1. Effectiveness of a Smart Hydrogel in Well Leakage Remediation
- Author
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Robert Roback, Jocelyn Gisiger, Christian Minnig, Tony Espie, Hakim Boukhalfa, Robert D. Gilbertson, Ursula Rösli, Nathan J. Welch, Harvey E. Goodman, and J. William Carey
- Subjects
0303 health sciences ,03 medical and health sciences ,Waste management ,Environmental remediation ,0211 other engineering and technologies ,Environmental science ,021108 energy ,02 engineering and technology ,030304 developmental biology ,Leakage (electronics) - Abstract
Leakage in carbon storage and hydrocarbon wells continues to be an area of concern in the development and abandonment of reservoirs. Industry need for a leakage remediation sealant that can perform in systems beyond the capability of cement squeezes has driven the development of a CO2/pH activated "smart" gel. Exploratory laboratory tests and a mock field scale well test were performed to determine the effectiveness of the smart gel. Control of the smart gel particle size distribution was demonstrated through batch synthesis experiments. Microfluidic experiments show some of the mechanisms leading to the successful sealing of an engineered fracture system. Initial and subsequent testing of the deployed smart gel in a leaky mock well completion proves the effective scale up of the smart gel sealing capability and can further drive wider adoption of this unique technology.
- Published
- 2020
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