Experimental Study on the Drag Reduction Performance of Clear Fracturing Fluid Using Wormlike Surfactant Micelles and Magnetic Nanoparticles under a Magnetic Field.

Ming-Liang Luo,Xiao-Han Jia,Ming-Zhong Li,Yong-Ping Zhan,Yu-Ling Yang,Xiao-Dong Si

doi:10.3390/nano11040885

Ming-Liang Luo, Xiao-Han Jia + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11040885

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Abstract

This paper examines a new study on the synergistic effect of magnetic nanoparticles and wormlike micelles (WLMs) on drag reduction. Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (FE-NPs) are utilized to improve the performance of viscoelastic surfactant (VES) solutions used as fracturing fluids. The chemical composition and micromorphology of the FE-NPs were analyzed with FT-IR and an electron microscope. The stability and interaction of the WLM-particle system were studied by zeta potential and cryo-TEM measurements. More importantly, the influences of the temperature, FE-NP concentration, magnetic field intensity, and direction on the drag reduction rate of WLMs were systematically investigated in a circuit pipe flow system with an electromagnetic unit. The experimental results show that a suitable content of magnetic nanoparticles can enhance the settlement stability and temperature resistance of WLMs. A magnetic field along the flow direction of the fracturing fluid can improve the drag reduction performance of the magnetic WLM system. However, under a magnetic field perpendicular to the direction of fluid flow, an additional flow resistance is generated by the vertical chaining behavior of FE-NPs, which is unfavorable for the drag reduction performance of magnetic VES fracturing fluids. This study may shed light on the mechanism of the synergistic drag reduction effects of magnetic nanoparticles and wormlike micelles.

Highlights

In the past few decades, conventional oil and gas production has been unable to meet the world’s growing demand for oil and gas resources, and unconventional oil and gas resources have become the focus of global attention [1,2,3,4]
This paper systematically reported an investigation of the rules and mechanism of magnetic viscoelastic surfactant (VES) fracturing fluid on drag reduction
Some of the treated Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (FE-NPs) attached to the inner wall of the pipeline form a layer of superhydrophobic nanoparticle film, leading to drag reduction

Summary

Introduction

In the past few decades, conventional oil and gas production has been unable to meet the world’s growing demand for oil and gas resources, and unconventional oil and gas resources have become the focus of global attention [1,2,3,4]. Due to the tightness of unconventional reservoirs, a large amount of turbulent pipeline friction is generated in the process of volume fracturing, which will greatly increase the necessary hydraulic horsepower, damage the pumping equipment, and even cause failure of fracturing. The drag reduction agent (DRA) in the fracturing fluid is one of the important materials to improve volume fracturing for the stimulation of unconventional reservoirs [8,9]. The addition of a DRA reduces the friction on fracturing lines and improves the complexity of fractures and reduces the required hydraulic horsepower of equipment and minimizes wear caused by high-speed impact in the operation processes of equipment. It is well known that turbulence inside the transported fluid brings about a large amount of frictional resistance [10].

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