Development and evaluation of an electropositive wellbore stabilizer with flexible adaptability for drilling strongly hydratable shales

In order to overcome serious instability prob- lems in hydratable shale formations, a novel electropositive wellbore stabilizer （EPWS） was prepared by a new approach. It has good colloidal stability, particle size dis- tribution, compatibility, sealing property, and flexible adaptability. A variety of methods including measurements of particle size, Zeta potential, colloidal stability, contact angle, shale stability index, shale dispersion, shale swelling, and plugging experiments were adopted to characterize the EPWS and evaluate its anti-sloughing capacity and flexible adaptability. Results show that the EPWS has advantages over the conventional wellbore stabilizer （ZX-3） in particle size distribution, colloidal stability, inhibition, compatibil- ity, and flexible adaptability. The EPWS with an average particle size of 507 nm and an average Zeta potential of 54 mV could be stable for 147 days and be compatible with salt tolerant or positive charged additives, and it also exhibited preferable anti-sloughing performance to hydrat- able shales at 77, 100, and 120 ~C, and better compatibility with sodium bentonite than ZX-3 and KC1. The EPWS can plug micro-fractures and pores by forming a tight external mud cake and an internal sealing belt to retard pressure transmission and prevent filtrate invasion, enhancing hydrophobicity of shale surfaces by adsorption to inhibithydration. The EPWS with flexible adaptability to tem- perature for inhibition and sealing capacity is available for long open-hole sections during drilling.

Interaction between Cu^(2+) and different types of surface-modified nanoscale zero-valent iron during their transport in porous media

This study investigated the interaction between Cu^2＋and nano zero-valent iron（NZVI）coated with three types of stabilizers（i.e., polyacrylic acid [PAA], Tween-20 and starch） by examining the Cu^2＋ uptake, colloidal stability and mobility of surface-modified NZVI（SM-NZVI） in the presence of Cu^2＋. The uptake of Cu^2＋ by SM-NZVI and the colloidal stability of the Cu-bearing SM-NZVI were examined in batch tests. The results showed that NZVI coated with different modifiers exhibited different affinities for Cu^2＋, which resulted in varying colloidal stability of different SM-NZVI in the presence of Cu^2＋. The presence of Cu^2＋ exerted a slight influence on the aggregation and settling of NZVI modified with PAA or Tween-20. However, the presence of Cu^2＋caused significant aggregation and sedimentation of starch-modified NZVI, which is due to Cu^2＋complexation with the starch molecules coated on the surface of the particles. Column experiments were conducted to investigate the co-transport of Cu^2＋ in association with SM-NZVI in water-saturated quartz sand. It was presumed that a physical straining mechanism accounted for the retention of Cu-bearing SM-NZVI in the porous media. Moreover, the enhanced aggregation of SM-NZVI in the presence of Cu^2＋ may be contributing to this straining effect.