Experimental Study of Nanocomposite Gel Performance in Sealing Reservoirs During Drilling Operations

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Department of Petroleum Engineering, Petroleum University of Technology, Iran

Abstract

One of the most intense and expensive problems during drilling operations is the loss of circulation, which should be addressed and mitigated immediately. Lost circulation could result in several consequences, including wellbore instability, poor hole cleaning, stuck pipe, well control issues and formation damage. Cross-linkable polymer gels play an important role in plugging loss zones. Coating the cross-linker on the nanomaterials extends the length of the cross-linker and forms a stronger network between the polymers. The nanocomposite gel consists of a crosslinked gel by nano-crosslinkers. In this study, the effect of parameters such as the type of crosslinker, temperature and salinity on the performance of the gel, as well as re-crosslinking efficiency at high shear rates and the stability of the gel with time, was investigated and evaluated. Using dynamic stability tests, the maximum amount of pressure that gels can withstand to prevent further drilling fluid loss in highly permeable or fractured formations, was examined. Also, empirical modeling was done by using response surface methodology. The obtained model predicts the viscosity of nanocomposite gel with an accuracy of 86% within the range of input parameters. According to the experimental results, the presence of nano crosslinker in the gel causes the self-healing ability of the formed gel at high shear rates. The nanocomposite gel has a better performance than the hybrid gel at high temperatures and also in the presence of destructive ions, which is due to the high efficiency of the nano-crosslinker in in creating the gel network. In addition, the presence of nano-crosslinker in the gel increases the maximum sealing pressure of gels in plugging highly permeable and fractured formations. Due to the complete rupture of nanocomposite gel in hydrochloric acid, the possibility of formation damage is reduced.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Journal of Petroleum Research
Volume 34, 1403-1 - Serial Number 134
May and June 2024
Pages 94-108

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