Investigating and Enhancing Mud Cake Reduction Using Smart Nano Clay Based WBM

Abstract

Mud cake is the solid particles deposited on the pores of the formation creating a form of barrier when the drilling fluid is forced against the formation under an applied pressure. The mud cake formed along the open hole formation may cause differential pipe sticking and increases torque and drag forces of the drill pipe. This causes drilling operator to stop drilling and perform frequent tripping or over pull to release the stuck pipe. This event may lead to Non-Productive Time (NPT) and increases the operational cost.The aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between Nano Clay based water based mud (WBM) with mud cake thickness and comparing it with the conventional clay based mud (WBM). In this research study, we could only managed to get nano clay between 90 nm to 100 nm. Mud cake thickness, filtrate volume and rheology of the drilling fluids parameters are studied. It was found that the mud cake thickness of Nano-WBM using Nano Clay is half compared to base mud using conventional clay. However, the filtrate collected and the rheological properties show an adverse impact of the drilling fluid performance.

Impact of ZnO and CuO nanoparticles on the rheological and filtration properties of water-based drilling fluid

“…less than 2/32 in, or 1.5875 mm, of mud cake is considered to be an acceptable thickness 38 , as an inappropriate mud thickness can result in problems such as a stuck pipe in highly-permeable formations 39 . From Figure 11, it can be seen that the ZnO 0.8%, ZnO 1%, CuO 0.3%, ZnO 0.8% and ZnO 1% drilling fluids resulted in mud cake thickness lower than that of the standard thickness.…”

Unveiling the revolutionary role of nanoparticles in the oil and gas field: Unleashing new avenues for enhanced efficiency and productivity

“…Owing to their distinctive characteristics, nanomaterials possess considerable potential for application and can prove instrumental in enhancing mudcake quality, facilitating film formation, mitigating lost circulation, and [ [119] , [120] , [121] , [122] ]. Various nanomaterials, including nanocomposite filtration-reducing agents, nanocomposite viscosifiers, nanosized emulsion lubricants, nanometer organoclays, and others, have been introduced, all of which have had a significant impact on the drilling process.…”

X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) to Scan the Structure and Characterize the Mud Cake Incorporated with Various Magnetic NPs Concentration: An Application to Evaluate the Wellbore Stability and Formation Damage

“…In water-sensitive rocks such as shale formations, it is significant to formulate a drilling fluid in order to forbid formation instability issues resulting from fluid loss. From the literature, a mud cake formation with less than 1.5875 mm is considered to be an acceptable thickness [27], as thick mud cakes may result in a negative impact on subsurface reservoir formations such as a stuck pipe in highly permeable zones [28]. Thus, to produce a thin mud cake layer, the drilling mud should contain nano-sized particles to precipitate in pore spaces, in order to block the pores in permeable formations.…”