Well Abandonment Solutions Utilizing Bismuth and Thermite

Abstract

Well abandonment is often not thought of as a crucial part of a well's life. As such, traditional methods of abandoning a well utilizing cement and bridge plugs are still common practice among most operators throughout the world. Although resins have been utilized by some as an alternative, there have not been anymajor new developments in well abandonment materials for nearly 100 years. Although each of these materials have their benefits, there are also limitations to their sealing capabilities. Bridge plugs lack a high expansion ratio required in some wells and rely on elastomers to seal, limiting their ability to seal in damaged tubing or open hole environments. Cement is porous and lacks the ability to block gasses from migrating through it. Resins must be squeezed into an area and can take days to fully cure before a seal is created. This paper will demonstrate a new way to create gas tight seals during well abandonment, overcoming the limitations of traditional methods and reducing the operator's liability and potential environmental impact after decommissioning has been completed.

A Review of Past, Present, and Future Technologies for Permanent Plugging and Abandonment of Wellbores and Restoration of Subsurface Geologic Barriers

“…However, this is still laboratory work that has to be tested in the field. The concept of activating shale rock as a barrier or re-establishing caprock as a barrier is innovative and requires rigorous verification, testing, and field trials before deployment (Wang et al, 1993;Carragher and Fulks, 2018).…”