Back to results
US 12,459,871 B2Granted
Eutectic metal alloy-containing cement and methods of use thereof
AssigneesSaudi Arabian Oil Company, Newpark Drilling Fluids LLC
InventorsArthur Hale, Peter Boul, Ahmed Said Abdelaziz Amer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for remediating fractures in a cement structure including heating the cement structure to a temperature at or above the melting temperature of the eutectic metal alloy particles to allow the particles to flow in liquid state into the fractures in the cement structure until the heat source is discontinued, allowing the particles to cool and solidify.
Claims9
A method of remediating fractures in a cement structure comprising a cement composition comprising solid eutectic metal alloy particles, the method comprising:
- pumping the cement composition comprising solid eutectic metal alloy particles downhole;
- curing the cement composition comprising the solid eutectic metal alloy particles downhole to provide the cement structure comprising solid eutectic metal alloy particles;
- then heating the cement structure and the cement composition with an external heat source to a temperature at or above a melting temperature of the solid eutectic metal alloy particles;
- melting the solid eutectic metal alloy particles within the cement composition to provide liquid eutectic metal alloy, thereby allowing flow of the liquid eutectic metal alloy into fractures in the cement structure;
- discontinuing heating the cement structure;
- and
- cooling and solidifying the liquid eutectic metal alloy in the fractures of the cement structure, wherein the solid eutectic metal alloy particles are present in a concentration ranging from 1 to 50 wt % based on the cement composition.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.