scholarly journals Experimental study of Zubair shale stability of east Baghdad oil field using different additives in water based mud

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 1215-1225
Author(s):  
Asawer A. Alwassiti ◽  
Mayssaa Ali AL-Bidry ◽  
Khalid Mohammed

AbstractShale formation is represented as one of the challenge formations during drilling wells because it is a strong potential for wellbore instability. Zubair formation in Iraqi oil fields (East Baghdad) is located at a depth from 3044.3 to 3444 m. It is considered as one of the most problematic formations through drilling wells in East Baghdad. Most problems of Zubair shale are swelling, sloughing, caving, cementing problem and casing landing problem caused by the interaction of drilling fluid with the formation. An attempt to solve the cause of these problems has been adapted in this paper by enhancing the shale stability through adding additives to the drilling fluid. The study includes experiments by using two types of drilling fluids, API and polymer type, with five types of additives (KCl, NaCl, CaCl2, Na2SiO3 and Flodrill PAM 1040) in different concentrations (0.5, 1, 5 and 10) wt% and different immersion period (1, 24 and 72 h) hours. The effect of drilling fluids and additive salts on shale has been studied by using different techniques: (XRD, XRF, reflected and transmitted microscope) as well shale recovery. The results show that adding 10 wt% of Na2SiO3 to API drilling fluid results in a high percentage of shale recovery (78.22%), while the maximum shale recovery was (80.57%) in polymer drilling fluid type gained by adding 10 wt% of Na2SiO3.

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 260-270
Author(s):  
Khoshniyat A ◽  
Shojaei M. ◽  
Jarahian K. ◽  
Mirali M. ◽  
Ghorashi S. ◽  
...  

A new experimental model was developed to predict the role of special polymeric additives, in the drilling fluid formulation, on the wellbore stability in shale formation. The shale formation was regarded as a non-ideal membrane and the effects of various characteristics of the added polymers were studied on the membrane reflection coefficient. The model was applied to unique field data from the oil field in south of Iran, including clay structure, cation exchange capacity (CEC), density and porosity of the shale. The results, using various polyglycols and polyacrylamides as the polymeric additive, showed that the structure of the polymeric chains e.g. type and content of ionic segments had significant effect on their adsorption mechanism and its strength.  It was concluded that increasing the molecular weight of the polymer chains decreased the rate and amount of the adsorption due to the increasing of the entanglements between the chains which in turn limited their mobility. So, adsorption of the polymeric material on the shale had significant impress on its performance as a membrane by increasing the shale reflection coefficient enhancing its stability during drilling process. Finally, the developed model results were in good agreement by experimental test results which was done in a specific shale stability set up.


2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangjun Liu ◽  
Pinya Luo ◽  
Hong Liu ◽  
DaChuan Liang ◽  
Faqian Luo

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baohua Yu ◽  
Chuanliang Yan ◽  
Zhen Nie

Wellbore instability is one of the major problems that hamper the drilling speed in Halfaya Oilfield. Comprehensive analysis of geological and engineering data indicates that Halfaya Oilfield features fractured shale in the Nahr Umr Formation. Complex accidents such as wellbore collapse and sticking emerged frequently in this formation. Tests and theoretical analysis revealed that wellbore instability in the Halfaya Oilfield was influenced by chemical effect of fractured shale and the formation water with high ionic concentration. The influence of three types of drilling fluids on the rock mechanical properties of Nahr Umr Shale is tested, and time-dependent collapse pressure is calculated. Finally, we put forward engineering countermeasures for safety drilling in Halfaya Oilfield and point out that increasing the ionic concentration and improving the sealing capacity of the drilling fluid are the way to keep the wellbore stable.


Geofluids ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Pengcheng Wu ◽  
Chengxu Zhong ◽  
Zhengtao Li ◽  
Zhen Zhang ◽  
Zhiyuan Wang ◽  
...  

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.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaston Lopez ◽  
Gonzalo Vidal ◽  
Claus Hedegaard ◽  
Reinaldo Maldonado

Abstract Losses, wellbore instability, and influxes during drillings operations in unconventional fields result from continuous reactivity to the drilling fluid causing instability in the microfractured limestone of the Quintuco Formation in Argentina. This volatile situation becomes more critical when drilling operations are navigating horizontally through the Vaca Muerta Formation, a bituminous marlstone with a higher density than the Quintuco Formation. Controlling drilling fluids invasion between the communicating microfractures and connecting pores helps to minimize seepage losses, total losses, wellbore fluid influxes, and instabilities, reducing the non-productive time (NPT) caused by these problems during drilling operations. The use of conventional sealants – like calcium carbonate, graphite, asphalt, and other bridging materials – does not guarantee problem-free drilling operations. Also, lost circulation material (LCM) is restricted because the MWD-LWD tools clearances are very narrow in these slim holes. The challenge is to generate a strong and resistant seal separating the drilling fluid and the formation. Using an ultra-low-invasion technology will increase the operative fracture gradient window, avoid fluid invasion to the formation, minimize losses, and stop the cycle of fluid invasion and instability, allowing operations to maintain the designed drilling parameters and objectives safely. The ultra-low-invasion wellbore shielding technology has been applied in various fields, resulting in significantly improved drilling efficiencies compared to offset wells. The operator has benefited from the minimization of drilling fluids costs and optimization in drilling operations, including reducing the volume of oil-based drilling fluids used per well, fewer casing sections, and fewer requirements for cementing intervals to solve lost circulation problems. This paper will discuss the design of the ultra-low-invasion technology in an oil-based drilling fluid, the strategy for determining the technical limits for application, the evaluation of the operative window with an increase in the fracture gradient, the optimized drilling performance, and reduction in costs, including the elimination of NPT caused by wellbore instability.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Alkhalifah ◽  
Rabih Younes

Abstract In an oil field, openhole multilateral maximum reservoir contact (MRC) wells are drilled. These wells are typically equipped with smart well completion technologies consisting of inflow control valves and permanent downhole monitoring systems. Conventional flowback techniques consisted of flowing back the well to atmosphere while burning the hydrocarbon and drilling fluids brought to surface. In an age of economic, environmental and safety consciousness, all practices in the petroleum industry are being examined closely. As such, the conventional method of flowing back wells is frowned upon from all aspects. This gives rise to the challenge of flowing back wells in an economic manner without compromising safety and the environment; all the while ensuring excellent well deliverability. By utilizing subsurface smart well completion inflow control valves, individual laterals are flowed to a separator system whereby solid drill cuttings are captured and discharged using a solids management system. Hydrocarbons are separated using a separation vessel and measured before being sent to the production line toward the field separation facility. Permanent downhole monitoring systems are used to monitor pressure drawdown and subsequently control the rate of flow to surface to ensure reservoir integrity. Following the completion of the solids and drilling fluid flowback from the wellbore, comprehensive multi-rate measurements at different choke settings are obtained to quantify the well performance. This paper looks at the economic and environmental improvements of the adopted zero flaring cleanup technology and smart well completions flowback techniques in comparison to conventional flowback methods. This ensures that oil is being recovered during well flowback and lateral contribution to overall flow in multilateral wells. In addition, it highlights the lessons learned and key best practices implemented during the cleanup operation to complete the job in a safe and efficient manner. This technique tends to set a roadmap for a better well flowback that fulfills economic constrains and protects the environment.


2014 ◽  
Vol 568-570 ◽  
pp. 12-18
Author(s):  
Qing Hua Sun ◽  
Jin Gen Deng ◽  
Zhuo Chen ◽  
Yong Meng Xu ◽  
Heng Lin Yang ◽  
...  

During the drilling process of shale gas horizontal well, wellbore instability problem happens frequently. Especially in the horizontal interval, shale which has high levels of gamma is more likely to collapse which lead to delays, and exist certainly collapse period. The development of shale gas is restricted seriously. Research on the formation process of cracks network around the wellbore by CT chromatographic technique. The result reveals that under the condition of uniaxial compression, the cracks initiated inside the shale formation around the wellbore, with the propagation of cracks, between the orientation of cracks and the maximum stress direction will emerge a certain deviated angle. The drilling fluid filtrates into the formation and reduce the strength of rock which will prompt crack propagation and form crack network. Finally the wellbore will collapse with drilling fluid continuous invasion, because the invasion have altered the stress intensity factor at fracture tip, and changed the propagating direction of crack and the friction coefficient of fracture plane, which will reduce the strength of rock and the effective stress of the rock around the wellbore. Crack network dominates the mechanism of instability; mud weight increases do not necessarily lead to a more stable borehole and can further destabilize the wellbore.


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