Novel Loss Circulation Composition to Treat Moderate to Severe Losses

Abstract

The novel nanomaterial composition described in this paper has been designed to treat moderate to severe losses. The nanomaterial composition comprises an environmentally friendly nanoparticle based dispersion and a chemical activator. The design is based on a delayed activation chemistry to gel up a nanoparticle based dispersion. Three different types of nanoparticles were used in the study to develop the novel loss circulation material. Two different types of negatively charged nanoparticle based dispersion and one positively charged nanoparticle based dispersion were used in the study. An inorganic activator has been used for the study. The effect of this inorganic activator on the gelation properties of the nanoparticle based dispersion was investigated. The gelling times were evaluated at different temperatures up to 300°F. The effect of activator concentration on the gelling time of the new composition has also been studied. The effectiveness of the newly developed composition as a loss circulation treatment was also evaluated by performing permeability plugging tests to test the plugging capacity of this novel system. The novel nanomaterial composition is designed so as to have a controllable gelation time under a variety of downhole conditions to allow accurate placement of the treatment fluid inside the wellbore without premature setting of the fluid. It was shown that the gelation time of the treatment composition could be controlled by adjusting the concentration of the activator. The system is designed so as to give a predictable and controllable pumping time, ranging from a few minutes to several hours at over a wide range of temperatures. This is an important advantage as it allows the loss circulation composition to remain pumpable for sufficient time for placement and develops the network structure that leads to gelation, over a predictable period of time. The set gel, which appears as a crystalline solid, could remain homogenous and stay in place thereby preventing loss circulation.