Optimal Synthesis, Characterization, and Performance Evaluation of High-Pressure High-Temperature Polymer-Based Drilling Fluid: The Effect of Viscoelasticity on Cutting Transport, Filtration Loss, and Lubricity

SPE Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (03) ◽  
pp. 1333-1350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sidharth Gautam ◽  
Chandan Guria
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stability ◽  
High Pressure ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Elastic Properties ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Hole Cleaning ◽  
Grafted Copolymer ◽  
Filtration Loss ◽  
The Stability

Summary Viscoelasticity plays a significant role in improving the performance of the drilling fluid by manipulating its elastic properties. An appropriate value of the first normal stress difference (N1), extensional viscosity (ηe), and relaxation time (θ) enhance the cutting transportability, hole-cleaning ability, filtration loss, and lubrication behavior. However, the performance of the drilling fluid deteriorates during the drilling of high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) wells under acid gas and salt(s) contamination. Therefore, it is a challenging task to synthesize a thermally and rheologically stable drilling fluid, which is acid as well as salt(s) resistant, and maintain its desired properties. Although several water-soluble synthetic polymer-based drilling fluids have been used widely for the drilling of HPHT wells, most of these are limited at less than 200°C. Polyanionic cellulose (PAC) has an excellent heat-resistant stability, salt tolerance, calcium and magnesium resistant, and strong antibacterial activity, and it exhibits exceptional filtration and rheological behavior under HPHT conditions. However, using PAC beyond 200°C is limited because of the presence of the biodegradable cellulose units in it. To use the extraordinary properties of PAC, it is aimed to increase the thermal stability of PAC through appropriate modification. In this study, PAC-grafted copolymers involving acrylamide (a salt-tolerant viscosifying agent), 2-acrylamide-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid (a thermally stable lubricating and fluid-loss control agent), and sodium 4-styrene sulfonate (a high-temperature deflocculant) is synthesized optimally through maximizing the thermal degradation stability of the grafted copolymer and minimizing the filtration loss as well as the coefficient of friction (CoF) of the drilling fluid simultaneously. Optimally synthesized PAC-grafted copolymers are then used to prepare water-based mud (WBM) involving American Petroleum Institute (API)-grade bentonite and alpha-glycol functionalized nano fly ash, and the tests for steady shear viscosity and viscoelasticity are performed to determine the rheological stability of mud beyond 200°C. The amplitude sweep tests for viscoelasticity are performed to determine the linear viscoelasticity range (LVR), structural stability, gel strength, and dynamic yield point (YP), whereas frequency, time, and temperature sweep tests are performed to obtain the elastic modulus (G′), viscous modulus (G″), and complex viscosity under HPHT conditions to check the stability of the drilling fluids under different holding times. Dynamic and static aging tests of the developed drilling fluids are performed at elevated temperature and pressure, and the aged muds are tested by evaluating the rheology, frictional, and filtration-loss behavior as per the API recommended procedure. The stability of the aged muds is also tested by evaluating the N1, ηe, and θ using a cone and plate rheometer. The performance of the proposed drilling fluids is also tested under acidic, sodium chloride (NaCl), and calcium chloride (CaCl2) environments at HPHT bottomhole conditions. The experimental results under HPHT conditions reveal that the performance of the mud (i.e., thermal stability, cutting transportability, hole-cleaning ability, filtration loss, and lubrication behavior) could be considerably improved by increasing the elastic properties of the drilling fluid by manipulating the molecular weight of the proposed PAC-grafted copolymer. Finally, the environmental effect of the developed muds is evaluated by finding the lethal concentration that kills 50% of the shrimp population (i.e., LC50) and the Hg and Cd contamination, and they are found to be environmentally safe.

Improving the rheological properties of water-based calcium bentonite drilling fluids using water-soluble polymers in high temperature applications

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinliang Liu ◽  
Fengshan Zhou ◽  
Fengyi Deng ◽  
Hongxing Zhao ◽  
Zhongjin Wei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Rheological Properties ◽  
Apparent Viscosity ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Shear Thickening ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Drilling Depth ◽  
Filtration Loss ◽  
Calcium Bentonite

Abstract Most of bentonite used in modern drilling engineering is physically and chemically modified calcium bentonite. However, with the increase of drilling depth, the bottom hole temperature may reach 180 °C, thus a large amount of calcium bentonite used in the drilling fluid will be unstable. This paper covers three kinds of calcium bentonite with poor rheological properties at high temperature, such as apparent viscosity is greater than 45 mPa·s or less than 10 mPa·s, API filtration loss is greater than 25 mL/30 min, which are diluted type, shear thickening type and low-shear type, these defects will make the rheological properties of drilling fluid worse. The difference is attributed to bentonite mineral composition, such as montmorillonite with good hydration expansion performance. By adding three kinds of heat-resistant water-soluble copolymers Na-HPAN (hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile sodium), PAS (polycarboxylate salt) and SMP (sulfomethyl phenolic resin), the rheological properties of calcium bentonite drilling fluids can be significantly improved. For example, the addition of 0.1 wt% Na-HPAN and 0.1 wt% PAS increased the apparent viscosity of the XZJ calcium bentonite suspension from 4.5 to 19.5 mPa·s at 180 °C, and the filtration loss also decreased from 20.2 to 17.8 mL.

scholarly journals Enhancing the Stability of Invert Emulsion Drilling Fluid for Drilling in High-Pressure High-Temperature Conditions

Energies ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salaheldin Elkatatny
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Rheological Properties ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Electrical Stability ◽  
Dynamic Conditions ◽  
High Pressure High Temperature ◽  
Invert Emulsion ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Filtration Properties

Drilling in high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) conditions is a challenging task. The drilling fluid should be designed to provide high density and stable rheological properties. Barite is the most common weighting material used to adjust the required fluid density. Barite settling, or sag, is a common issue in drilling HPHT wells. Barite sagging may cause many problems such as density variations, well-control problems, stuck pipe, downhole drilling fluid losses, or induced wellbore instability. This study assesses the effect of using a new copolymer (based on styrene and acrylic monomers) on the rheological properties and the stability of an invert emulsion drilling fluid, which can be used to drill HPHT wells. The main goal is to prevent the barite sagging issue, which is common in drilling HPHT wells. A sag test was performed under static (vertical and 45° incline) and dynamic conditions in order to evaluate the copolymer’s ability to enhance the suspension properties of the drilling fluid. In addition, the effect of this copolymer on the filtration properties was performed. The obtained results showed that adding the new copolymer with 1 lb/bbl concentration has no effect on the density and electrical stability. The sag issue was eliminated by adding 1 lb/bbl of the copolymer to the invert emulsion drilling fluid at a temperature >300 °F under static and dynamic conditions. Adding the copolymer enhanced the storage modulus by 290% and the gel strength by 50%, which demonstrated the power of the new copolymer to prevent the settling of the barite particles at a higher temperature. The 1 lb/bbl copolymer’s concentration reduced the filter cake thickness by 40% at 400 °F, which indicates the prevention of barite settling at high temperature.

Bentonite Suspension Filtration and its Electro-Kinetics in the Presence of Additives

2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-126
Author(s):  
R. M. Farag ◽  
A. M. Salem ◽  
A. A. El-Midany ◽  
S. E. El-Mofty
Keyword(s):  
Zeta Potential ◽  
Rheological Properties ◽  
Electrostatic Interactions ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Colloidal Suspensions ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Fluid Filtration ◽  
Filtration Loss ◽  
Suspension Filtration ◽  
The Stability

Abstract Invasion of fluids into porous media during drilling can lead to irreparable damage and reduced well productivity. Hence, minimizing the filtration loss of the drilling fluid into the formation is very important. The stability of colloidal suspensions plays a crucial role in controlling the interfacial forces and consequently on minimizing the filtration. The zeta potential is an indicator of the stability of colloids with respect to their electrostatic interactions. In this study, the rheological properties of bentonite suspensions are investigated with and without additives. The starch and CMC were used as additives to enhance the rheological properties of bentonite. The effects of these additives on the drilling fluid filtration were examined. Zeta-potential, viscosity, gel strength and yield point were measured to characterize the extent to which control of the filtration loss of the drilling fluids can be achieved. The zeta-potential and the amount of filtration loss of water-bentonite suspensions were correlated. Finally, the results showed that the addition of either starch or carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) enhances the filtration properties of water-bentonite suspensions.

Prediction of High-Pressure/High-Temperature Rheological Properties of Drilling Fluids from the Viscosity Data Measured on a Coaxial Cylinder Viscometer

SPE Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Sidharth Gautam ◽  
Chandan Guria ◽  
Laldeep Gope
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Shear Viscosity ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Viscosity Model ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Viscosity Data ◽  
Monitoring And Control ◽  
High Pressure High Temperature ◽  
Proposed Model

Summary Determining the rheology of drilling fluid under subsurface conditions—that is, pressure > 103.4 MPa (15,000 psi) and temperature > 450 K (350°F)—is very important for safe and trouble-free drilling operations of high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) wells. As the severity of HP/HT wells increases, it is challenging to measure downhole rheology accurately. In the absence of rheology measurement tools under HP/HT conditions, it is essential to develop an accurate rheological model under extreme conditions. In this study, temperature- and pressure-dependence rheology of drilling fluids [i.e., shear viscosity, apparent viscosity (AV), and plastic viscosity (PV)] are predicted at HP/HT conditions using the fundamental momentum transport mechanism (i.e., kinetic theory) of liquids. Drilling fluid properties (e.g., density, thermal decomposition temperature, and isothermal compressibility), and Fann® 35 Viscometer (Fann Instrument Corporation, Houston, USA) readings at surface conditions, are the only input parameters for the proposed HP/HT shear viscosity model. The proposed model has been tested using 26 different types of HP/HT drilling fluids, including water, formate, oil, and synthetic oil as base fluids. The detailed error and the sensitivity analysis have been performed to demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed model and yield comparative results. The proposed model is quite simple and may be applied to accurately predict the rheology of numerous drilling fluids. In the absence of subsurface rheology under HP/HT conditions, the proposed viscosity model may be used as a reliable soft-sensor tool for the online monitoring and control of rheology under downhole conditions while drilling HP/HT wells.

Synthesis of a Novel Ester-Based Drilling Fluid Applicable to High Temperature Conditions

2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Nasiri ◽  
S. N. Ashrafizadeh ◽  
A. Ghalambor
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Temperature Stability ◽  
Ester Hydrolysis ◽  
Favorable Effect ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Electrical Stability ◽  
Temperature Conditions ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Effect Of Hot Rolling

Ester-based drilling fluids based on aliphatic esters were introduced in 1990. Esters can be synthesized from fatty acids and alcohols. Previous studies indicated that ester hydrolysis in drilling fluids happens only under certain conditions. In order for ester hydrolysis to occur, two primary conditions must be present: high temperature and excessive hydroxyl. When the temperature exceeds 300°F, ester hydrolysis can occur under the presence of excessive hydroxyl. Hydrolysis breaks down the ester component into its parent carboxylic acid and alcohol. The current study shows that the stability of ester-based drilling fluids at high temperature conditions depends on the composition so that the selection of proper components and additives such as emulsifiers, stabilizers, copolymers, viscosifiers, and rheological modifiers can increase the temperature stability of the fluid. Hereby, the application of an ester-based drilling fluid is improved up to 350°F. The composition of the provided fluid is unique in the view point of its higher thermal stability against the previous formulations provided in literature. Furthermore, the experimental results of this study show the favorable effect of hot-rolling pressure on barite sag and electrical stability of the mud, i.e., increasing the pressure at three particular temperatures of 300°F, 325°F, and 350°F reduced the barite sag and at some instances increased the electrical stability.

Improvement of Rheological and Filtration Properties of Water-Based Drilling Fluids Using Bentonite-Hydrothermal Carbon Nanocomposites Under the Ultra-High Temperature and High Pressure Conditions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanyi Zhong ◽  
Ying Guan ◽  
Zhengsong Qiu ◽  
Jie Feng ◽  
Wenlei Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Hydrothermal Reaction ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Deep Drilling ◽  
Carbon Nanocomposites ◽  
Water Based ◽  
Filtration Properties ◽  
Oil Gas

Abstract With the depletion of the conventional shallow oil/gas reservoirs and the increasing demand for oil and gas, deep drilling become more and more essential to extract the oil/gas from deep formations. However, deep drilling faces many complex challenges. One of the complexities is the degradation of polymers and flocculation of bentonite particles, leading to hardly control the rheological and filtration properties of water-based drilling fluids, especially under ultra-high temperature and high pressure (HTHP) conditions. Therefore, an experimental investigation is performed to study how bentonite-hydrothermal carbon nanocomposites will influence the rheological and filtration properties of water-based drilling fluids under ultra-HTHP conditions. Bentonite-hydrothermal carbon nanocomposites are proposed as non-polymer additives to solve the ultra-HTHP challenge in water-based drilling fluid. The nanocomposites are synthesized by facile hydrothermal reaction, in which biomass starch and sodium bentonite are used as the precursor and template, respectively. In this study, the effect of the nanocomposites on the rheology and filtration properties of water-based drilling fluid are investigated before and after hot rolling at 220 °C and 240 °C. The structure characterization indicates that carbon nanospheres can successfully deposit on the bentonite surface after hydrothermal reaction and finally form as nanocomposites. The elemental carbon content, zeta potential and particle size distribution of the nanocomposites could be adjusted according to the reaction conditions. After thermal aging at 220 °C and 240 °C, addition of nanocomposites can improve the rheological properties significantly where a stable and minor change of rheological properties is observed, which is desirable for ultra-HTHP drilling. Regarding filtration control, after adding 1.0 wt% nanocomposite materials, the filtration loss is reduced by 41% and 44% respectively after aging at 220 °C and 240 °C, which is better than the conventional natural materials that lose their function in this case. The identification of microstructure shows that the hydrothermal reaction endows nanocomposites with a unique surface morphology and an improved surface charge density. The interaction between nanocomposites and bentonite particles forms a rigid connection network, which is the main mechanism to facilitate effective rheology and filtration control under ultra-HTHP conditions. The green and facile synthetic routes and environmentally friendly features of the nanocomposites, coupled with the excellent performance in ultra-HTHP rheology and filtration control, indicate that the nanocomposites have a high promise for water-based drilling fluid in ultra-HTHP drilling. Moreover, it provides a new way to design high performance additives with high temperature stability.

Rheological Properties of Water-Based Drilling Fluids in Deep Offshore Conditions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Ding ◽  
Baojiang Sun ◽  
Zhiyuan Wang ◽  
Yonghai Gao ◽  
Yu Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Rheological Properties ◽  
Apparent Viscosity ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Plastic Viscosity ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Water Based ◽  
Temperature And Pressure

Abstract In deep-water drilling, the drilling fluid is affected by the alternating temperature field derived from the low temperature of the seawater and the high temperature of the formation. The complicated wellbore temperature and pressure environments make the prediction of rheological properties of the drilling fluid difficult. In this study, the rheological properties of water-based drilling fluid in full temperature and pressure range of deep-water conditions were tested from 2 to 150 °C (35.6 to 302 °F) and 0.1 to 70 MPa (14.5 to 10000psi). The experiment was carried out by the OFI130-77 high temperature and high pressure rheometer. The experimental data were processed by multiple regression analysis method, and the mathematical model for predicting the apparent viscosity, plastic viscosity and yield point of water-based drilling fluid under high temperature and high pressure conditions was established. The experimental results show that when the temperature is lower than 65 °C (149 °F), the apparent viscosity and plastic viscosity of the water-based drilling fluid decrease significantly with increasing temperature. When the temperature is higher than 65 °C (149 °F), the apparent viscosity and plastic viscosity decrease slowly. Under low temperature conditions, the effect of pressure on the apparent viscosity and plastic viscosity of water-based drilling fluids is relatively significant. The calculated values of the prediction model have a good agreement with the experimental measurements. Compared with the traditional model, this prediction model has a significant improvement in the prediction accuracy in the low temperature section, which can provide a calculation basis for on-site application of deepwater drilling fluid.

Effect of Nano Carbon Spheres on the Properties of Oil-Based Drilling Fluids under High Temperature Conditions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanyi Zhong ◽  
Xiangzheng Kong ◽  
Zhengsong Qiu ◽  
Weian Huang ◽  
Xianbin Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Yield Point ◽  
Thermal Aging ◽  
Emulsion Stability ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Carbon Spheres ◽  
Filtration Loss ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Nano Carbon

Abstract Owing to superior temperature stability in comparison with water-based drilling fluids, oil or synthetic-based drilling fluids are generally preferred for high temperature and high pressure (HTHP) formations. However, the thermal degradation of emulsifiers and polymeric components under HTHP conditions that results in loss of rheological and filtration control, barite sag or even fluid phase separation also occurs. It is a challenge to sustain these properties stable under such harsh condition. Since nanoparticles have potential to provide better thermal stability, improved filtration loss as well as emulsion stability, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of nano carbon spheres on the properties of oil-based drilling fluids under high temperature conditions. The nano carbon spheres were synthesized with the hydrothermal reaction of glucose. The influence of nano carbon spheres on the rheological, filtration, emulsion stability, settlement stability, as well as lubricity of a typical mineral oil-based drilling fluid with oil to water ratio of 80:20 was investigated before and after thermal aging at 180 and 200°C, respectively. The structure characterization showed that the uniform hard nano carbon spheres exhibited intermediate wettability. Laboratory performance test indicated that, for the oil-based drilling fluid, the addition of nano carbon spheres improved the rheological properties in terms of yield point and the ratio of yield point to plastic viscosity, which is beneficial for transporting of drilling cuttings. After thermal aging at 200 °C, the filtration loss volume was reduced as high as 70%, and desirable filter cake quality was obtained by incorporation of 1.0 wt% spheres, meanwhile the electrical stability was improved both before and after thermal aging. Furthermore, the fluid formulated with the nano carbon spheres generated better barite sag control. The polarizing microscope observation showed that the nano carbon spheres accumulated at the water-oil interface and formed a steric barrier which probably explained the reason of the above enhanced performance. The green synthetic routes and environmental friendly characteristics of the nano carbon spheres, in combination with the excellent properties suggested that the nano carbon spheres hold potential as multi-functional additives for formulating oil-based drilling fluids for HTHP drilling operations.

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