Preparation and High-Temperature Fracture-Sealing Performance of an Oil-Absorbing Swelling Gel for Lost-Circulation Control in Oil-Based Drilling Fluids.

IF 6.4 3区化学 Q1 POLYMER SCIENCE

Gels Pub Date : 2026-09-14 DOI:10.3390/gels12090840

Kun Zhang, Qiwei Liang, Xin Chen, Jing Yan, Dong Guo, Yongqiang Pan, Xiuyu Zhu, Xuntao Jiang, Jingbin Yang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Lost circulation in fractured formations remains challenging for oil-based drilling fluids because conventional rigid bridging materials can be sensitive to fracture geometry and form porous seals. In this study, an oil-absorbing swelling gel plugging agent (OSGP) was prepared by water-in-oil emulsion free-radical polymerization. Its oil-induced swelling, strain-dependent viscoelasticity, and bidirectional fracture-sealing behavior were evaluated together with morphology and thermal mass-loss behavior. After 12 h in white oil at 120 °C, the particle volume increased by 19.2%. At 25 °C, OSGP showed an elastic-dominant response with strain-induced softening. In independent fracture-sealing tests at 120 °C, OSGP formed pressure-bearing seals in both 3 mm parallel and 3 mm-to-1 mm wedge-shaped steel fractures, with a maximum forward breakthrough pressure of 8.06 MPa. Comparison of forward and reverse tests showed that fracture geometry and flow direction strongly affected pressure-bearing behavior. The combined results support a proposed sealing process involving particle bridging, oil-induced swelling, deformation, and compaction. OSGP therefore shows potential for further evaluation as a lost-circulation material in fully formulated oil-based drilling fluids and rock fractures.

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油基钻井液防漏失吸油膨胀凝胶的制备及其高温封缝性能

由于传统的刚性桥接材料对裂缝的几何形状很敏感，可能会形成多孔密封，因此对于油基钻井液来说，裂缝地层的漏失仍然是一个挑战。本研究采用油包水乳液自由基聚合法制备了一种吸油膨胀凝胶堵剂（OSGP）。对其油致膨胀、应变依赖粘弹性、双向缝封行为以及形貌和热质量损失行为进行了评估。在120℃的白油中浸泡12 h后，颗粒体积增加了19.2%。在25°C时，OSGP表现出弹性为主的应变诱导软化反应。在120℃下的独立缝封试验中，OSGP在3mm平行缝和3mm ~ 1mm楔形钢缝中均形成了承压密封，最大正向突破压力为8.06 MPa。正向和反向试验对比表明，裂缝几何形状和流动方向对承压性能影响较大。综合结果支持所提出的密封过程，包括颗粒桥接、油致膨胀、变形和压实。因此，OSGP作为全配方油基钻井液和岩石裂缝中的堵漏材料，具有进一步评价的潜力。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Gels POLYMER SCIENCE-

CiteScore

4.70

自引率

19.60%

发文量

707

审稿时长

11 weeks

期刊介绍： The journal Gels (ISSN 2310-2861) is an international, open access journal on physical (supramolecular) and chemical gel-based materials. Our aim is to encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical results in as much detail as possible. Therefore, there is no restriction on the maximum length of the papers, and full experimental details must be provided so that the results can be reproduced. Short communications, full research papers and review papers are accepted formats for the preparation of the manuscripts. Gels aims to serve as a reference journal with a focus on gel materials for researchers working in both academia and industry. Therefore, papers demonstrating practical applications of these materials are particularly welcome. Occasionally, invited contributions (i.e., original research and review articles) on emerging issues and high-tech applications of gels are published as special issues.