Downhole tools including ternary boride-based cermet and methods of making the same

Abstract

Downhole tools include a component, at least a portion of which includes ternary boride cermet. A method of making a downhole tool including a ternary boride cermet includes obtaining a ternary boride cermet material and heating the ternary boride cermet material and a binder to form the downhole tool.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A downhole tool comprising a component, wherein at least a portion of the component comprises ternary boride cermet. 
     
     
         2 . The downhole tool of  claim 1 , wherein the component is selected from the group consisting of cutters, ultra-hard material cutters, drill bit bodies, nozzles, inserts, reamers, bore-hole enlargement tools, bits, stabilizers, well-bore departure mill heads, roller cone bits, and thrust bearings. 
     
     
         3 . The downhole tool of  claim 1 , wherein the ternary boride cermet is made from at least one metal and at least one boride. 
     
     
         4 . The downhole tool of  claim 1 , wherein the component is an earth boring drill bit body, at least a portion of which is made from the infiltration of the ternary boride cermet with a binder. 
     
     
         5 . The downhole tool of  claim 1 , wherein the downhole tool is a cutting element comprising an ultra hard material cutting layer attached to a substrate, at least a portion of the substrate comprising the ternary boride cermet. 
     
     
         6 . The downhole tool of  claim 1 , wherein the component is substantially free of tungsten. 
     
     
         7 . The downhole tool of  claim 1 , wherein the component further comprises tungsten carbide. 
     
     
         8 . The downhole tool of  claim 7 , wherein the ternary boride cermet is present at about 5 wt % to about 100 wt % and the tungsten carbide is present at most at about 95 wt %. 
     
     
         9 . The downhole tool of  claim 1 , wherein the component comprising the ternary boride cermet is hardfacing. 
     
     
         10 . A method of making a downhole tool comprising a ternary boride cermet, the method comprising:
 obtaining a ternary boride cermet material; and   heating the ternary boride cermet material and a binder to form the downhole tool.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 mixing at least one metal and boron to form a boride metal mixture; and   sintering the boride metal mixture to form the ternary boride cermet material.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein mixing further comprising adding a reaction modifier selected from the group consisting of mono-borides, di-borides, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one metal comprises nickel and molybdenum, and the boron comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of molybdenum monoboride, vanadium boride, chromium monoboride, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the sintering comprises liquid sintering, hot press sintering, spark plasma sintering, or microwaving the boride metal mixture. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising crushing the ternary boride cermet material to form ternary boride particles, and wherein heating comprises heating the ternary boride cermet particles and the binder. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 separating the ternary boride particles;   selecting the ternary boride particles having an average particle size of about 1 μm to about 500 μm; and   loading the selected ternary boride particles and the binder into a mold, wherein heating comprises heating the binder to infiltrate the ternary boride particles in the mold.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein heating comprises high pressure high temperature sintering the ternary boride cermet material adjacent to an ultra-hard material layer to form the downhole tool. 
     
     
         18 . A method of making a downhole tool comprising a ternary boride matrix, comprising:
 mixing at least one metal and at least one boride with an organic binder in a pelletizing pan to form boride green pellets;   sintering the boride green pellets to form a ternary boride material; and   heating the ternary boride material to form the downhole tool comprising the ternary boride material.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the at least one boride comprises at least one metal diboride and at least one metal monoboride. 
     
     
         20 . A method for forming a cutting element comprising:
 high pressure high temperature sintering an assembly comprising a ternary boride cermet and an ultra-hard material to form the cutting element comprising a ternary boride cermet substrate attached to an ultra-hard material layer.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising forming the substrate by heating ternary boride cermet particles with a binder.