Wellbore Integrity and CO2 Sequestration Using Polyaramide Vesicles

Abstract

A new cementing additive is chemically engineered to react with formation fluids that act antagonistically towards cement. Engineered polymer capsules house encapsulants to react with antagonistic gases downhole like CO2 to form a more benign and beneficial material. Embedded in cement, the polymer capsules with semi-permeable shells allow fluids to permeate and react with encapsulants to produce beneficial byproducts, such as calcite and water from CO2. Reactivity between the encapsulant and antagonist gas CO2 is demonstrated using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and other tests from oilfield equipment. When cement fails, casing-in-casing events, or CCA, causes antagonistic gases like CO2 to migrate to the surface. Embedded in the cement for such moments such as cement failure, additives housed within polyaramide vesicles chemically and physically intersect CO2 from gas migration events. The shape of the polyaramide additive is unique and versatile. Furthermore, because the material is polymeric, it imparts beneficial mechanical properties like elasticity to cement. A vesicle in form, this polymer allows the manufacturing of new cement additives for applications such as increasing the integrity and sustainability of oil well cement. Data also shows production of calcite by the bulk of the material. This technology applies to CO2 fixation and self-healing cement using reactive polymer vesicles.