Some Gulf of Mexico (GOM) wells destroyed by hurricanes have become environment and safety hazard and cannot be abandoned by conventional methods since pumping and circulating cement into the casing is impossible when the platforms have been completely destroyed and toppled. This project tested the curing properties of several epoxy resin systems in different environments. A bisphenol-F/epichlorohydrin (BPF) resin cured by curing agent MBOEA system was successfully tested in the laboratory as a potential plugging material to abandon wells destroyed in the GOM. The BPF/MBOEA resin system had the most suitable curing time in a synthetic seawater environment. The system could be successfully weighted by barite up to 16.8 ppg and cured properly. Weighting allows the resin system fall more efficiently through the casing annulus. This laboratory verification of properties will lead to field test in the test wells.

In the past ten years, there have been 194 hurricane-damaged platforms in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), each with many wells that have not been permanently abandonment. This could lead to disastrous environmental consequence. The wells where their platforms were destroyed by hurricanes cannot be abandoned by conventional methods. Our research showed that barite-weighted epoxy material could be potentially used for well abandonment for those wells in GOM. Shear bond strength tests showed that between two candidates epoxy systems - the bisphenol A system and the bisphenol F system, the latter was less sensitive to barite weighting material. The shear bond strength of besphenol A system was deteriorated as barite increased, while bisphenol F system showed slightly increasing trend when barite was added. The minimum bond strength given by bisphenol A system appears around 68 wt% of barite, which is around 1290 psi. The maximum value of 2200 psi comes at 0 wt% of barite. And the bisphenol F system can stand a minimum of 1010 psi bond strength at 0 wt% of barite, and a maximum of 1160 psi of bond strength with 70 wt% of barite. Moreover, mixing with seawater did influence the shear bond strength between epoxy system and low-carbon steel. The influence that seawater has on the F system is less than that of the A system. The time that the epoxy system needs to fully develop the bond is far longer than curing time determined in our parallel research. Bond strength is lower in both seawater environment and at high temperature.

[pt] A importância do sal em diversas atividades humanas tem acompanhado as fases principais da civilização. Aplicações estratégicas e inovadoras envolvendo rochas salinas são planejadas até os dias atuais, tais como barreiras geológicas para abandono de poços e cavernas de estocagem para novas fontes de energia ou descarbonização. Esta tese foca no comportamento geomecânico do sal com atenção especial à fluência, dilatância, efeitos térmicos e seus impactos no comportamento hidráulico. Modelos deram suporte ao desenvolvimento de metodologias para avaliação de condições de integridade e estanqueidade de projetos estratégicos no contexto de energia. Eles incluem o abandono de poços do pré-sal, cavernas de sal e sal como rocha capeadora de reservatórios carbonáticos. Simulações numéricas avançadas utilizando o framework GeMA investigaram cenários representativos de cada projeto. Para tanto, modelos constitutivos de fluência, condições de contorno customizadas e variáveis de saída específicas foram implementados. Dentre os modelos de fluência, o EDMT foi desenvolvido no contexto desta pesquisa de doutorado, com foco no sal brasileiro. Os estudos de caso conduziram a observações importantes. Um poço do pré-sal pode fechar completamente por fluência após a remoção do revestimento. A redução da pressão e o aquecimento do poço aceleraram seu fechamento de modo significativo. No cenário mais crítico, a permeabilidade final foi ligeiramente superior a 100 vezes o valor inicial. Uma caverna de sal pode suportar mecanicamente ciclos de pressão causados por um esquema contingencial de fornecimento de hidrocarbonetos, embora uma permeabilidade final de 6,5 vezes o valor inicial tenha sido observada. Na geomecânica de reservatórios, a contribuição da fluência da rocha capeadora na subsidência é pequena e irreversível mesmo que a pressão do reservatório seja recuperada. As mudanças na permeabilidade foram sutis apesar da contribuição da fluência do sal e da variação de pressão do reservatório. A revisão da literatura, os modelos de fluência, as metodologias de análise, as funcionalidades incorporadas ao framework e as discussões motivadas pelos estudos de caso representam o valor agregado da tese para a comunidade científica e para a indústria no que tange ao aproveitamento estratégico de rochas salinas. / [en] The importance of salt in many human activities has accompanied the main phases of civilization. Strategic and innovative applications in salt rocks are planned until the present day, such as geological barriers for well abandonment and storage caverns for new energy sources or decarbonization. This thesis focuses on the geomechanical behavior of salt with special regards to creep, dilation, thermal effects and their impact on the hydraulic behavior. Models have supported the development of methodologies to assess integrity and tightness conditions of strategic projects in the context of energy. These include Pre-salt well abandonment, salt caverns and salt as caprock of carbonate reservoirs. Advanced numerical simulations using the framework GeMA have investigated representative scenarios of each project. To this end, creep constitutive models, customized boundary conditions and specific output variables have been implemented. Among the creep models, the EDMT has been developed in the context of this doctoral research, focusing on Brazilian salt. The case studies have led to important findings. A Pre-salt well can close completely by creep after casing removal. Pressure reduction and well heating have accelerated closure significantly. In the most critical scenario, the final permeability was slightly higher than 100 times the initial value. A salt cavern can mechanically support pressure cycles caused by a contingency hydrocarbon supply scheme; however, a final permeability of 6.5 times the initial value has been noticed. In reservoir geomechanics, the caprock creep contribution in the subsidence is small and irreversible even if the reservoir pressure is recovered. Permeability changes have been subtle despite the creep contribution and the reservoir pressure variation. The literature review, the creep models, the analysis methodologies, the capabilities incorporated into the framework and the discussions motivated by the case studies represent the added value of the thesis to the scientific community and industry regarding the strategic use of salt rocks.