Smart Polymer Gels as Sealants for Wells
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Exploitation of natural resources via a well requires increasing lifetimes of those wells to become economically viable. Environmental and personnel safety is paramount. Development of new methods, procedures, and maintenance ensuring these wells remain safe throughout their lifetimes is vital. Small void spaces (microannuli) in the casings, cement barriers, and sandscreens of the well must be sealed to prevent harmful leaks and further degradation of the structure. A recent patent mitigates these problems by sealing voids with a swellable cross-linked polymer gel that can be triggered via pH, temperature, concentration of metal ions, and/or acoustic, electric, and/or magnetic stimuli. Currently, these gels are reversible, but future studies will focus on a more permanent triggerable sealant.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC52-06NA25396
- OSTI ID:
- 1427369
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-18-22217
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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