Effect of Silica Nanoparticles on Polymer Adsorption Reduction on Marcellus Shale.

Sameer Al-Hajri,Tareq M Al-Shami,Berihun M Negash,Mohammed Haroun,Md Motiur Rahman

doi:10.1021/acsomega.1c03653

Abstract

Polymers play a major role in developing rheology of fracturing fluids for multistage hydraulic fracturing horizontal wells in unconventional reservoirs. Reducing the amount of polymer adsorbed in the shale formation is essential to maintain the polymer efficiency. In this study, the ability of silica nanoparticles to minimize polymer adsorption in Marcellus shale formation at reservoir temperature was investigated. Partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide polymers of varying molecular weights (1–12 MD), salinities (2500–50,000 ppm), polymer concentrations (100–2000 ppm), and silica nanoparticle concentrations (0.01–0.1 w/w) were used in the static adsorption experiments. Adsorption of the polymer in the Marcellus shale samples was contrasted with and without the silica nanoparticles at a Marcellus formation reservoir temperature of 65 °C, showing a significant polymer adsorption reduction of up to 50%. The adsorption and adsorption reduction were more sensitive to the variation of the polymer concentration than to the variation of the salinity within the tested conditions. The highest adsorptions were reported at the higher molecular weight of 10–12 MD. In addition, silica nanoparticles significantly improved polymer rheology at elevated temperatures. The results indicate that nanoparticles can play a significant role in reducing polymer adsorption in the fracturing fluid and improve its rheological properties and its efficiency, which will reduce the number of issues caused by the polymers in the fracturing fluid and making it more cost effective.

Highlights

Due to the increase in the demand for energy, unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs will play a significant role in satisfying global demands for hydrocarbon in general and gas in particular in the future.1,2 The most important resource for unconventional hydrocarbons is the shale reservoirs
The adsorption in the Marcellus shale sample is proportional to its grains’ surface area because of the fact that adsorption is an interaction between polymer molecules and the rock surface
Determining the surface area of the Marcellus shale sample is very important for predicting the extent of the polymer adsorption

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Due to the increase in the demand for energy, unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs will play a significant role in satisfying global demands for hydrocarbon in general and gas in particular in the future. The most important resource for unconventional hydrocarbons is the shale reservoirs. This assumes that the nanoparticles remaining in the porous media will provide a kind of a shield on the sand surface, and the molecules of the surfactant could collide on the surface of these nanoparticles, decreasing the adsorption of the surfactant Nanoparticles or their manipulations are very small materials, at the range of about 1−100 nanometers in diameter.− Recently, nanotechnology has been a significant focus in the petroleum industry because the addition of nanoparticles may change the properties of drilling fluid, strengthening sand consolidation, and improves drag reduction.− the role of nanoparticles in the reduction of polymer adsorption on shale surfaces has not been reported in the literature. The temperature was reported to be a representative temperature for the Marcellus shale reservoir with depths of 4000−8500 ft. The rheology of the three polymers was investigated with and without the nanoparticle at elevated temperatures

MATERIALS AND METHODS

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

■ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

CONCLUSIONS

■ REFERENCES