Downhole tools having controlled disintegration
View Patent ↗A multilayered unit includes a core comprising an energetic material and an activator; a support layer disposed on the core; and a protective layer disposed on the support layer, wherein the support layer and the protective layer each independently comprises a polymeric material, a metallic material, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing, provided that the support layer is compositionally different from the protective layer. The multilayered unit can be embedded in a component, attached to a component, or disposed between two components of a downhole assembly. The downhole assembly containing the multilayered unit has controlled disintegration in a downhole environment.
1. A downhole article comprising:
a matrix; and
a multilayered unit embedded in the matrix, the multilayered unit including:
a core comprising an energetic material and an activator;
a support layer disposed on the core; and
a protective layer disposed on the support layer,
wherein the support layer comprises a first material and the protective layer comprises a second material, the first material and the second material each independently comprises a polymeric material, a metallic material, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing, provided that the first material is different from the second material.
2. The downhole article of claim 1 , wherein the multilayered unit has at least one stress concentration location.
3. The downhole article of claim 1 , the matrix has a pre-crack around the multilayered unit.
4. The downhole article of claim 1 , wherein the activator is a device that is effective to generate spark, electrical current, or a combination thereof to active the energetic material.
5. The downhole article of claim 1 , wherein the energetic material comprises a thermite, a thermate, a solid propellant fuel, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.
6. The downhole article of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and the second materials comprises the metallic material, and the metallic material comprises Zn, Mg, Al, Mn, iron, an alloy thereof, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.
7. The downhole article of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second materials comprises the polymeric material, and the polymeric material comprises a polyethylene glycol, a polypropylene glycol, a polyglycolic acid, a polycaprolactone, a polydioxanone, a polyhydroxyalkanoate, a polyhydroxybutyrate, a copolymer thereof, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.
8. The downhole article of claim 1 , wherein the support layer comprises the metallic material; and the protective layer comprises the polymeric material.
9. The downhole article of claim 1 , wherein the support layer comprises the polymeric material; and the protective layer comprises the metallic material.
10. The downhole article of claim 1 , wherein the core is present in an amount of 5 to 80 vol %, the support layer is present in an amount of 20 to 95 vol %, and the protective layer is present in an amount of 0.1 to 20 vol %, each based on the total volume of the multilayered unit.
11. The downhole article of claim 1 , wherein the matrix is formed from a corrodible metallic material.
12. The downhole article of claim 11 , wherein the downhole article comprises a plurality of the multilayered units embedded in the matrix.
13. A downhole assembly comprising the downhole article of claim 1 .
14. A method of controllably removing a downhole article, the method comprising:
disposing the downhole article of claim 1 in a downhole environment;
performing a downhole operation;
activating the energetic material; and
disintegrating the downhole article.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein disintegrating the downhole article comprises breaking the downhole article into a plurality of discrete pieces; and the method further comprises corroding the discrete pieces in a downhole fluid.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein activating the energetic material comprises triggering the activator by a preset timer, a characteristic acoustic wave generated by a perforation from a following stage, a pressure signal from fracking fluid, an electrochemical signal interacting with a wellbore fluid, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.
17. A downhole assembly comprising a first component, a second component, and a multilayered unit disposed between the first and second components, the multilayered unit including:
a core comprising an energetic material and an activator;
a support layer disposed on the core; and
a protective layer disposed on the support layer, wherein the support layer comprises a first material and the protective layer comprises a second material, each of the first and second materials independently comprises a polymeric material, a metallic material, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing, provided that the first material is different from the second material.
18. The downhole article of claim 17 , wherein the activator is a device that is effective to generate spark, electrical current, or a combination thereof to active the energetic material.
19. The downhole assembly of claim 17 , wherein the first component, the second component, or both comprise Zn, Mg, Al, Mn, an alloy thereof, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.
20. The downhole assembly of claim 17 , wherein the multilayered unit has at least one stress concentration location.
21. The downhole assembly of claim 17 , wherein at least one of the first and second materials comprises the polymeric material, the polymeric material comprises a polyethylene glycol, a polypropylene glycol, a polyglycolic acid, a polycaprolactone, a polydioxanone, a polyhydroxyalkanoate, a polyhydroxybutyrate, a copolymer thereof, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.
22. A method of controllably removing a downhole assembly, the method comprising:
disposing the downhole assembly of claim 17 in a downhole environment;
performing a downhole operation;
activating the energetic material in the multilayered unit; and
disintegrating the downhole assembly.
23. The method of claim 22 , wherein disintegrating the downhole assembly comprises breaking the downhole assembly into a plurality of discrete pieces; and the method further comprises corroding the discrete pieces in a downhole fluid.
24. The method of claim 22 , wherein activating the energetic material comprises triggering the activator by a preset timer, a characteristic acoustic wave generated by a perforation from a following stage, a pressure signal from fracking fluid, an electrochemical signal interacting with a wellbore fluid, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.