US 12,345,116 B2
Expandable metal as backup for elastomeric elements
Michael Linley Fripp, Carrollton, TX (US); Stephen Michael Greci, Little Elm, TX (US); and Christopher Michael Pelto, Garland, TX (US)
Assigned to Halliburton Energy Services, Inc., Houston, TX (US)
Filed by Halliburton Energy Services, Inc., Houston, TX (US)
Filed on Apr. 12, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/228,291.
Prior Publication US 2022/0325600 A1, Oct. 13, 2022
Int. Cl. E21B 33/12 (2006.01); E21B 33/13 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 33/1208 (2013.01) [E21B 33/1216 (2013.01); E21B 33/13 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sealing tool, comprising:
a mandrel; and
a sealing assembly positioned about the mandrel, the sealing assembly including:
one or more elastomeric sealing elements having a pre-expansion width (WSE), the one or more elastomeric sealing elements operable to move between a radially relaxed state and a radially expanded state; and
a pair of non-elastomeric conductive expandable metal features straddling the one or more elastomeric sealing elements, each of the pair of expandable metal features comprising a metal configured to expand in response to hydrolysis and having a pre-expansion width (WEM), and further wherein the pre-expansion width (WSE) is at least three times the pre-expansion width (WEM), wherein a volume of the pair of non-elastomeric expandable metal features is bound, such that during expansion, the expandable metal is configured to go from metal to micron-scale particles that are larger and lock together.