Patent Publication Number: US-2021189848-A1

Title: Undercured stator for mud motor

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of, and priority to, U.S. Patent Application No. 62/950,469 filed on Dec. 19, 2019, which is incorporated herein by this reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Downhole or “mud” motors are used in drilling assemblies, e.g., in the oil and gas industry, to turn a drill bit at the end of a drill string, generate electricity, or otherwise produce rotation of a tool within the wellbore. The mud motors may be powered by flowing drilling fluid (“mud”) through the drill string. The mud is also used to lubricate the drill string and to carry away cuttings in the annulus between the drill string and the wellbore wall. Thus, the mud may include particulate matter, potentially in addition to solvents and other liquids. As such, the mud, while available to drive the downhole mud motor, presents a harsh working environment for the components thereof. 
     One type of mud motor that has been used with success in this environment is a progressive cavity or Moineau-style motor. This type of mud motor generally includes a helical rotor received inside a bore of a stator. The stator bore generally has inwardly-extending, curved lobes alternating with outwardly-extending, curved cavities or “chambers”. Pressure in the fluid drives the helical rotor to rotate within the bore of the stator. To accommodate the harsh environment, while avoiding damaging the rotor, at least the interior of the stator may be made from a relatively soft material, such as rubber. The rubber, however, is prone to wear and cracking, which may alter the geometry of the stator, reducing the efficiency of the mud motor. Accordingly, fully cured and hardened rubber is generally sought to resist such geometry changes and maintain high efficiency throughout the lifecycle of the stator. 
     Upon reaching the end of the stator&#39;s life-cycle, the drilling assembly may have to be pulled out of the well, and brought back to the surface so a new stator (or at least a new rubber component thereof) may replace the worn one. Accordingly, the stator wearing out is a source of non-productive time for the drilling operation. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the disclosure may provide a stator for a mud motor, the stator including a body made at least partially from a rubber. At least a portion of the rubber is at most about 90% cured. 
     Embodiments of the disclosure may also provide a method for manufacturing a stator for a mud motor. The method includes positioning a rubber body in a mold, such that the rubber body defines a helical inner bore. The rubber body is substantially uncured. The method may also include curing the rubber body at a temperature and for a time sufficient to cure at least a portion of the rubber body by at most about 90%, and allowing the rubber body to cool so as to maintain the at least a portion of the rubber body at about 90% cured. 
     Embodiments of the disclosure may further provide a method that includes obtaining a mud motor having a stator made at least partially from a rubber. At least a portion of the rubber is cured by at most about 90%. The method also includes deploying the mud motor into a well as part of a drill string. The rubber is not further cured prior to deploying the mud motor into the well. The method further includes generating torque using the mud motor by pumping a mud through the stator. 
     This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present teachings and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present teachings. In the figures: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an example of a wellsite system, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-sectional view of a portion of a mud motor, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a plot of fatigue life versus cure percentage for rubber in a stator of a mud motor, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an axial cross-sectional view of a portion of the mud motor, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a schematic view of a system for curing a body of a stator, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a plot generated by a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) test of a rubber sample, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a schematic view of a curing simulation system that may be employed to determine, e.g., curing time and temperature for a given stator, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 8A  illustrates a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a stator, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 8B  illustrates a flowchart of a method for deploying a mud motor including the stator, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a schematic view of a computing system, according to an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and figures. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, circuits and networks have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments. 
     It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first object could be termed a second object, and, similarly, a second object could be termed a first object, without departing from the scope of the invention. The first object and the second object are both objects, respectively, but they are not to be considered the same object. 
     The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in the description of the invention and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses any possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,” “including,” “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Further, as used herein, the term “if” may be construed to mean “when” or “upon” or “in response to determining” or “in response to detecting,” depending on the context. 
     Attention is now directed to processing procedures, methods, techniques and workflows that are in accordance with some embodiments. Some operations in the processing procedures, methods, techniques and workflows disclosed herein may be combined and/or the order of some operations may be changed. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a wellsite system in which data to be used according to examples of the present disclosure may be used. The wellsite can be onshore or offshore. In this example system, a borehole is formed in subsurface formations by rotary drilling in a manner that is well known. A drill string  225  is suspended within a borehole  236  and has a bottom hole assembly (BHA)  240  which includes a drill bit  246  at its lower end. A surface system  220  includes platform and derrick assembly positioned over the borehole  236 , the assembly including a rotary table  224 , kelly (not shown), hook  221 , and rotary swivel  222 . The drill string  225  is rotated by the rotary table  224  energized by means not shown, which engages the kelly (not shown) at the upper end of the drill string  225 . The drill string  225  is suspended from the hook  221 , attached to a traveling block (also not shown), through the kelly (not shown) and the rotary swivel  222  which permits rotation of the drill string  225  relative to the hook  221 . As is well known, a top drive system could be used instead of the rotary table system shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     In the illustrated example, the surface system further includes drilling fluid or mud  232  stored in a pit  231  formed at the well site. A pump  233  delivers the drilling fluid to the interior of the drill string  225  via a port (not shown) in the swivel  222 , causing the drilling fluid to flow downwardly through the drill string  225  as indicated by the directional arrow  234 . The drilling fluid exits the drill string via ports (not shown) in the drill bit  246 , and then circulates upwardly through an annulus region between the outside of the drill string  225  and the wall of the borehole  236 , as indicated by the directional arrows  235  and  235 A. In this manner, the drilling fluid lubricates the drill bit  246  and carries formation cuttings up to the surface as it is returned to the pit  231  for recirculation. 
     The BHA  240  of the illustrated embodiment may include a measuring-while-drilling (MWD) tool  241 , a logging-while-drilling (LWD) tool  244 , a rotary steerable directional drilling system  245  and motor, and the drill bit  250 . It will also be understood that more than one LWD tool and/or MWD tool can be employed, e.g. as represented at  243 . 
     The LWD tool  244  is housed in a special type of drill collar, as is known in the art, and can contain one or a plurality of known types of logging tools. The LWD tool  244  may include capabilities for measuring, processing, and storing information, as well as for communicating with the surface equipment. In the present example, the LWD tool  244  may any one or more well logging instruments known in the art, including, without limitation, electrical resistivity, acoustic velocity or slowness, neutron porosity, gamma-gamma density, neutron activation spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and natural gamma emission spectroscopy. 
     The MWD tool  241  is also housed in a special type of drill collar, as is known in the art, and can contain one or more devices for measuring characteristics of the drill string and drill bit. The MWD tool  241  further includes an apparatus  242  for generating electrical power to the downhole system. This may typically include a mud turbine generator powered by the flow of the drilling fluid, it being understood that other power and/or battery systems may be employed. In the present embodiment, the MWD tool  241  may include one or more of the following types of measuring devices: a weight-on-bit measuring device, a torque measuring device, a vibration measuring device, a shock measuring device, a stick slip measuring device, a direction measuring device, and an inclination measuring device. The power generating apparatus  242  may also include a drilling fluid flow modulator for communicating measurement and/or tool condition signals to the surface for detection and interpretation by a logging and control unit  226 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates sectional view of a mud motor  300  (an example of the apparatus  242  of  FIG. 1 ), according to an embodiment. As shown, the mud motor  300  may be a Moineau-style, progressive-cavity motor, and may thus include a helical rotor  302  and a corresponding stator  304 . The rotor/stator combination may be housed in a tube  306 , which may surround an outer surface  308  of the stator  304 . As such, the outer surface  308  may interface (e.g., contact potentially via a layer of adhesive and/or one or more other layers) with the tube  306  when assembled therein. 
     The stator  304  may have a body  310  made at least partially of rubber. The body  310  may define an inner bore  311 , through which the rotor  302  is received. The inner bore  311  may be configured to receive a drilling mud therethrough. The body  310  may have an inner surface  313  that defines the inner bore  311  extending axially through the stator  304 . The inner surface  313  may be profiled, that is, not entirely cylindrical. For example, the inner surface  313  may define inwardly-extending lobes  312  alternating with outwardly-extending chambers  314 . The combination of lobes  312  and chambers  314  may be configured to cooperate with the rotor  302  so as to promote rotation thereof with respect to the stator  304  in the presence of a fluid pressure differential across the axial length of the mud motor  300 , according with the operating principles of a progressive-cavity motor. 
     The rubber that makes up at least a portion of the body  310  may be undercured. For example, at least a portion of the rubber may be cured at most about 90%, or at most about 70%, or between about 50% and about 90%, or between about 70% and about 90%. In this context, “about” means within a commercially-reasonable tolerance, e.g., +/−5%. Further, the curing percentage may be measured using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), as will be explained in greater detail below. 
     Undercuring the rubber may result in a softer rubber, which may be more easily deformed (e.g., elastically). However, a surprising and unexpected result of using undercured rubber (rubber in which at least a portion of the rubber is cured less than about 90%) is that the rubber in the stator  304  has an increased fatigue life. That is, fatigue chunking, which is one primary mode of failure that reduces the life of the mud motor elastomer, may take longer to develop if the rubber is undercured. In particular, if the rubber proximal to the inner bore  311  (e.g., defining the inner surface  313  and extending by a relatively small, radially-outward distance therefrom) is cured less than about 90%, or less than about 70%, or any of the other ranges discussed above, the fatigue life unexpectedly increases. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a plot of fatigue life (vertical axis) of a stator  304  as a function of curing percentage (horizontal axis) of the rubber making up at least the inner portion of the body  310 , according to an embodiment. As shown, the number of cycles (fatigue life on the vertical axis) decreases at curing above 70%, and proceeds downward therefrom to fully-cured (approaching 100%) rubber. Thus, the undercured rubber stators  304  unexpectedly have a longer fatigue life than fully-cured stators. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an axial, cross-sectional view of the mud motor  300 , according to an embodiment. During production of the stator  304 , the body  310  may be cured by heat applied to the outside thereof, which conducts radially-inward over time. The local curing percentage of the rubber that makes up the body  310  may generally be a function of preceding temperature history. Thus, considering any given radial line, the point on the body  310  that is raised to the lowest temperature (or, stated otherwise, raised above a curing temperature for the least amount of time) is the radially-innermost point. Thus, as proceeding circumferentially around the circle that the stator  304  defines, the inner surface  313  thereof defines the least-cured point at any given angle. 
     However, as can be readily appreciated from  FIG. 4 , the inner surface  313  is not entirely circular, but defines the alternating lobes  312  and cavities  314 , as mentioned above. It will be also be appreciated that any number of lobes  312  and cavities  314  may be employed in various different designs. As a consequence of the provision of lobes  312  and cavities  314 , the amount of rubber between the outer surface  308  and the inner surface  313  may vary as proceeding around the stator body  310 . As such, during the curing process, which, again, proceeds by heating the body  310  from the outside inwards, the rubber proximal to the inner surface  313  at the lobes  312  may be less cured than the rubber proximal to the inner surface  313  at the cavities  314 . The amount of curing thus varies as proceeding circumferentially along the inner surface  313 , but generally does not vary as proceeding circumferentially along the outer surface  308 , which is cylindrical. In other words, the curing percentage of the rubber may be roughly a function of the radial location of the rubber, with rubber that is outward being more cured that rubber that is inward. This can also be referred to as a curing gradient, with the curing percentage increasing as proceeding radially outward. The curing gradient may not be linearly increasing (as proceeding outward), but may indicate a general trend of curing on the outside most and less as proceeding inward. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a simplified schematic view of a system  500  for partially curing the rubber of the body  310  of the stator  304 , according to an embodiment. The stator  304  is initially made by placing uncured rubber around a core  502  and within a tube  503 . For example, the uncured rubber may be injected under pressure. The core  502  may provide the helical shape of lobes and cavities desired for the finished stator body  310 . As such, the core  502  and the tube  503  may provide a mold for the uncured rubber of the body  310 . 
     The body  310 , along with the core  502  and tube  503 , may be placed inside a curing device  504 , which may be an autoclave or a vulcanization bath, to name just two examples. In instances where the rubber would be fully cured, a simple calculation of time and temperature may be made, and the rubber disposed in the curing device  504  until at least fully cured, e.g., the curing percentage closely approaches 100%. Accordingly, in such cases, bodies of differently-sized stators can be cured together, without substantially impacting the curing process. 
     However, in embodiments herein, at least a portion of the body  310  is to be undercured, and thus the system  500  may include additional devices to more closely regulate the process. For example, the system  500  may include a heat flow sensor  506  and a data acquisition and process device (e.g., a computer  508 ) attached thereto. The heat flow sensor  506  may provide data representing the completeness of the curing process. Briefly, and without being bound by theory, the curing process begins endothermically, and may thus necessitate a heated environment (e.g., submerging in a liquid vulcanization bath, as shown in  FIG. 5 ). Once the reaction is initiated, however, the curing process may become exothermic. When curing is done, the exothermic reaction stops. Accordingly, the heat flow sensor  506  may be used to track heat input and/or output to the device  504 , so as to determine an amount of curing that has occurred in the body  310 . 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a plot  600  generated by a DSC test of a rubber sample, according to an embodiment. For example, the DSC test may provide data representing an amount of the exothermic curing reaction that has been completed, which may be proportional to the curing percentage. During this test, the rubber sample is heated with a constant rate and the heat flow to the sample is measured. As shown in  FIG. 6 , heat flow (measured in Watts per gram) is plotted on the vertical axis as a function of temperature on the horizontal axis. Heat flow is negative because the heat is transferred to the rubber sample to increase its temperature. 
     The specific enthalpy of exothermic reaction may be computed by integration of an associated spike in the heat flow (e.g., the hatched areas in the  FIG. 6 ). Generally, the curing percentage of a sample is inversely proportional to the enthalpy that the curing reaction shows in the DSC-derived plot  600 . In other words, lower curing percentage corresponds to greater enthalpy in the curing reaction. For example, the peak  606 , corresponds to a lower curing percentage than the peak  608 , while the curve  602  showing no peak corresponds to a fully-cured sample. To measure the curing percentage, a sample of rubber with curing percentage to be determined is compared with a reference sample with 0% curing, i.e. fully uncured rubber. In this case the curing percentage of the tested sample is computed as: Curing %=(1−ΔH/ΔH 0 )×100%, where ΔH and ΔH 0  are the specific enthalpy of exothermic curing reacting of the tested and reference samples respectively. 
     In some embodiments, the time and temperature may be calculated using a digital model of the body  310  of a specific size, e.g., by computer simulation occurring prior to the curing process.  FIG. 7  illustrates a schematic view of a simulation system  700  that may perform such calculations, according to an embodiment. The simulation system  700  may receive geometry inputs  702 . For example, the geometry inputs  702  may include the physical measurements of the size and shape of the tube  503  and the core  502 , as well as a core profile (e.g., number and geometry of lobes), which may define the cross-sectional dimensions of the rubber of the body  310 . The simulation system  700  may also receive material properties input  704 , which may include properties of the rubber being cured, the core  502 , and the tube  503  in which the uncured body  310  may be positioned. For example, the input  704  may include input from a moving die rheometer (MDR), which may provide the time to 90% curing (t90), or any other amount of curing, for various initial temperatures for the tube  503 , rubber of the body  310 , and core  502 . The simulation system  700  may further receive initial temperature distribution inputs  706  for the starting temperature of the tube  503 , the rubber of the body  310 , and the core  502 . Inputs  708  and  710  may include curing temperature and desired curing percentage. In some embodiments, the curing temperature  708  may not be provided as an input, but may be an output of the simulation process, as described below, but in other embodiments, may be provided as an input. 
     These inputs  702 - 710  may be fed to a curing simulation module  712 , which may include hardware and/or software configured to simulate a curing process based partially on the inputs. The curing simulation module  712  may then simulate the curing process using the parameters provided, and may provide outputs which may allow for planning of the curing process. For example, the curing simulation module  712  may provide a thermal profile output, which may specify start and end temperatures, at various durations (e.g., curing time), for the tube  503  and/or the core  502 . In an embodiment, the output may include a plot of temperature versus time. 
     The output of the curing simulation module  714  may be provided to a visualization module  714 , which may generate a visual display of the outputs, e.g., on a computer monitor or another type of display. For example, the plot may be visualized using visualization module  714 , which may include a computer display. The visualization module  714  may also depict curing time  716  and/or curing temperature  718  for curing the modeled body  310 , as determined by the curing simulation module  712 . In some embodiments, however, the curing temperature may not be an output of the simulation module  712 , but, as noted above, may be an input at  708 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8A , there is shown a flowchart of a method  800  for manufacturing a stator, according to an embodiment. The method  800  may be best understood in view of the stator embodiments of  FIGS. 2-7 , and is thus described with reference thereto. It will be appreciated, however, that various embodiments of the method  800  may employ other structures. 
     The method  800  may include selecting a curing percentage for rubber forming at least part of the body  310  of the stator  304 , as at  802 . As noted above, the curing percentage may be selected for one or more specific portions of the body  310 , e.g., proximal to the inner surface  313  at the lobes  312 . In various embodiments, the curing percentage selected may be any value or range of values less than about 90%, less than about 70%, or between about 50% and about 90%. The curing percentage may be selected as a tradeoff between wear or fatigue life and other material properties, such as tensile strength of the body  310 , Young&#39;s modulus of the body  310 , mechanical strength (e.g., tensile strength) of the body  310 , abrasion resistance of the body  310 , etc., in various temperatures and times for drilling mud in a particular application. Further, the curing percentage may be selected at least partially based on finite element analysis (FEA) simulation of the body  210  in various conditions. 
     The method  800  may also include obtaining physical specifications of the stator  304 , as at  804 . The physical specifications may include a size of the stator  304  (e.g., inner diameter, outer diameter, etc.) and/or material properties thereof, such as, for example, heat capacity. The physical specifications may also include a geometry of the stator  304 , e.g., number and positioning of lobes  312  therein. 
     The method  800  may further include obtaining physical specifications of the core  502  and the tube  503  between which the body  310  is to be at least partially cured, as at  806 . The physical specifications may include size, geometry, and/or material properties. 
     The method  800  may include simulating a curing process of the body  310  based at least in part on the physical specifications collected at  804  and  806 , as at  808 . From this simulation, one or more curing times and/or temperatures may be determined. For example, several curing times may be determined for different temperatures. After the simulation is complete, the method  800  may then include selecting an elapsed time and temperature for curing the body  310 , as at  810 . 
     During or after such simulating, the method  800  may include positioning uncured rubber between the core  502  and the tube  503 , such that the uncured rubber forms the desired shape of the body  310 , as at  812 . The method  800  may then proceed to placing the core  502 , the tube  503  and the uncured rubber of the body  310  into the curing device  504  which is configured to apply the temperature selected at  810  to the core  502 , tube  503 , and body  310 , as at  814 . 
     The method  800  may then include removing the body  310  from the curing device  504 , or otherwise allowing the body  310  to cool, after an elapsed time and/or upon reaching a temperature, as at  816 . The elapsed time or temperature may be the same time and/or temperature selected at  810 . Accordingly, after the body  310  has been in the curing device  504  for the elapsed time and/or raised to the desired temperature, at least a portion of the body  310  may be cured by approximately (within a commercially reasonable tolerance) of the curing percentage selected. For example, the curing percentage may be specified for a volume proximal to the inner surface  313  of the body  310 . 
     In an embodiment, the method  800  may additionally, or potentially in lieu of the simulating worksteps discussed above, monitor (e.g., by taking one or more measurements) a heat flow in the rubber of the body  310  while it is curing (e.g., while in the curing device  504 ), as at  815 . Accordingly, rather than or in addition to a predetermined time and/or temperature for curing, the method  800  may include removing the body  310  from the curing device  504  upon reaching a specified heat flow, which may be representative of a specific amount of curing having taken place, based on, e.g., an amount of heat being evolved by the exothermic curing reaction, as at  716 . In addition, a piece of rubber can be taken from the body  310  after curing, and may be tested for curing percentage in order to confirm the obtained results. 
     After removing the body  310  from the curing device  504 , and without further curing the body  310 , the body  310  may be assembled into the mud motor  300 , as at  818 . For example, the core  502  may be removed from the body  310 , and the body  310  may be receive the lobed rotor  302  therein. The undercured rubber of the body  310  may thus be configured to operate as at least a portion of the stator  304  in the mud motor  300 . Accordingly, the mud motor  300  may be assembled into a drilling assembly and run into a well. 
     The body  310  may remain undercured at least until the drilling assembly is run into the well. In some circumstances, the heat of the downhole environment may serve to cure the body  310  further than during manufacture of the body  310 . As such, during the lifecycle of the stator  304 , the body  310  thereof may cure to a percentage that exceeds the curing percentage specified at  802 , without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
       FIG. 8B  illustrates a flowchart of another method  850 , according to an embodiment. The method  850  may employ the stator  304 , e.g., produced as described above. The method  850  may thus include obtaining a mud motor having a stator made at least partially of an undercured (e.g., at most about 90% cured) rubber, as at  852 . The method  850  may then include assembling the mud motor as part of a drill string, as at  854 . The undercured rubber of the stator may remain undercured before and during assembly at  854 . Further, and again without further curing the undercured rubber of the stator  304 , the mud motor  300  may be deployed into a well as part of the drill string, as at  856 . During such deployment, the mud motor  300  may be used to generate torque, as at  858 , e.g., by pumping drilling mud through the stator  304 , so as to cause the rotor  302  to rotate. In some circumstances, the rubber of the stator  304  may further cure in the downhole environment. 
     In some embodiments, any of the methods of the present disclosure may be executed by a computing system. For example, the computing system may be used to provide the GUI  700 , simulate the curing process, and/or execute at least a portion of the method(s)  800 ,  850 . In another example, the same computing system, or a different computing system, may be employed to monitor the curing process and signal or otherwise cause the body  310  to be removed in response to reaching a calculated curing percentage. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates an example of such a computing system  900 , in accordance with some embodiments. The computing system  900  may include a computer or computer system  901 A, which may be an individual computer system  901 A or an arrangement of distributed computer systems. The computer system  901 A includes one or more analysis module(s)  902  configured to perform various tasks according to some embodiments, such as one or more methods disclosed herein. To perform these various tasks, the analysis module  902  executes independently, or in coordination with, one or more processors  904 , which is (or are) connected to one or more storage media  906 . The processor(s)  904  is (or are) also connected to a network interface  907  to allow the computer system  901 A to communicate over a data network  909  with one or more additional computer systems and/or computing systems, such as  901 B,  901 C, and/or  901 D (note that computer systems  901 B,  901 C and/or  901 D may or may not share the same architecture as computer system  901 A, and may be located in different physical locations, e.g., computer systems  901 A and  901 B may be located in a processing facility, while in communication with one or more computer systems such as  901 C and/or  901 D that are located in one or more data centers, and/or located in varying countries on different continents). 
     A processor can include a microprocessor, microcontroller, processor module or subsystem, programmable integrated circuit, programmable gate array, or another control or computing device. 
     The storage media  906  can be implemented as one or more computer-readable or machine-readable storage media. Note that while in the example embodiment of  FIG. 9  storage media  906  is depicted as within computer system  901 A, in some embodiments, storage media  906  may be distributed within and/or across multiple internal and/or external enclosures of computing system  901 A and/or additional computing systems. Storage media  906  may include one or more different forms of memory including semiconductor memory devices such as dynamic or static random access memories (DRAMs or SRAMs), erasable and programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable and programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs) and flash memories, magnetic disks such as fixed, floppy and removable disks, other magnetic media including tape, optical media such as compact disks (CDs) or digital video disks (DVDs), BLURAY® disks, or other types of optical storage, or other types of storage devices. Note that the instructions discussed above can be provided on one computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium, or alternatively, can be provided on multiple computer-readable or machine-readable storage media distributed in a large system having possibly plural nodes. Such computer-readable or machine-readable storage medium or media is (are) considered to be part of an article (or article of manufacture). An article or article of manufacture can refer to any manufactured single component or multiple components. The storage medium or media can be located either in the machine running the machine-readable instructions, or located at a remote site from which machine-readable instructions can be downloaded over a network for execution. 
     In some embodiments, computing system  900  contains one or more curing module(s)  908 . In the example of computing system  900 , computer system  901 A includes the curing module  908 . In some embodiments, a single curing module may be used to perform some or all aspects of one or more embodiments of the methods. In alternate embodiments, a plurality of curing modules may be used to perform some or all aspects of methods. 
     It should be appreciated that computing system  900  is only one example of a computing system, and that computing system  900  may have more or fewer components than shown, may combine additional components not depicted in the example embodiment of  FIG. 9 , and/or computing system  900  may have a different configuration or arrangement of the components depicted in  FIG. 9 . The various components shown in  FIG. 9  may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both hardware and software, including one or more signal processing and/or application specific integrated circuits. 
     Further, the steps in the processing methods described herein may be implemented by running one or more functional modules in information processing apparatus such as general purpose processors or application specific chips, such as ASICs, FPGAs, PLDs, or other appropriate devices. These modules, combinations of these modules, and/or their combination with general hardware are all included within the scope of protection of the invention. 
     Controls, models and/or other interpretation aids may be refined in an iterative fashion; this concept is applicable to embodiments of the present methods discussed herein. This can include use of feedback loops executed on an algorithmic basis, such as at a computing device (e.g., computing system  900 ,  FIG. 9 ), and/or through manual control by a user who may make determinations regarding whether a given step, action, template, model, or set of curves has become sufficiently accurate. 
     The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. Moreover, the order in which the elements of the methods are illustrated and described may be re-arranged, and/or two or more elements may occur simultaneously. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principals of the invention and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.