Prevention, actuation and control of deployment of memory-shape polymer foam-based expandables
Actuation and control of the deployment of a polymeric memory-shape material on a wellbore device on a downhole tool may be accomplished by treating a compacted or compressed polymeric memory-shape material with a deployment fluid to lower its T g and/or decrease its rigidity, thereby softening the polymeric shape-memory material at a given temperature and triggering its expansion or recovery at a lower temperature. Alternatively, the deployment of the compacted or compressed polymeric memory-shape material may be prevented or inhibited by shielding the material with an environment of a fluid that does not substantially lower its T g , decrease its rigidity or both, and then subsequently contacting the material with a deployment fluid.
1. A wellbore device comprising:
at least one polymeric shape-memory material having an original glass transition temperature (T g ) and an original rigidity; and
a deployment fluid contacting the polymeric shape-memory material in an amount effective to have an effect upon the polymeric shape-memory material, the effect selected from the group consisting of lowering the T g , decreasing the rigidity, and both, where the deployment fluid is selected from the group consisting of dimethyl sulfoxide, ketones, alcohols, glycols, ethers, and mixtures thereof;
where the wellbore device has the property that when substantially all of the deployment fluid is removed from the polymeric shape-memory material, an effect is obtained selected from the group consisting of restoring the T g to within at least about 90% of the original T g restoring the rigidity within at least about 25% of the original rigidity, and both.
2. The wellbore device of claim 1 where the polymeric shape-memory material is selected from the group consisting of polyurethanes, polyurethanes made by reacting a polycarbonate polyol with a polyisocyanate, polyamides, polyureas, polyvinyl alcohols, vinyl alcohol-vinyl ester copolymers, phenolic polymers, polybenzimidazoles, polyethylene oxide/acrylic acid/methacrylic acid copolymer crosslinked with N,N′-methylene-bis-acrylamide, polyethylene oxide/methacrylic acid/N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone copolymer crosslinked with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, polyethylene oxide/poly(methyl methacrylate)/N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone copolymer crosslinked with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, and combinations thereof.
3. The wellbore device of claim 1 where the polymeric shape-memory material is a polyurethane formed by a process comprising reacting a polycarbonate polyol with an isocyanate.
4. The wellbore device of claim 1 where the wellbore device is selected from the group consisting of an expansion tool, a screen, a packer, an isolation plug and combinations thereof.
5. The wellbore device of claim 1 where the polymeric shape-memory material is in an altered geometric position different from an original geometric position.
6. A wellbore device comprising:
a substrate;
at least one polymeric shape-memory material on the substrate, the polymeric shape-memory material having an original glass transition temperature (T g ) and an original rigidity, where the polymeric shape-memory material is selected from the group consisting of polyurethanes, polyurethanes made by reacting a polycarbonate with a polyisocyanate, polyamides, polyureas, polyvinyl alcohols, vinyl alcohol-vinyl ester copolymers, phenolic polymers, polybenzimidazoles, polyethylene oxide/acrylic acid/methacrylic acid copolymer crosslinked with N,N′-methylene-bis-acrylamide, polyethylene oxide/methacrylic acid/N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone copolymer crosslinked with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, polyethylene oxide/poly(methyl methacrylate)/N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone copolymer crosslinked with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, and combinations thereof; and
a deployment fluid contacting the polymeric shape-memory material in an amount effective to have an effect upon the polymeric shape-memory material, the effect selected from the group consisting of lowering the T g resulting in a second and lower T g , decreasing the original rigidity resulting in a second, decreased rigidity, and both, where the deployment fluid is selected from the group consisting of dimethyl sulfoxide, ketones, alcohols, glycols, ethers, and mixtures thereof;
where the wellbore device has the property that when substantially all of the deployment fluid is removed from the polymeric shape-memory material, an effect is obtained selected from the group consisting of restoring the T g to within at least about 90% of the original T g , restoring the rigidity within at least about 25% of the original rigidity, and both.
7. The wellbore device of claim 6 where the polymeric shape-memory material is a polyurethane formed by a process comprising reacting a polycarbonate polyol with an isocyanate.
8. The wellbore device of claim 6 where the wellbore device is selected from the group consisting of an expansion tool, a screen, a packer, an isolation plug and combinations thereof.
9. The wellbore device of claim 6 where the polymeric shape-memory material is in an altered geometric position different from an original geometric position.
10. A method of installing a wellbore device on a downhole tool in a wellbore, the method comprising:
introducing the downhole tool bearing the wellbore device into a wellbore, where the wellbore device comprises at least one polymeric shape-memory material having an original glass transition temperature (T g ) and an original rigidity, where the polymeric shape-memory material is in an altered geometric position and the polymeric shape-memory material is contacted by a first fluid;
substantially removing the first fluid;
contacting the polymeric shape-memory material with a deployment fluid in an amount effective to have an effect upon the polymeric shape-memory material, the effect selected from the group consisting of lowering the T g , decreasing the rigidity, and both, where the deployment fluid is selected from the group consisting of dimethyl sulfoxide, ketones, alcohols, glycols, ethers, and mixtures thereof; and
recovering the polymeric shape-memory material from its altered geometric position for run-in to a recovered geometric position;
where the wellbore device has the property that when substantially all of the deployment fluid is removed from the polymeric shape-memory material, an effect is obtained selected from the group consisting of restoring the T g to within at least about 90% of the original T g restoring the rididity within at least about 25% of the original rigidity, and both.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising expanding the polymeric shape-memory material from its altered geometric position to a recovered geometric position.
12. The method of claim 10 where the polymeric shape-memory material is selected from the group consisting of polyurethanes, polyurethanes made by reacting a polycarbonate polyol with a polyisocyanate, polyamides, polyureas, polyvinyl alcohols, vinyl alcohol-vinyl ester copolymers, phenolic polymers, polybenzimidazoles, polyethylene oxide/acrylic acid/methacrylic acid copolymer crosslinked with N,N′-methylene-bis-acrylamide, polyethylene oxide/methacrylic acid/N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone copolymer crosslinked with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, polyethylene oxide/poly(methyl methacrylate)/N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone copolymer crosslinked with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, and combinations thereof.
13. The method of claim 10 where the polymeric shape-memory material is a polyurethane formed by a process comprising reacting a polycarbonate polyol with an isocyanate.
14. The method of claim 10 where the wellbore device is selected from the group consisting of an expansion tool, a screen, a packer, an isolation plug and combinations thereof.
15. A method of installing a wellbore device on a downhole tool in a wellbore, the method comprising:
introducing the downhole tool bearing the wellbore device into a wellbore, where the wellbore device comprises:
a substrate; and
at least one polymeric shape-memory material on the substrate, the polymeric shape-memory material having an original glass transition temperature (T g ) and an original rigidity, where the polymeric shape-memory material is in an altered geometric position and the polymeric shape-memory material is contacted by a first fluid, where the polymeric shape-memory material is selected from the group consisting of polyurethanes, polyurethanes made by reacting a polycarbonate polyol with a polyisocyanate, polyamides, polyureas, polyvinyl alcohols, vinyl alcohol-vinyl ester copolymers, phenolic polymers, polybenzimidazoles, polyethylene oxide/acrylic acid/methacrylic acid copolymer crosslinked with N,N′-methylene-bis-acrylamide, polyethylene oxide/methacrylic acid/N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone copolymer crosslinked with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, polyethylene oxide/poly(methyl methacrylate)/N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone copolymer crosslinked with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, and combinations thereof;
substantially removing the first fluid;
contacting the polymeric shape-memory material with a deployment fluid in an amount effective to have an effect upon the polymeric shape-memory material, the effect selected from the group consisting of lowering the T g resulting in a second and lower T g , decreasing the original rigidity resulting in a second, decreased rigidity, and both, where the deployment fluid is selected from the group consisting of dimethyl sulfoxide, ketones, alcohols, glycols, ethers, and mixtures thereof; and
recovering the polymeric shape-memory material from its altered geometric position for run-in to a recovered geometric position,
where the wellbore device has the property that when substantially all of the deployment fluid is removed from the polymeric shape-memory material, an effect is obtained selected from the group consisting of restoring the T g to within at least about 90% of the original T g , restoring the rigidity within at least about 25% of the original rigidity, and both.
16. The method of claim 15 where the polymeric shape-memory material is a polyurethane formed by a process comprising reacting a polycarbonate polyol with an isocyanate.
17. The method of claim 15 where the wellbore device is selected from the group consisting of an expansion tool, a screen, a packer, an isolation plug and combinations thereof.