Abstract
Nanomaterials have gained a wide interest in the oil and gas industry due to their immense applicability. Nanomaterials are being used to formulate a new generation of drilling mud known as Nanomud or Smart mud, where it has the ability to improve mud properties and eliminate borehole problems. Using nanoparticles as an additive agent in conventional drilling mud can lead to a more efficient drilling process in troublesome formations. In this study, several conventional water‐based muds from a selected well drilled in the Kurdistan/Iraq oil field have been prepared. Then, nanodrilling muds were formulated by dispersing SiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles in concentrations ranging from 0.25 to 1 wt.% to conventional water‐based mud (WBM). This study aims to evaluate and compare the performance of conventional water‐based muds after adding SiO2 and ZnO nanoparticles. This evaluation was performed by carrying out a series of laboratory experiments to determine the rheological and mud filtrate properties. The results demonstrated that nanomuds improved the rheological behaviors and provided better filtration control compared to conventional drilling muds. However, there was little or no impact of the nanomaterials on the mud density for all mud systems.
Highlights
Drilling fluid, or drilling mud, is an integral component of the drilling process
Drilling mud is one of the most essential aspects to be considered during the well construction and completion stages. e proper selection of the drilling mud is one of the key factors for succussing any drilling operation, which is typically based on its performance, cost, and environmental influence
Water-based drilling muds (WBMs) and oil-based drilling muds (OBMs) are two main types of drilling muds that are widely used during drilling operations
Summary
Drilling mud, is an integral component of the drilling process. Generally, the mud is pumped from the surface to the bottom of the well, and it passes through the drilling string (drill pipe, drill collar) and the bit. en, it returns back to the surface through the annular space between the drilling string and the borehole [1]. A study by Geir Hareland investigated the effect of various concentrations of Iron hydroxide (Fe (OH)3) and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) nanosized particles on the rheological properties of oil-based mud (OBM). In their experimental study, they found that calcium carbonate NPs provided higher gel strength and plastic viscosity (PV) compared to the OBM sample without nanoparticles. Ey concluded that iron oxide reduced the yield point value, but there was no or minimal effect of iron oxide on the plastic viscosity and gel strength Both NPs reduced mud filtration loss and created a thick mud cake [13].
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