Research and Application of New Technology of Bionic Enhanced Wellbore and Strong Lubrication Water-Based Drilling Fluid

Abstract

After more than a century of development, drilling fluid technology has become capable of dealing with various extreme conditions. As the exploration and development targets shift towards complex oil and gas resources, however, the geological and surface conditions encountered get increasingly complex, which poses a greater challenge to drilling fluid. In this paper, bionics is introduced into the field of drilling fluids, imitating the characteristics, functions, structures, and principles of mussels and earthworms, and a bionic wall-fixing agent with side chains containing catechol functional groups to strengthen the wellbore is prepared. A bionic bonding lubricant that when making the direct friction between the two is changed to the sliding between the membranes is prepared. Compared with the advanced technology introduced from abroad, the strength of the rock is not only reduced but increased by more than 14%, the friction reduction rate is improved by 12.3%. Their mechanism of action and influencing factors are revealed from the macro and micro perspectives. Combined with the formation conditions encountered, other treatment agents are applied to develop a novel technology of bionic strengthened borehole and high lubricity water-based drilling fluid with comparable inhibition and lubricity to oil-based drilling fluid. In comparison with technology, the rate of well collapse is reduced by as much as 82.6%, the accident rate of stuck pipe is brought down by as much as 86.4%, the complication of stuck block is reduced by as much as 79.7%, and the overall cost is lowered by more than 30%. It is truly a safe, efficient, economic, environmentally friendly drilling fluid technology.

Organosiloxane-Modified Auricularia Polysaccharide (Si-AP): Improved High-Temperature Resistance and Lubrication Performance in WBDFs

“…The organosilicon groups can also regulate the hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity of Si-AP, endowing it with excellent lubricity and significantly improving the lubricating performance of water-based drilling fluids under high-temperature conditions. The lubricating film formed by Si-AP can reduce the contact area between the drill string and wellbore walls, thereby greatly reducing the friction coefficient and effectively preventing safety issues such as drill string sticking [ 31 , 32 ]. Furthermore, organosilicon compounds can form stable polysaccharide structures with polysaccharide molecules through hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interactions, etc., further enhancing the thermal stability of polysaccharides and regulating their solubility and rheological properties in aqueous solutions to improve their thickening, suspension, and other performance under high-temperature conditions [ 27 , 33 , 34 ].…”

Tribological Effects of Quaternary Ammonium-Functionalized Montmorillonite as Water-Based Additives

“…Generally, water-based drilling fluid lubrication additives are divided into traditional solid lubricants, liquid lubricants, and novel nanolubricants. Among them, solid lubricants are easy to remove by solid control equipment and are difficult to degrade, while liquid lubricants need to consider compatibility and stability between other components. − Novel nanoadditives have a high specific surface area, which facilitates the interaction between the nanomaterials and the friction contact points. In addition to the size benefits, nanoadditives can maintain a stable dispersion in drilling fluids and have unique advantages in plugging micropores .…”