Scale-inhibiting coating
Disclosed is a coating for inhibiting the formation of scales on one or more surfaces of a component used in the production of subsurface fluids. The coating comprises a diamond-like carbon structure doped with a dopant, such as silicon, titanium, fluorine, oxygen, or chromium. The dopant comprises between about 10% and about 40% of the coating by atom.
1. An article having a scale-inhibiting coating, comprising:
a substrate used in the production of subsurface fluids; and
a coating applied to at least one surface of the substrate, the coating comprising a diamond-like carbon structure doped with a dopant that comprises fluorine, a combination of silicon and oxygen, or a combination of silicon, oxygen, and fluorine, the coating comprising the dopant at a concentration of between about 10 and about 40 atomic percent, and the coating having an outer surface opposite the substrate and facing the subsurface fluids,
wherein the diamond-like carbon structure contains between about 60 percent and about 90 percent of sp2 bonded carbon.
2. The article of claim 1 , wherein the dopant comprises the combination of silicon and oxygen.
3. The article of claim 2 , the diamond-like carbon structure comprising the dopant at a concentration of about 30 atomic percent.
4. The article of claim 1 , having a thickness of less than or equal to about 15 microns.
5. The article of claim 1 , the diamond-like carbon structure having a contact angle hysteresis of less than or equal to about 10 degrees.
6. The article of claim 1 , wherein the diamond-like carbon structure is formed using physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, primary ion beam deposition, or closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering.
7. The article of claim 1 , wherein the surface of the substrate is a metallic surface or a ceramic surface.
8. The article of claim 1 , wherein the subsurface fluid is a hydrocarbon or brine.
9. The article of claim 8 , the article being a component used in the production of a subsurface fluid, comprising a seal or a sealing device component, a plug, a screen, a tubular, a coupling or coupling device component, a slip, a restraint, a chamber disc, a seal bore protector, a whipstock or a component thereof, a centralizer, a pin or set screw, a flapper, a biasing member, a gas generator, a milling device or associated component, a cutting device or component thereof, a packing or zone isolation device, or a valve.
10. The article of claim 9 , wherein the component comprises a subsurface component.
11. An apparatus for production of a subsurface fluid, comprising:
one or more components configured to contact a subsurface fluid; and
a scale-inhibiting coating deposited on one or more surfaces of the one or more components, the coating comprising a diamond-like carbon structure doped with a dopant that comprises fluorine, a combination of silicon and oxygen, or a combination of silicon, oxygen, and fluorine, the coating comprising the dopant at a concentration of between about 10 and about 40 atomic percent, and the coating having an outer surface facing the subsurface fluids,
wherein the diamond-like carbon structure contains between about 60 percent and about 90 percent of sp2 bonded carbon.
12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the dopant comprises the combination of silicon and oxygen.
13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the coating has a thickness of less than or equal to about 15 microns.
14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the component is used in a well.
15. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the component is a subsurface safety valve, a flow control valve, a production tubing, a biasing member, or a sleeve.
16. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the subsurface fluid is a hydrocarbon.
17. The article of claim 1 , further comprising a bonding layer beneath the diamond like carbon structure and adjacent to the surface of the substrate.
18. The article of claim 17 , wherein the bonding layer comprises chromium, silicon, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.
19. The article of claim 1 , wherein the surface of the substrate comprises a textured surface, the textured surface comprising a micro texture, a micro-nano texture, or a combination of a micro texture and a micro-nano texture; and the coating is disposed on the textured surface.
20. The article of claim 19 , wherein the textured surface is selected such that the hydrophobicity of the coating is increased by greater than 30%, as determined by comparing the contact angle of water with the coating on a surface without any texture and the contact angle of water with the same coating on a surface having the texture.
21. The apparatus of claim 11 , further comprising a bonding layer beneath the diamond like carbon structure and adjacent to the one or more surfaces of the one or more components.
22. The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the bonding layer comprises chromium, silicon, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.
23. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein one or more surfaces of the one or more components comprise a textured surface, the textured surface comprising a micro texture, a micro-nano texture, or a combination of a micro texture and a micro-nano texture; and the coating is disposed on the textured surface.