US 12,129,733 B2
Two-material P and A plug
Randall S. Shafer, Houston, TX (US)
Assigned to CONOCOPHILLIPS COMPANY, Houston, TX (US)
Filed by ConocoPhillips Company, Houston, TX (US)
Filed on Apr. 19, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/724,449.
Application 17/724,449 is a division of application No. 16/774,741, filed on Jan. 28, 2020, granted, now 11,346,176.
Application 16/774,741 is a division of application No. 16/386,198, filed on Apr. 16, 2019, granted, now 10,584,554, issued on Mar. 10, 2020.
Application 16/386,198 is a continuation of application No. 15/948,322, filed on Apr. 9, 2018, granted, now 10,316,612, issued on Jun. 11, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/484,624, filed on Apr. 12, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2022/0243553 A1, Aug. 4, 2022
Int. Cl. E21B 33/12 (2006.01); C09K 8/42 (2006.01); C09K 8/44 (2006.01); E21B 33/13 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 33/1208 (2013.01) [C09K 8/42 (2013.01); C09K 8/426 (2013.01); C09K 8/44 (2013.01); E21B 33/13 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of plugging a well, comprising:
a) deploying a first tool downhole to remove or open or perforate both an inner tubular and an exterior casing at a section of well to be plugged;
b) deploying a second tool downhole having a sleeve holding a heater therein and a base at a bottom of said sleeve, wherein a eutectic alloy is stored around an outside of said sleeve above said base, said heater being retrievable without retrieving said sleeve and base;
c) heating said eutectic alloy with said heater to form a molten alloy;
d) allowing said molten alloy to expand and solidify to form a cast-in-place metal plug having a height that fills all or part of said section of well to be plugged;
e) optionally performing substeps i)-v) one or more times to increase said height to a predetermined height:
i) retrieving said heater and blocking said sleeve with a dummy,
ii) adding pellets of said eutectic alloy to said section of well to be plugged,
iii) replacing said dummy with said heater, and
iv) heating said added pellets to form additional molten alloy, and
v) expanding and solidifying said additional molten alloy;
f) retrieving said heater, but not said sleeve and base;
g) deploying a second material downhole on top of said cast-in-place metal plug; and,
h) curing said second material to form a single plug containing said eutectic alloy, said second material, said sleeve and said base, wherein said single plug has greater integrity under wellbore conditions than a same total height plug of said eutectic alloy alone or said second material alone.