Research and Application of High Temperature and Ultrahigh Density Drilling Fluid in Deep Wells

Abstract

Drilling fluid with the high density has been successfully used in many kinds of special formations such as gypsum salt bed, salt aquifer, or compound salt formation. Some problems with this kind of the fluid, however, still have to be considered, for example the high temperature resistance in some complicated deep wells, rheological properties control, and the influence of solid content to rheological properties. The authors introduce, based on the research about some important elements such as rheological properties and the quality of sedimentation stability, a drilling fluid with the high density of 2.45 g/cm3 that has good rheological properties, excellent qualities of sedimentation stability, low water loss, well antisloughing, and small lubrication coefficient, and which can be perfectly used in the deep slim-hole well with the high pressure salt aquifer. In addition, this drilling fluid system with the density of 2.45 g/cm3, no matter in the laboratory test or in the field case (No. 3 well of Jeddah), both performs excellently and controls well the salt crystallization, reducing the rate of the crystallization and preventing sticking, jets blocking, or torque increasing. Finally, with the successful application, this drilling fluid can be regarded as a good example for other deep wells or ultradeep wells with the complicated formation in Fergana Valley, Uzbekistan.