Stability and Flow Behavior of Fiber-Containing Drilling Sweeps

George, M. C.; Ahmed, Ramadan; Growcock, Fred

doi:10.5772/35736

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Different fiber suspension samples were prepared as discussed above and left in an oven for 1 h under static conditions; then, the fiber bed volume was recorded (Tables 3 and 4). A similar approach was established by George et al, 20 where the upper 20% of the graduate cylinder was identified as an accommodation zone (fiber bed) for migrating fiber particles. Fibers are collected from the top section, and their weights are recorded to assess fluid stability.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The stability of a fibrous fluid is defined as the ability of fiber particles to remain dispersed in the fluid for an extended time. Only a few studies − have been performed to investigate the segregation behavior of fiber particles in drilling and completion fluids. For example, George et al established a mechanistic model that describes the behavior of fibers in a multiphase complex fluid system with fluid rheological properties as the main modeling parameters.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Only a few studies − have been performed to investigate the segregation behavior of fiber particles in drilling and completion fluids. For example, George et al established a mechanistic model that describes the behavior of fibers in a multiphase complex fluid system with fluid rheological properties as the main modeling parameters. Fibers tend to orient horizontally while separating within the drilling fluid.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Application of Response Surface Methodology and Box–Behnken Design for the Optimization of the Stability of Fibrous Dispersion Used in Drilling and Completion Operations

et al. 2021

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Fibers are extensively used as a fluid additive in the oil and gas industry to improve hole-cleaning performance, control fluid filtration loss, and enhance hydraulic fracturing effectiveness. Generally, a small amount of fiber is dispersed in the base fluid to achieve the desired results without increasing the viscosity of the base fluid. Nevertheless, sustaining a uniform fiber dispersion can be challenging under wellbore conditions, which is essential for fibers’ functionality. Consequently, a better understanding of fiber suspension or stability in base fluids is necessary for their efficient utilization in drilling and completion operations. In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) and box–behnken design (BBD) are used to investigate the stability of fiber in polymeric base suspensions, including carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC), polyacrylamide (PAM), and xanthan gum (XG). The BBD of three factors was selected to observe the influence of polymer concentration, fiber concentration, and temperature on fibrous suspension stability, with three levels of design factors (low, mid, and high) and two fiber aspect ratios (3 and 12 mm fibers). The base fluid polymer concentration ranged from 1 to 8 vol %, fiber concentration ranged from 0.01 to 0.08 wt %, and the temperature was varied from 25 to 80 °C. The stability measurements were analyzed using Minitab, subsequently, evaluating the factors’ impact and interactions and determining the optimum conditions for the stability of the fibrous suspensions. The results predicted by the developed model were in good agreement with the experimental results R 2 ≥ 0.91–0.99. The sensitivity analysis showed that base fluid polymer concentration is the most significant factor affecting fibrous suspension stability. At high polymer concentrations, fiber concentration and temperature effects are minimal, while the temperature effect on the stability was observed at low concentrations (e.g., low suspension viscosities). The fiber aspect ratio indirectly affects system stability. Long fibers have a better tendency to entangle and form a structured network, which in turn hinders the buoyancy that induces individual fiber migration. On the contrary, short fibers do not form a network, allowing them to easily migrate to the surface and agglomerate at the top layer (unstable region). Optimization results revealed that suspensions with viscosities above 50 mPa·s are sufficient to maintain the stability of the suspensions at ambient (25 °C) and elevated (80 °C) temperatures.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Application of Response Surface Methodology and Box–Behnken Design for the Optimization of the Stability of Fibrous Dispersion Used in Drilling and Completion Operations

et al. 2021

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“…A study of fiber suspensions showed that at a relatively low fiber concentration, the relative viscosity of the fiber suspension is a monotonically increasing function of fiber composition . The study by Goto showed that the rheological properties of fiber–polymer solutions are related to fiber concentration, aspect ratio, and diameter, similar to suspensions in Newtonian fluids. − However, the influence of fiber materials on the viscous properties of the suspension mainly depends on the type of the fiber material, especially the flexibility of the fiber material. The shear viscosity of the rigid fiber–polymer suspension is roughly equivalent to that of the polymer, while the more flexible fiber deepens the non-Newtonian effect of the polymer suspension.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Fiber on Rheological Properties and Flow Behavior of Polymer Completion Fluids

et al. 2021

ACS Omega

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The application of fiber in the completion fluid can improve the rheological properties of the completion fluid and the plugging quality of the production layer by the completion fluid and reduce the damage of the filtrate to the reservoir formation. However, there are few studies on the influence of fibers on the rheological properties of completion fluids and the flow behavior in pores. In this paper, plant fiber, mineral fiber, and synthetic fiber are discussed. Carbon fiber, bamboo fiber, polypropylene fiber, and polyester fiber are selected as research objects. The dependence of the rheological property of polymer solution on fiber type, fiber concentration, temperature, and shear rate is evaluated. The evaluation is carried out by observing the microscopic state of the fiber through a microscope and a scanning electron microscope, testing the rheological property parameters of the fiber with an OFITE 900 rheological tester, and fitting with the Herschel−Bulkley model. The results show that polypropylene fiber and carbon fiber have the best dispersion in polymer solution. The higher the fiber content, the greater the influence of fiber on the rheological properties of the solution. Compared with the other three fibers, carbon fiber has the greatest influence on the rheological properties of polymer solution. When the temperature is lower than 70 °C, the influence of the fiber on the rheological properties of the solution is not affected by the temperature. When the temperature exceeds 70 °C, the carbon fiber and polypropylene fiber are affected by the temperature, and the viscosity of the polymer solution is increased. The flow behavior of fiber suspensions in pores varies with the flow factor n. Carbon fiber suspensions are most conducive to the transition of polymer solution to plate laminar flow, which can improve the bearing capacity of plugging materials.

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“…Recent studies have proposed adding polymeric fibers to proppant suspensions in an effort to improve the efficiency of delivering proppant to fractures (Bulova et al, ; Gillard et al, ; Vasudevan et al, ). Fibers have been shown to increase the apparent fluid viscosity (George et al, , ; Guo et al, ; Rajabian et al, ) and reduce particle settling velocities (Férec et al, ; George et al, ; Guo et al, ). Furthermore, experiments of fiber suspensions have demonstrated the formation of fiber flocs , or agglomerations of fibers, when the suspension is subjected to shear deformation (Herzhaft et al, ; Schmid et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Settling and Mobilization of Sand‐Fiber Proppants in a Deformable Fracture

Medina

Detwiler

Prioul

et al. 2018

Water Resources Research

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We investigated the response of a sand-fiber proppant suspension (17.7% 40/70 mesh sand and 0.4% polymeric fibers) flowing and settling inside a transparent deformable 15 ×15-cm fracture subjected to an increasing applied normal stress, n . We quantified the solid distribution within the fracture and the evolution of the solid volume fraction, , as n increased. The sand-fiber suspension formed a highly heterogeneous proppant pack with sand-fiber clumps surrounded by relatively solids-free regions, which was significantly different from the uniform solid distribution observed in settling experiments without fibers. As n increased from 0 to 88.5 kPa, the fracture aperture decreased by up to 85% and caused the sand-fiber clumps to act like pillars that supported the applied stress and prevented full fracture closure. At the end of the settling experiments, we simulated flowback by injecting solids-free carrier fluid while maintaining n = 88.5 kPa. Subsequent flow of solids-free fluid caused the mobilization of some solids but left the supporting pillars intact. We used a numerical model to simulate flow through the porous proppant pack and open regions of the fracture and found a correlation between and the shear rate,̇, at locations of mobilized solids, which suggested a mobilization threshold: < mob anḋ>̇m ob . Additional simulations carried out in different heterogeneous proppant distributions showed that solid mobilization leads to the formation of highly conductive channels that significantly increase fracture permeability. Our results suggest that adding fibers to conventional sand proppants can lead to heterogeneous proppant distributions and increased fracture permeability.Recent studies have proposed adding polymeric fibers to proppant suspensions in an effort to improve the efficiency of delivering proppant to fractures (Bulova et al.

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Stability and Flow Behavior of Fiber-Containing Drilling Sweeps

Cited by 6 publications

References 49 publications

Application of Response Surface Methodology and Box–Behnken Design for the Optimization of the Stability of Fibrous Dispersion Used in Drilling and Completion Operations

Application of Response Surface Methodology and Box–Behnken Design for the Optimization of the Stability of Fibrous Dispersion Used in Drilling and Completion Operations

Effect of Fiber on Rheological Properties and Flow Behavior of Polymer Completion Fluids

Settling and Mobilization of Sand‐Fiber Proppants in a Deformable Fracture

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