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.

Formation mechanisms of fracture plugging zone and optimization of plugging particles

As formation mechanisms of plugging zone and criteria for fracture plugging remain unclear,plugging experiments and methods testing granular material mechanical properties are used to study the formation process of the plugging zone in fractured formations,analyze composition and ratios of different sizes of particles in the plugging zone,and reveal the essence and driving energy of the formation and damage of the plugging zone.New criteria for selecting lost circulation materials are proposed.The research results show that the formation of the plugging zone has undergone a process from inertial flow,elastic flow,to quasi-static flow.The plugging zone is composed of fracture mouth plugging particles,bridging particles and filling particles,and the proportion of the three types of particles is an important basis for designing drilling fluid loss control formula.The essence of the construction of the plugging zone is non-equilibrium Jamming phase transition.The response of the plugging zone particle system to pressure is driven by entropy force;the greater the entropy,the more stable the plugging zone.Lost circulation control formula optimized according to the new criteria has better plugging effect than the formula made according to conventional plugging rules and effectively improves the pressure-bearing capacity of the plugging zone.The research results provide a theoretical and technical basis for the lost circulation control of fractured formations.

Numerical Analysis of Dynamical Effects Associated with a Plugging String in a Horizontal Well

The finite element method has been applied to simulate the dynamics of a water plugging string in a complex horizontal well of a low-permeability oilfield.The force associated with the pipe string and the packer has been determined under the sucking action of the oil well pump.Such analysis has been conducted for a real drilling well,taking into account the process of lifting,lowering,unblocking and water plugging.Comparison between field measured data and simulation data indicates that the model is reliable and accurate.The packer creep effect under different pressure differences has also been investigated in the framework of the same model.

Resin Plug Application on Subsea Wells as A Suspension Barrier

A subsea wellhead equipped with obsolete vertical Christmas tree needs to be suspended for subsea tree recovery and subsequently to be permanently abandoned. Due to obsolete Christmas tree design combined with tubing inaccessibility issue,conventional subsea intervention method for setting downhole mechanical plug barriers with a semisubmersible rig or a riserless light well intervention vessel is not feasible to suspend the well. Attempt was made to suspend the well from a riserless light well intervention vessel by setting tubing mechanical plugs in 2017,but the mandrel of the tree running tool (TRT) was sheared off accidently while landing the TRT&subsea intervention lubricator (SIL) on the subsea tree. Due to resin’s superior mechanical and rheological properties,resin was evaluated as a well suspension material to create a suspension barrier. Resin plug was deployed successfully from a dive support vessel (DSV) across the perforations to allow the tree removal at cost effective manner. Resin plugging demonstrates a new approach at well P&A area.

Development and prospect of separated zone oil production technology

This article outlines the development of separated zone oil production in foreign countries,and details its development in China.According to the development process,production needs,technical characteristics and adaptability of oilfields in China,the development of separate zone oil production technology is divided into four stages:flowing well zonal oil production,mechanical recovery and water blocking,hydraulically adjustable zonal oil production,and intelligent zonal production.The principles,construction processes,adaptability,advantages and disadvantages of the technology are introduced in detail.Based on the actual production situation of the oilfields in China at present,three development directions of the technology are proposed.First,the real-time monitoring and adjustment level of separated zone oil production needs to be improved by developing downhole sensor technology and two-way communication technology between ground and downhole and enhancing full life cycle service capability and adaptability to horizontal wells.Second,an integrated platform of zonal oil production and management should be built using a digital artificial lifting system.Third,integration of injection and production should be implemented through large-scale application of zonal oil production and zonal water injection to improve matching and adjustment level between the injection and production parameters,thus making the development adjustment from"lag control"to"real-time optimization"and improving the development effect.

Research progress on hydrate plugging in multiphase mixed rich-liquid transportation pipelines

The plugging mechanism of multiphase mixed rich-liquid transportation in submarine pipeline is a prerequisite for maintaining the fluid flow in the pipeline and ensuring safe fluid flow.This paper introduced the common experimental devices used to study multiphase flow,and summarized the plugging progress and mechanism in the liquid-rich system.Besides,it divided the richliquid phase system into an oil-based system,a partially dispersed system,and a water-based system according to the different water cuts,and discussed the mechanism of hydrate plugging.Moreover,it summarized the mechanism and the use of anti-agglomerates in different systems.Furthermore,it proposed some suggestions for future research on hydrate plugging.First,in the oil-based system,the effect factors of hydrates are combined with the mechanical properties of hydrate deposit layer,and the hydrate plugging mechanism models at inclined and elbow pipes should be established.Second,the mechanism of oilwater emulsion breaking in partially dispersed system and the reason for the migration of the oil-water interface should be analyzed,and the property of the free water layer on the hydrate plugging process should be quantified.Third,a complete model of the effect of the synergy of liquid bridge force and van der Waals force in the waterbased system on the hydrate particle coalescence frequency model is needed,and the coalescence frequency model should be summarized.Next,the dynamic analysis of a multiphase mixed rich-liquid transportation pipeline should be coupled with the process of hydrate coalescence,deposition,and blockage decomposition.Finally,the effects of anti-agglomerates on the morphological evolution of hydrate under different systems and pipeline plugging conditions in different media should be further explored.