Natural rubber latex as a potential additive for water-based drilling fluids

The environmental hazards and"carbon footprint"of oil and gas drilling can be significantly reduced by replacing traditional petroleum-based chemical additives with natural materials derived from plants and animals.This paper explored for the first time the interaction mechanism between natural rubber latex(NRL)and bentonite suspensions(BTs)through a series of characterization experiments,as well as the potential applications in water-based drilling fluids(WBDF).The gel viscoelasticity experiments showed that NRL could decrease the consistency coefficient(k)and flow index(n)of BTs,and enhance the shear thinning performance of BTs as pseudo-plastic fluids.In addition,0.5 w/v%NRL not only increased the critical yield stress and strengthened the structural strength between the bentonite particles,but also facilitated the compatibility of pressure loss and flow efficiency.The evaluation of colloidal stability and WBDF performance indicated that NRL particles could promote the hydration and charge stability on the surface of BTs particles,and optimize the particle size distribution and flow resistance of WBDF under the"intercalation-exfoliation-encapsulation"synergistic interaction.Moreover,NRL can improve the rheological properties of WBDF at high temperatures(<150.C),and form a dense blocking layer by bridging and sealing the pores and cracks of the filter cake,which ultimately reduces the permeability of the cake and the filtration loss of WBDF.

Chemical modification of barite for improving the performance of weighting materials for water-based drilling fluids

With increasing drilling depth and large dosage of weighting materials,drilling fluids with high solid content are characterized by poor stability,high viscosity,large water loss,and thick mud cake,easier leading to reservoir damage and wellbore instability.In this paper,micronized barite(MB)was modified(mMB)by grafting with hydrophilic polymer onto the surface through the free radical polymerization to displace conventional API barite partly.The suspension stability of water-based drilling fluids(WBDFs)weighted with API barite:mMB=2:1 in 600 g was significantly enhanced compared with that with API barite/WBDFs,exhibiting the static sag factor within 0.54 and the whole stability index of 2.The viscosity and yield point reached the minimum,with a reduction of more than 40%compared with API barite only at the same density.Through multi-stage filling and dense accumulation of weighting materials and clays,filtration loss was decreased,mud cake quality was improved,and simultaneously it had great reservoir protection performance,and the permeability recovery rate reached 87%.In addition,it also effectively improved the lubricity of WBDFs.The sticking coefficient of mud cake was reduced by 53.4%,and the friction coefficient was 0.2603.Therefore,mMB can serve as a versatile additive to control the density,rheology,filtration,and stability of WBDFs weighted with API barite,thus regulating comprehensive performance and achieving reservoir protection capacity.This work opened up a new path for the productive drilling of extremely deep and intricate wells by providing an efficient method for managing the performance of high-density WBDFs.

Double network self-healing hydrogel based on hydrophobic association and ionic bond for formation plugging

Self-healing hydrogels have attracted tremendous attention in the field of oil and gas drilling and production engineering because of their excellent self-healing performance after physical damage.In this study,a series of double network self-healing(DN_(SA))hydrogels based on hydrophobic association and ionic bond were prepared for plugging pores and fractures in formations in oil and gas drilling and production engineering.The mechanical,rheological,and self-healing properties of the DN_(SA)hydrogels were investigated.Results revealed that the DN_(SA)hydrogels exhibited excellent mechanical properties with a tensile stress of 0.67 MPa and toughness of 7069 kJ/cm^(3) owing to the synergistic effect of the double network.In addition,the DN_(SA)hydrogels exhibited excellent compression resistance,notch insensitivity,and self-healing properties.The DN_(SA)-2 hydrogel was granulated and made into gel particles with different particle sizes and used as a plugging agent.The self-healing mechanism of DN_(SA)-2 hydrogel particles in fractures was explored,and it’s plugging effect on fractures of different widths and porous media of different permeabilities were investigated.Experimental results revealed that the plugging capacity of the DN_(SA)-2 hydrogel particles for a fracture with width of 5 mm and a porous medium with a permeability of 30μm^(2) was 3.45 and 4.21 MPa,respectively,which is significantly higher than those of commonly used plugging agents in the oilfield.The DN_(SA)hydrogels with excellent mechanical and self-healing properties prepared in this study will provide a new approach for applying hydrogels in oil and gas drilling and production engineering.

Plugging performance and mechanism of an oil-absorbing gel for lost circulation control while drilling in fractured formations

Lost circulation of drilling fluid is one of the most common engineering problems in the drilling process of fractured formations.In this study,an oil-absorbing polymer gel synthesized using compound monomers with rigid and flexible chains was applied to control the oil-based drilling fluid loss while drilling.The microstructure,oil-absorbing performance,and plugging performance the gel was investigated.A large number of dense pores on the surface of the gel were observed,which allowed the oil molecules to enter the internal space of the gel.The initial oil absorption capacity of the gel was fast,and it increased with the increase in the temperature and decrease in the particle size,reaching 20.93 g/g at140℃.At a high temperature of 140℃,the bearing pressure capacity of the gel formula containing particles of different particle sizes reached 7.6 MPa for a fracture of a width of 3 mm,showing that the oil-absorbing gel have excellent plugging performance at high temperature.Plugging mechanism of the gel was investigated through visualized fracture plugging experiments.Results show that the dynamic migratio n,particle-swelling,particle-bridging,particle-aggregation,deformation-filling,and compaction-plugging contribute to the whole lost circulation control process,reflecting that the plugging performance can be effectively enhanced by improving the aggregation and filling degrees of the gel with different particle sizes.

Preparation and properties of magnesium oxysulfate cement and its application as lost circulation materials

Loss of drilling fluids in large porous and fractured zones inevitably up-regulates the overall cost of drilling.As a type of acid-soluble cement,magnesium oxysulfate(MOS)cement is arousing huge attention for the less hygroscopic nature and less damaging to steel casings compared with magnesium oxychloride(MOC)cement.The present study developed MOS cement as a fast setting,high strength and acid-soluble lost circulation material to reduce the problem of losses.As suggested in this study,a higher strength of MOS cement at 70℃could be achieved by elevating M_(g)O/MgSO_(4)·7 H_(2)O molar ratio or downregulating H_(2)O/MgSO_(4)·7 H_(2)O molar ratio.Boric acid and borax could act as effective retarders.Plugging slurry based on MOS cement could effectively block the simulated porous loss zones exhibiting a diameter from 1.24 mm to 1.55 mm,as well as the fractured loss zones with a width from 2 mm to 5 mm and bearing a pressure difference up to 8 MPa.Permeability recovery test demonstrated that it facilitated future oil and gas production.The successful field application in the Junggar Basin,Xinjiang,China verified the significant plugging effect of MOS cement for severe loss problems.

A new environmentally friendly water-based drilling fluids with laponite nanoparticles and polysaccharide/polypeptide derivatives

Considering the increasing environmental pressure,environmentally friendly and high-performance water-based drilling fluids(WBDFs)have been widely studied in recent years to replace the commonly used oil-based drilling fluids(OBDFs).However,few of these drilling fluids are entirely composed of natural materials,which makes it difficult to achieve real environmental protection.Using laponite nanoparticles and various derivatives of natu ral mate rials,including cro sslinked starch,cellulose composite,gelatin ammonium salt,poly-l-arginine,and polyanionic cellulose,a kind of environmentally friendly water-based drilling fluid(EF-WBDF)was built for drilling in environment-sensitive areas.The properties of this EF-WBDF were evaluated by thermal stability tests on rheology,filtration,inhibition,and salt contamination.Besides,biological toxicity,biodegradability,heavy mental content and wheat cultivation tests were conducted to investigate the environmental factor of EF-WBDF.Results showed that EF-WBDF displayed satisfactory thermal resistance up to 150℃,and the rheological properties did not suffer significant fluctuation,showing potential application in high-temperature wells.The optimal rheological model of EF-WBDF was Herschel-Bulkley model.This EF-WBDF performed an eligible filtration of 14.2 mL at 150℃and a differential pressure of 3.5 MPa.This fluid could still maintain colloidal stability after being contaminated by 7.5%NaCl or 0.5%CaC1_(2).Meanwhile,rather low clay swelling degree of 2.44 mm and high shale recovery of more than 95%ensured the inhibitive capability of EF-WBDF.Furthermore,EF-WBDF presented a half maximal effective concentration(EC_(50))of51200 mg/L and a BOD/COD ratio of 47.55%,suggesting that EF-WBDF was non-toxic and easily biodegradable.The wheat cultivated in EF-WBDF could grow healthily,beneficial for reducing the adverse impact on ecological environment.The formed EF-WBDF has a promising future for drilling in environment-sensitive and high-temperature areas.

Eco-friendly aqueous foam stabilized by cellulose microfibers with great salt tolerance and high temperature resistance

A low-cost eco-friendly aqueous foam,especially the robust foam with great tolerance to high salinity and high temperature,is in great demand in the oil industry,e.g.,oil and gas well or geothermal well drilling.Herein,an ultra-stable aqueous foam was developed using the biodegradable cellulose microfiber(CMF)as a foam stabilizer.The foam stabilized by CMF shows excellent tolerance to the high concentration of NaCl(6.0 wt%)and CaCl_(2)(0.25 wt%)and the related drainage half-life times(T_(0.5))reach 1750 and 2340 s respectively.By contrast,the foams without CMF are completely drained(T_(0.5)=0 s)when NaCl concentration is greater than 6.0 wt%or CaCl_(2) concentration is greater than 0.20 wt%.Notably,T0.5 of the foams stabilized by CMF at these saline concentrations still can maintain above 1000 s even after aging at 120℃ for 16 h,exhibiting an outstanding foam-stabilizing performance at high temperature.Experimental results suggest that the salt and high-temperature tolerance of CMF in foam stabilization is attributed to the electrically uncharged surfaces,the formation of a gel-like structure and the excellent thermal stability.This work not only provides a promising candidate of aqueous foam stabilizer to deal with high temperature and high salinity but also presents a natural-based solution for an environmentally friendly drilling industry in the future.

Subsection and superposition method for reservoir formation damage evaluation of complex-structure wells

Kinds of complex-structure wells can effectively improve production,which are widely used.However,in the process of drilling and completion,complex-structure wells with long drilling cycle and large exposed area of reservoir can lead to the fact that reservoir near wellbore is more vulnerable to the working fluid invasion,resulting in more serious formation damage.In order to quantitatively describe the reservoir formation damage in the construction of complex-structure well,taking the inclined well section as the research object,the coordinate transformation method and conformal transformation method are given according to the flow characteristics of reservoir near wellbore in anisotropic reservoir.Then the local skin factor in orthogonal plane of wellbore is deduced.Considering the un-even distribution of local skin factor along the wellbore,the oscillation decreasing model and empirical equation model of damage zone radius distribution along the wellbore direction are established and then the total skin factor model of the whole well is superimposed to realize the reservoir damage evaluation of complex-structure wells.Combining the skin factor model with the production model,the production of complex-structure wells can be predicted more accurately.The two field application cases show that the accuracy of the model can be more than 90%,which can also fully reflect the invasion characteristics of drilling and completion fluid in any well section of complex-structure wells in anisotropic reservoir,so as to further provide guidance for the scientific establish-ment of reservoir production system.