Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.

David L Thorp

James Frank Heathman

Horton Colby Ballew

Tommy D Thompson

A method and apparatus for plugging a well. The apparatus includes a well barrier which may be connected to a pipe string and lowered into a well to a selected plug location. The barrier is held in place by the pipe string at the selected plug location. The well barrier will engage the well at the selected plug location. A plugging fluid is displaced through the pipe string and is communicated into the well above the barrier. The well barrier will catch the plugging fluid. After the plugging fluid gels sufficiently to support itself in the well, the pipe string which was utilized to lower the well barrier can be disconnected from the well barrier and removed from the well after the plugging fluid has been allowed to set to a sufficient gel strength. The well barrier consists of a support pipe connected to the pipe string, and a fluid barrier connected thereto. The fluid barrier comprises a webbing disposed about the support pipe and a plurality of support members hingedly connected to the support pipe which allows the support members to rotate outwardly to engage the well at the selected plug location.

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Victoria, TX, United States of America

David L Thorp