Enhancement of polymeric water-based drilling fluid properties using nanoparticles

Abstract

The maturity of shallow depth and conventional petroleum reserves together with growing demand for energy have forced the oil industry to drill harsh and deep reserves. Nanotechnology has the ability to improve drilling fluid performance for drilling deeper and harsher environments. In this study, a water-based drilling fluid containing polymers was set as the base fluid. TiO2 nanoparticle was employed to improve rheology, electrical and thermal conductivities of the resultant drilling fluids. The test fluids were made by addition of different concentrations of TiO2 nanoparticle and KCl salt to the base fluid. The resultant samples were examined at different temperatures and 19 different shear rates. Presence of TiO2 particles enhanced not only the rheological behavior but also thermal and electrical conductivities of the drilling fluids up to 25% and 41%, respectively. Moreover, the addition of TiO2 particles increased thermal resistance, shale recovery up to 97.2% and also decreased the filtration volume up to 27%. Moreover, the viscosities of aqueous TiO2 dispersions at different temperatures and TiO2 and KCl concentrations were measured. The TiO2 nanoparticle has good soloubility in hot HCl and HF acids. It was found that the base aqueous fluid viscosity directly affects the resultant drilling fluid viscosity. In this regard, an analysis was performed and a model was proposed.