Application of titanium dioxide nanoparticles for the design of oil well cement slurry – a study based on compressive strength, setting time and rheology

Abstract

Nanotechnology has already been adopted and extensively used for several applications in the oil and gas industry. Cementing the wellbore is also one of the applications which are explored in this study. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles were used to understand their effect on various cement properties which include setting time, compressive strength, and rheological behaviour. The class G cement used in the present study was characterized for its composition using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) analysis and the TiO2 nanoparticles were characterized for identification and mineral characterization with the help of X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis. The experimental investigation reveals that the mixing of the diminutive amount of TiO2 nanoparticles (0.5, 0.1, 1.5, and 2.0% BWOC) can simultaneously enhance the compressive strength and reduce the setting time of the cement slurry. The compressive strength of the cement mixture was seen to be increasing with the increment of TiO2 nanoparticle concentration in the slurry, while the setting time was found to be reduced. The cement slurry's viscosity was also found to be increased with the addition of nanoparticles. The study shows that the TiO2 nanoparticles can be used as an additive to oil well cement slurry as an accelerator and at the same time strength enhancer.