Low-Temperature Recrosslinkable Preformed Particle Gel as a Material for Lost Circulation Control

Abstract

Summary One of the most prevalent, expensive, and time-consuming problems during drilling operations is the loss of circulation. Uncontrolled lost circulation of drilling fluids may lead to dangerous well control difficulties and, in some cases, complete loss of the well. In this paper, the ability of a low-temperature recrosslinkable preformed particle gel (LT-RPPG) has been evaluated to determine the extent to which it can be used to control drilling fluid losses during drilling operations. The RPPG consists of swellable gel particles that can self-crosslink to form a strong bulk gel in fractures to form strong plugging after being placed in the loss zones. We investigated the effect of the LT-RPPG swelling ratio and fracture width on its plugging efficiency to fractures through core flooding tests. Results showed that its sealing pressure can reach up to 1,381 psi/ft and permeability reduction more than 99.99% when the RPPG swelling ratio is five for the fracture with a width of 2.00 mm. LT-RPPG is a good candidate that can be used to control the severe or total loss during drilling operations.