Hydrogen reactive oil well cement additives
A method including providing a cement slurry comprising particulates, wherein the particulates comprise an unsaturated hydrocarbon, which can be solid, and a hydrogenation catalyst, and placing the cement slurry downhole, for example, in a wellbore.
1 . A method comprising:
providing a cement slurry comprising particulates, wherein the particulates comprise an unsaturated hydrocarbon and a hydrogenation catalyst;
placing the cement slurry downhole; and
allowing the cement slurry to set to provide a set cement,
wherein, after a time period, microfractures are created in the set cement, and hydrogen migrates into the microfractures, wherein exposure of the particulates to the hydrogen in the microfractures results in hydrogenation, catalyzed by the hydrogenation catalyst, of the unsaturated hydrocarbon of the particulates, resulting in expansion of the particulates to reduce or eliminate the migration of the hydrogen.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogenation catalyst comprises a transition metal catalyst.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the unsaturated hydrocarbon comprises an unsaturated polymer, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, or a combination thereof.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the unsaturated hydrocarbon comprises the unsaturated polymer, wherein the unsaturated polymer comprises polybutadiene, polystyrene, polychloroprene, styrene-butadiene rubber, nitrile butadiene rubber, or a combination thereof.
5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the unsaturated hydrocarbon comprises the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, wherein the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon comprises naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene, or a combination thereof.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein placing the cement slurry downhole comprises using the cement slurry during primary cementing of a hydrogen storage well.
7 . The method of claim 6 further comprising storing hydrogen in the hydrogen storage well after the cement slurry has set to provide a set cement.
8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein, a permeability of the set cement is reduced via hydrogenation, in the presence of the hydrogenation catalyst, of the unsaturated hydrocarbon with the hydrogen.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the cement slurry further comprises a hydrogen generating additive, and wherein microfractures produced in the cement during and/or subsequent setting of the cement slurry are sealed via hydrogenation of the unsaturated hydrocarbon, catalyzed by the hydrogenation catalyst, which results in expansion of the particulates with which the hydrogen comes into contact, and reduction of a permeability of the cement.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein, after placing the cement slurry downhole, geological hydrogen, migrates through microfractures in the cement, and reaction of the migrating hydrogen with the unsaturated hydrocarbon of the particulates, catalyzed by the hydrogenation catalyst, seals the microfractures, thus halting the migration of the hydrogen.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the particulate comprise an amount of hydrogenation catalyst relative to the degree of unsaturation of the unsaturated hydrocarbon such that the hydrogenation catalyst and the unsaturated hydrocarbons are in sufficient proximity to be effective to carry out the hydrogenation reaction.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen comprises geological hydrogen present in a downhole formation in contact with the set cement.
13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen comprises hydrogen introduced downhole subsequent setting of the cement slurry.
14 . A method comprising:
drilling a wellbore; and
cementing the well with a cement slurry comprising particulates, wherein the particulates comprise a unsaturated hydrocarbon and a hydrogenation catalyst to provide a set cement,
whereby microfractures that form in the set cement are self-healed via reaction, catalyzed by the hydrogenation catalyst, of hydrogen migrating into the microfractures with the unsaturated hydrocarbon of the particulates to prevent further hydrogen migration through the set cement.
15 . The method of claim 14 further comprising storing hydrogen in the well, wherein the set cement serves as hydrogen containment, wherein the hydrogen migrating to the microfractures comprises stored hydrogen.
16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the hydrogen migrating into the microfractures comprises geological/formation hydrogen.
17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the hydrogen migrating into the microfractures comprises hydrogen produced by a hydrogen generator in the cement slurry.
18 . A well comprising:
a set cement produced by allowing a cement slurry to set, wherein the cement slurry comprises: particulates, wherein the particulates comprise a unsaturated hydrocarbon and a hydrogenation catalyst; and
hydrogen migrating into microfractures of the set cement which reacts with the unsaturated hydrocarbon via hydrogenation reaction, catalyzed by the hydrogenation catalyst, to self-heal the microfractures, thus minimizing and/or preventing further migration of the hydrogen into the microfractures.
19 . The well of claim 18 , wherein the well is a hydrogen storage well, and wherein the hydrogen migrating into the microfractures comprises hydrogen that was stored in the hydrogen storage well.
20 . The well of claim 18 , wherein the hydrogen migrating into the microfractures comprises geological/formation hydrogen, and/or wherein the hydrogen migrating into the microfractures comprises hydrogen generated by a hydrogen generator in the cement slurry.