The Oil and Gas industry is continuously evolving and of late adopting novel and new technologies while transitioning to harness sustainable energies. To improve material efficiency and reduce overall carbon footprint, we have seen the evolution of brine dissolvable alloys, dissolvable PGA/composites, and of late dissolvable bulk-metallic-glass-composites and high-entropy alloys. The triggers for dissolution of these materials are often common downhole-fluids of an aqueous-nature. These materials undergo accelerated corrosion via anodic-dissolution or hydrolysis, facilitated by elevated downhole temperatures. While these technologies have matured over the last decade into readily available and economic offerings, our industry has lacked significant progress in materials which dissolve in hydrocarbons, while remaining unaffected by aqueous fluids. Motivated to bridge this technology gap, we have embarked on a project to pioneer an industry first oil-degradable metal-matrix nanocomposite. A focused application for this novel material, will be eliminating the use of wash pipes through intelligent use of a port-isolation temporary-seal, preventing communication from ID-to- OD during deployment in brine, while opening up on demand during production. This can be "Game Changing" for Operators, saving them rig-time and costs in the millions of dollars. A oneway ball-valve for deploying sand-screens using our oil-degradable ball as a temporary seal has been envisioned. The ball will seal against flow-ports when running-in-hole, precluding annular- to-tubular communication. Once screens are set, and the well tied-in to flow, produced oil will drive the sealing-ball away. The ball is retained in a cage to allow unrestricted production. In reality, this solution presents challenges. Production of solids, and asphaltenes often build up around the caged ball leading to restricted production, often needing costly intervention. The ideal scenario would be if the ball-seals can be removed by dissolution in the produced hydrocarbons. This will ensure unrestricted production, reduce the possibility of intervention and rig-time loss, all-in-all a step towards lowering our carbon-footprint.

There is an unmet need for a clean perforating tunnel, for deep-water natural completions that reduces fluid friction, providing better reservoir connectivity and thus enhanced production. As a disruptive innovator in the technology space, particularly in the energy sector, we have now bridged this technology gap through the synthesis of a novel alloy, which when cold isostatic pressed into a conical shaped charge liner enables a unique response. During the detonation event, the jet created from our novel degradable liner punctures the casing and progresses to penetrate the formation until an eventual collapse. Our novel material is designed such that, during detonation, reaction products, bulk metallic glasses (BMG) and/or high entropy alloys (HEA), are formed which disintegrate into a fine powdery debris in contact with water. These degradable BMG/HEA or complexions are preferentially segregated at interfaces with high free energy. They tend to decorate the grain boundaries and domain interfaces of the impermeable skin lining the crushed zone of the perforation tunnel as amorphous intergranular films (AIFs) and plug at end of the pathway. Interacting with flowback fluids the complexions promote grain dropping, disintegrating the liner and carrot leaving behind a clean perforation tunnel. As a result, it is projected that fracture conductivity is significantly improved, resulting in enhanced productivity. In addition, a clear perf-tunnel has zero skin value. As such, when compared to a coated tunnel with gun and charge debris, it needs little or no acid to clean-up. In addition, it is anticipated that this will reduce the formation breakdown and opening pressures offering improved economics for the client. Last but not least, this leads to cost reduction of authorized field expenditure (AFE) to support optimized performance of completion designs allowing for increased production. The additional novelty of our liner designed through powder metallurgy (PM) techniques is a sub-sonic deflagration of the jet, during its collapse, resulting in sputtering of complexions and BMG/HEA residue along the perforation tunnel. These sputter-deposited jet complexions react with fluids during flowback, selectively being etched, barely needing water for the clean-up. The disintegration of this skin and slug, if any, in the perf-tunnel into fine particulates, subsequently being removed, leaves behind a clear, clean tunnel. CLEAR shaped charges have now been qualified to customer specifications in field conditions and are ready to be commercialized. Our journey of innovation does not end here. In fact, this is not even the beginning of the end, but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. To offset our carbon footprint and having embraced environmental and natural resources stewardship as one of our core values we are committed to contributing, as individuals and as an organization, to a flourishing human-ecological system. Through technology synthesis we have developed the concept of engineering seedpods for sustainable reforestation and Agri-tech. This had led to an endeavor for rapid tree planting through areal drones and UAVs’ to offset the effects of deforestation caused by human activities and natural disasters. In our paper we will additionally highlight this innovative technology cross-pollination and our efforts in low carbon and ESG endeavors.

Here we present commercialization and mechanisms to manufacture bulk-metallic-glass composite (BMGC) dissolvable plugged nozzle assemblies (DPNA) for injection wells in offshore Arabian Gulf. These DPNAs' are to be installed on limited entry perforated liners for an extended performance, providing significant cost benefits to operators. While elastomeric plugs have significant shortcomings, thermal stability, extrudability among others, as such compromised high temperature performance, our metallic dissolvable alloy has reliable performance at elevated temperatures even at higher pressures. Our article encompasses design, verification and validation (V&V) data for a nozzle with a partially vitrified, nano-metallic dissolvable plug to withstand 3,500 psi differential pressure across the nozzle, where (i) Ability of DPNA to hold pressure between 12 and 36-hour (0.5 to 1.5 days) when pressurized from ID to OD, with subsequent breakthrough on pressure reversal of 200 to 500 psi (OD to ID) within 14 days from start of operations (ii) Environment encompasses up to 43% Bromide salts as completions brine to prevent deposition of Ca2+ ions abundant in Middle East and North Africa (MENA region) or up to 21% Chloride salts (iii) Temperatures as high as 200 ºF, will be a first of its kind. V&V is supported by flow testing combined with CFD performed on potted DPNAs'.

Several technology building blocks are required for the growth of geothermal energy to match what is needed to enable the energy transition. One key technology required in this field is a reliable packer that can withstand the extreme environments frequently seen in geothermal wells: elevated temperatures (750°F/400°C); high differential pressures (up to 15K psi); and extremely corrosive fluids. The authors present a concept which is thought to offer a promising solution to this challenge. It builds upon the wealth of experience obtained by operators designing packers for the oil and gas wells and couples this with advancements in materials processing technology in elastomers, composites, and metals. The presented concept uses the sealing advantages that elastomers are known to offer, with a compound specifically designed by a strategic partner. This elastomer is then surrounded by a layer of flexible gel-insulation of extremely low thermal conductivity to shield it from the intense heat seen in geothermal wells. It is predicted that the elastomer core will see temperatures no higher than 400°F when the surrounding environment is at 750°F. The system is then encased in a Grain Boundary Engineered (GBE) nano-metallic flexible skin material to prevent contact with corrosive fluids. Though the elements are the greatest challenge, the other components of the packer design are also specially designed with material processing techniques tailored to both enhance mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. The technology behind the design is detailed and has been proven. The integrated concepts will be further tested at subcomponent level to show their merit, before integration into a full system for qualification to 750°F, 15K psi.

In the energy industry many applications and embodiments are envisioned, for temporary sealing to dissolvables where deployed tools may remove themselves without any intervention, and on demand. Triggers for dissolution are often common downhole fluids of an aqueous nature. Metals designed to undergo accelerated corrosion via anodic dissolution or hydrolysable polymers triggered by brackish water, flowback or produced, facilitated by elevated downhole temperatures, are common. However, there is not a single formulation with tailored properties, engineered to degrade in presence of oil. Here we present, industry's first oil degradable, nano-composite formulations, for HPHT temporary sealing. An application, as a one-way port plug or ball valve for deploying a sand screen using this novel technology will be ideal. The ball would seal against the flow-ports or nozzles when running in hole and circulating fluid through the screen to the toe and back up the annulus. Once the screens are set, and the well put on production, the oil will produce through the flow ports or nozzles, better known as inflow control devices or ICDs’ and drive the ball away. The ball is to be retained in a cage to allow unrestricted production. In reality, this solution however presents challenges. Production of solids, waxes and asphaltenes often gum up the ball in the cage and restrict production, often needing costly intervention. The ideal scenario will be if the ball seals can dissolve in produced hydrocarbons aka oil of varying API gravities. This will ensure unrestricted production, reduce possibility of intervention and rig time savings, all in all a step towards lowering our carbon footprint. To augment the patented answer product, a step change in adding sensing and intelligence, nano-particulates and/or sensors as unique-identifiers are accommodated in the composite bulk, as tracers, control-released during degradation. As these nano-particulates, flow-back with production to the surface, these tracers with a unique fingerprint, are identified as they pass-through an in-line detector identifying the nano-crystal. The detector, comprising a remote computing system configured to store and relay information relating to these tracers is under development. This industry first is a paradigm shift in remote-monitoring, alerting any end user, anywhere in the world, of selected downhole event triggers, without running any device in the well.