# US 2016/0258272 A1 · Improving Reliability in a High-Temperature Environment > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2016/0258272 A1 - Document ID: US20160258272A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/031,324 - Filed: 2013-12-27 - Published: 2016-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2013-12-27 - Assignees: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. - Applicants: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. - Inventors: Clovis S. Bonavides; William George Dillon - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160258272A1 ## CPC - H05K 5/0211: {Thermal buffers, e.g. latent heat absorbers} - E21B 47/017: Protecting measuring instruments - E21B 47/0175: {Cooling arrangements} - H05K 5/0209: {Thermal insulation, e.g. for fire protection or for fire containment or for high temperature environments} - B29L 2031/757: {Moulds, cores, dies} - B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing - B33Y 50/02: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS - B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES - B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING ## Abstract A housing contains an internal volume. A heat-sensitive device is contained by the housing and consumes a device percentage of the internal volume. The device percentage equals the percentage of the internal volume of the housing consumed by the heat-sensitive device. A phase-change material is positioned within the housing to conduct heat from the heat-sensitive device. The phase-change material consumes a percentage of the internal volume equal to 100 percent minus the device percentage minus an expansion percentage. The phase-change material expands in volume by an amount more than 75 percent of the expansion percentage upon occurrence of a phase-change event. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus comprising: a housing containing an internal volume; a heat-sensitive device contained by the housing and consuming a device percentage of the internal volume, wherein the device percentage equals the percentage of the internal volume of the housing consumed by the heat-sensitive device; and a phase-change material positioned within the housing to conduct heat from the heat-sensitive device, wherein the phase-change material consumes a percentage of the internal volume equal to 100 percent minus the device percentage minus an expansion percentage, wherein the phase-change material expands in volume by an amount more than 75 percent of the expansion percentage upon occurrence of a phase-change event. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: the phase-change material comprises a paraffin wax. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the phase-change event is the heat-sensitive device reaching a phase-change temperature, Tc. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a vacuum flask containing the housing. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: an expansion housing that contains the housing; and a valve in a wall of the housing that allows the phase-change material to flow from the housing into the expansion housing. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the valve is a check valve that prevents flow from the expansion housing into the housing ### Claim 7 A method comprising: enclosing a heat-sensitive device in a housing, wherein: the housing has an internal volume, the heat-sensitive device consumes a device percentage of the internal volume, and the device percentage equals the percentage of the internal volume of the housing consumed by the heat-sensitive device; positioning a phase-change material within the housing to conduct heat from the heat-sensitive device, wherein: the phase-change material consumes a percentage of the internal volume equal to 100 percent minus the device percentage minus an expansion percentage, and the phase-change material expands in volume by an amount more than 75 percent of the expansion percentage upon occurrence of a phase-change event. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 further comprising: exposing the housing to a circumstance in which the phase-change event occurs, causing the phase-change material to change phases and become exhausted; removing the exhausted phase-change material; and enclosing a fresh phase-change material in the housing. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8 wherein the circumstance comprises exposing the housing to heat such that the phase-change material reaches a phase-change temperature, Tc. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 further comprising: enclosing the housing in an expansion housing; and inserting a valve in a wall of the housing that allows phase-change material to flow from the housing into the expansion housing. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10 wherein inserting a valve comprises inserting a check valve that prevents flow from the expansion housing into the housing. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising: enclosing the housing in a vacuum flask. ### Claim 13 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 further comprising: creating a mold for the phase-change material to match a three-dimensional contour of the heat-sensitive device; and molding the phase-change material using the mold. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 wherein creating the mold comprises using a three dimensional printer to create the mold. ### Claim 15 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7 further comprising: disposing the housing downhole. ### Claim 16 A method comprising: constructing a drill string, wherein the drill string comprises a tool section, wherein the tool section comprises: a housing containing an internal volume, a heat-sensitive device contained by the housing and consuming a device percentage of the internal volume, wherein the device percentage equals the percentage of the internal volume of the housing consumed by the heat-sensitive device, and a phase-change material positioned within the housing to conduct heat from the heat-sensitive device, wherein the phase-change material consumes a percentage of the internal volume equal to 100 percent minus the device percentage minus an expansion percentage, wherein the phase-change material expands in volume by an amount more than 75 percent of the expansion percentage upon occurrence of a phase-change event. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 further comprising: exposing the tool section to a circumstance in which the phase-change event occurs while using the drill string to drill a well thereby causing the phase-change material to change phases and become exhausted; removing the exhausted phase-change material; and enclosing a fresh phase-change material in the housing. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein the circumstance comprises exposing the tool section to heat such that the phase-change material reaches a phase-change temperature, T. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 further comprising: creating a mold for the phase-change material to match a three-dimensional contour of the heat-sensitive device; and molding the phase-change material using the mold. ### Claim 20 (canceled) ### Claim 21 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16 wherein the phase-change material expands in volume upon occurrence of the phase-change event so that the volume of the heat-sensitive device plus the volume of the phase-change material is greater than 100 percent.