Patent attributes
An apparatus and method for forming a plug in a passageway, comprises a carrier which in use is lowered into the passageway, the carrier comprising an elongate body of material resistant to creep which supports first and second spaced apart portions and a body of material supported on the carrier, the material having a melting point which is higher than the temperature within the passageway and which expands as it solidifies. The carrier may comprise a skirt that extends axially from a lower end of the carrier, the skirt being dimensioned to define a clearance between the skirt and the passageway; and a heater for melting the body of material such that melted material fills a space defined between the first and second portions, and flows into the clearance defined between the skirt and the passageway. The heater may be a removable heater.
