Enhancement of Wellbore Integrity by the Addition of Tailored Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE)

By Sara Alkhalaf

Abstract

The integrity of wellbores is critical for the safe and efficient operation of oil and gas wells, where the degradation of wellbore materials can result in catastrophic environmental and economic consequences. Conventional wellbore cements often suffer from mechanical and chemical vulnerabilities, especially under high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) conditions. This research investigates the incorporation of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) as an additive to enhance the mechanical strength and durability of wellbore cement. UHMWPE, known for its exceptional toughness, chemical resistance, and low friction properties, is tailored to achieve optimized compatibility with cementitious matrices.

In this study, UHMWPE particles were functionalized and integrated into standard cement formulations. Preliminary results demonstrate a significant improvement in both mechanical properties and wellbore integrity, suggesting UHMWPE's potential as a transformative material for enhancing wellbore longevity in challenging environments.

This research aims to contribute to the development of next-generation wellbore materials that offer superior performance in terms of long-term stability, ultimately reducing operational risks and environmental impact in the oil and gas industry.

Biography

Sara Alkhalaf is a petroleum scientist at Saudi Aramco, with a Master’s degree in Chemistry from Pittsburg State University, USA. In 2023, she commenced her PhD at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) under the supervision of Professor Sanjay Rastogi. Her research focuses on tailoring molecular structure during polymer synthesis to achieve exceptional mechanical properties, with the goal of utilizing these polymers in several drilling oil and gas wells applications.

High-Performing All-Polymer Organic Semiconducting Nanoparticles for Hydrogen Production

By Charles Jeffreys

Abstract

The urgent need to reduce CO₂ emissions has driven the development of green energy alternatives, with hydrogen fuel emerging as a key candidate. In this work, we demonstrate a new class of organic semiconducting nanoparticles that achieve remarkable hydrogen evolution rates under photocatalytic conditions. By optimizing the donor-acceptor polymer ratio, we enhance exciton separation, resulting in a 2.5-fold increase in hydrogen production compared to previously reported nanoparticle systems (24.89 µmol cm^-2 h^-1 vs 9.9 µmol cm^-2 h^-1). Additionally, using an alternative sacrificial reagent not only boosts hydrogen output but also yields valuable industrial feedstock as a byproduct, offering a dual benefit to energy and chemical industries. Additionally, post-polymerisation modification allows for the direct attachment of cocatalysts to the polymer backbone, promoting highly localised catalysis and further enhancing photocatalytic efficiency.

Biography

Charlie completed his MSci Degree at Imperial College London under the supervision of Professor Martin Heeney working on the synthesis of organic materials for sodium ion battery electrodes. After following Professor Heeney to KAUST, Charlie now works on organic semiconducting polymer materials for applications in organic photovoltaics, transistor device applications, sensors, and photocatalytic nanoparticles.

High density quantum dots reconstructed bismuth clusters sites with the in-built electric field to boost electrochemical CO₂ to formate production

By Moyu Yi

Abstract

The performance of the commonly used bismuth nanosheets system, which heavily relies on unsaturated coordinated edge sites in electrochemical CO_2­ reduction reaction(eCO₂RR) to formate, is highly hampered by the low atom economy at active sites and sluggish electron transfer reaction. Moreover, the long charge transfer distance through the vertically formed nanosheets also limits the charge transfer between the active sites and CO₂. Herein, a facile strategy was proposed to enhance the activity of bismuth sites on the planes by constructing bismuth nanoclusters through the electro-reduction of surface stabilized bismuth subcarbonate quantum dots (BOC QDs) to serve as extra active sites on the nanosheets. Besides, involving the bimetallic interface with different work functions in the electrocatalyst system enables the construction of the in-built electric field to accelerate the charge transfer between the electronic circuits and active sites/reactants contacted area.  This in-built electric field regulated edge sites@clusters multi-leveled collaboration allows for outstanding bismuth atom utilization and electrocatalytic formate production from CO₂ with nearly 100% Faraday efficiency at the potential window from -0.8 to -1.4V vs. RHE. Moreover, this system achieves the highest current density of -160 mA cm^-2 in an H-type cell and remains stable up to 45h at -40 mA cm^-2.

Biography

Moyu is currently PhD student under the supervision of Professor Kuo-Wei Huang at KAUST after 2021. Currently, He focuses on the research of electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction reaction. Before this, He obtained his bachelor’s degree at Xiangtan University at 2020 and worked as the Research assistant at Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences at 2021.