Chemical Grouting Lost-Circulation Zones with Polyurethane Foam
Abstract
Sandia National Laboratories is developing polyurethane foam as a chemical grout for lost circulation zones. In past work polyurethane foam was tried with limited success in laboratory tests and GDO sponsored field tests. Goals were that the foam expanded significantly and harden to a chillable firmness quickly. Since that earlier work there have been improvements in polyurethane chemistry and the causes of the failures of previous tests have been identified. Recent success in applying pure solution grouts (proper classification of polyurethane--Naudts) in boreholes encourages reevaluating its use to control lost circulation. These successes include conformance control in the oil patch (e.g. Ng) and darn remediation projects (Bruce et al.). In civil engineering, polyurethane is becoming the material of choice for sealing boreholes with large voids and high inflows, conditions associated with the worst lost circulation problems. Demonstration of a delivery mechanism is yet to be done in a geothermal borehole.
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 8956
- Report Number(s):
- SAND99-1749C
TRN: AH200117%%287
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- Resource Type:
- Conference
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Geothermal Resources Council Annual Meeting, Reno, NV (US), 10/17/1999--10/20/1999; Other Information: PBD: 12 Jul 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY; BOREHOLES; CHEMISTRY; CIVIL ENGINEERING; CLASSIFICATION; DRILLING FLUIDS; FIELD TESTS; GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES; GROUTING; LOSSES; POLYURETHANES; Geothermal Legacy
Citation Formats
Mansure, A J, and Westmoreland, J J. Chemical Grouting Lost-Circulation Zones with Polyurethane Foam. United States: N. p., 1999.
Web.
Mansure, A J, & Westmoreland, J J. Chemical Grouting Lost-Circulation Zones with Polyurethane Foam. United States.
Mansure, A J, and Westmoreland, J J. 1999.
"Chemical Grouting Lost-Circulation Zones with Polyurethane Foam". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/8956.
@article{osti_8956,
title = {Chemical Grouting Lost-Circulation Zones with Polyurethane Foam},
author = {Mansure, A J and Westmoreland, J J},
abstractNote = {Sandia National Laboratories is developing polyurethane foam as a chemical grout for lost circulation zones. In past work polyurethane foam was tried with limited success in laboratory tests and GDO sponsored field tests. Goals were that the foam expanded significantly and harden to a chillable firmness quickly. Since that earlier work there have been improvements in polyurethane chemistry and the causes of the failures of previous tests have been identified. Recent success in applying pure solution grouts (proper classification of polyurethane--Naudts) in boreholes encourages reevaluating its use to control lost circulation. These successes include conformance control in the oil patch (e.g. Ng) and darn remediation projects (Bruce et al.). In civil engineering, polyurethane is becoming the material of choice for sealing boreholes with large voids and high inflows, conditions associated with the worst lost circulation problems. Demonstration of a delivery mechanism is yet to be done in a geothermal borehole.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/8956},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Jul 12 00:00:00 EDT 1999},
month = {Mon Jul 12 00:00:00 EDT 1999}
}