Determining the leaching profile of a cutter on a drilling tool

• US 10,444,167 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2014
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Liang, Qi, Saini, Gagan
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomas, Courtney D
• Application Number:
  US15/521,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20170307547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,786 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/33 scanning, i.e. relative motion for measurement of successive object-parts
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/3308 object translates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/61 thin films, coatings
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2223/652 impurities, foreign matter, trace amounts
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/083 the radiation being X-rays
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/18 Investigating the presence of flaws defects or foreign matter

Abstract

In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, systems and methods for determining the leaching profile of a cutter on a drilling tool are disclosed. The method includes applying an X-ray impermeable layer to a surface of a leached PCD element with residual infiltrant. The method also includes moving the element through an X-ray beam. The method further includes detecting an X-ray intensity received by an X-ray detector. The method further includes generating a leaching profile of the leached PCD element based on the X-ray intensity.

Claims

1. A method for detecting residual infiltrant in a leached PCD element comprising:

applying a first X-ray impermeable layer to a first surface of a leached PCD element with residual infiltrant;

displacing the element across an X-ray beam;

detecting an X-ray intensity received by an X-ray detector;

generating a first leaching profile of the leached PCD element, the first leaching profile comprising a plot of X-ray intensity versus displacement of the PCD element across the X-ray beam;

calculating a first leaching depth of the leached PCD element based on a location of the first X-ray impermeable layer and the X-ray intensity; and

calculating a residual infiltrate concentration for at least a portion of the leached PCD element based on an X-ray permeability of the portion of the leached PCD element and a reference table for the residual infiltrant.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the X-ray impermeable layer is a metal tape, a metal disposition, or a metal coating.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the X-ray impermeable layer is greater than a width of the X-ray beam.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the X-ray beam is a point scanning beam.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the X-ray beam is a line scanning beam.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising rotating the leached PCD element across the X-ray beam.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying a second X-ray impermeable layer to a second surface of a leached PCD element with residual infiltrant;

displacing the element across the X-ray beam;

detecting the X-ray intensity received by the X-ray detector;

generating a second leaching profile of the leached PCD element, the second leaching profile comprising a plot of X-ray intensity versus displacement of the PCD element across the X-ray beam; and

calculating a second leaching depth of the leached PCD element based on a location of the second X-ray impermeable layer and the X-ray intensity.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference table correlates X-ray impermeability to actual infiltrant concentration as determined by SEM-EDX.

9. A system for detecting residual infiltrant in a leached PCD element comprising:

a leached PCD element with residual infiltrant;

a first X-ray impermeable layer applied to a first surface of a leached PCD element with residual infiltrant; and

an X-ray testing device operable to;

expose the leached PCD element to an X-ray beam;

displace the leached PCD element across the X-ray beam;

detect an X-ray intensity received by an X-ray detector;

generate a first leaching profile of the leached PCD element, the first leaching profile comprising a plot of X-ray intensity versus displacement of the PCD element across the X-ray beam;

calculate a first leaching depth of the leached PCD element based on a location of the first X-ray impermeable layer and the X-ray intensity; and

calculate a residual infiltrate concentration for at least a portion of the leached PCD element based on an X-ray permeability of the portion of the leached PCD element and a reference table for the residual infiltrant.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the X-ray impermeable layer is a metal tape, a metal disposition, or a metal coating.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein a thickness of the X-ray impermeable layer is greater than a width of the X-ray beam.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the X-ray beam is a point scanning beam.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the X-ray beam is a line scanning beam.

14. The system of claim 9, the X-ray testing device is further operable to rotate the leached PCD element across the X-ray beam.

15. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a second X-ray impermeable layer applied to a second surface of a leached PCD element with residual infiltrant; and

the X-ray testing device operable to;

generate a second leaching profile of the leached PCD element the second leaching profile comprising a plot of X-ray intensity versus displacement of the PCD element across the X-ray beam; and

calculate a second leaching depth of the leached PCD element based on a location of the first X-ray impermeable layer and the X-ray intensity.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the reference table correlates X-ray impermeability to actual infiltrant concentration as determined by SEM-EDX.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, the instructions executable by one or more processors to facilitate performing a method for detecting residual infiltrant in an element, the method comprising:

applying a first X-ray impermeable layer to a first surface of a leached PCD element with residual infiltrant;

displacing the element across an X-ray beam;

detecting an X-ray intensity received by an X-ray detector;

generating a first leaching profile of the leached PCD element, the first leaching profile comprising a plot of X-ray intensity versus displacement of the PCD element across the X-ray beam;

calculating a first leaching depth of the leached PCD element based on a location of the first X-ray impermeable layer and the X-ray intensity; and

calculating a residual infiltrate concentration for at least a portion of the leached PCD element based on an X-ray permeability of the portion of the leached PCD element and a reference table for the residual infiltrant.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein a thickness of the X-ray impermeable layer is greater than a width of the X-ray beam.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, the method further comprising:

applying a second X-ray impermeable layer to a second surface of a leached PCD element with residual infiltrant;

displacing the element across the X-ray beam;

detecting the X-ray intensity received by the X-ray detector;

generating a second leaching profile of the leached PCD element, the second leaching profile comprising a plot of X-ray intensity versus displacement of the PCD element across the X-ray beam; and

calculating a second leaching depth of the leached PCD element based on a location of the second X-ray impermeable layer and the X-ray intensity.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the reference table correlates X-ray impermeability to actual infiltrant concentration as determined by SEM-EDX.