Developing Efficient Emulsifiers for Improved Fluid Stability from Highly Variable Raw Materials: Performance Analysis and Field Application

This presentation demonstrates further development of efficient primary and secondary emulsifiers for invert emulsion (oil-based) drilling fluids. These primary and secondary emulsifiers were developed from two separate refinery side streams of crude tall oil (CTO). Due to the high degree of compositional variation in these selected side streams, they were not historically considered for product development. We managed the composition variation challenge by setting precise specifications and connecting aspects of product composition with desired performance in the drilling fluid application. These side streams were derivatized under engineered reaction conditions to develop the efficient primary and secondary emulsifiers without compromising performance. Overall, detailed testing was performed to determine the emulsifier performance in different base oils (mineral oil and diesel), at different mud weights (12 – 16 ppg), at elevated temperatures, and in different fluid systems characterized by rheology and high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) fluid loss. Physical properties including product viscosity and pour points were also determined. The developed efficient primary and secondary emulsifiers performed on par or outperformed the industry-available emulsifiers tested in this study. The efficient primary emulsifier demonstrated lower pour points and lower product viscosity as compared to the industry standards tested in this study. A new field application of this efficient primary emulsifier in the U.S. will be presented. On the other hand, the secondary emulsifier provided stable rheology with improved controlled fluid loss as compared to the industry standards in both conventional and polymer fluids. The emulsifier package of the developed efficient primary and secondary emulsifiers provided stable fluids in various fluid systems which were composed of different viscosifiers and fluid loss additives (FLAs). The efficient primary and secondary emulsifiers were developed from highly variable raw materials. The physical properties of the primary emulsifier present it as a valued candidate for cold climate since it's easy to handle. The efficient secondary emulsifier can provide stable rheology with controlled fluid loss. The emulsifier package gave comparable performance across different fluid systems. This manuscript is a continuation of our previous research (Maghrabi et al. 2018).