Thermite method of abandoning a well

Abstract

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.