THERMITE METHOD OF ABANDONING A WELL
A well abandonment tool comprises a housing locatable within a wellbore, the housing including a compartment containing sealing material, an activator to initiate the release of the sealing material, an anchor for securing the tool in the wellbore, and a slickline for deploying the housing in the wellbore. The sealing material may be thermite, and the activator may be an ignitor that initiates the thermite reaction. The ignitor may include a battery and element, the activation process includes making a contact such that the battery causes the element to heat to ignite the thermite.
1 . A well abandonment tool comprising:
a housing locatable within a wellbore, the housing including
a compartment containing sealing material
an activator to initiate the release of the sealing material
an anchor for securing the tool in the wellbore
a slickline for deploying the housing in the wellbore.
2 . A well abandonment tool according to claim 1 wherein the sealing material is thermite, and the activator is an ignitor that initiates the thermite reaction
3 . A well abandonment tool according to claim 1 wherein the ignitor includes a battery and element, the activation process includes making a contact such that the battery causes the element to heat to ignite the thermite.
4 . A well abandonment tool according to claim 1 wherein the sealing material is two part resin deployed, and the activator includes a static mixing discharge head.
5 . A well abandonment tool according to claim 1 wherein the sealing material is two co-reactive chemicals.
6 . A well abandonment tool according to claim 1 wherein the sealing material is a low temperature alloy such as bismuth
7 . A well abandonment tool according to claim 1 wherein the anchor is set by pressuring the wellbore above the tool
8 . A well abandonment tool according to claim 1 wherein the tool is deployed on a running tool, the running tool being releasably secured to the tool by a low melting point material, such that the melting of the low melting point material releases the running tool.
9 . A well abandonment tool according to claim 1 wherein the tool is deployed on a releasable running tool, and the ignitor is actuated by release of the running tool.
10 . A well abandonment tool according to claim 1 wherein the slickline includes a fibre optic cable in its inner diameter.
11 . A well abandonment tool according to claim 1 wherein the fibre optic cable transmits sensed data from the well abandonment tool.
12 . A well abandonment tool according to claim 1 wherein the sensed data includes the temperature or activation of the sealing material.
13 . A well abandonment tool according to claim 1 wherein the fibre optic cable interfaces with the thermite such that the thermite reaction can be initiated using the fibre optic cable.
14 . A method of abandoning a well tool comprising the steps of:
deploying a first tool according to claim 1 ; and
releasing the first tool from the slickline and activating the thermite deploying a second tool according to claim 1 releasing the second tool from the slickline and activating the thermite.