Research progress and prospect of plugging technologies for fractured formation with severe lost circulation

By reviewing the mechanisms of drilling fluid lost circulation and its control in fractured formations, the applicability and working mechanisms of different kinds of lost circulation materials in plugging fractured formations have been summarized. Meanwhile, based on the types of lost circulation materials, the advantages, disadvantages, and application effects of corresponding plugging technologies have been analyzed to sort out the key problems existing in the current lost circulation control technologies. On this basis, the development direction of plugging technology for severe loss have been pointed out. It is suggested that that the lost circulation control technology should combine different disciplines such as geology, engineering and materials to realize integration, intelligence and systematization in the future. Five research aspects should be focused on:(1) the study on mechanisms of drilling fluid lost circulation and its control to provide basis for scientific selection of lost circulation material formulas, control methods and processes;(2) the research and development of self-adaptive lost circulation materials to improve the matching relationship between lost control materials and fracture scales;(3) the research and development of lost circulation materials with strong retention and strong filling in three-dimensional fracture space, to enhance the retention and filling capacities of materials in fractures and improve the lost circulation control effect;(4) the research and development of lost circulation materials with high temperature tolerance, to ensure the long-term plugging effect of deep high-temperature formations;(5) the study on digital and intelligent lost circulation control technology, to promote the development of lost circulation control technology to digital and intelligent direction.

Analysis of the Lost Circulation Problem

The well-known“lost circulation”problem refers to the uncontrolled flow of whole mud into a formation.In order to address the problem related to the paucity of available data,in the present study,a model is introduced for the lost-circulation risk sample profile of a drilled well.The model is built taking into account effective data(the Block L).Then,using a three-dimensional geological modeling software,relying on the variation function and sequential Gaussian simulation method,a three-dimensional block lost-circulation risk model is introduced able to provide relevant information for regional analyses.

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.

Structural failure mechanism and strengthening method of fracture plugging zone for lost circulation control in deep naturally fractured reservoirs

Focused on the lost circulation control in deep naturally fractured reservoirs, the multiscale structure of fracture plugging zone is proposed based on the theory of granular matter mechanics, and the structural failure pattern of plugging zone is developed to reveal the plugging zone failure mechanisms in deep, high temperature, high pressure, and high in-situ stress environment. Based on the fracture plugging zone strength model, key performance parameters are determined for the optimal selection of loss control material(LCM). Laboratory fracture plugging experiments with new LCM are carried out to evaluate the effect of the key performance parameters of LCM on fracture plugging quality. LCM selection strategy for fractured reservoirs is developed. The results show that the force chain formed by LCMs determines the pressure stabilization of macro-scale fracture plugging zone. Friction failure and shear failure are the two major failure patterns of fracture plugging zone. The strength of force chain depends on the performance of micro-scale LCM, and the LCM key performance parameters include particle size distribution, fiber aspect ratio, friction coefficient, compressive strength, soluble ability and high temperature resistance. Results of lab experiments and field test show that lost circulation control quality can be effectively improved with the optimal material selection based on the extracted key performance parameters of LCMs.

Development of a New Diagnostic Method for LostCirculation in Directional Wells

Failure to manage and minimize lost circulation can greatly increase the cost of drilling and the risk of well abandonment.Many lost circulation remedial procedures are not working as planned because the locations of loss zones are incorrectly estimated.The lack of this critical piece of information prevents treatments from being applied directly to the points of losses and, thus,resulting in low efficiency and extended NPT （non-productive time）. This paper presents an integrated method for identifying thelocations of loss zones with continuous temperature measurement data enabled by drilling microchip technology. A transient thermalmodel in predicting the temperature profiles in the wellbore and formation during mud loss is developed as a forward calculationprocedure of the loss zone mapping method. For a deep well with moderate to severe loss, there are significant changes in the mudcirculating temperature profiles as mud loss persists. Certain characteristics ofwellbore thermal behavior are evaluated and identifiedas good indicators of loss zones. Case studies are conducted to demonstrate the practical applications of the method in both onshoreand offshore drilling applications. The results from these case studies are important in setting cement plugs, applying expandabletubular systems, and spotting LCM （lost circulation material） pills. Additional uses of this method include identifying highlypermeable zones for reservoir or formation evaluation purposes. This method can be used as a routine monitoring process performedregularly without any interference of the drilling operations at the time.

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.

Bridging performance of new eco-friendly lost circulation materials

Lost circulation is one of the most important concerns of the drilling industry, causing excessive expenditure and increasing the non-productive drilling time. In this study, various lost circulation materials(LCMs) were used to control the lost circulation of two types of drilling fluids, bentonite mud and a new eco-friendly mud, named RIA-X, which has a remarkable effect on decreasing the amount of lost circulation in fractured and highly permeable reservoirs. The Bridging Material Test(BMT) apparatus was used to investigate the effectiveness of various LCMs in fractures of various sizes and to select the LCM and combination with the best performance. The use of three-dimensional fractures is one of the most notable points of this work, which makes the experimental conditions similar to those of real wells. The lost control performance of the new eco-friendly LCMs in RIA-X mud was tested in field. The outcomes show that the designed LCMs are able to control severe lost circulation that regular processes such as cementing or drilling with foam cannot deal with.

Lost circulation material for abnormally high temperature and pressure fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs in Tazhong block, Tarim Basin, NW China

To effectively solve the problem of lost circulation and well kick frequently occurring during the drilling of abnormally high temperature and pressure fractured-vuggy reservoirs in the Tazhong block, a rigid particle material, GZD, with high temperature tolerance, high rigidity(> 8 MPa) and low abrasiveness has been selected based on geological characteristics of the theft zones in the reservoirs. Through static pressure sealing experiments, its dosage when used alone and when used in combination with lignin fiber, elastic material SQD-98 and calcium carbonate were optimized, and the formula of a new type(SXM-I) of compound lost circulation material with high temperature tolerance and high strength was formed. Its performance was evaluated by compatibility test, static sealing experiment and sand bed plugging experiment. The test results show that it has good compatibility with drilling fluid used commonly and is able to plug fractures and vugs, the sealed fractures are able to withstand the static pressure of more than 9 MPa and the cumulative leakage is 13.4 mL. The mud filtrate invasion depth is only 2.5 cm in 30 min when the sand bed is made of particles with sizes between 10 mesh and 20 mesh. Overall, with good sealing property and high temperature and high pressure tolerance, the lost circulation material provides strong technical support for the safety drilling in the block.

Study on an novel composite gel material solving serious lost circulations and pressurization sealing

Lost circulations have presented great challenges to the petroleum industry, causing great expenditures of cash and time to fighting the problem. Probably the most problematic situations are the naturally fractured formations where the operator may face total loss with no mud return in the annular. The voids or large fracture encountered in this case are often far too large to be plugged with conventional Lost Circulation Material. This paper will give a detailed introduction on a novel composite gel material usable to control severe losses and pressurization sealing. The plugging mechanics of this new composite gel material, which is different from conventional lost circulation materials, were elaborated as well. In addition, the properties of the new composite gel material such as thermostability, sealing strength and bearing resistance are characterized with specific experimental devices. The experimental results proved that the breakdown pressure of the new plugging reached more than 20MPa, and the maximum degraded temperature can be exceed 130℃. The field application at 4 wells in Puguang gas field, SINOPEC, demonstrated that the new composite gel material solved the serious loss in Ordovician carbonate fractured formation successfully and guaranteed the following completion cement operation smoothly. The composite gel sealing slurries, which was easily prepared on site, gives remarkable properties regarding pumping through drill pipes, adjustment of setting time and excellent sealing strength of the lost zone sealing, additionally, the whole pressurization sealing process was complicated within only ten hours. The on-site results show that the plugging ratio of the new composite gel was reached 100%, and the success rate of sealing operation kept above 80%.Thus the new LCM can guarantee safe drilling jobs and save operation cost more effectively.

钻井过程中井漏特征精细识别方法研究与应用

井漏是钻井工程中普遍存在的井下复杂问题,严重影响着钻井施工安全与钻井周期,井漏特征精细识别是高效治理井漏的关键。首先,综合测井、钻井、录井及地质等资料,结合漏层力学性质与物理机理分析,利用加权系数法,建立了基于“井漏综合指数”的井漏层位识别新方法。然后,研究了漏失通道类型及尺寸、漏失压差、漏失速度等井漏特征参数的定量分析方法,并给出计算模型,形成了多信息融合的井漏特征精细识别方法。该方法在X区块进行了实例分析,分析结果表明,X区块实际井资料的处理结果与现场实际漏失地层的层位、漏失类型及漏失速度等井漏特征基本吻合。井漏特征精细识别方法综合考虑了井漏的主要影响因素,利用其可以准确识别漏层的特征,为防漏堵漏技术优化及施工提供科学依据。

面向溢流与井漏监测的钻井液池体积趋势校正方法

钻井液池体积是溢流和井漏监测的常用参数。在钻井正常施工时,随着井筒容积的变化以及井筒内钻井液与地层流体的交换,钻井液池体积会产生与溢流和井漏发生时相似的“类风险趋势”,导致现有的溢流与井漏监测方法易产生误报,降低了溢流与井漏监测方法在现场应用时的有效性。针对此问题,文章首先分析了导致池体积产生“类风险趋势”的原因,建立了钻进与起下钻工况下池体积的正常变化模型,利用建立的模型校正池体积的“类风险趋势”,降低溢流与井漏监测的误报率;然后,建立了基于规则推理的溢流与井漏监测模型,用于测试池体积的“类风险趋势”对溢流与井漏监测的影响。利用现场实测的4500组钻井数据,采用基于规则推理的溢流与井漏监测方法开展了风险监测实验,结果表明,在进行池体积趋势校正后,溢流与井漏风险监测的误报率由10.03%降低至3.06%。

矿山救援钻孔中井涌井漏事故预警预测

为解决矿山应急救援钻孔作业过程中井涌井漏事故预警预测困难等问题,建立了基于机器学习的钻进过程井涌井漏事故预警预测模型。首先对井涌井漏事故发生初期时的钻进参数进行事故表征参数分析;其次对事故表征参数进行数据清洗处理,在此基础上,通过XGBoost事故诊断预警模型对井涌井漏事故进行早期诊断识别;随后建立PSO-LSTM事故发展预测模型,对事故发生后的孔底压力参数发展趋势进行预测,提前掌握钻进事故发展状态;最后通过实际钻进数据对预警预测模型的有效性进行验证。结果表明:XGBoost事故诊断预警模型能根据总池体积、立管压力、出入口流量差和动力头负荷这4种钻进参数的异常变化,快速准确诊断钻进过程中的井涌井漏事故;PSO-LSTM事故发展状态预测模型能充分学习孔底压力参数发展规律,综合EMAP、EMA、ERMS、R2这4项误差评价指标,PSO-LSTM模型相较于BP、RNN、SVM模型的预测性能最佳,能准确预测事故发生之后的孔底压力发展趋势,提前掌握井涌井漏事故的严重程度和发展态势。研究结果丰富了钻进过程井涌井漏事故预警预测方法,提高了矿山事故地面救援的可靠性,对矿山应急救援钻孔作业过程中事故控制有着借鉴与指导作用。

深层断溶体油气藏钻完井储层保护技术挑战与对策

深层断溶体油气藏储层裂缝发育,易导致大量工作液漏失,造成严重储层损害。以顺北区块奥陶系碳酸盐岩储层为例,考虑储层超深、超高压、超高温与断裂带特点,综合工区钻井液漏失情况、储层物性特征、矿物组成和裂缝发育情况,结合流体敏感性、应力敏感性与储层润湿性评价,揭示了深层断溶体油气藏储层损害机理。钻井液漏失是深层断溶体油气藏最重要的储层损害方式,岩体结构破碎、储层非均质性强、走滑断层裂缝缝面光滑及高温长井段循环进一步加大了储层保护的难度;通过采用控压钻井技术,结合抗高温高酸溶屏蔽暂堵技术与抗高温强滞留堵漏技术,可以达到较好的储层保护效果;根据深层断溶体碳酸盐岩油气藏裂缝发育特征,钻进全程加入高强度架桥材料,利用鳞片状岩屑作为填充材料,达到钻井过程防漏与开发过程预防裂缝应力敏感性的效果,实现漏失控制—储层保护—增产增渗的一体化目标。

结合LSTM自编码器与集成学习的井漏智能识别方法

为了解决传统的井漏智能识别模型因井漏样本数量受限导致其识别准确率低的问题,提出了一种长短期记忆(long short-term memory,LSTM)网络与自编码器(auto-encoder,AE)相结合、集成LSTM-AE的井漏智能识别方法。首先,采用正常样本训练多个包含不同隐藏层神经元数目的LSTM-AE模型,利用重构得分筛选出识别效果较好的几个模型作为基识别器;然后,采用集成学习对多个基识别器的识别结果进行加权融合,解决单一模型因对样本局部特征过度学习导致的误报与漏报问题,提高模型的识别准确率。从某油田18口井的钻井数据中选取了6000组正常钻进状态下的立压、出口流量、池体积数据,对集成LSTM-AE模型进行训练和测试,结果表明,提出方法的识别准确率达到了94.7%,优于其他常用的智能模型的识别结果,为井漏识别提供了一种新的技术途径。

基于门控循环单元网络的钻井井漏智能监测方法

井漏是钻井过程中常见的钻井风险,若对该风险发现、处理不及时,极易导致井塌事故,轻则延长施工周期,重则危害现场人员人身安全。为了提高油气井钻井过程中井漏风险识别的准确性,降低风险识别对人为经验的依赖,结合钻井参数的非线性以及长时依赖特征,提出了一种基于门控循环单元(Gated Recurrent Unit,GRU)网络的井漏风险智能识别方法。该模型以池体积、出口流量和立管压力作为监测参数构建GRU网络,能够提取监测参数的时间序列特征,以实现对井漏风险的准确识别。利用现场实测钻井数据对模型进行了实验测试,结果表明,该方法对井漏风险的识别准确率达到了90.1%,优于长短期记忆网络的识别结果。

井漏风险层位钻前智能识别方法研究

井漏是复杂地层钻井工程常遇到的工程难题,呈现出频发性、随机性与持续性等特征,钻前准确预测井漏风险层位对于安全钻井显得尤为重要。传统井漏层位分析偏重于随钻诊断和钻后总结,主要采用工程数据与现场经验相结合的手段,导致分析结果存在滞后性,无法在钻前有效指导钻井工程设计。本文以地震属性体数据和漏失工程数据为基础,在具有典型漏失特征单井选取的基础上,提取过井地震属性体数据,通过时深关系将漏失与地震属性相匹配,并采用随机森林方法甄别优选出与井漏预测相关性强的地震属性体,然后运用机器学习方法中的软投票算法建立集成学习模型,该模型融合了逻辑回归、随机森林和支持向量机3个子模型,实现了多元地震属性体与漏失工程数据之间的非线性映射关系及其对应权重的表征,同时获得基于地震与工程数据融合驱动的漏失风险层位分布概率,实现钻前井漏风险层位三维空间分布预测。研究结果表明,方差、时频衰减、甜点和均方根振幅与井漏的相关性最高,综合上述多种属性体可以实现更为精确的井漏风险预测,而过多增加地震属性数据并不能显著提升预测效果精度,相反还会增加计算成本。与单一机器学习模型相比,集成学习模型由于融合了多个子模型的优点,能够取得更好的预测效果。实际应用效果表明,采用地震属性体进行漏失风险预测,其精度取决于地震数据的采样率,井漏风险层位区域横向预测分辨率约为25 m,纵向预测分辨率约为6m(2ms),预测结果表明横向相比于纵向更为可靠。但由于时深关系的影响,可能导致纵向预测精度的偏移。本研究能够较好的进行钻前漏失预测,为钻前漏失预测提供了一种新的思路,对于指导井位部署、井眼轨道优化以及安全钻井具有重要意义。

超深缝洞型碳酸盐岩储层超低密度钻井液技术

塔里木油田压力系数低于1.0的超深井碳酸盐岩低压储层常发生钻井液失返性井漏,其平均井深超过6000 m,井控风险极大,除了强钻再无更好手段,往往只能提前完井。为提升超深井水平段延伸能力,研究人员研发了高强度空心玻璃微珠,可配制密度为0.93~1.07 g/cm^(3)的超低密度水基钻井液。详述了中古262-H4C井井漏失返后利用低密度水基钻井液重建井筒循环、恢复常规定向钻进的施工过程。现场钻井液密度最低降至0.98 g/cm^(3),井漏失返后多钻373 m,实现了一井钻穿两个缝洞体的地质目的,保障了该井井漏失返后钻至设计井深,开创了空心玻璃微珠超低密度钻井液在国内垂深超6000 m的超深井应用先例,为我国类似老区低压地层应用提供了技术参考。

水玻璃复合堵漏体系中氯化钙控释技术

水玻璃-氯化钙体系是常用的油井堵漏材料,但是水玻璃和氯化钙一接触即快速反应,只能采用双液法进行施工,工序复杂。因此拟对氯化钙进行控释,以期能够将水玻璃-氯化钙混合同时泵注,简化施工。该研究通过使用树脂体系对氯化钙进行包裹完成氯化钙的控释。通过改变体系中氯化钙的加量、交联剂的加量以及单体的种类及配比,考察以上3种因素对控释效果的影响。研究发现,通过树脂对氯化钙进行包裹时,氯化钙与单体的质量比为1∶4、交联剂加量为6%,可将水玻璃-氯化钙体系失去流动性时间延长至105 min。将已包裹氯化钙的树脂粉末进行二次包裹时,氯化钙与单体的质量比为1∶2、一次包裹二次包裹交联剂加量均为6%时,可将水玻璃-氯化钙体系失去流动性时间延长至110 min。在二次包裹的树脂体系中加入氯化钠,可将体系失去流动性时间延长至180 min。通过红外光谱和SEM谱图分析发现,吸水树脂通过减少氯化钙与水玻璃的接触面积来减缓反应的进行,树脂本身不参与水玻璃与氯化钙的反应进程。

微芯片技术在油气田井下漏层定位中的应用

目的准确地定位油气田开发过程中的井漏位置,为制定堵漏措施提供支持,提高堵漏的成功率。方法由于漏失层位大量钻井液漏失会造成该位置温度变化异常,通过一种搭载微芯片的微型井下测量球状仪在井内循环,获取井下温度、压力分布数据,然后基于这些数据掌握井下温度分布规律,并与理想的温度分布规律进行对比,从而比较准确地定位漏失点位置。结果通过捕获井口返出的微芯片,获取井内温度压力数据,然后再对温度梯度变化数据进行平滑处理,最终能够基于数据分析出较为准确的漏失层位。结论基于微芯片测量数据来定位漏失点是一种针对井下漏失情况诊断的新型、低成本且便捷的方法,为创新型井下测量微芯片的应用提供了一个非常有价值和代表性的场景。

高强度等四面体树脂固结堵漏剂的研制及应用

川渝地区在钻井过程中井漏频发,部分区域钻遇复杂地层发生恶性漏失,常常需要多次堵漏或多种堵漏工艺才能封堵成功,严重增加了钻井成本。通过对现有堵漏工艺进行分析,针对裂缝架桥填充原理,通过将高强度等四面体树脂作为主架桥材料、片状树脂及热固性树脂作为充填材料、纤维材料进行缠绕交联后研制成一种一袋式温控胶凝树脂固结堵漏材料YDFD。针对小裂缝,溶洞类、失返性(大裂缝)、呼吸性地层漏失情况,分别选用小、中、大3个型号的一袋式胶凝树脂固结堵漏剂进行级配,通过温控剂调节堵漏浆的固化时间保障施工安全、实现对漏层的精准封堵,在川渝油气井区处理井漏复杂过程中获得93%的一次堵漏成功率,达到了很好的应用效果,该工艺技术在油气田处理井漏难题时可推广应用。