Bentonite as Plugging and Abandoning Material in Low Temperature, Low Salinity Wells

This project is focused on the future of plugging and abandonment of oil and gas wells in Wyoming with hydrated bentonite. The project has been split into two parts. The first part of the project is to construct bullet shape bentonite plugs that will be used in the plugging of the wells. These bullets will be used in further lab and field experiments that will provide more data on the effectiveness of bentonite as a replacement for cement in plugging oil and gas wells. The second and main part of this project is to seek a rule change with the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, WOGCC, to allow bentonite to be used in Wyoming as an alternative to cement in the plugging and abandoning process. This is an important rule change for the state of Wyoming to make because it will save both the state and companies a large amount of money, which in turn will make the exploration and production of the state's natural resources more profitable for everybody involved.