Standard degradable grades
General-purpose degradable magnesium for frac balls, seats, and plug components in brine-based fluids.
Magnesium Alloy
Moss Seal supplies degradable magnesium alloys for temporary downhole tools such as frac plugs, frac balls, and ball seats, which must hold for the job and then break down without a mill-out run. Magnesium is the lightest structural metal in common engineering use and reacts readily in brine, which degradable grades are alloyed to exploit. We machine these grades to drawing and manage the dry handling they need before the tool is run.
ENGINEERING
Cross-section design & operation
A degradable magnesium alloy is machined to finished geometry, carries load while the job runs, and then corrodes in well fluids until the part breaks down.
Grade selection
Degradable grades are alloyed to corrode at a controlled rate, and formulations differ in strength and in how quickly they dissolve. Selection follows bottomhole temperature, fluid salinity, load, and the hold time the job requires.
How it works
Alloying additions form micro-galvanic cells within the metal, so it corrodes in brine far faster than standard magnesium and breaks down to fine particles that flow back with well fluids.
Protection
Degradable parts are kept dry and sealed until deployment, and protective coatings can delay degradation during extended run-in. Galvanic contact with steel components accelerates corrosion and is accounted for in tool design.
SELECTION
Materials & advantages
Performance advantages
Avoids mill-out runs · Degrades in well fluids · Lightest structural metal · High strength-to-weight ratio · Readily machinable · Grades matched to the well
