Title: Self-decomposable Fibrous Bridging Additives for Temporary Cementitious Fracture Sealers in EGS Wells

This study evaluates compatibility of a self-degradable temporary fracture sealer with the drilling mud and plugging and self-degrading performance of different fibers to be used in combination with the sealer. The sodium silicate-activated slag/Class C fly ash (SSASC) cementitious sealer must plug fractures at 85oC to allow continuous well drilling and it must degrade and leave the fractures open for water at later times when exposed to temperatures above 200oC. The sealer showed good compatibility with the mud. Even the blend of 80/20 vol.% of sealer/mud reached a compressive strength of more than 2000 psi set as one of the material criteria, mostly due to the additional activation of the slag and Class C fly ash by the alkaline ingredient present in the drilling fluid. In contrast, the drilling fluid was detrimental to the compressive strength development in conventional Class G well cement, so that it failed to meet this criterion. Among several organic fibers tested both polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-and nylon-based fibers showed adequate plugging of the sealer in slot nozzles of 1-in. wide x 6-in. long x 0.08 in. and 0.24 in. high under pressures up to 700 psi. PVA fibers displayed better compressive toughness and self-degrading properties than nylon. The compressive toughness of sealers made by adding 1.0 wt% 6 mm-length PVA and 0.5 wt% 19 mm-length PVA was 9.5-fold higher than that of a non-bridged sealer. One factor governing the development of such high toughness was an excellent adherence of PVA to the SSASC cement. The alkali-catalyzed self-decomposition of PVA at 200°C led to the morphological transformation of the material from a fibrous structure to a microscale flake-like structure that helped the desirable conversion of the sealer into small fragments. In contrast, nylon’s decomposition provided a reticular network structure in the self-degraded sealer resulting in bigger fragments compared against the sealer with PVA. The PVA fiber has a high potential as a self-decomposable bridging additive in the SSASC cement sealer.