Reduction of Fractionation of Lightweight Slurry to Geothermal Boreholes

Thermally Insulating, Thermal Shock Resistant Calcium Aluminate Phosphate Cement Composites for Reservoir Thermal Energy Storage

This paper presents the use of hydrophobic silica aerogel (HSA) and hydrophilic fly ash cenosphere (FCS) aggregates for improvements in the thermal insulating and mechanical properties of 100- and 250 °C-autoclaved calcium aluminate phosphate (CaP) cement composites reinforced with micro-glass (MGF) and micro-carbon (MCF) fibers for deployment in medium- (100 °C) and high-temperature (250 °C) reservoir thermal energy storage systems. The following six factors were assessed: (1) Hydrothermal stability of HSA; (2) Pozzolanic activity of the two aggregates and MGF in an alkali cement environment; (3) CaP cement slurry heat release during hydration and chemical reactions; (4) Composite phase compositions and phase transitions; (5) Mechanical behavior; (6) Thermal shock (TS) resistance at temperature gradients of 150 and 225 °C. The results showed that hydrophobic trimethylsilyl groups in trimethylsiloxy-linked silica aerogel structure were susceptible to hydrothermal degradation at 250 °C. This degradation was followed by pozzolanic reactions (PR) of HSA, its dissolution, and the formation of a porous microstructure that caused a major loss in the compressive strength of the composites at 250 °C. The pozzolanic activities of FCS and MGF were moderate, and they offered improved interfacial bonding at cement-FCS and cement-MGF joints through a bridging effect by PR products. Despite the PR of MGF, both MGF and MCF played an essential role in minimizing the considerable losses in compressive strength, particularly in toughness, engendered by incorporating weak HSA. As a result, a FCS/HSA ratio of 90/10 in the CaP composite system was identified as the most effective hybrid insulating aggregate composition, with a persistent compressive strength of more than 7 MPa after three TS tests at a 150 °C temperature gradient. This composite displayed thermal conductivity of 0.28 and 0.35 W/mK after TS with 225 and 150 °C thermal gradients, respectively. These values, below the TC of water (TC water = 0.6 W/mK), were measured under water-saturated conditions for applications in underground reservoirs. However, considering the hydrothermal disintegration of HSA at 250 °C, these CaP composites have potential applications for use in thermally insulating, thermal shock-resistant well cement in a mid-temperature range (100 to 175 °C) reservoir thermal energy storage system.

Using Fumed Silica to Develop Thermal Insulation Cement for Medium–Low Temperature Geothermal Wells

During geothermal energy development, the bottom high-temperature fluid continuously exchanges heat with the upper low-temperature wellbore and the stratum during its rising process. Thermal insulation cement (TIC) can increase the outlet temperature, thus effectively reducing the heat loss of the geothermal fluid and improving energy efficiency. In this study, vitrified microbubbles (VMB) were screened out by conducting an orthogonal test of compressive strength (CS) and thermal conductivity (TC) on three inorganic thermal insulation materials (VMB, expanded perlite (EP), and fly-ash cenosphere (FAC)). Fumed silica (FS) was introduced into the cement with VMBs, as its significant decreasing effect on the TC. Moreover, a cement reinforcing agent (RA) and calcium hydroxide [CH] were added to further improve the CS of TIC at 90 °C. The fresh properties, CS, TC, hydration products, pore-size distribution, and the microstructure of the cement were investigated. As a result, a TIC with a TC of 0.1905 W/(m·K) and CS of 5.85 MPa was developed. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Increasing the mass fraction of the thermal insulation material (TIM) is an effective method to reduce TC. (2) The CH content was reduced, but the C–S–H gel increased as FS content increased due to the pozzolanic reaction of the FS. (3) As the C–S–H gel is the main product of both the hydration and pozzolanic reactions, the matrix of the cement containing 60% FS and VMBs was mainly composed of gel. (4) The 10% RA improved the cement fluidity and increased the CS of TIC from 3.5 MPa to 5.85 MPa by promoting hydration.