US20100155085A1 - Method and apparatus for sealing wells in co2 sequestration projects - Google Patents

Method and apparatus for sealing wells in co2 sequestration projects Download PDF

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Publication number
US20100155085A1
US20100155085A1 US12/582,307 US58230709A US2010155085A1 US 20100155085 A1 US20100155085 A1 US 20100155085A1 US 58230709 A US58230709 A US 58230709A US 2010155085 A1 US2010155085 A1 US 2010155085A1
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United States
Prior art keywords
alloy
well
well casing
casing
plug
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Abandoned
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US12/582,307
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English (en)
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Homer L. Spencer
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Individual
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Priority to US12/582,307 priority Critical patent/US20100155085A1/en
Priority to CA2683236A priority patent/CA2683236C/fr
Publication of US20100155085A1 publication Critical patent/US20100155085A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B41/00—Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00
    • E21B41/005—Waste disposal systems
    • E21B41/0057—Disposal of a fluid by injection into a subterranean formation
    • E21B41/0064—Carbon dioxide sequestration
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B33/00—Sealing or packing boreholes or wells
    • E21B33/10—Sealing or packing boreholes or wells in the borehole
    • E21B33/12—Packers; Plugs
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B33/00—Sealing or packing boreholes or wells
    • E21B33/10—Sealing or packing boreholes or wells in the borehole
    • E21B33/13—Methods or devices for cementing, for plugging holes, crevices or the like
    • E21B33/134—Bridging plugs
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02C—CAPTURE, STORAGE, SEQUESTRATION OR DISPOSAL OF GREENHOUSE GASES [GHG]
    • Y02C20/00—Capture or disposal of greenhouse gases
    • Y02C20/40—Capture or disposal of greenhouse gases of CO2

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the sequestration of carbon dioxide and, more particularly, to the sequestration of carbon dioxide from large fossil fuel burning facilities.
  • the cement further does not form a particularly tight seal against the steel wall of the well casing and cracks can develop from a variety of causes that then act as conduits for gas flow through towards the surface.
  • Well cement in contact with CO2 and water or brine is also vulnerable to damage and deterioration through chemical reaction.
  • a method of forming a metal alloy plug within the well casing of a well bore of an abandoned oil or gas well to prevent the flow of gas through said metal alloy plug comprising the steps of dropping a casing milling tool down said well casing to a predetermined depth within said well casing, said well casing having a plug below said predetermined depth, milling out a longitudinal section of said well casing and the well cement and detritus surrounding said well casing and above said plug so as to expose the wall of said well bore while leaving the upper portion of said well casing above said milled out area and while leaving the bottom portion of said well casing below said milled out area, removing said casing milling tool and dropping a heater into said well casing to said predetermined depth, said heater carrying a solid metallic alloy plugging material, increasing the temperature of said heater to melt said metallic alloy and maintaining said increased temperature until said melted metallic alloy has flowed from said heater and permeated said well bore to a desired depth, removing said heater from said well
  • apparatus used to form a metallic alloy plug within a well casing comprising a milling tool used to mill out a longitudinal section of a well casing at a predetermined depth within said well casing and leaving the upper and lower portions of said well casing above and below said milled out area and a heating tool operable to carry solid metallic alloy billets, to melt said billets at an elevated temperature of said heating tool to form liquid alloy and to maintain said elevated temperature of said heating tool until said liquid alloy flows into said milled out area for a desired time period, said heating tool having a connected power cable to supply power to said heating tool and to lower and raise said heating tool within said well casing.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side cross-sectional view of a cement plugged well with a window milled through the casing and the cement sheath surrounding the casing;
  • FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic side cross-sectional view of a fusible alloy heater lowered within the well to the milled window;
  • FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic side cross-sectional view of the molten alloy following heating which extends through the milled window and into the formation;
  • FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic side-cross sectional view of the solidified alloy plug extending through the window and into the formation with the alloy heating tool withdrawn from the well.
  • a favorable site for a sealing plug within a well 105 will be in an area adjacent a permeable stratum atop an impermeable stratum such as cap rock such as that site generally illustrated at 100 in FIG. 1 .
  • the cap rock 101 will seal the top of the reservoir into which the CO2 is injected.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates the condition of the target well at this stage of the procedure.
  • a well 105 will have cement plugging material 111 within the well casing 102 at the bottom of the milled section 102 .
  • a bridge plug (not illustrated) is set just below the bottom of the milled section 102 as is known.
  • a heating tool 112 ( FIG. 2 ) is attached to the end of an electrically conducting cable 113 and is lowered from the surface down the well casing 103 to the top of the plugged casing.
  • the heating tool 112 is cylindrical and hollow with a retaining flange 114 near its bottom.
  • Electrical heating elements (not shown) are embedded within the wall of the tool 112 and are connected to an electrical power source 120 on the surface by the electrical conducting cable 113 .
  • Billets 121 of solid fusible alloy are inserted within the hollow heating tool 112 before it is lowered down the well 105 which will be normally filled with water, brine or drilling mud to the ground surface.
  • Such a heating tool is disclosed in our U.S. Pat. No. 7,065,607, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
  • the heating tool 112 When the heating tool 112 reaches the top of the plugged casing adjacent the milled window 102 , electrical power is applied through the power cable 113 to the heating elements within the tool 112 .
  • the temperature of the elements rises above the melting point of the contained fusible alloy and the molten metal flows out of the bottom of the heating tool 112 and into the well bore 110 and casing 103 as seen in FIG. 3 .
  • power continues to be applied to the heating elements to raise the temperature of the well bore 110 and the surrounding formation material above the melting point of the metal alloy.
  • Pressure is then applied to the fluid column within the well bore 110 above the level of the molten alloy. The pressure assists in forcing the molten alloy into the porosity of the geologic stratum.
  • the power is then shut off to the heating tool 112 and the tool 112 is lifted from the well bore 105 and removed as seen in FIG. 4 .
  • the molten alloy cools by conduction of heat to the surrounding earth and the alloy solidifies.
  • the alloy plug 122 that remains fills the milled section 102 of casing 103 , covers the end of the production casing 103 and its cement sheath 104 and renders the surrounding geologic formation impermeable to gas flow by virtue of the solid alloy that fills its porosity to a depth to effect a seal against gas flowing upward from below.
  • the alloy plug 122 By filling the entire milled section 102 of the casing 103 with solidified fusible alloy 122 , the alloy plug 122 butts against the edge of the well casing 123 above and cannot move as long as the casing 123 remains competent.
  • the well above the alloy plug 122 may be filled with cement or some other suitable material (not shown) as ballast to over balance against any subsequent pressure from below that otherwise might cause a creeping movement of the alloy plug 122 .
  • the above described alloy plugging procedure may be repeated as many times as desired in different permeable geologic strata in the open well bore in order to increase the assurance that a permanent gas seal has been assured.
  • the alloy In respect of the alloy intended to be used as the alloy plug 122 for the plugging procedure, certain properties are conveniently exploited to make the procedure more efficacious.
  • the alloy must conveniently expand volumetrically upon solidification from the liquid phase sufficiently to form an effective gas seal against corroded, oily, and dirty steel casing 103 as well as within the confined space of the well annulus exposed by the milling of the casing section;
  • the alloy in the liquid state, the alloy must conveniently have a sufficiently low viscosity and surface tension in order to be successfully pressured into the permeable geologic stratum;
  • the alloy must conveniently have a specific gravity high enough to displace efficiently any fluid material present such as water, brine, or drilling mud;
  • the alloy must not chemically corrode significantly in contact with CO2 or other acid gas and saltwater;
  • the alloy must not itself corrode significantly, nor can it cause significant corrosion of the steel well casing due to galvanic action;
  • the solidified alloy should be impermeable to gas flow under pressures common to
  • the alloy is comprised of component metallic elements that are not toxic if the sealing plug 122 may have the possibility of contact with fresh ground water; second, the alloy is conveniently a eutectic mixture such that the alloy melts and solidifies at a single characteristic temperature; and, third, the melting point temperature of the alloy should be low enough to allow efficient melting with a heater 112 deployed within the well without causing damage to the well bore face 110 within which the molten alloy flows at the pressure applied.
  • the substances are water, and the metallic elements bismuth, antimony, and gallium.
  • a substance To be useful as a component in a well sealing plug, a substance must be solid at temperatures existing in wells. This eliminates water and gallium. Gallium melts at 29.6° C. and is also corrosively attacked by inorganic acids.
  • Antimony is possibly useful as an alloy component but it is disadvantageous in that it is toxic.
  • Bismuth is not toxic and a number of its alloys expand volumetrically upon solidification from the liquid phase. Some bismuth alloys are eutectic mixtures that melt at temperatures convenient for in situ formation of plugs in wells. Bismuth and its alloys generally have low liquid phase viscosities and surface tensions and specific gravities high enough to efficiently displace fluids likely to be present in wells. Bismuth alloys are furthermore impermeable to gas flow under pressure conditions of CO 2 injection wells.
  • CERROTRU While there are several bismuth alloys which may be useful to form well plugs, an alloy known as CERROTRU (Trademark) has been shown to be most desirable under many well conditions of pressure and temperature. It is comprised of bismuth and tin, neither of which are toxic. It is also a eutectic mixture which melts and solidifies at a temperature of 137 deg. C. Tests have shown that the CERROTRU alloy of bismuth and tin does not itself corrode significantly under the physical and chemical conditions of oil, natural gas, and CO 2 injection wells. In addition, the presence of this alloy in contact with well fluids and steel well casing does not cause corrosion of the casing steel.
  • Bismuth is essentially inert under well conditions, and the behavior of CERROTRU alloy approximates that of elemental tin. Under acidic conditions, tin passivates and does not corrode. Under the anaerobic well environment, the passivated tin galvanic couple with steel causes the steel to passivate also and no increased corrosion of the steel results.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Earth Drilling (AREA)
  • Physical Or Chemical Processes And Apparatus (AREA)
US12/582,307 2008-10-20 2009-10-20 Method and apparatus for sealing wells in co2 sequestration projects Abandoned US20100155085A1 (en)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US12/582,307 US20100155085A1 (en) 2008-10-20 2009-10-20 Method and apparatus for sealing wells in co2 sequestration projects
CA2683236A CA2683236C (fr) 2008-10-20 2009-10-20 Procede et appareil pour former un bouchon en alliage dans un puits de petrole ou de gaz

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Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US10693608P 2008-10-20 2008-10-20
US12/582,307 US20100155085A1 (en) 2008-10-20 2009-10-20 Method and apparatus for sealing wells in co2 sequestration projects

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CA (1) CA2683236C (fr)

Cited By (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20100307748A1 (en) * 2009-06-09 2010-12-09 Dario Casciaro Control Line Patch
US9181775B2 (en) 2009-12-15 2015-11-10 Rawwater Engineering Company Limited Sealing method and apparatus
WO2016069596A1 (fr) * 2014-10-27 2016-05-06 Schlumberger Canada Limited Fenêtre de tubage eutectique
WO2019194845A1 (fr) * 2018-04-03 2019-10-10 Schlumberger Technology Corporation Procédés, appareil et systèmes pour créer des bouchons de puits de forage pour des puits abandonnés
EP3704345A4 (fr) * 2017-10-30 2021-03-31 ConocoPhillips Company Procédé de bouchage et abandon par tube traversant avec alliages de bismuth
US10989017B2 (en) 2015-04-01 2021-04-27 Ardyne Holdings Limited Method of abandoning a well
EP3940194A1 (fr) * 2020-07-14 2022-01-19 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Procédé et système de réparation de fuite annulaire de boîtier
US11401777B2 (en) 2016-09-30 2022-08-02 Conocophillips Company Through tubing P and A with two-material plugs
US11441384B2 (en) 2016-09-30 2022-09-13 Conocophillips Company Tool for metal plugging or sealing of casing
US11525329B2 (en) * 2012-12-20 2022-12-13 BiSN Tec. Ltd. Apparatus for use in well abandonment
US11905789B2 (en) 2017-03-11 2024-02-20 Conocophillips Company Helical coil annular access plug and abandonment

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5667010A (en) * 1995-03-21 1997-09-16 Steelhead Reclamation Ltd. Process and plug for well abandonment
US7165607B2 (en) * 2002-11-06 2007-01-23 Homer L. Spencer Resistive down hole heating tool

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5667010A (en) * 1995-03-21 1997-09-16 Steelhead Reclamation Ltd. Process and plug for well abandonment
US7165607B2 (en) * 2002-11-06 2007-01-23 Homer L. Spencer Resistive down hole heating tool

Cited By (18)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8215394B2 (en) * 2009-06-09 2012-07-10 Baker Hughes Incorporated Control line patch
US20100307748A1 (en) * 2009-06-09 2010-12-09 Dario Casciaro Control Line Patch
US9181775B2 (en) 2009-12-15 2015-11-10 Rawwater Engineering Company Limited Sealing method and apparatus
US11525329B2 (en) * 2012-12-20 2022-12-13 BiSN Tec. Ltd. Apparatus for use in well abandonment
WO2016069596A1 (fr) * 2014-10-27 2016-05-06 Schlumberger Canada Limited Fenêtre de tubage eutectique
US10989017B2 (en) 2015-04-01 2021-04-27 Ardyne Holdings Limited Method of abandoning a well
US11401777B2 (en) 2016-09-30 2022-08-02 Conocophillips Company Through tubing P and A with two-material plugs
US11441384B2 (en) 2016-09-30 2022-09-13 Conocophillips Company Tool for metal plugging or sealing of casing
US11905789B2 (en) 2017-03-11 2024-02-20 Conocophillips Company Helical coil annular access plug and abandonment
EP3704345A4 (fr) * 2017-10-30 2021-03-31 ConocoPhillips Company Procédé de bouchage et abandon par tube traversant avec alliages de bismuth
WO2019194845A1 (fr) * 2018-04-03 2019-10-10 Schlumberger Technology Corporation Procédés, appareil et systèmes pour créer des bouchons de puits de forage pour des puits abandonnés
US20210148190A1 (en) * 2018-04-03 2021-05-20 Schlumberger Technology Corporation Methods, apparatus and systems for creating wellbore plugs for abandoned wells
GB2586548B (en) * 2018-04-03 2023-02-15 Schlumberger Technology Bv Methods, apparatus and systems for creating wellbore plugs for abandoned wells
US11643902B2 (en) * 2018-04-03 2023-05-09 Schlumberger Technology Corporation Methods, apparatus and systems for creating wellbore plugs for abandoned wells
US11732547B2 (en) 2018-04-03 2023-08-22 Schlumberger Technology Corporation Methods, apparatus and systems for creating wellbore plugs for abandoned wells
US11739609B2 (en) 2018-04-03 2023-08-29 Schlumberger Technology Corporation Methods, apparatus and systems for creating bismuth alloy plugs for abandoned wells
GB2586548A (en) * 2018-04-03 2021-02-24 Schlumberger Technology Bv Methods, apparatus and systems for creating wellbore plugs for abandoned wells
EP3940194A1 (fr) * 2020-07-14 2022-01-19 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Procédé et système de réparation de fuite annulaire de boîtier

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CA2683236C (fr) 2017-06-20
CA2683236A1 (fr) 2010-04-20

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