal, molding around the swellable metal, or depositing on the swellable metal.

14. The sealing apparatus of claim 9, wherein at least a portion of the encapsulant is elastic such that the swellable metal expands in a desired direction.

15. A method, comprising:

providing a sealing device in an annulus of the fluid passage, the sealing device comprising a swellable metal;

exposing the swellable metal to a fluid such that the swellable metal transitions from an initial configuration having an initial volume to an expanded configuration having an increased volume; and

forming a seal against a surface of the fluid passage by the swellable metal in the expanded configuration such that fluid communication across the swellable metal in the annulus is at least partially restricted.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the sealing apparatus further comprises a sealant that encapsulates at least a portion of the swellable metal.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein at least a portion of the encapsulant is elastic such that the swellable metal expands in a desired direction.

18. A system, comprising:

a fluid passage having an annulus; and

a sealing apparatus, the sealing apparatus comprising:

a swellable metal that is transitionable upon exposure to a fluid from an initial configuration having an initial volume to an expanded configuration having an increased volume,

wherein the swellable metal forms a seal against a surface of the fluid passage when transformed in the annulus to the expanded configuration such that fluid communication across the swellable metal in the annulus is at least partially restricted.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the sealing apparatus further comprises a sealant that encapsulates at least a portion of the swellable metal.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the sealant is porous to allow the fluid to flow through the sealant, wherein the sealant protects the swellable metal from an acid.

Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to a sealing apparatus. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a sealing device having a swellable metal that transitions to an expanded configuration having a greater volume.

Background

The production and transportation of hydrocarbons requires the use of various above-ground and underground tubular members. After drilling the wellbore, a production tubing may be placed in the wellbore and hydrocarbons extracted from the surrounding formation. Once at the surface, these hydrocarbons are typically transported through tubular conduits to a processing plant. During such procedures, it may be desirable to control or prevent the flow of fluid within or around the tubular. Thus, seals, for example in the form of packers, may be provided to isolate sections of the fluid passageway along various tubulars and wellbores. For example, in a wellbore, the annulus between the formation and the production tubing may require seals to isolate sections within the wellbore.

Drawings

Implementations of the present technology will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary environment of a seal apparatus having a swellable metal in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the exemplary environment of FIG. 1, with the swellable metal in an expanded configuration;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary swellable metal carried in a binder;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method for utilizing a sealing apparatus;

FIG. 5A is a schematic view of an example of a sealing device in a fluid channel; and is

Fig. 5B is a graph of pressure versus time from the example of fig. 5A.

Detailed Description

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. Furthermore, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the examples described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the examples described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the relevant features that are being described. Moreover, the description should not be taken as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein. The figures are not necessarily to scale and certain portions may be exaggerated in scale to better illustrate the details and features of the present disclosure.

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for a sealing apparatus having a swellable metal. The swellable metal expands in size upon exposure to a fluid, such as saline or any aqueous fluid, transitioning from a first configuration having an initial or first size (i.e., volume) to an expanded configuration. During this expansion, the volume of the swellable metal increases to greater than the initial or first size in the first configuration. Because of the large size, the swellable metal acts to inhibit and block fluid flow through itself. In addition, the swellable metal may form a seal when expanded against a surface. For example, the swellable metal may form a seal against a surface of the fluid passage when converted to an expanded configuration in the annulus of the fluid passage such that fluid flow across the swellable metal in the annulus is at least partially restricted, and in at least one instance prevented.

The swellable metal may be formed from any hydrolysable metal material that expands in volume when hydrolysed, thereby increasing in size. Thus, when contacted with an aqueous fluid, the swellable metal hydrolyzes and expands in volume.

The sealing apparatus may further include a sealant that may encapsulate at least a portion of the swellable metal. The sealant can allow fluid to flow through the sealant to the swellable metal. Furthermore, the sealant can protect the swellable metal from the acid, as the acid can prevent the swellable metal from forming a solid upon hydrolysis. Furthermore, the sealant may enhance the sealing of the sealing device against the surface of the fluid channel.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of an exemplary system 10 having a portion of a fluid channel 20. The fluid passage 20 is shown within a wellbore annulus 24 formed between a casing surface 22 of a casing 25 and a production tubing surface 23 of the production tubing 25. Thus, fluid may be contained and flow within the casing surface 22 and production tubing surface 23 (referred to herein as "surfaces 22, 23") of the fluid passageway 20. Although shown as being formed by an annulus, the fluid passage 20 may alternatively be any conduit, drill string, or other portion of a wellbore or any passage through which a fluid flows.

The surfaces 22, 23 of the fluid channel 20 may form a cross-sectional shape that may be substantially circular, oval, rectangular, or any other suitable shape. The surfaces 22, 23 of the fluid passage 20 may be made of the same material as the casing 25 or production tubing 25, for example, which in this case is metal, however, alternatively the surface of the fluid passage 20 may be formation rock or plastic, or other metal or metal alloy. The surfaces 22, 23 of the fluid channel 20 may be of the same material on all sides. In other examples, the surfaces 22, 23 of the fluid channel 20 may have different materials or compositions in different regions. Portions of the fluid channel 102 may have any orientation or extend in only one direction or multiple directions (e.g., vertical or at an angle, along any axis), and may be, but are not required to be, horizontal, as schematically depicted in fig. 1. The fluid may be one fluid, or more than one fluid. The fluid may comprise, for example, water or oil. The fluid may also substantially fill the entire fluid passage 20. In other examples, the fluid may partially fill the fluid channel 20. The fluid may be static or flowing.

As shown in fig. 1, the sealing apparatus 100 is disposed in the annulus 24 of the fluid passage 20. The seal 100 is shown in FIG. 1 abutting one surface of the fluid passageway 20, and in this case, abutting the production tubing surface 23. In at least one example, the sealing apparatus 100 may be suspended in the annulus 24 of the fluid passage 20. In still other examples, the sealing apparatus 100 may be coupled with a device to position the sealing apparatus 100 in the fluid channel 20. As shown in fig. 1, the sealing device 100 has a substantially rectangular cross-section. In other examples, the sealing apparatus 100 may have a cross-section that is substantially circular, oval, triangular, quadrilateral, polygonal, or any suitable shape.

The sealing device 100 includes a swellable metal 110. The swellable metal 110 is a metal that hydrolyzes when exposed to a fluid and is operable to transform to an expanded configuration 2000 (see fig. 2) having an increased volume. The fluid may be any aqueous fluid, and in particular a saline aqueous fluid, such as saline. For example, the fluid may be a high salinity brine, such as a NaCl brine or a KCl brine with a salt content greater than 15%. In other examples, the fluid may be any suitable fluid having water that hydrolyzes the swellable metal 110. In at least one example, the swellable metal 110 does not swell in oil or oil-based mud. The swellable metal 110 reacts with water in the fluid to form a metal hydroxide and/or metal oxide. Since the product of the metal hydration reaction has a larger volume than the reactants, the volume of the swellable metal 110 increases during the reaction. Thus, the metal hydroxide reactant that can swell the metal 110 takes up more space than the base metal. Upon transitioning to the expanded configuration 2000, the volume of the swellable metal 110 may increase, e.g., by greater than 30%, when not inhibited by the fluid passages 20. However, the surface 22 of the fluid passage 20 may impede further expansion of the swellable metal 110.

The swellable metal 110 includes at least one of an alkaline earth metal, a transition metal, and a post-transition metal. For example, the swellable metal 110 may include at least one of magnesium, aluminum, and calcium that, when reacted with water in the fluid, hydrolyzes to form a metal hydroxide. The metal hydroxide may be substantially insoluble in water. In at least one example, the swellable metal 110 can be a metal. In other examples, the swellable metal 110 may be an alloy to increase reactivity or control formation of hydroxides/oxides, where the alloying elements may include at least one of aluminum, zinc, manganese, zirconium, yttrium, neodymium, gadolinium, silver, calcium, tin, rhenium, and any other suitable element. The alloy swellable metal 110 may be further alloyed with a corrosion-promoting dopant. For example, the dopant may include at least one of nickel, iron, copper, cobalt, carbon, tungsten, tin, gallium, bismuth, or any other suitable dopant that promotes corrosion. Other ions may also be added to the reaction, for example, silicates, sulfates, aluminates, phosphates, or any other suitable ion. The swellable metal 110 may be configured in a solid solution process, wherein the elements are combined with the molten metal. In other examples, the swellable metal 110 may be constructed by a powder metallurgy process.

The reaction of swellable metal 110 with a fluid is shown below, where M is a metal, O is oxygen, H is hydrogen, and a, b, and c are numbers that may be the same or different:

M+aH_xO-->M(OH)_b+cH₂

for example, if the metal is magnesium, the hydration reaction is:

Mg+2H₂O-->Mg(OH)₂+H₂。

Mg(OH)₂is 85% greater than the original magnesium.

In other examples, if the metal is magnesium, the hydration reaction is:

Al+3H₂O-->Al(OH)₃+3/2H₂

Al(OH)₂is 160% greater than the original aluminum.

In yet another example, if the metal is calcium, the hydration reaction is:

Ca+H₂O-->Ca(OH)₂

Ca(OH)₂is 32% greater than the original calcium.

When used to describe metals, the term "swellable" is intended to convey that the volume of the by-product of the hydrolysis reaction is greater than the volume of the original metal. For example, the swellable metal reacts with water to produce micron-sized particles, and then the particles lock together to form a seal. In some examples, the volume of the space adjacent to the swellable metal is less than the expanded volume of the swellable metal such that the swellable metal may abut a surface of the fluid channel to provide a seal when transitioning to the expanded configuration. For example, the free volume near the swellable metal may be approximately half the swelling volume. For example, in the case of magnesium as the swellable metal, the free volume near the magnesium may be less than 85% of the original magnesium volume. The free volume can be expressed as the cross-sectional area of the metal and the cross-sectional area of the space to be sealed.

Due to the swelling pressure, the hydroxide may be further dehydrated. If the metal hydroxide resists movement of additional hydroxide formation, elevated pressures can be developed. The metal hydroxide in the zone may be dehydrated under elevated pressure. As a result, the metal hydroxide can be further dehydrated into a metal oxide. For example, Mg (OH)₂Can form MgO + H by dehydration reaction₂And O. Similarly, Ca (OH)₂Can become CaO + H₂O, and Al (OH)₃Can be dehydrated into AlOOH or Al₂O₃。

In other examples, the swellable metal 110 in the initial state 1000 may be a metal oxide. For example, calcium oxide (CaO) and water will react in a high energy reaction to form calcium hydroxide. Due to the higher density of calcium oxide, the reaction will provide a volume expansion rate of 260% where 1 mole of CaO is converted and the volume expands from 9.5cc to 34.4 cc.

In at least one example, the swellable metal 110 can be a solid metal piece. The solid piece of swellable metal 110 may be a ring, a tube, a cylinder, a wrap, or any other shape. In other examples, the swellable metal 110 may resemble a mafic material and be porous. In yet other examples, the swellable metal may be in the form of particles 112, as shown in fig. 3. Particles 112 of swellable metal 110 may be carried in a binder 114. The binder 114 may be a degradable binder. With a degradable binder, the binder 114 degrades and allows the active material of the swellable metal 110 to react with the fluid. In other examples, the binder 114 does not degrade. In still other examples, the binder 114 is a swellable elastomer such as an oil-swellable rubber, a water-swellable rubber, or a hybrid swellable rubber. The adhesive 114 may also be porous. Any other suitable binder 114 for carrying the particles 112 of swellable metal 110 may be used. The particles 112 of swellable metal 110 may be uniformly distributed in the binder 114. In other examples, the particles 112 of swellable metal 110 may be distributed to provide a desired range of expansion and solidification in a desired section of the sealing apparatus 100.

The sealing apparatus 100 may further include a sealant 120. Although fig. 1 and 2 illustrate an encapsulant 120, in at least one example, the sealing apparatus 100 may not include an encapsulant 120.

The encapsulant 120 encapsulates at least a portion of the swellable metal 110. In at least one example, the sealant 120 can encapsulate only one side of the swellable metal 110. In other examples, the sealant 120 can encapsulate substantially the entire swellable metal 110. The encapsulant 120 is operable to allow fluid to flow through the encapsulant 120. For example, the sealant 120 can allow brine to pass through the sealant 120, which will cause the swellable metal 110 to hydrolyze and transition into the expanded configuration 2000. Thus, the swellable metal 110 may expand the sealant 120 and/or press the sealant 120 against at least one surface 22 of the fluid passage 2 and form a seal in the annulus 24 of the fluid passage 20. The swellable metal 110 may be sensitive to acids, as acids may prevent the swellable metal from forming solids after hydrolysis. For example, acid may be circulated in the wellbore during wellbore cleanup. The sealant 120 is operable to protect the swellable metal 110 from acids. In at least one example, the sealant 120 can at least partially separate the acid and the swellable metal 110. In other examples, the sealant 120 can include a caustic that can neutralize acids in the region proximate the swellable metal 110.

The swellable metal 110 with the sealer 120 can be used to form a seal, such as a packer on the exterior of an oilfield tubular or a bridge plug on the interior of an oilfield tubular. In at least one example, the sealant 120 may rupture when the swellable metal 110 transitions to the expanded configuration 2000. In this way, the swellable metal 110 may interact directly with the surfaces 22, 23 of the fluid passage 20 after transitioning to the expanded configuration 2000. In at least one example, the encapsulant 120 can be porous such that a fluid or gas can pass through the encapsulant 120. For example, the sealant 120 may include at least one of swellable rubber, neoprene, polycarbonate materials, polyurethane, and polytetrafluoroethylene. The encapsulant 120 may be porous with a plurality of pores in the encapsulant 120. In at least one example, the encapsulant 120 can be porous for gas migration. The sealant 120 may be a membrane filter such that only water is allowed to migrate.

In at least one example, the encapsulant 120 can encapsulate the swellable metal 110 by wrapping around the swellable metal 110, molding around the swellable metal 110, depositing (such as chemical vapor deposition) on the swellable metal, or any other suitable method to cause the swellable metal 110 to be at least partially encapsulated by the encapsulant 120.

In at least one example, at least a portion of the encapsulant 120 is elastic and stretchable such that the swellable metal 110 can expand in a desired direction. For example, the sealant may be rigid in the axial direction, but may be elastic in the radial direction. With this configuration, expansion of the swellable metal 110 can be directed in a radial direction while providing shear strength in an axial direction.

The encapsulant 120 can encapsulate the swellable metal 110 in the form of particles 112, such as shown in FIG. 3. The sealed swellable metal 110 may be conformable, similar to a beanbag, before being converted to the expanded configuration 2000. The form of the sealed swellable metal 110 may be locked in place when converted to the expanded configuration 2000. In this way, the particles 112 of swellable metal 110 in the sealant 120 may be used in a manner similar to a compression set packer.

As shown in fig. 1, the seal apparatus 100 is in an initial state 1000 such that the volume of the swellable metal 110 is unexpanded. As such, a gap exists between at least one surface of the sealing apparatus 100 and at least one surface 22 of the fluid passage 20 in the annulus 24 of the fluid passage 20. Fluid may flow through the gaps in the annulus 24. The swellable metal 110 is operable to form a seal against a surface of the fluid passage 20 when transformed in the annulus 24 thereof into an expanded configuration 2000 such that fluid communication across the swellable metal 110 in the annulus 24 is substantially restricted. The sealing device 100 creates a sealing pressure when a seal is formed against the surface 22 of the fluid passage 20. The seal pressure is the pressure that the seal can withstand before the seal is broken, for example, when the sealing device 100 is about to begin moving within the fluid passage 20.

Referring to fig. 4, a flow diagram according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. The method 400 is provided by way of example, as there are a variety of ways to perform the method. The method 400 described below may be performed, for example, using the configuration shown in fig. 4, and various elements of these figures are referenced in explaining the exemplary method 400. Each block shown in fig. 4 represents one or more processes, methods, or subroutines performed in exemplary method 400. Further, the order of the blocks shown is merely illustrative, and the order of the blocks may be changed according to the present disclosure. Additional blocks may be added or fewer blocks may be utilized without departing from the disclosure. Exemplary method 400 may begin at block 402.

At block 402, a sealing device is provided in an annulus of a fluid passage. The sealing apparatus includes a swellable metal that is convertible to an expanded configuration having an increased volume when exposed to a fluid and hydrolyzed. The sealing apparatus may further comprise a sealant. In other examples, the sealing apparatus does not include a sealant. The sealant encapsulates at least a portion of the swellable metal and is operable to allow fluid flow through the sealant. For example, the sealant can have pores such that fluid can flow through the pores to the swellable metal. The sealant may also protect the swellable metal from the acid in the fluid channel. The sealant may be elastic such that the swellable metal expands in a desired direction. The swellable metal may be a solid metal ring. In other examples, the swellable metal may be in particulate form. When in particulate form and encapsulated by the encapsulant, the sealing device may be able to conform to a desired shape within the fluid channel.

At block 404, the swellable metal is exposed to a fluid, and the swellable metal may transition from an initial configuration to an expanded configuration having an increased volume. The fluid hydrolyzes the swellable metal upon reaction with the swellable metal. The fluid may be, for example, saline. Water in the brine may react with the swellable metal such that the swellable metal hydrolyzes to a metal hydroxide and/or a metal oxide. When the swellable metal hydrolyzes to a metal hydroxide and/or metal oxide, the volume of the reactants is greater than the starting material. In this way, the volume of the swellable metal increases when in the expanded configuration.

At block 406, a seal is formed against a surface of the annulus by the swellable metal in the expanded configuration. The seal may be formed by placing a swellable metal directly against the surface of the annulus. In other examples, the seal may be formed by a sealant abutting a surface of the annulus. The seal formed by the sealing device prevents fluid communication across the sealing device within the annulus of the fluid passage. In this way, the sealing device isolates the section of the fluid channel from the fluid. If the seal does not sufficiently prevent fluid communication through the sealing apparatus, as may be appropriate, the swellable metal may be further dehydrated to allow further swelling of the swellable metal. In at least one example, the sealing apparatus can form a temporary seal such that the sealing apparatus can be removed at a desired time. In other examples, the sealing device may form a permanent seal such that the seal is not removed.