Three-body abrasive wear in the presence of inorganic fullerene-like tungsten disulfide and ionic liquid containing alkanolamines and phosphates

Abstract

In coiled tubing applications, common constraints e.g., high friction, lateral drag and restricted flow rate increase the demand for friction modifiers. These modifiers also face the inevitable intrusion of abrasive particles in the wellbore that impair the drilling efficiency and accelerate wear of the sliding components. This study shows the tribological effect of sand particles in plain deionized (DI) water, resulting in a high friction environment with the risk of particles embedding in a two-body sliding behavior. To mitigate the drilling system’s performance degradation, two additives, inorganic fullerene-like tungsten disulfide (IF-WS2) and an ionic liquid with alkanolamines named “Base,” were added and their synergic tribological effects with sand were investigated. The presence of sand particles offered a reduction in coefficient of friction (COF) by 22% in the presence of DI water + IF-WS2, and a slight increase in wear. The Base additive was not as efficient as IF-WS2 at the same sand content, resulting in an increase in the COF and wear. In addition to the rolling friction, the gradual exfoliation of the IF-WS2 played an important role in alleviating friction and wear, leading to formation of tungsten-based tribolayer on sand particles.