Abstract
Abstract Lost circulation often occurs in fractured formations, which was a main technological problem during drilling. Conventional lost circulation material (LCM) was often used to form a plugging zone to prevent fluid loss during drilling. The formed seal was a granular material system composed of LCMs. This paper presented the physical mechanism of the force chain within the plugging zone. The seal performance is related to the properties of LCMs. A device for testing seal performance of LCMs with long fracture was developed. The effects of LCM performance on seal integrity were investigated using a plugging device with long fracture. The results showed that the wide particle size distribution (PSD) of LCMs tended to form a strong force chain network structure within the sealing zone. Increasing the stiffness and roughness of LCMs resulted in higher breaking pressure. The addition of fiber with high length-diameter ratio could improve the shear strength of the sealing zone and form a strong force chain network structure, and it can reduce fluid loss.
Highlights
Lost circulation is defined as drilling fluid loss into the fracture or void in formation during drilling, which is one of the major technological problems during drilling [1]
Kang et al proposed that the strength of the force chain within the formed seal was related to the properties of lost circulation material (LCM) and has an obvious impact on the strength of the sealing zone [6]
The particle size distribution (PSD) of particles was determined by sieve analysis tests
Summary
Lost circulation is defined as drilling fluid loss into the fracture or void in formation during drilling, which is one of the major technological problems during drilling [1]. The sealing strength of chain force is related to the properties of LCMs. In order to optimize the lost circulation treatments, the concentration, type, particle size distribution (PSD), resiliency, and crush resistance of LCMs were studied [3,4,5]. Kang et al proposed that the strength of the force chain within the formed seal was related to the properties of LCMs and has an obvious impact on the strength of the sealing zone [6]. The technical indices such as particle strength, elasticity, and surface friction coefficient were proposed to evaluate LCM performance [7]. The effect of the force chain on seal integrity by plugging experiment was not investigated
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