Experimental Study of Sulfonate Gemini Surfactants as Thickeners for Clean Fracturing Fluids
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Effect of Hydrophobic Chain on the Viscosity of Sulfonate Gemini Surfactant Solution
3.2. Effect of Spacer Group on the Viscosity of Sulfonate Gemini Surfactant Solution
3.3. Effect of Concentration on the Viscosity of DS18-3-18 Solution
3.4. Effect of Temperature on Viscosity of DS18-3-18 Solution
3.5. Effect of Nano-MgO on the Viscosity of 4.0 wt.% DS18-3-18
4. Conclusions
- (1)
- The viscosity of the DSm-s-m solution showed a fluctuating upward trend with increasing the length of hydrophobic chain at s = 2. Meanwhile, the viscosity of the DS18-s-18 solution increased firstly and decreased later with increasing spacer group length. Moreover, DS18-3-18 showed prominent viscosity behavior.
- (2)
- The viscosity of the DS18-3-18 solution increased as the increase of surfactant concentration, and the tendency of the increase became slow when the solution concentration exceeded 4.0 wt.%.
- (3)
- 4.0 wt.% DS18-3-18 solution had better temperature-resistance, and the viscosity of the solution kept above 6 mPa·s at 90 °C and 170 s−1, which satisfied the experimental requirements for a clean fracturing fluid thickener.
- (4)
- The addition of nano-MgO improved the temperature-resistance of 4.0 wt.% DS18-3-18 solution. The viscosity of the solution increased firstly and decreased later with increasing nano-MgO concentration. The viscosity of the solution reached its maximum of 21.87 mPa·s at 90 °C when 0.02 wt.% nano-MgO was added, which achieved the required viscosity of the clean fracturing fluid.
- (5)
- DS18-3-18 self-assembled intodense layered micelles, and the micelles entangled with each other to form a network structure, contributing to the better temperature-resistance and higher viscosity. Nano-MgO further enhanced the temperature-resistance of 4.0 wt.% DS18-3-18 solution by changing the micellar morphology.
- (6)
- The limitation of this experimental study was that the temperature resistance of the sulfonate Gemini surfactant can only reach 90 °C, and the cost was slightly higher.
- (7)
- Compared with other studies, DS18-3-18 had a temperature resistance of 90 °C, and the viscosity after adding nano-MgO could reach up to 21.87 mPa·s, which meet the viscosity requirements of a clean fracturing fluid and has good application prospects.
Author Contributions
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Parameter | Clean Fracturing Fluid | Guanidine Gum Fracturing Fluid |
---|---|---|
Molecular weight category | Molecular weight less than 500 | Molecular weight greater than 50,000 |
With or without crosslinker | No | Yes |
With or without a breaker | No | Yes |
Sand carrying mechanism | Viscoelastic body carrying sand, viscosity greater than 30 mPa·s at 100 s−1 | Fracturing fluid carrying sand, viscosity greater than 100 mPa·s at 100 s−1 |
Filtration loss | Low filtration | High filtration |
Diversion capacity | More than 93% | More than 70% |
Craftsmanship | Easy to make on site | Difficult to make on site |
Spacer | Sulfonate Gemini Surfactant (DSm-s-m) |
---|---|
s = 2 | DS12-2-12, DS14-2-14, DS16-2-16, DS18-2-18 |
s = 3 | DS18-3-18 |
s = 4 | DS18-4-18 |
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Tang, S.; Zheng, Y.; Yang, W.; Wang, J.; Fan, Y.; Lu, J. Experimental Study of Sulfonate Gemini Surfactants as Thickeners for Clean Fracturing Fluids. Energies 2018, 11, 3182. https://doi.org/10.3390/en11113182
Tang S, Zheng Y, Yang W, Wang J, Fan Y, Lu J. Experimental Study of Sulfonate Gemini Surfactants as Thickeners for Clean Fracturing Fluids. Energies. 2018; 11(11):3182. https://doi.org/10.3390/en11113182
Chicago/Turabian StyleTang, Shanfa, Yahui Zheng, Weipeng Yang, Jiaxin Wang, Yingkai Fan, and Jun Lu. 2018. "Experimental Study of Sulfonate Gemini Surfactants as Thickeners for Clean Fracturing Fluids" Energies 11, no. 11: 3182. https://doi.org/10.3390/en11113182
APA StyleTang, S., Zheng, Y., Yang, W., Wang, J., Fan, Y., & Lu, J. (2018). Experimental Study of Sulfonate Gemini Surfactants as Thickeners for Clean Fracturing Fluids. Energies, 11(11), 3182. https://doi.org/10.3390/en11113182