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.

The mechanisms of thermal solidification agent promoting steam diversion in heavy oil reservoirs

At high cycles of steam huff&puff,oil distribution in reservoirs becomes stronger heterogeneity due to steam channeling.Thermal solidification agent can be used to solve this problem.Its solution is a lowviscosity liquid at normal temperature,but it can be solidified above 80℃.The plugging degree is up to 99%at 250℃.The sweep efficiency reaches 59.2%,which is 7.3%higher than pure steam injection.In addition,simultaneous injection of viscosity reducer and/or nitrogen foams can further enhance oil recovery.The mechanism of this technology depends on its strong plugging ability,which changes the flowing pattern of steam to effectively mobilize remaining oil.Viscosity reducer and nitrogen foams further expand the sweep range and extends the effective period.Therefore,thermal solidification agent can plug steam channeling paths and adjust steam flowing direction to significantly enhance oil recovery at high cycles of steam huff&puff.

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.

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.

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.

Preparation and characterization of supramolecular gel suitable for fractured formations

The excellent mechanical properties of supramolecular gel could adapt to the complex reservoir environment and had broad application prospects in the field of oil and gas drilling and production engineering.In this paper,a supramolecular gel based on hydrophobic association and hydrogen bonding was prepared by micellar copolymerization,which could be used to plug fractures and pores in formations.Supramolecular gel was a gel network system with high performance characteristics formed by self-assembly of non-covalent bond interaction.The rheological properties,mechanical mechanics,temperature resistance and swelling ability of supramolecular gel were studied.The results showed that the supramolecular gel had a dense three-dimensional network structure with open and interconnected pore structures,which could exhibit good rheological properties and strong viscoelastic recovery ability.The mechanical properties of the supramolecular gel were excellent,it had a tensile stress of 0.703 MPa and an elongation at break of 1803%.When the compressive strain was 96%,the compressive stress could reach 14.5 MPa.Supramolecular gel also showed good temperature resistance and swelling properties.At the aging temperature of 135℃,supramolecular gels still maintained good gel strength,and it only took 12 h to reach the equilibrium swelling ratio of 35.87 in 1%NaCl solution.It was also found that supramolecular gel in low concentration saline(1%NaCl solution)showed relatively faster swelling than high concentration saline(25%NaCl solution).The swelling process of the supramolecular gel was non-Fick diffusion(typeⅡ).This indicated that the organic/inorganic permeability network was well formed.Therefore,the diffusion rate of small molecules could be guaranteed to be equal to the relaxation rate of large molecules before and after the phase transition temperature.In addition to the diffusion of water molecules,the swelling process of the supramolecular gel was also affected by the relaxation of gel network and polymer chain segment,the interaction between water molecules and polymer network and the groups of polymer network and other factors.Supramolecular gel particles could be used as plugging materials for drilling fluids,which had excellent ability to plug formation fractures and pores.The plugging ability of the supramolecular gel was up to 6.7 MPa for 0.5 mm fracture width,and 9.6 MPa for porous media with 5 mD permeability.Compared with HT-PPG gel particles commonly used in oil fields,supramolecular gel particles had better plugging ability on fractures and porous media.The development and application of supramolecular gel had far-reaching significance for promoting the functional application of polymer materials in drilling and production engineering.

Effect of mechanical vibration process parameters on the cement plugs properties for abandoned wells

A high-quality plug of the abandoned wellbore is considered an essential technical aspect of the oil and gas well abandonment technology system. This paper presents a method of active mechanical excitation to enhance the quality of wellbore plug barriers. An indoor simulation platform is developed, and the effects of different combinations of vibration frequency, amplitude and duration on the properties of the wellbore plug cement material are investigated. It is observed that the optimal combination of excitation parameters occurs at a vibration frequency of 15 Hz, a vibration time of 6 min, and a vibration amplitude of 3 mm. Compared with the condition without the vibration process, the cementing strength, compressive strength, and tensile strength of wellbore cement plug with the optimal mechanical vibration process could increase by 51%, 38% and 20%, respectively, while the porosity decreases by 5%. As determined by scanning electron microscopy of the set cement's microstructure, mechanical vibration effectively eliminates internal porosity and improves the set cement's density. The optimal excitation parameters obtained from the test can guide the design of the vibration plugging tool. The designed vibration plugging tool is simulated in the near field. The cement plug cementation quality tester tests the vibrating and non-vibrating samples, and the cementation ratio is calculated. The test results show that the average cementation ratio of vibrating samples is 0.89375, and that of non-vibrating samples is 0.70625, and the cementation quality is improved by 27%. It is concluded that it not only provides essential data for the design of mechanical vibration plug apparatus, on-site vibration plugs, and the development of operational specifications for vibration plugs, but also provides solid engineering guidance.

Probing the effect of Young's modulus on the plugging performance of micro-nano-scale dispersed particle gels

The effect of mechanical strength of the dispersed particle gel(DPG)on its macro plugging performance is significant,however,little study has been reported.In this paper,DPG particles with different mechanical strengths were obtained by mechanical shearing of bulk gels prepared with different formula.Young’s moduli of DPG particles on the micro and nano scales were measured by atomic force microscope for the first time.The mapping relationship among the formula of bulk gel,the Young’s moduli of the DPG particles and the final plugging performance were established.The results showed that when the Young’s moduli of the DPG particles increased from 82 to 328 Pa,the plugging rate increased significantly from 91.46%to 97.10%due to the distinctly enhanced stacking density and strength at this range.While when the Young’s moduli of the DPG particles surpassed 328 Pa,the further increase of plugging rate with the Young’s moduli of the DPG particles became insignificant.These results indicated that the improvement of plugging rate was more efficient by adjusting the Young’s moduli of the DPG particles within certain ranges,providing guidance for improving the macroscopic application properties of DPG systems in reservoir heterogeneity regulation.

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.

防治煤自燃的高堆积固化泡沫的制备及应用

漏风是引发矿井煤自燃的重要原因,而煤自燃火灾影响了矿井的正常生产。为解决传统无机固化泡沫(TISF)在充填堵漏过程中存在胶凝时间长、堆积能力弱的问题,提出经液态硅酸钠(LSS)改性制备的速凝无机固化泡沫(RISF)。研究了不同掺量的LSS对泡沫浆液胶凝时间、堆积能力等性能的影响规律,采用抗压强度、稳定性测试等表征手段,确定了LSS的最优添加量为5%(质量分数),RISF的28 d抗压强度达2.49 MPa,是TISF的1.7倍,最大密度比R为1.11,稳定性提升20%左右;胶凝时间和堆积能力的测试结果表明,与TISF相比,RISF的凝结时间大幅缩短(从683 s缩短到52 s),堆积能力提升(最大堆积高度提高1.9倍)。基于此,结合扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和X射线衍射(XRD)对RISF的速凝固化机理进行了探究。试验结果表明,RISF具有更多的水化产物且不同的水化产物紧密交织,颗粒水化过程中,LSS水解生成原硅酸根与溶液中的钙离子结合,加快水化反应,缩短了泡沫浆液的胶凝时间。但也发现,当LSS添加量超过5%时,RISF的抗压强度降低,稳定性下降,这主要是因为过量的LSS使溶液中的钙硅比例低于1.0,导致生成了低强度的水化产物。堵漏风试验和灭火试验结果表明,与TISF相比,RISF具有较高的堵漏效率和优良的防灭火性能,堵漏效率最高提升26.3%,并且在扑灭煤火时未出现复燃。RISF在利民煤矿矸石山的现场应用表明,其具有良好的降温灭火效果,有效解决了矸石山的高温难题,确保了矿井的正常生产。

BFe10-1-1摩擦塞补焊接头组织及性能研究

采用顶锻式摩擦塞补焊方法对5 mm厚的BFe10-1-1铜镍合金进行匙孔补焊实验,探讨了不同主轴转速下塞补焊接头的微观形貌、显微硬度、温度场分布及其力学性能。结果表明:主轴转速对铁白铜塞补焊成形有重要的影响,随着转速提高,接头底部缺陷逐渐缩小,塞棒区金属摩擦流线明显,晶粒呈破碎细化特征,接头从上到下,热影响区范围缩小明显。由于细晶强化作用,塞棒区显微硬度高于母材,且塞棒上侧显微硬度高于中下侧。在转速为2 100 r/min时得到接头拉伸强度最高,达到母材78%。接头表现出韧性断裂特征,随着转速提高,接头弱连接缺陷逐步下移,并不断缩小。

航空插头气动压装机构设计

设计了一种航空插头压装机构,主要由气动压装台、定位装置和定位压装头组成,可实现具有压装方向性要求的航空插头快速压装到工件上,压装过程可确保航空插头不受损坏,且能准确压装到位。该机构的定位压装头设计有特殊的定位、定方向、零件保持等结构,解决了航空插头压装时易受损坏、难定位、难定方向等技术难题,确保了航空插头的顺利装配。

绒囊暂堵液堵漏机理研究

绒囊流体因其具有较好堵漏性能,广泛应用于钻完井、修井等石油工程勘探开发各个阶段。明确绒囊流体堵漏的微观机理可以更好的指导现场堵漏。室内测定了绒囊内绒囊的粒径分布、封堵岩心的孔喉分布及封堵压力,利用微观实验装置观测其基质孔隙内的充填暂堵过程,最后结合理论分析明确绒囊流体微观堵漏机理。结果表明,体系内绒囊的粒径分布0~350 μm,岩心孔喉的粒径分布0.7~15 μm,同一绒囊流体封堵4种岩心封堵压5.42~17.65 MPa且随着渗透率的减小而增大,绒囊通过聚集、变形可对基质孔喉、微裂缝进行全面封堵。根据拉普拉斯定理结合室内实验结果可知,绒囊流体堵漏的微观机理为:岩心内的绒囊流体在流动过程中压缩变形产生了附加阻力,大量的附加阻力相互叠加产生了封堵压力,阻止了井漏的发生。

疏松砂岩稠油油藏防砂介质的原油-地层砂协同复合堵塞机制与规律

针对稠油出砂井防砂介质堵塞问题,使用稠油与水混合液携带地层砂,开展单向驱替流动、热采交变吞吐流动两种模式下的挡砂堵塞驱替模拟试验,揭示不同条件下割缝、绕丝、复合滤网和砾石层等多类型防砂介质的稠油-地层砂协同堵塞机制与规律,根据堵塞机制和定量关系,构建稠油-地层砂对防砂介质堵塞程度和动态产能预测模型。结果表明:高黏度稠油对防砂层多孔介质具有明显堵塞作用,渗透率损伤可高达70%;稠油防砂井中,存在稠油和地层砂对防砂介质的协同堵塞机制,稠油以束缚油的形式占据介质空间,加剧内部分选桥架堵塞,最终造成90%以上渗透率损害,但同时挡砂效果得到提升;热采蒸汽交变吞吐生产方式对稠油-地层砂的协同堵塞具有明显的解除堵塞效应;但随着交替轮次的增加,解堵和渗透率恢复幅度逐渐下降;对于稠油油藏防砂,建议挡砂精度相比常规油藏防砂精度放宽1~2个等级。

20Cr2Ni3钢顶头表面氧化膜断裂行为的数值研究

基于试验数据,利用扩展有限元方法(extended finite element method,XFEM)和内聚力模型(cohesive zone model,CZM),对20Cr2Ni3钢顶头表面氧化膜的断裂行为进行了数值分析,研究了氧化膜受力方向和孔洞对裂纹生长行为的影响。结果表明:氧化膜受力方向影响裂纹扩展路径,外层氧化膜裂纹尖端的J积分和应力强度因子K_I随着θ角(受力方向与氧化膜的夹角)的增大而减小,当θ角增大到90°时裂纹停止生长;外层氧化膜上孔洞使得裂纹尖端的J积分和应力强度因子K_I减小。同时,孔洞的存在使得外力传递到内层氧化膜时产生应力集中和偏移,导致内层裂纹受力不均,减小了受力方向对内层裂纹生长的影响。

油气井除垢剂的性能优化与除垢机理

垢堵问题是造成油气田减产的主要问题之一。目前常用的酸性解堵剂存在较强的腐蚀性,影响到油气井的安全生产。为了解决以上问题,采用Gaussian 09软件通过DFT优化分子结构计算了几种螯合剂的HOMO/LUMO能级和螯合剂与金属离子的结合能,优选了螯合剂二乙烯三胺五乙酸(DTPA);同时,采用计算化学对复合型除垢剂的除垢机理进行了深入探索,研究了不同助剂之间的协同作用;在理论研究基础上研发一种以DTPA为主剂的非酸性除垢剂体系:12%DTPA+0.3%阻垢剂PASP+0.4%渗透剂JFC。该配方对某现场垢样的溶垢率最高可达到80%以上,具有较好的溶垢效果。根据动力学模拟,验证了除垢剂体系对于碳酸钙的溶垢过程符合准二级动力学模型。

煤层气废弃井封堵管柱三维非线性流固耦合振动特性分析

【目的】煤层气废弃井中水泥塞封堵质量是防止井内污染物泄漏的关键。现行煤层气废弃井处置标准中的注水泥塞方式为简单的泥浆泵注,该方法形成的水泥塞存在水泥颗粒团聚、气泡和微孔隙等问题,导致水泥塞强度降低,易失去密封性能。【方法】针对该问题,将振动技术应用于煤层气废弃井封堵作业中,通过专用工具带动管柱振动,依靠振动能量的传递,改变水泥浆流性以提高水泥塞封堵质量。基于Euler-Bernoulli梁理论及Hamilton变分原理,充分考虑非线性因素,建立了封堵作业中管柱-水泥浆系统三维非线性耦合振动控制模型,采用Lagrange函数和三次Hermite插值函数对管柱系统进行离散,利用Newmark-β法计算并分析了管柱在水泥浆条件下的振动特性;并搭建了机械振动试验测试平台,通过正交试验,研究了振动频率、振动时间以及振动幅值三因素在不同参数组合条件下对水泥石力学性能的影响,得到了最佳振动参数,并进一步研究了单因素对水泥石力学性能的影响规律。【结果和结论】结果表明:(1)考虑纵横耦合效应后,管柱自身由线性结构变为非线性结构,加载使其振动固有频率明显增大,并与振型一起实时变化,在一定时间后变化呈现周期性。(2)管柱长度与振动固有频率成反比,管柱越长其振动固有频率的变化量越小。(3)管柱-水泥浆耦合效应对振动固有频率的影响显著,在水泥浆存在的情况下,管柱系统的振动固有频率均降低,随着水泥浆密度的增加,管柱振动的固有频率降低。(4)机械振动可以使水泥浆体系更加均匀致密,表现为水泥石强度得到极大提升,当振动频率为15 Hz、振动时间为5 min,振动幅值为3 mm时,相比于未振动工况,水泥抗压强度提高38.45%、抗拉强度提高24.14%,胶结强度最大提高52.9%。研究结果可指导封堵工具振动参数的设计,为现场施工参数的确定提供参考,提高水泥浆性能以提高封堵质量,具有工程指导意义。

转向压裂暂堵剂的研究与应用进展

将油田转向压裂用暂堵剂进行了梳理分类,运用统计方法分析了近年来暂堵剂研究成果,提出普适性较强的暂堵剂的评价指标。比较分析了各种暂堵剂的性能,介绍了暂堵剂的应用发展现状和各类暂堵剂的优缺点,并对暂堵剂的发展方向提出见解。

聚酯类颗粒暂堵剂的降解规律及水解机理

考察了盐酸和NaOH水溶液质量浓度、温度对聚乳酸(PLA)、聚乙交酯(PGA)、聚己二酸-对苯二甲酸丁二醇酯(PBAT)降解性能的影响,通过FTIR、XRD、SEM探究了聚酯类颗粒作为酸压暂堵剂的降解规律和水解机理,并对其封堵性能进行了评价。结果表明,盐酸或NaOH水溶液质量浓度越大,温度越高,PLA、PGA、PBAT完全降解时间越短,在相同质量浓度下,它们在NaOH水溶液中降解比在盐酸中更快;同样条件下,降解速率由大到小的3种聚酯类颗粒暂堵剂排序为PGA>PLA>PBAT。聚酯类颗粒暂堵剂在降解初期,酯基开始水解,颗粒表面出现孔洞,颗粒体积略微减小;随着降解的进行,水解优先发生在无定形区,结晶度增大,羰基指数减小,羟基指数增大,颗粒表面孔洞增多,体积进一步缩小;降解后期,结晶区开始水解,结晶度减小,聚合物分子链大量断裂,直至完全降解。封堵性能(承压能力)由大到小排序为PLA>PGA>PBAT,聚酯类颗粒暂堵剂与水的固液比(g∶L)为150∶1的PLA、PGA、PBAT突破压力分别为11.7、10.9、7.5 MPa;注入聚酯类颗粒暂堵剂的固液比越大,封堵层越致密,承压能力越强。

油井选择性堵水剂研究进展及作用机理

随着油田水驱开发的进行,油井高含水是油田后期普遍面临的问题,针对油井高含水的治理难题,分析调研了目前研究与应用较广泛的油井选择性堵水剂,根据作用机理的不同,可以分为聚合物类堵水剂、泡沫与稠化油堵水剂、体膨类堵水剂、乳化沥青堵水剂以及纳米乳液堵水剂,介绍了5类选择性堵剂的构成,总结了堵水剂的室内研究情况与油田的实际应用效果,详细分析了5类选择性堵剂的作用机理,主要包括吸附、捕集和堵塞机理、贾敏效应、膨胀以及架桥和黏连封堵,对比了每种堵水剂适用的油藏条件,展望了堵水剂的发展趋势,以对油田的选择性堵水研究理论与应用提供参考。