Abstract
The use of nanoparticles in the formulation of drilling mud has gained unparalleled research effort. Despite the advancement of nanotechnology, key challenges still remain which relates to attaining predictable properties for nano-drilling muds. In this work, Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles were synthesized and applied to a water-based drilling mud. The characterization of the ZnO nanoparticles was done using Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). A basic fundamental approach was applied in deriving a novel model, which predicts the impact of the nanoparticles on the fluid loss of drilling mud during the filtration process. This was done taking into account the kinetics of mud cake formation and colloidal behavior of the nanoparticles. The new fluid loss model gave a better description of the fluid loss behavior of the nano-drilling mud when compared with the American Petroleum Institute (API) model using statistical measures.
Highlights
The use of nanoparticles in bentonite suspensions in the formulation of drilling mud has gained unparalleled research effort
A basic foundational approach was used in deriving a model, which describes the fluid loss obtained from zinc oxide nanoparticle-enhanced drilling mud. This was done taking into account the kinetics of mud cake formation which is similar to the structural kinetics of the bentonite suspension described by Toorman (1997) and colloidal behavior of the nanoparticles (Gerogiorgis et al, 2017; Reilly et al, 2016)
It depicts that the Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles appear as aggregates
Summary
The use of nanoparticles in bentonite suspensions in the formulation of drilling mud has gained unparalleled research effort Afolabi joined the Department of Petroleum Engineering at Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria as a researcher in August 2014 Prior to this, he worked as an Hourly Paid Lecturer (HPL) in the Department of Applied Science at London South Bank University from which he obtained his Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Petroleum Engineering in 2011. He worked as an Hourly Paid Lecturer (HPL) in the Department of Applied Science at London South Bank University from which he obtained his Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Petroleum Engineering in 2011 He has worked in the Department of Physics in Kings College, London as an HPL. Afolabi’s research interests broadly encompass the development of nanomaterials for application relevant to the oil and gas industry
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