The poor lubrication
performance of water-based drilling mud hinders
its application in the drilling process of extended, reach horizontal
wells. To overcome this shortcoming, polyaspartate (PA) and poly(ethylene
glycol) (PEG) were used to improve the lubrication performance of
the water-based drilling mud. The conventional performances, lubrication
performance, and micro-image of antiwear steel balls of the modified
water-based drilling mud were analyzed. The results show that the
coefficient of friction (COF) of the water-based drilling mud mixed
with 10% PA and 5% PEG was the lowest, reaching 0.094, the reduction
rate of COF was 63.1%, and the drilling mud cake stuck factor was
also the lowest. The addition of PA and PEG had no effect on the rheological
properties of water-based drilling mud and also can significantly
reduce the filtrate volume; the reduction rate of the filtrate volume
reached 43.5%. All of these result from the synergistic effect of
PA and PEG; they are adsorbed on the metal surface and the mud cake
to form a lubricating film. At the same time, the lubricants also
changed the appearance of the solid particles in the mud cake, which
reduced the friction between the mud cake and the drilling tool. Moreover,
effects of the influence of drilling mud properties on lubricants
(alkali metal ions, pH, temperature, and drilling mud density) were
examined. The water-based drilling fluid with the synergistic effect
of PEG and PA shows similar lubrication performance as the oil-based
drilling fluid and can meet the technical requirements of corresponding
horizontal wells.
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