# US 2014/0196899 A1 · Degradable ball sealer > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0196899 A1 - Document ID: US20140196899A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/916,905 - Filed: 2013-06-13 - Published: 2014-07-17 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-17 - Assignees: Parker-Hannifin Corporation - Applicants: Parker-Hannifin Corporation - Inventors: Stephen W. JORDAN; Kenneth W. CORNETT; Paul A. DUDZINSKI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140196899A1 ## CPC - E21B 33/138: Plastering the borehole wall; Injecting into the formation - C22C 1/1036: {starting from a melt} - C22C 32/00: Non-ferrous alloys containing at least 5% by weight but less than 50% by weight of oxides, carbides, borides, nitrides, silicides or other metal compounds, e.g. oxynitrides, sulfides, whether added as such or formed in situ - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS - C22C: ALLOYS (treatment of alloys C21D, C22F) ## Abstract High strength, degradable ball sealer for temporarily sealing off lower zones in a wellbore from the flow of a fluid injected into the well. The degradable ball sealer may also seal openings formed through slidable packers or sleeves received within a tubing string in the well, from the flow of a fluid injected into the well. The ball sealer includes an aluminum-based alloy matrix containing gallium, with graphitic carbon particulate and salt particulate homogeneously distributed within the aluminum-based alloy matrix. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A degradable article constructed of a high strength material comprising: an aluminum-based alloy matrix containing gallium; and a plurality of carbon particles and a plurality of salt particles homogeneously distributed within the aluminum-based alloy matrix, wherein the concentration of gallium in the degradable article is highest at the outermost surface of the degradable article and the article is galvanically corrodible. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The degradable article of claim 1, wherein the salt is selected from among metal halides, metal sulphides and metal carbonates, wherein the metal comprises one or more of lithium, sodium, potassium, beryllium, magnesium, calcium and strontium. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The degradable article of claim 1 wherein the high strength material comprises 10 to 35 percent by weight carbon, 3 to 25 percent by weight salt, 1 to 10 percent by weight gallium, and 45 to 85 percent by weight aluminum-based alloy. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The degradable article of claim 1 wherein the high strength material comprises 15 to 20 percent by weight carbon, 5 to 20 percent by weight salt, 1 to 9 percent by weight gallium, and 55 to 80 percent by weight aluminum-based alloy. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The degradable article of claim 1 wherein the gallium is almost entirely distributed within the primary phase grains of the aluminum-based alloy matrix. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The degradable article of claim 5 wherein at least 95 weight percent of the gallium is incorporated within aluminum grains. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The degradable article of claim 1 wherein the ball sealer is generally spherical. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The degradable article of claim 1, wherein the article is a ball sealer for sealing an opening in a well from the flow of a fluid in the well, and the ball sealer is galvanically corrodible in the well so as to be dissolvable. ### Claim 9 A method of forming a reversible downhole seal with a degradable ball sealer, comprising: seating the degradable ball sealer in a downhole article configured to accommodate a surface shape of the ball sealer, the ball sealer comprising a high strength material comprising: an aluminum-based alloy matrix containing gallium; and a plurality of carbon particles and a plurality of salt particles homogeneously distributed within the aluminum-based alloy matrix, wherein the concentration of gallium in the ball sealer is highest at the outermost surface of the ball sealer; wherein the degradable ball sealer prevents fluid flow when seated. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the salt is selected from among metal halides, metal sulphides and metal carbonates, wherein the metal comprises one or more of lithium, sodium, potassium, beryllium, magnesium, calcium and strontium. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 wherein the high strength material comprises 10 to 35 percent by weight carbon, 3 to 25 percent by weight salt, 1 to 10 percent by weight gallium, and 45 to 85 percent by weight aluminum-based alloy. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 wherein the high strength material comprises 15 to 20 percent by weight carbon, 5 to 20 percent by weight salt, 1 to 9 percent by weight gallium, and 55 to 80 percent by weight aluminum-based alloy. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 wherein seating comprises placing the ball sealer in a downhole environment and applying pressure to the downhole environment. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9 further comprising unseating the ball sealer by reducing the pressure applied to the downhole environment to a pressure below that of an ambient downhole pressure. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 further comprising corroding the ball sealer. ### Claim 16 A method of making a high strength, degradable article, the method comprising: forming a compacted preform from a powder mixture comprising a plurality of carbon particles, a plurality of salt particles and a binding agent; heating the compacted preform to remove the binding agent and create a plurality of pores within the preform; infiltrating the pores of the preform with an aluminum-based alloy to form an article comprising an aluminum-based alloy matrix with carbon particulate and salt particulate distributed within the aluminum-based alloy matrix; and diffusing gallium into the aluminum-based alloy matrix, wherein the concentration of gallium in the article is highest at the outermost surface of the article and the article is galvanically corrodible. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the salt is selected from among metal halides, metal sulphides and metal carbonates, wherein the metal comprises one or more of lithium, sodium, potassium, beryllium, magnesium, calcium and strontium. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein the high strength degradable article comprises 10 to 35 percent by weight carbon, 3 to 25 percent by weight salt, 1 to 10 percent by weight gallium, and 45 to 85 percent by weight aluminum-based alloy. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein the powder mixture further comprises gallium. ### Claim 20 A method of reversibly sealing an opening in a well from the flow of a fluid in the well, the fluid having a specific gravity, and the method comprising the steps of: (a) injecting into the well a ball sealer formed of a high-strength metallic material, the material comprising an aluminum-based alloy matrix containing gallium; and a plurality of carbon particles and a plurality of salt particules homogeneously distributed within the aluminum-based alloy matrix, wherein the concentration of gallium in the ball sealer is highest at the outermost surface of the ball sealer; and (b) galvanically corroding the material so as to dissolve the ball sealer.