Research progress and development of deep and ultra-deep drilling fluid technology

The research progress of deep and ultra-deep drilling fluid technology systematically reviewed,the key problems existing are analyzed,and the future development direction is proposed.In view of the high temperature,high pressure and high stress,fracture development,wellbore instability,drilling fluid lost circulation and other problems faced in the process of deep and ultra-deep complex oil and gas drilling,scholars have developed deep and ultra-deep high-temperature and high-salt resistant water-based drilling fluid technology,high-temperature resistant oil-based/synthetic drilling fluid technology,drilling fluid technology for reservoir protection and drilling fluid lost circulation control technology.However,there are still some key problems such as insufficient resistance to high temperature,high pressure and high stress,wellbore instability and serious lost circulation.Therefore,the development direction of deep and ultra-deep drilling fluid technology in the future is proposed:(1)The technology of high-temperature and high-salt resistant water-based drilling fluid should focus on improving high temperature stability,improving rheological properties,strengthening filtration control and improving compatibility with formation.(2)The technology of oil-based/synthetic drilling fluid resistant to high temperature should further study in the aspects of easily degradable environmental protection additives with low toxicity such as high temperature stabilizer,rheological regulator and related supporting technologies.(3)The drilling fluid technology for reservoir protection should be devoted to the development of new high-performance additives and materials,and further improve the real-time monitoring technology by introducing advanced sensor networks and artificial intelligence algorithms.(4)The lost circulation control of drilling fluid should pay more attention to the integration and application of intelligent technology,the research and application of high-performance plugging materials,the exploration of diversified plugging techniques and methods,and the improvement of environmental protection and production safety awareness.

Effects of proper drilling control to reduce respirable dust during roof bolting operations

Dust generated from bolt hole drilling in roof bolting operation could have high quartz content. As a dust control measure, vacuum drilling is employed on most of the roof bolters in US underground mines. However, fine rock partic- ulates from drilling could escape from the dust collection system and become airborne under some circumstances causing the roof bolter operators expose to quartz-rich respirable dust. A previous research shows that drilling can be controlled through properly selected penetration and rotational rates to reduce the specific energy of drilling. Less specific energy means less energy is wasted on generating noise, heat and over-breakage of rock. It implies that proper control of drilling has a great potential to generate significantly less fine rock dust during drilling. The drilling experiments have been conducted to study the effect of controlling drilling on reducing respirable dust. The preliminary results show that the size distributions of respirable dust were different when controlling drilling in different bite depths. This paper presents the findings from laboratory experimental studies.

Development of a roof bolter drilling control process to reduce the generation of respirable dust

The drilling operation in the roof bolting process,especially in hard rock,generates excessive respirable coal and quartz dusts,which could expose the roof bolting operator to continued health risks.Previous research has shown that the amount of respirable dust produced is dependent on the main drilling parameters,specifically the drilling rotational and penetration rate.In this paper,a roof bolter drilling control process was proposed to reduce the generation of respirable dust.Based on the analysis of laboratory drilling test results,a rational drilling control process(adjusting rotational and penetration rates)to achieve the optimal drilling parameter for different rock types was proposed.In this process,the ratio between specific energy and rock uniaxial compressive strength was used as the index to determine the optimal operation point.The recommended drilling operation range for the rock type used in the experiment was provided,and the reduction in respirable dust generation was demonstrated.By following this control process,the drilling efficiency can be monitored in real time,so the system can stay in a relatively high-energy efficiency with less respirable dust production from the drilling source.This algorithm is targeted to be incorporated into the current roof bolter drilling control system for drilling automation so that a safe and productive drilling operation can be conducted in a healthy working environment.