Implementation of Amorphous Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles to formulate a novel water-based drilling fluid

Abstract

One of the significant problems of drilling with water-based muds in oil and gas wells is the instability in the Shale Formations. Conventional additives cannot plug nanometer-sized pore throats of Shale. Today, Nanotechnology is used to improve the performance of water-based muds. Adding some Nanoparticles with unique properties to drilling fluids has remarkably improved the mud’s properties. Therefore, this study synthesized Amorphous Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles (AMSN) with heightened purity and suitable Special Surface Area (SSA) using the sol–gel method. Then AMSN was employed in an eco-friendly water-based mud to investigate the effect on rheological properties, filtration, thermal stability, and Shale recovery.Several analyses were conducted on AMSN synthesized by TEM, FESEM, EDX, DLS, XRF, XRD, BJH, and BET. According to the results, AMSN has an amorphous phase, and its purity, SSA, and total pore volume stand at 98.99%, 226.13 (m2.g−1), and 1.0539 (m3.g−1). Under two conditions, the AMSN was incorporated into the water-based drilling fluid at four concentrations: 0.1, 0.5, 1, and 2% W/W. The primary condition is Before Hot Rolling (BHR), conducted at a temperature of 43.3 °C. A second trial was conducted after hot rolling (AHR) at simulated downhole temperatures of 121.1 °C and 148.8 °C, respectively. In both conditions, the results indicate that the ideal concentration of AMSN is 0.1% by weight and improves the rheological properties, thermal stability, and Shale recovery. Comparatively to base mud, an optimal concentration of AMSN can increase apparent viscosity by 12.5% and reduce fluid loss by 55% in AHR conditions.