Experimental Investigation of Drilling Fluid Performance as Nanoparticles

Abstract

In this work, a drilling fluid recipe has been developed by using nanoparticles, to increase the efficiency of drilling operations for maximum accessibility to new & matured oil reserves and suited to various drilling conditions. The solution to severe drilling problems like pipe sticking, lost circulation, formation damage, erosion of borehole, thermal instability of drilling fluids and insufficient gel properties of the drilling fluids, lies in controlling and optimizing the rheology of the drilling fluid. The inefficiency of the drilling fluid in performing certain functions is mainly due to a lack in a particular rheological property. The performance of the clay composites water-based bentonite drilling mud in terms of its rheological behavior in drilling systems was investigated at various pressures and temperatures. It was found that temperature had a detrimental effect on the rheological properties. The behavior was investigated using synthesized nano bentonite water based drilling fluid. The fluid retained all the desired rheological properties at elevated temperatures and pressures, thus enhanced the possibility of its application in deep wells, where elevated temperatures and pressures were quite common.