T. Nedwed, P. Brant, D. Jack, B. Heller
Safety Harbor Corp,
United States
Keywords: well control, orphaned wells, Grubbs catalyst, greenhouse gas, oil spill
Summary:
Mixing dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) and other monomers with a ruthenium-based (Grubbs) catalyst triggers a robust rate-controllable polymerization reaction, forming a high-strength, stable solid. These reactions can occur under extreme temperatures and pressures while withstanding significant contamination from other fluids and solids. The Grubbs-catalyzed polymerization of DCPD holds substantial potential for the oil and gas industry. We are exploring two applications where the polymer’s high strength and ability to form under extreme conditions are essential: (1) well control and (2) plugging abandoned wells (so-called orphan wells). 1) For well control, the blowout preventer (BOP) is designed as the final barrier to shut off petroleum flow during a well-control event while drilling an oil or gas well. Failure of this mission-critical system can, and has, caused significant environmental harm. If the BOP is activated but fails to fully close, as happened during the Deepwater Horizon incident in 2010, containment of the flow of hydrocarbons into the environment is lost. We have developed a method of injecting a mixture of monomer (including DCPD) and the Grubbs catalyst into the base of a leaking BOP to form a polymer plug that halts hydrocarbon flow. We demonstrated this concept using a scale model BOP to successfully seal hydrocarbon flow under temperature and pressure conditions representative of a real well. 2) The United States has tens of thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells. Until the mid-20th century, the oil industry was not required to properly plug and abandon wells. It is estimated that up to one million wells were drilled across the United States before formal plug and abandonment rules were established. Many of these wells may be releasing hazardous materials into the air, soil, and drinking water sources, in addition to emitting greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The current, well-entrenched approach to plugging wells involves pumping large quantities of cement into the wellbore—a process that itself produces substantial CO2 emissions and can cost between $20K and $250K per well. We propose replacing or complementing cement plugging with DCPD-based polymers formed in situ using Grubbs catalysis. This presentation outlines the Grubbs technology, its application for well control, and its use in plugging and abandoning orphaned wells.