Textured surfaces of expanding metal for centralizer, mixing, and differential sticking
AssigneeHalliburton Energy Services, Inc.
InventorsMichael Linley Fripp, Andrew Penno
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided is an expandable metal centralizer for use in a wellbore. The expandable metal centralizer, in one aspect, includes a downhole tubular positionable on a downhole conveyance in a wellbore. In accordance with this aspect, the expandable metal centralizer additionally includes one or more wellbore centralizing elements radially extending from the downhole tubular, wherein at least one of the downhole tubular or the one or more wellbore centralizing elements comprises a metal configured to expand in response to hydrolysis.
Claims40
An expandable metal centralizer for use in a wellbore, comprising:
- a downhole tubular positionable on a downhole conveyance in a wellbore;
- and
- two or more wellbore centralizing elements circumferentially spaced about and radially extending from the downhole tubular, wherein at least one of the downhole tubular or the two or more wellbore centralizing elements comprises a metal configured to expand in response to hydrolysis, wherein the downhole tubular comprises a first metal configured to expand in response to hydrolysis and the two or more wellbore centralizing elements comprise a second metal configured to expand in response to hydrolysis.
A well system, comprising:
- a wellbore positioned within a subterranean formation;
- a downhole conveyance located within the wellbore;
- and
- an expandable metal centralizer coupled to the downhole conveyance, the expandable metal centralizer including;
- a downhole tubular positioned on the downhole conveyance;
- and
- two or more wellbore centralizing elements radially extending from the downhole tubular, wherein at least one of the downhole tubular or the two or more wellbore centralizing elements comprises a metal configured to expand in response to hydrolysis, wherein the downhole tubular comprises a first metal configured to expand in response to hydrolysis and the two or more wellbore centralizing elements comprise a second metal configured to expand in response to hydrolysis.
A method for centralizing a downhole conveyance, the method comprising:
- positioning a downhole conveyance at a desired location within wellbore casing located within a wellbore of a subterranean formation, the downhole conveyance having a pre-expansion expandable metal centralizer coupled thereto, the pre-expansion expandable metal centralizer including;
- a downhole tubular positioned on the downhole conveyance;
- and
- two or more wellbore centralizing elements radially extending from the downhole tubular, wherein at least one of the downhole tubular or the two or more wellbore centralizing elements comprises a metal configured to expand in response to hydrolysis, wherein the downhole tubular comprises a first metal configured to expand in response to hydrolysis and the two or more wellbore centralizing elements comprise a second metal configured to expand in response to hydrolysis;
- and
- subjecting the pre-expansion expandable metal centralizer to a wellbore fluid to expand the metal into contact with the wellbore casing.
The method as recited in 36, wherein the hydrolysis forms a structure comprising one of a Brucite, Gibbsite, bayerite, and norstrandite.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.