Hyperfine Cement Production via Non-Aqueous Wet Grinding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cement grinding processes are limited in achieving particle sizes below 1 μm, particularly in dry grinding, which restricts the ability to seal very fine pores in rocks, leading to gas escape in natural gas wells and other applications.
Innovation Solution
A wet grinding process using a non-aqueous solvent, such as alcohol, with a grinding aid like triethanolamine, to achieve a hyperfine cement with a D 50 value of less than 1 μm, allowing for the production of cement that can penetrate and seal very fine pores.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If dry grinding process is used to produce cement, then the grinding process is simple and quick, but the particle size cannot be reduced below a certain limit due to high recombination speed of particles
Solution Approach 1:
A liquid medium (water or alcohol) is introduced as an intermediary substance during the grinding process. This liquid medium separates the cement particles, preventing them from recombining immediately after breakage, thereby enabling much finer particle sizes to be achieved while maintaining grinding efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The grinding process transitions from a dry state to a wet state by changing the physical environment from air to liquid medium. This parameter change fundamentally alters the particle interaction dynamics, allowing particles to remain dispersed and enabling ultrafine grinding to proceed efficiently.
2Manufacturing precision
If ultrafine cement is produced using wet grinding with water, then particle size can be reduced, but the cement must be produced on site immediately before injection as it hardens quickly
Solution Approach 1:
Alcohol is used as an alternative liquid medium instead of water. The alcohol acts as a grinding aid that prevents premature hardening of the cement, allowing the ultrafine cement to be produced in advance and transported to the injection site without requiring immediate on-site production.
Solution Approach 2:
The ultrafine cement can be ground and prepared in advance using alcohol as the liquid medium, then stored and transported to the injection site. This preliminary preparation eliminates the constraint of requiring immediate on-site production, providing production flexibility while maintaining ultrafine particle sizes.
3Ease of operation
If conventional cement with larger particle size is used, then the cement can be transported and stored easily, but it cannot penetrate into very fine pores in rocks below 1 μm
Solution Approach 1:
The particle size of the cement is dramatically reduced from conventional sizes (typically >10 μm) to ultrafine sizes (D50 < 1 μm) through wet grinding in alcohol. This parameter change enables the cement to penetrate very fine pores in rocks that were previously inaccessible to conventional cement.
Solution Approach 2:
Alcohol serves as the intermediary medium during grinding that enables ultrafine particle production. The alcohol prevents particle recombination and allows sustained fine grinding, producing cement particles small enough to penetrate the finest rock pores while maintaining ease of transport and storage after the alcohol is removed or evaporated.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The process enables the production of hyperfine cement that can penetrate and effectively seal very fine pores in rocks, preventing gas escape and enhancing sealing capabilities in applications like natural gas wells.
Implementation Method 1
A wet grinding process using a non-aqueous solvent, such as alcohol
Implementation Method 2
wet grinding cement or cement clinker in a non-aqueous solvent
Implementation Method 3
Charges are created in the broken interfaces, which quickly reconnect the particles
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for the production of a hyper-fine cement, wherein cement is wet-ground in a non-aqueous solvent, optionally in the presence of a grinding aid, thus yielding a hyper-fine cement having a particle size of D50 < 1 µm. The hyper-fine cement is suitable for sealing or reinforcing porous molded bodies, rocks, or porous formations, particularly for the gas-tight sealing of natural gas deposits, and also as fire protection of polymer materials or components made of pressed textiles or natural fibers.