Bead pack brazing with energetics

Abstract

A method of making porous shapes from unit structures such as beads involves coating the beads with two or more layers of material deposited such that it forms an energetic material. These bi-layer energetic materials are formed from a variety of materials including, but not limited to: Ti & B, Zr & B, Hf & B, Ti & C, Zr & C, Hf & C, Ti & Si, Zr & Si, Nb & Si, Ni & Al, Zr & Al, or Pd & Al, all of which can be deposited from vapor. Pressure is applied to prevent the components from moving and the solid-state reaction between the alternating layers produces exothermic heat. Heat from the reaction alone or in conjunction of an applied brazing compound joins the beads forming a porous shape that is desired. The reaction in the materials may be activated with a small pulse of local energy that can be applied using optical, electrical, or thermal sources. Common examples include an electrical pulse, spark, hot filament, a laser beam, etc. The method reduces energy consumption and the need for specialized equipment. The reactive materials and optional brazing material are preferably applied in a fluidized CVD furnace.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The field of this invention relates to methods of manufacturing porous aggregate shapes using unit structures that are attached to each other.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Porous shapes are used in a variety of downhole applications such as for sand control in screens. Such screens are called prepacked screens because they are provided with such porous shapes integrated into a screen assembly. In some cases the presence of the porous material is a substitute for gravel packing the screens downhole. The porous shapes generally involve unitary shapes such as beads to be joined together to form a desired shape.[0003]The way these shapes were made on the past was to coat the beads with a brazing material and feel the beads into a container that represents the desired aggregate shape. That assembly was in turn put into a vacuum furnace and heated while under mechanical compression. This process required specialized equipment and high energy consumption. Acc...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a method of making porous shapes from unit structures such as beads by coating them with layers of material. These layers are deposited using vapor and pressure is applied to prevent the components from moving. The solid-state reaction between the layers produces exothermic heat which joins the beads to form the desired shape. The method reduces energy consumption and the need for specialized equipment. The reactive materials and optional brazing material are applied in a fluidized CVD furnace. The technical effect of the patent is to provide a simple and efficient method for making porous shapes with improved energy efficiency.

Problems solved by technology

This process required specialized equipment and high energy consumption.

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