scholarly journals Design and Evaluation of a Surfactant–Mixed Metal Hydroxide-Based Drilling Fluid for Maintaining Wellbore Stability in Coal Measure Strata

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1862 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuya Chen ◽  
Yanping Shi ◽  
Xianyu Yang ◽  
Kunzhi Xie ◽  
Jihua Cai
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Property ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Metal Hydroxide ◽  
Wellbore Stability ◽  
Coal Measure ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Mixed Metal ◽  
Longmaxi Shale ◽  
Pressure Transmission ◽  
Reservoir Protection

Co-exploitation of coal measure gases (coalbed gas, shale gas, and tight sandstone gas) puts a higher requirement on drilling fluids. Conventional drilling fluids have disadvantages, such as causing problems of borehole collapse, formation damage, and water blockage. This paper proposes a set of high inhibitive and low-damage drilling fluids that function by electrical inhibition and neutral wetting. Zeta potential results showed that the negative electrical property of Longtan coal in Bijie, Guizhou, can be reversed by organic mixed metal hydroxide (MMH) and the cationic surfactant alkyl trimethylammonium bromide (CS-5) from −3.63 mV to 19.75 mV and 47.25 mV, respectively. Based on the contact angle and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) results, it can be concluded that chemical adsorption dominates between the Longmaxi shale and surfactants, and physical adsorption between the Longtan coal and surfactants. A compound surfactant formula (0.001 wt% CS-4 + 0.001 wt% CS-1 + 0.001 wt% CS-3), which could balance the wettability of the Longmaxi shale and the Longtan coal, making them both appear weakly hydrophilic simultaneously, was optimized. After being treated by the compound surfactants, the contact angles of the Longmaxi shale and the Longtan coal were 89° and 86°, respectively. Pressure transmission tests showed that the optimized combination of compound surfactants and inorganic MMH (MMH-1) could effectively reduce permeability of the Longmaxi shale and the Longtan coal, thus retarding pore pressure transmission in coal measure strata. Then, the proposed water-based drilling fluid (WBDF) system (4 wt% sodium bentonite + 1.5 wt% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose + 2 wt% lignite resin + 5 wt% potassium chloride + 3 wt%MMH-1 + 0.001 wt% CS-4 + 0.001 wt% CS-1 + 0.001 wt% CS-3) was evaluated based on parameters including rheology, American Petroleum Institute (API) filtration, electrical property, wettability, inhibition capability, reservoir protection characteristics, and anti-pollution performance. It had an API filtration of 7 mL, reservoir damage rate of 10%, moderate and acceptable viscosity, strong inhibition capability to coal measure strata rocks, good tolerance to inorganic pollutants and drilling cuttings, and environmentally friendly properties. It could meet wellbore stability and reservoir protection requirements in the co-exploitation of coal measure gases.

scholarly journals Laponite: a promising nanomaterial to formulate high-performance water-based drilling fluids

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xian-Bin Huang ◽  
Jin-Sheng Sun ◽  
Yi Huang ◽  
Bang-Chuan Yan ◽  
Xiao-Dong Dong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Nitrogen Adsorption ◽  
Drill String ◽  
Wellbore Stability ◽  
Fluid Loss ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Mechanism Analysis ◽  
Water Based ◽  
Inhibition Performance

Abstract High-performance water-based drilling fluids (HPWBFs) are essential to wellbore stability in shale gas exploration and development. Laponite is a synthetic hectorite clay composed of disk-shaped nanoparticles. This paper analyzed the application potential of laponite in HPWBFs by evaluating its shale inhibition, plugging and lubrication performances. Shale inhibition performance was studied by linear swelling test and shale recovery test. Plugging performance was analyzed by nitrogen adsorption experiment and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation. Extreme pressure lubricity test was used to evaluate the lubrication property. Experimental results show that laponite has good shale inhibition property, which is better than commonly used shale inhibitors, such as polyamine and KCl. Laponite can effectively plug shale pores. It considerably decreases the surface area and pore volume of shale, and SEM results show that it can reduce the porosity of shale and form a seamless nanofilm. Laponite is beneficial to increase lubricating property of drilling fluid by enhancing the drill pipes/wellbore interface smoothness and isolating the direct contact between wellbore and drill string. Besides, laponite can reduce the fluid loss volume. According to mechanism analysis, the good performance of laponite nanoparticles is mainly attributed to the disk-like nanostructure and the charged surfaces.

scholarly journals Oil-Based Drilling Fluid Plugging Method for Strengthening Wellbore Stability of Shale Gas

Geofluids ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Pengcheng Wu ◽  
Chengxu Zhong ◽  
Zhengtao Li ◽  
Zhen Zhang ◽  
Zhiyuan Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Shale Gas ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Wellbore Stability ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Fluid System ◽  
Horizontal Drilling ◽  
Wellbore Instability ◽  
Filtration Loss ◽  
Treatment Agent ◽  
Stability Method

Finding out the reasons for wellbore instability in the Longmaxi Formation and Wufeng Formation and putting forward drilling fluid technical countermeasures to strengthen and stabilize the wellbore are very crucial to horizontal drilling. Based on X-ray diffraction, electron microscope scanning, linear swelling experiment, and hot-rolling dispersion experiment, the physicochemical mechanism of wellbore instability in complex strata was revealed, and thus, the coordinated wellbore stability method can be put forward, which is “strengthening plugging of micropores, inhibiting filtrate invasion, and retarding pressure transmission.” Using a sand bed filtration tester, high-temperature and high-pressure plugging simulation experimental device, and microporous membrane and other experimental devices, the oil-based drilling fluid treatment agent was researched and selected, and a set of an enhanced plugging drilling fluid system suitable for shale gas horizontal well was constructed. Its temperature resistance is 135°C and it has preferable contamination resistibility (10% NaCl, 1% CaCl2, and 8% poor clay). The bearing capacity of a 400 μm fracture is 5 MPa, and the filtration loss of 0.22 μm and 0.45 μm microporous membranes is zero. Compared with previous field drilling fluids, the constructed oil-based drilling fluid system has a greatly improved plugging ability and excellent performance in other aspects.

Borehole Temperature Modelling in High Temperature Drilling Environment Based on Heat Transfer Laws

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhijeet D. Chodankar ◽  
Cheng-Xian Lin
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Drill String ◽  
Wellbore Stability ◽  
Heat Transfer Analysis ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Concentric Cylinder ◽  
Composite Wall ◽  
Borehole Temperature

Abstract High temperature drilling environment has a drastic effect on drilling fluids, wellbore stability, and drilling system components. It has been observed that drilling fluids displace conventional halide based fluids in High Pressure and High Temperature (HPHT) wells leading to corrosion and environmental hazards, while wellbore strengthens further as a result of an increase in fracture initiation pressure in high temperature environment. However, it seriously damages the downhole tools like sensors, elastomer dynamic seals, lithium batteries, electronic component and boards leading to increases in cost and non-productive time. The main objective of this paper is to present an analytical borehole temperature model based on classical heat transfer laws in a high temperature drilling environment. The borehole is modelled using two approaches: composite wall and concentric cylinders. The composite wall and concentric cylinder approaches consist layers of geological formations, drilling fluids outside the drill string, drill string, and drilling fluid inside the drill string. Temperature, heat transfer coefficient, and heat transfer variations along the borehole layers are determined using the derived analytical solutions and tested for different drilling fluid types, air drilling environment, and different drill string materials. The results of composite wall and concentric cylinder models are obtained by using the input field temperatures data in the geological formation and inner annulus of drill pipe to determine the borehole temperature profile in HPHT wells. Therefore, a thorough borehole heat transfer analysis will help in wellbore stability, drilling fluid selection, corrosion control, and optimal placement and material selection of drilling components in HPHT drilling environments.

scholarly journals Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Drilling Fluid Activity on the Hydration Behavior of Shale Reservoirs in Northwestern Hunan, China

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 3151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Han Cao ◽  
Zheng Zhang ◽  
Ting Bao ◽  
Pinghe Sun ◽  
Tianyi Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Contact Angles ◽  
Wellbore Stability ◽  
Adsorption Rate ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Swelling Ratio ◽  
Gas Drilling ◽  
Surface Hydration ◽  
The Relationship

The interaction between drilling fluid and shale has a significant impact on wellbore stability during shale oil and gas drilling operations. This paper investigates the effects of the drilling fluid activity on the surface and osmotic hydration characteristics of shale. Experiments were conducted to measure the influence of drilling fluid activity on surface wettability by monitoring the evolution of fluid-shale contact angles. The relationship between drilling fluid activity and shale swelling ratio was determined to investigate the osmotic hydration behavior. The results indicate that, with increasing drilling fluid activity, the fluid–shale contact angles gradually increase—the higher the activity, the faster the adsorption rate; and the stronger the inhibition ability, the weaker the surface hydration action. The surface adsorption rate of the shale with a KCl drilling fluid was found to be the highest. Regarding the osmotic hydration action on the shale, the negative extreme swelling ratio (b) of the shale was found to be: bKCl < bCTAB < bSDBS. Moreover, based on the relationship between the shale swelling ratio and drilling fluid activity, shale hydration can be divided into complete dehydration, weak dehydration, surface hydration, and osmotic hydration, which contributes to the choice of drilling fluids to improve wellbore stability.

scholarly journals Valorization of mixed metal hydroxide on Algerian Na-Bentonite suspensions: Application to water-based drilling fluid

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Akkouche ◽  
A. Benmounah ◽  
A. Gueciouer ◽  
K. Chalah
Keyword(s):  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Metal Hydroxide ◽  
Mixed Metal ◽  
Water Based

Machine Learning Applications in Drilling Fluid Engineering: a Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sercan Gul
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Wellbore Stability ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Fluid Mud ◽  
Surface Cooling ◽  
Real Time Analysis ◽  
Machine Learning Applications ◽  
Drilling Operations

Abstract Drilling fluid (mud) serves various purposes in drilling operations, the most important being the primary well control barrier to prevent kicks and blowouts. Other duties include, but not limited to, maintaining wellbore stability, removing and transporting formation cuttings to the surface, cooling and lubricating downhole tools, and transmitting hydraulic energy to the drill bit. Mud quality is therefore related to most of the problems in drilling operations either directly or indirectly. The physics-based models used in the industry with drilling fluid information (i.e., cuttings transport, well hydraulics, event detection) are computationally expensive, difficult to integrate for real-time analysis, and not always applicable for all drilling conditions. For this reason, researchers have shown extensive interest in machine learning (ML) approaches to alleviate their fluid-related problems. In this study, a comprehensive review of the abundant literature on the various applications of ML in oil and gas operations, concentrating mainly on drilling fluids, is presented. It was shown that leveraging state-of-the-art supervised and unsupervised ML methods can help predict or eliminate most fluid-related issues in drilling. The review discusses various ML methods, their theory, applications, limitations, and achievements.

Sodium Silicate Based Drilling Fluid Application in Gulf of Thailand to Stabilise Wellbore: A Case Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waleepon Sukarasep ◽  
Rahul Sukanta Dey ◽  
Visarut Phonpuntin
Keyword(s):  
Sodium Silicate ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Wellbore Stability ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Gulf Of Thailand ◽  
Hole Cleaning ◽  
Water Based ◽  
Wellbore Strengthening ◽  
Effective Seal

Abstract Sodium Silicate were first used in water-based drilling fluids to stabilize claystone formations in the 1930's, but found favour in the 1990's in high performance, non dispersed water based systems for drilling problematic claystone formations as an alternative to oil-based drilling fluids. In Bongkot South field, Gulf of Thailand, sodium silicate-based drilling fluid (SSBDF) were used with mixed success in shallow gas drilling. Typically, platform WP-33, the claystone formation of the 12¼" section were drilled with 5% v/v Sodium Silicate in the water based drilling fluid together with excessive circulation as intention to improve hole cleaning frequently result in a wellbore that was overgauge by upto 18.9% in some case. This led to further hole cleaning problem that also compromised cement job quality. A further 6 well campaign on WPS-16 required a re-evaulation of the SSBDF coupled to an understanding of the wellbore instability mechanisms that leads to hole enlargement. To overcome better wellbore stability, sodium silicate has been designed by increased concentration to 8% v/v sodium silicate treated drilling fluid showed optimal design for application base on application of SSBDF has been used on platform WP-11 in 2002. Rheology, hydraulic and flow regime was adjusted for laminar flow that reduced the erosion of fragile claystone formation in the wellbore. The revised SSBDF formulation at WPS-16 result in a significant reduction of hole enlargement to 3.2% in the claystone section through a combination of chemicals and mechanical inhibition that contribute improved hole cleaning. The addition of wellbore strengthening material also provide an effective seal to minimize gas invasion. This paper describes the field trials in the Gulf of Thailand drilled with revised sodium sodium silicate based drilling fluid, the use of wellbore strengthening materials to manage gas influxes, better drilling practice and hydraclic simulation concluded that high performance water based drilling fluid of this nature have wider application where oil-base drilling fluid have traditionally been used.

Preparation of a Novel Nano-Polymer as Plugging and Filtration Loss Agent for Oil-Based Drilling Fluids

2013 ◽  
Vol 807-809 ◽  
pp. 2602-2606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Hua Wang ◽  
Jian Nan Li ◽  
Li Li Yan ◽  
Yi Hui Ji
Keyword(s):  
Shale Gas ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Wellbore Stability ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Compact Layer ◽  
Thermo Gravimetric ◽  
The Core ◽  
Filtration Loss ◽  
Filtration Properties ◽  
High Temperature High Pressure

Oil-based drilling fluids and synthetic based drilling fluids are frequently used in shale-gas plays when wellbore stability is necessary. In this paper, a novel nano-polymer, as a plugging agent in oil-based drilling fluid, was prepared and characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), thermo-gravimetric analyses (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The rheological properties, high temperature-high pressure (HTHP) filtration properties and permeability plugging properties of oil-based drilling fluids were greatly improved by adding the nano-polymer, due to its nanometer size and the compact layer formed on the surface of the core.

scholarly journals Studying the Wellbore Stability Enhancement Mechanism during Drilling through Fractured Argillites

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 231-241
Author(s):  
Mariia V. Nutskova ◽  
◽  
Inna V. Chudinova ◽  
Aleksandr N. Sobolev ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Potassium Chloride ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Wellbore Stability ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Drilling Process ◽  
Sample Length ◽  
Construction Costs ◽  
Well Abandonment ◽  
A Minor

The paper presents the relevance of enhancing wellbore stability by developing and applying efficient drilling fluid compositions for well constructions in fractured argillite. In the process of well constructions, there comes a range of complications associated with instability of rocks forming borehole walls, which sometimes results in lower penetration rates, higher construction costs and well abandonment. Often, drilling problems occur at drilling through mudrocks that account for up to 70 % of field sections. When using water-base drilling fluids, the mudrock swelling due to the contact with the fluid dispersion medium adversely affects the drilling process and can significantly increase well construction costs. The accumulation of wellbore cavings inhibits well circulation, causes landing of drilling tools and may result in tool sticking. An analysis of drilling problems in fractured argillite is presented; the mechanisms affecting open hole stability in the fractured argillite deposits are shown. The use of potassium chloride is recommended to enhance the stability of argillite-formed borehole walls. The results are supported by experimental studies using the Chenevert method, as well as fracture propping tests. When the argillite sample was placed in potassium chloride (KCl) solution, there was a minor fracture expansion and propagation over the entire sample length, which is a positive result. To enhance wellbore stability, further study approaches are proposed: upgrading mud by adding inhibiting compounds, such as salt solutions in combination with high-molecular polymer compositions.

Integrated Multidisciplinary Solution for Improving Wellbore Stability and Drilling Efficiency in a Conglomerate Reservoir, a Case Study from North-West China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yalin Li ◽  
Jiangang Shi ◽  
Fang Zhang ◽  
Shanshan Wang ◽  
David Wiprut ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Junggar Basin ◽  
Wellbore Stability ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Drilling Process ◽  
Rotary Drilling ◽  
North West ◽  
Field Development ◽  
Weight Window

Abstract Drilling long horizontal development wells in a conglomerate reservoir with strong heterogeneity has been challenging in the Junggar Basin, onshore China. To develop the fields economically, rapid and safe drilling with minimal non-productive time (NPT) is required. However, various drilling problems such as stuck pipe, mud losses have been experienced in the build-up section while the horizontal conglomerate section experienced an extremely low rate of penetration (ROP). To overcome the drilling challenges, a thorough understanding of the subsurface characteristics of the formations is critical to develop effective engineering solutions. To improve drilling efficiency, an integrated multidisciplinary approach was applied to derive an effective drilling solution. Drilling experiences from offset wells were reviewed systematically to identify the possible reasons that have caused the drilling problems. This diagnostic approach helped to identify appropriate drilling solutions for mitigating the different drilling risks. Detailed geomechanical models were also constructed to understand the stress state and rock mechanical properties of the conglomerate reservoir and the overburden formations so that proper mud weights can be defined for each section to control both wellbore collapse and mud losses. Mud weight recommendations and failure mechanism diagnosis also provided the basis for drilling fluids designs. Additionally, in order to achieve a better hole quality as well as increase the reservoir contact and ROP, advanced rotary drilling systems were also used with real time monitoring. The latter enabled the tracking of rock property and ECD changes as well as other drilling parameters during the drilling process. This integrated solution was applied in the drilling of several horizontal wells. One typical case is presented in this paper. In this well, the risk of hole instability was very high because the well was targeting a deeper formation with a few shaly intervals in the build-up section which are known to cause serious wellbore stability problems. The safe mud weight window inferred from geomechanical analyses appears to be very narrow, particularly at the casing shoe where the mud weight required to control borehole collapse is very close or even higher than the fracture gradient. To help with drilling the well cost-effectively, drilling fluid was designed to perform three (3) critical functions - 1) maintaining wellbore stability, 2) increasing ROP and 3) broadening the mud weight window to minimize mud losses. The successful drilling of this well broke the drilling record in the same block. The integrated multidisciplinary approach successfully reduced the occurrence of borehole instability related problems and NPT in the study well. Following the same methodology, the drilling efficiency will improve with more experience and understanding obtained from continuous drilling. This continuous learning process will be the key aspect of this project, eventually contributing to the success of the field development.

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