Enhancing the Stability of Invert Emulsion Drilling Fluid for Drilling in High-Pressure High-Temperature Conditions
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Experimental Work
2.1. Material
2.2. Experimental Procedure
- Prepare the drilling fluid mixture at ambient temperature;
- Measure the density and electrical stability at ambient temperature;
- Perform the static sag test at different temperatures under vertical and decline situations;
- Perform the dynamic sag test using the sag shoe and the rheometer at 120 °F and 100 rpm;
- Perform the amplitude sweep test at 350 °F to determine the linear elastic region of the fluid;
- Perform the angular frequency test at 350 °F to determine the storage modulus of the invert emulsion drilling fluid;
- Measure the rheological properties over a wide range of temperatures (200–400 °F);
- Measure the filtration properties at 400 °F and 400 psi differential pressure.
2.3. Dynamic Sag Test
- Insert the sag shoe into the thermo cup and put it together on the viscometer plate.
- Pour the drilling fluid inside the thermo cup and raise it until the upper surface touches the lower part of the viscometer sleeve. Then lower the cup around 7 mm.
- Heat the 140 mL drilling fluid with the sag shoe to 120 °F ± 2 °F.
- Set the viscometer at 100 rpm and start a 30 min timer.
- Using the syringe with the cannula, extract a 10 mL sample and record the weight of the drilling fluid-filled syringe, W1.
- Stop the viscometer after 30 min and take another sample of 10 mL.
- Record the weight of the drilling fluid-filled syringe (W2).
- Calculate the VSST using Equation (1).
2.4. Rheology and Filtration Tests
3. Results and Discussions
3.1. Effect of Temperature on Static Sag Test
3.2. Dynamic Sag Test
3.3. Storage Modulus
3.4. Rheological Properties
3.5. Filtration Properties
4. Conclusions
- Adding the copolymer (1 lb/bbl) had no effect on the density and electrical stability of the invert emulsion drilling fluid.
- The sag issue was eliminated under static and dynamic conditions for both vertical and inclined borehole sections after adding the copolymer.
- Adding the copolymer increased the fluid storage modulus by nearly 290% at a temperature of 350 °F, which indicates better suspension properties.
- The gel strength after 10 s and 10 min was increased by almost 50%, which confirms the power of the copolymer’s ability to keep cutting in suspension.
- The filter cake thickness was reduced by 40% when using 1 lb/bbl of the copolymer at 400 °F at the same filtrate volume, which assures the prevention of barite settling.
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Additives | Functions | Base Fluid | New Fluid |
---|---|---|---|
Diesel (cm3) | Continuous phase | 172 | 172 |
EZ-Mul | Emulsifier and oil-wetting agent | 15 | 15 |
Invermul (g) | Primary emulsifier | 11 | 11 |
Lime (g) | contaminate remover | 6 | 6 |
Geltone II (g) | Viscosifier | 2 | 2 |
Water (cm3) | dispersed phase | 50 | 50 |
Calcium Chloride—CaCl2 (g) | Shale inhibitor | 32 | 32 |
Calcium Carbonate (25 micron, g) | Bridging agent | 30 | 30 |
RM-63 (g) | Rheology modifier | 1 | 1 |
New Copolymer (g) | Rheology modifier and solid suspension | 0 | 1 |
Barite (g) | Weighting material | 560 | 560 |
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Elkatatny, S. Enhancing the Stability of Invert Emulsion Drilling Fluid for Drilling in High-Pressure High-Temperature Conditions. Energies 2018, 11, 2393. https://doi.org/10.3390/en11092393
Elkatatny S. Enhancing the Stability of Invert Emulsion Drilling Fluid for Drilling in High-Pressure High-Temperature Conditions. Energies. 2018; 11(9):2393. https://doi.org/10.3390/en11092393
Chicago/Turabian StyleElkatatny, Salaheldin. 2018. "Enhancing the Stability of Invert Emulsion Drilling Fluid for Drilling in High-Pressure High-Temperature Conditions" Energies 11, no. 9: 2393. https://doi.org/10.3390/en11092393