• Sangesland, Sigbjørn
• Elahifar, Behzad
• Hmadeh, Lewaa

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Bismuth-based alloy plugs are currently potential alternative to cement plugs. These metal alloy plugs demonstrated several distinctive properties, such as expanding after cooling, corrosion resistance, and being non-porous. In a previous study, several small-scale experiments were conducted on bismuth-tin (BiSn) plugs and were compared against cement plugs. Both bismuth and cement samples were subjected to extensive physical, hydraulic, and mechanical push-out tests after curing. Leakage tests using nitrogen gas were also carried out on both plug samples. Preliminary results demonstrated that bismuth-tin plugs possess much higher resistance to pressure and gas migration in the micro-annulus between the plug and the casing, thus providing better sealability in comparison to cement plugs.</jats:p><jats:p>In this study, more light is shed on the behavior of bismuthtin metal alloy as a sealing plug where its hydraulic bond strength is further investigated with restricted axial expansion. The test setup replicates real-life well conditions where the effect of elevated temperatures and pressures is addressed. Preliminary findings indicate that with a restricted axial expansion, the bismuth plug shows elevated hydraulic bond strength since it was forced to expand radially and thus provide a perfect seal.</jats:p><jats:p>The aim behind the conducted laboratory experiments is to understand the sealing ability of bismuth to a steel pipe and how it will change at different representative wellbore pressures and temperatures. This paper is a part of an extensive research study that at advanced stages will be addressing the sealing performance of a bismuth plug in the annulus and its interaction with the surrounding formation.</jats:p>

Topics

• porous
• impedance spectroscopy
• corrosion
• experiment
• Nitrogen
• strength
• steel
• cement
• tin
• curing
• Bismuth