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ELEMENTAL Degradable Technology

Patented material helps ensure full production

Eliminate the need for mechanical milling of frac balls and plugs, improving horizontal well economics

ELEMENTAL degradable technology—used with multistage stimulation system frac balls—provides material that degrades completely within hours or days, eliminating the risk of stuck frac balls and the need to mill them. Because the balls never stick, they never delay or hinder production. By eliminating expensive, time-consuming milling operations, degradable frac balls allow longer horizontal wells to be drilled.

Material disintegrates predictably within hours

The patented aluminum-based material is stronger than conventional alloys but degrades predictably within hours or days, depending on ball size, temperature, and other downhole conditions. The degradable material disintegrates in water-based stimulation fluids—brines, slick water, linear gels, and cross-linked fluids—without the need for additives.

How it works: Ball degradation over time

Microgalvanic electrochemical cells in the material made with ELEMENTAL degradable technology derive their electrical energy from a spontaneous chemical reaction taking place in the cells. This oxidation-reduction reaction accelerates the dissolution process, allowing the balls to fully degrade within hours or days, depending on variables such as ball size and downhole conditions.

Rate of degradation by temperature

Balls made with ELEMENTAL technology degrade predictably in a wide variety of downhole conditions, including pressure, specific gravity, fluid type, and temperature. For example, in temperatures above 250 degF [121 degC], degradation will take place in 1 to 12 hours.

ELEMENTAL

Degradable alloy frac balls

ReacXion Complete

Fully dissolvable frac plug

Eliminate milling with a robust frac plug that isolates reliably and then dissolves rapidly to enable fullbore production.

Big-Bore Frac Plug

Large-ID pumpdown plug

Maximize plug ID and accelerate production by eliminating the need for immediate millout operations.

FracXion Ultra

HPHT fully composite frac plug

Isolate stages up to 12,000 psi [83 MPa] and 350 degF [177 degC] with a composite plug designed for rapid millout with minimal debris size.

Infinity

Dissolvable plug-and-perf system

Eliminate milling operations and enable fullbore production by using degradable frac balls and seats instead of plugs.

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Premium

Tech Paper Managing Unsteady Multiphase Flow from Horizontal Wells with ESP Systems

The production phase in the unconventional wells of the Powder River basin is very dynamic and changes based on the total volume of fluids produced and the gas-to-liquid ratio.

Brochure Multistage Stimulation

Efficiency at every stage.

Product Sheet ELEMENTAL Degradable Technology Frac Balls

Predictably and fully degrade at bottomhole conditions.

Video ELEMENTAL Degradable Alloy Frac Balls

Eliminate the need for mechanical milling of frac balls and plugs.

Case Study Frac Balls Made with ELEMENTAL Degradable Technology Dissolve in Low-Temperature Wells

Journey Energy optimizes well productivity and minimizes time and costs in seven Cardium shale wells in Canada by using frac balls that degrade predictably.

Press Release Schlumberger Launches Degradable Alloy Technology to Optimize Well Productivity

ELEMENTAL balls predictably disintegrate within hours or days, maximizing production without mechanical intervention.