US 12,584,371 B2 · Syntactic foam pressure housing

Abstract

Systems and methods for forming and using a pressure housing to protect a downhole tool in a wellbore include machining an initial syntactic foam body into a pressure housing structure and post-curing the pressure housing structure in a programmable oven at a time-temperature program to produce a post-cured syntactic foam structure. Methods for protecting a downhole tool in a wellbore include containing the downhole tool in a post-cured syntactic foam structure, placing the structure in the wellbore and using the downhole tool contained in the post-cured syntactic foam structure in the wellbore, floating the post-cured syntactic foam structure containing the downhole to a surface location, and retrieving the post-cured syntactic foam structure containing the downhole tool. Systems for protecting a downhole tool in a wellbore include a post-cured syntactic foam structure positioned in the wellbore and a downhole tool pressure sealed within the post-cured syntactic foam structure.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A method, comprising:

machining an initial syntactic foam body made of syntactic foam into an initial pressure housing structure;
and
post-curing the initial pressure housing structure in a programmable oven at a time-temperature program to produce a post-cured syntactic foam structure in a form of a pressure housing, wherein the time-temperature program comprises the following steps:
heating the initial pressure housing structure in the programmable oven to a first temperature of about 30° C.;
holding at the first temperature for about 90 min;
heating for about 30 min to a second temperature of about 50° C.;
holding at the second temperature for about 150 min;
heating for about 60 min to a third temperature of about 95° C.;
holding at the third temperature for about 150 min;
cooling for about 180 min to a fourth temperature of about 25° C.;
and
holding at the fourth temperature for about 10 min.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Syntactic foam pressure housing

Life of this patent

Syntactic foam pressure housing

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14