High strength alloys

• US 7,785,427 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2007
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Original Assignee: Shell Oil Company (Shell Plc)
• Inventors: Shingledecker, John Paul, John, Randy Carl, Santella, Michael Leonard, Schneibel, Joachim Hugo, Maziasz, Phillip James, Vinegar, Harold J., Kim, Dong Sub, Sikka, Vinod Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Yee; Deborah
• Application Number:
  US11/788,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20080038144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 420/49, 420/58, 420/60, 420/582, 420/584.1, 148325-328, 148/442, 148/419, 166/248, 166/58, 166/60, 166/302, 166/66
• US Class Current: 148/327
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 1/08 Tubular products
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/013 one layer being formed of an iron alloy or steel, another layer being formed of a metal other than iron or aluminium
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/015 the said other metal being copper or nickel or an alloy thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/202 Conductive
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/208 Magnetic, paramagnetic
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 9/002 comprising natural stone or artificial stone
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 9/045 of synthetic resin
• CPC Class Codes: C21D 2211/001 Austenite
• CPC Class Codes: C21D 2211/004 Dispersions; Precipitations
• CPC Class Codes: C21D 2211/005 Ferrite
• CPC Class Codes: C21D 6/002 containing Cr C21D6/004 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C21D 6/007 containing Co
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 38/02 containing silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 38/04 containing manganese
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 38/10 containing cobalt
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 38/12 containing tungsten, tantalum, molybdenum, vanadium, or niobium
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 38/14 containing titanium or zirconium
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 38/24 with vanadium
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 38/28 with titanium or zirconium
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 38/30 with cobalt
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 36/04 : using electrical heaters
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/2401 : by means of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/10 : Regulating voltage or current G05F1/02 takes precedence; for electric railways B60M3/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 166/902 : for inhibiting corrosion or coating

Abstract

High strength metal alloys are described herein. At least one composition of a metal alloy includes chromium, nickel, copper, manganese, silicon, niobium, tungsten and iron. System, methods, and heaters that include the high strength metal alloys are described herein. At least one heater system may include a canister at least partially made from material containing at least one of the metal alloys. At least one system for heating a subterranean formation may include a tubular that is at least partially made from a material containing at least one of the metal alloys.

Claims

1. A heater system comprising:

a heat generating element; and

a canister surrounding the heat generating element, wherein the canister is at least partially made of a material comprising;

from about 18 percent to about 22 percent by weight chromium;

from about 5 percent to about 14 percent by weight nickel;

from about 1 percent to about 10 percent by weight copper;

from above 0.5 percent to about 1.5 percent by weight niobium;

from about 36 percent to about 70.5 percent by weight iron;

from 3 percent to about 10 percent by weight manganese;

at least 0.12 percent to about 0.5 percent by weight nitrogen; and

precipitates of nanonitrides.

2. The heater system of claim 1, wherein the heat generating element is an electrical powered heat generating element.

3. The heater system of claim 1, wherein the heat generating element is a hydrocarbon fuel burning element.

16. The heater system of claim 1, wherein the material comprises from about 0.2 percent to about 0.5 percent by weight nitrogen.

17. The heater system of claim 1, wherein the material comprises from about 3.5 percent to about 5 percent by weight manganese.

18. The heater system of claim 1, wherein the material further comprises from about 0.08 percent to about 0.2 percent by weight carbon.

19. The heater system of claim 1, wherein the material comprises carbon and at least one of the nanonitrides comprises carbon nitride.

20. The heater system of claim 1, wherein the nanonitrides comprise a majority of particles having maximum dimension in a range of about 5 nanometers to about 100 nanometers.

21. The heater system of claim 1, wherein the nanonitride precipitates comprise niobium.

22. The heater system of claim 1, wherein the nanonitride precipitates comprise chromium.

23. The heater system of claim 1, wherein the nanonitride precipitates comprise iron.

24. The heater system of claim 1, wherein the material has a yield strength of greater than 35 ksi at about 800°

C.

4. A method of heating a subterranean formation comprising:

positioning one or more heater systems in a subterranean formation, wherein at least one of the heater systems comprises;

a heat generating element; and

a canister surrounding the heat generating element, wherein the canister is at least partially made of a material comprising;

from about 18 percent to about 22 percent by weight chromium;

from about 5 percent to about 14 percent by weight nickel;

from about 1 percent to about 10 percent by weight copper;

from above 0.5 percent to about 1.5 percent by weight niobium;

from about 36 percent to about 70.5 percent by weight iron;

from 3 percent to about 10 percent by weight manganese;

from about 0.12 percent to about 0.5 percent by weight nitrogen; and

allowing heat from the heater system to heat at least a portion of the subterranean formation.

25. The method of claim 4, wherein the heat generating element is an electrical powered heat generating element.

26. The method of claim 4, wherein the material comprises from about 0.2 percent to about 0.5 percent by weight nitrogen.

27. The method of claim 4, wherein the material is fabricated by heating to an annealing temperature, and the material comprises at least 1.5 percent by weight more phases selected from a group consisting of Cu, M(C,N), M₂(C,N) and M₂₃C₆ phases at 800°

C. than the material comprising phases selected from the group consisting of Cu, M(C,N), M₂(C,N) and M₂₃C₆ phases at the annealing temperature, where M is nickel, copper, niobium, iron, or manganese.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the annealing temperature is at least 1250°

C.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the annealing temperature is between about 1300°

C. and below the melting temperature of the material.

30. The method of claim 4, wherein the material comprises from about 0.2 percent to about 0.5 percent by weight nitrogen, and wherein a weight percent ratio of manganese to nitrogen ranges from 20 to 25.

31. The method of claim 4, wherein the material comprises from about 3.5 percent to about 5 percent by weight manganese.

32. The method of claim 4, wherein the material further comprises from about 0.08 percent to about 0.2 percent by weight carbon.

33. The method of claim 4, wherein the material further comprises nanonitrides.

34. The method of claim 4, wherein the material further comprises nanocarbides and nanonitrides, and the nanonitrides comprise carbon.

35. The method of claim 4, wherein the material further comprises nanocarbide precipitates.

36. The method of claim 4, wherein the material is fabricated by heating the material to a temperature of at least about 800°

C., and wherein the material at 800°

C. has at least 3.25 percent by weight of precipitates.

37. The method of claim 4, wherein the material has a yield strength of greater than 35 ksi at about 800°

C.

5. A heating system for heating a subterranean formation comprising a tubular, the tubular at least partially made from a material comprising:

from about 18 percent to about 22 percent by weight chromium;

from about 10 percent to about 14 percent by weight nickel;

from about 1 percent to about 10 percent by weight copper;

from above 0.5 percent to about 1.5 percent by weight niobium;

from about 36 percent to about 70.5 percent by weight iron;

from 3 percent to about 10 percent by weight manganese;

at least 0.12 percent to about 0.5 percent by weight nitrogen; and

precipitates of nanonitrides and wherein the precipitates of nanonitrides comprise niobium chromium nitrides.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein a heating medium is circulated through the tubular to heat the subterranean formation.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the heating medium comprises steam.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the heating medium comprises carbon dioxide.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the heating medium is heated at the surface by exchanging heat with helium.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the helium is heated in a nuclear reactor.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the system further comprises an electrically powered heating element as a source of heat.

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the tubular is fabricated by welding a rolled plate of material to form a tubular.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the welding comprises laser welding.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the welding comprises gas tungsten arc-welding.

38. The heating system of claim 5, wherein the material is fabricated by heating to an annealing temperature, and wherein the material comprises at least 1.5 percent by weight more Cu, M(C,N), M₂(C,N) or M₂₃C₆ phases selected from a group consisting of Cu, M(C,N), M₂(C,N) or and M₂₃C₆ phases at 800°

C. than the material comprising phases selected from the group consisting of Cu, M(C,N), M₂(C,N) and M₂₃C₆ phases at the annealing temperature, where M is nickel, copper, niobium, iron, or manganese.

39. The heating system of claim 38, wherein the annealing temperature is at least 1250°

C.

40. The heating system of claim 38, wherein the annealing temperature is at between about 1300°

C. and below the melting temperature of the composition.

41. The heating system of claim 5, wherein the material comprises from about 0.2 percent to about 0.5 percent by weight nitrogen.

42. The heating system of claim 5, wherein the material comprises from about 3.5 percent to about 5 percent by weight manganese.

43. The heating system of claim 5, wherein the material further comprises from about 0.08 percent to about 0.2 percent by weight carbon.

15. A method of heating a subterranean formation, comprising:

positioning one or more heater systems in a subterranean formation, wherein at least one of the heater systems comprises a tubular and at least a portion of the tubular is made from a material comprising;

from about 18 percent to about 22 percent by weight chromium;

from about 5 percent to about 14 percent by weight nickel;

from about 1 percent to about 10 percent by weight copper;

from above 0.5 percent to about 1.5 percent by weight niobium;

from about 36 percent to about 70.5 percent by weight iron;

from 3 percent to about 10 percent by weight manganese;

from about 0.12 percent to about 0.5 percent by weight nitrogen; and

allowing heat from the heater system to heat at least a portion of the subterranean formation.

44. The method of claim 15, wherein the tubular is fabricated by welding a rolled plate of material to form the tubular.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the welding comprises laser welding.