Compressible lubricant with memory combined with anaerobic pipe sealant

Abstract

A compressible graphite lubricant having a memory suspended in an anaerobic adhesive pipe sealant mixture of a polymerizable liquid acrylate ester monomer and a peroxy polymerization initiator. The graphite particles are formed of expanded graphite which gives the pipe sealant both compressibility and lubricating characteristics. The compound has the ability to change from a liquid with sufficient lubricity to assemble standard API and premium threaded connections without galling and then transform and fix itself into a continuous solid blocking or sealing agent in the gaps of the thread form. The expanded (compressible) graphite has a memory and, as part of the anaerobic fixing compound, allows the pipe sealant to maintain its sealing integrity under cycling of tension, compression, bending, and thermal expansion and contraction. The ability of the compressible lubricant/pipe sealant compound to maintain sealing integrity under cycling of tension, compression, bending, and thermal expansion and contraction loads makes it particularly suitable for use in vertical and horizontal oil and gas wells using oil country tubular goods tubing, casing, and drill pipe joint. An additional aspect of the invention involves a threaded pipe having a compressible lubricant/pipe sealant as described above deposited on at least a part of the threaded portion thereof.