PERMEABLE MATERIAL COMPACTING METHOD AND APPARATUS

• US 20130032276A1
• Filed: 08/05/2011
• Published: 02/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Guest, Randall V.
• Granted Patent: US 8,511,361 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/185
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 53/60 using internal forming surfaces, e.g. mandrels
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 18/00 Winding webs
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/37 Tapes
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 81/08 by feeding material obliquely to the axis of the core
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/082 Screens comprising porous materials, e.g. prepacked screens

Abstract

A permeable material compacting method includes, feeding permeable material between at least one set of rollers, decreasing a thickness of the permeable material, and wrapping the permeable material around a mandrel in a helical fashion.

Claims

1. A permeable material compacting method comprising:

feeding permeable material between at least one set of rollers;

decreasing a thickness of the permeable material; and

wrapping the permeable material around a mandrel in a helical fashion.

2. The permeable material compacting method of claim 1, further comprising heating the permeable material.

3. The permeable material compacting method of claim 1, further comprising cooling the permeable material.

4. The permeable material compacting method of claim 1, further comprising heating the at least one set of rollers.

5. The permeable material compacting method of claim 1, further comprising cooling the mandrel.

6. The permeable material compacting method of claim 1, further comprising limiting increases in thickness of the permeable material after decreasing a thickness thereof and before wrapping the permeable material around the mandrel.

7. The permeable material compacting method of claim 1, further comprising compacting the permeable material between the mandrel and at least one second roller.

8. The permeable material compacting method of claim 1, further comprising abutting opposing edges of the permeable material as it is helically wrapped around the mandrel.

9. The permeable material compacting method of claim 1, further comprising:

feeding a second stream of permeable material between at least one second set of rollers;

decreasing a thickness of the permeable material of the second stream; and

wrapping the second stream of the permeable material around the mandrel in a helical fashion radially outwardly of a first stream of the permeable material.

10. A permeable material compacting apparatus comprising:

a mandrel; and

at least one set of rollers having rotational axes parallel to one another, and having surfaces defining a minimum dimension therebetween configured to compact permeable material rolled therebetween to a thickness of the minimum dimension, the rotational axes being skewed relative to an axis of the mandrel such that permeable material compacted by the at least one set of rollers is windable onto the mandrel in a helical fashion.

11. The permeable material compacting apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one set of rollers include a heater or a cooler.

12. The permeable material compacting apparatus of claim 10, wherein the mandrel includes a heater or a cooler.

13. The permeable material compacting apparatus of claim 10, further comprising at least one second roller in operable communication with the mandrel having an axis substantially parallel to an axis of the mandrel.

14. The permeable material compacting apparatus of claim 13, wherein a surface of the at least one second roller and a surface of the mandrel define a minimum distance therebetween that is substantially equal to the minimum dimension.

15. The permeable material compacting apparatus of claim 13, wherein at least one of the at least one second roller includes a heater or a cooler.

16. The permeable material compacting apparatus of claim 10, wherein the surfaces of the at least one set of rollers that define the minimum dimension are cylindrical.

17. The permeable material compacting apparatus of claim 10, further comprising restraining members, positioned between the at least one set of rollers and the mandrel configured to limit expansion of the thickness of the permeable material while moving therebetween.

18. The permeable material compacting apparatus of claim 17, wherein restraining members include heaters or coolers.

19. The permeable material compacting apparatus of claim 10, wherein a plane including the rotational axes of the at least one set of rollers defines a helix angle for which the permeable material would be wound around the mandrel.

20. The permeable material compacting apparatus of claim 19, wherein the helix angle, width of the permeable material and a radial dimension of the mandrel are selected to cause opposing edges of the permeable material to abut one another when helically wound around the mandrel.

21. The permeable material compacting apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a second set of rollers having rotational axes parallel to one another, and having surfaces defining a second minimum dimension therebetween configured to compact a second stream of permeable material rolled therebetween to a thickness of the second minimum dimension, the rotational axes of the second set of rollers being skewed relative to the rotational axes of the first set of rollers and the axis of the mandrel such that the second stream of permeable material compacted by the second set of rollers is windable onto the mandrel in a helical fashion radially outwardly of a first stream of permeable material.

22. The permeable material compacting apparatus of claim 21, wherein the second steam of permeable material is offset relative to the first stream such that edges of the first stream do not align with edges of the second stream.