A New Inhibitive Water-Based Fluid: A Completely Cationic System

Abstract

Abstract The development process of new technologies in drilling fluids has established that the fluid should have viscosity control and clays inhibition.Some other aspects as fluid loss control and grout thickness had become almost that decurrent of the action of the main products.The search of a highly inhibitive water-based drilling fluid (WBDF) system has been a continuous purpose in the drilling fluid industry. We have designed and developed new materials that will improve the inhibition capacity of water-based fluid, besides favoring a complete rheology and fluid loss control of the system.Parameter viscosity reached great evolution in the last decades with the implantation of high performance polymer, capable of substituting the bentonite.Through this, the fluid with low solid became the key of the success in perforation fluids. The developed system consists of an environment-friendly cationic polymer as shale inhibitor, a fluid-loss control, and a polymer that provides viscosity and gel structure. Components were designed for high performance water-based drilling fluids, and present the versatility to be used as much with industrial water, as seawater or saltwater, maintaining the fluid performance. This work will discuss some properties of this system, comparing with the traditional system used by Petrobras - Brazil.