Application of Graphene Oxide/Polymer Composites as Filter Loss Reduction Agents With Water-Based Drilling Fluids

Abstract

In deep and ultra-deep wells, drilling fluids often experience increased filtration loss due to elevated temperatures and high salinity. To solve this problem, 5 g of N, N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAA), 13 g of 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (AMPS), 2 g of 4-acryloylmethiolane (ACMO), and 0.2 g of graphene oxide (GO) were polymerized through aqueous phase polymerization at 50°C for 2 h to form the Graphene oxide and DMAA, AMPS, ACMO Composites (GO-NAA). The synthesized nanocomposite, GO-NAA, was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and thermogravimetric analysis to confirm its structure. The experimental results showed that under the conditions of 220°C and 15% NaCl, water-based drilling fluid (WBDF) containing 3% GO-NAA reduced the filtration value of the American Petroleum Institute(FLAPI) by 82.15% (from 76.2 to 13.6 ml) and the high-temperature and high-pressure filtration value (FLHTHP) by 88.50% (from 238.2 to 27.4 ml) compared to water-based drilling fluid without GO-NAA. Morphological analysis revealed that GO-NAA adhered to bentonite particles through hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions, promoting uniform dispersion of particles in the aqueous drilling fluid. This mechanism facilitated the formation of a thin and dense mud cake, which effectively minimized filtration loss. These findings quantitatively demonstrate the potential of GO-NAA as a temperature- and salt-resistant filtration loss reduction agent, offering significant performance improvements under extreme drilling conditions.