Water-Dispersible Resin System for Wellbore Stabilization

Abstract

fax 01-972-952-9435.References at the end of the paper. AbstractGlobal economic conditions require innovative and state-of-theart wellbore-stabilization methods to reduce the total cost associated with the construction and life cycle of a well. Stabilization includes preventing unwanted fluid or gas flow into or out of the wellbore, preventing the flow of particulates into the wellbore, and mitigating formation compressive or tensile failure. Solutions should involve the use of real-time drilling data obtained from measurement-while-drilling (MWD) and logging-whiledrilling (LWD) systems, advanced fluid chemistries, computergenerated placement procedures, and job histories of similar well problems. The end result of a properly designed wellbore stability process is reduced well-construction cost. Costs are reduced by minimizing nondrilling rig time, eliminating emergency or unplanned casing strings, and reducing unwanted fluid/ gas flow that causes environmental hazards.This paper focuses on a water-dispersible, aliphatic epoxyresin system (WDR) that has been developed to plug fractures/ vugs, reduce formation permeability, and artificially increase formation fracture gradients. Aliphatic epoxy resins impart water compatibility, which is an advantage over more commonly used aromatic epoxy resins that cannot tolerate water contamination. The aliphatic epoxy-resin system can be used during drilling and can be pumped as a neat resin, resin/sand or resin/ barite mixture, or dispersed in water-or oil-based drilling fluids. A pill can be spotted over trouble zones followed by a pressure squeeze that forces resin through the mud filter cake, where it then hardens and consolidates the formation. This paper presents data that illustrate the systems capability to reduce permeability, dramatically enhance mechanical properties of the forma-tion, and solve various production-related wellbore stability problems such as annular casing pressure, water production, and multilateral junction sealing.

Seepage Characteristics of Emulsion with Phase Transition Behaviors

“…Since aliphatic epoxy resins impart water compatibility, it was preferred to aromatic epoxy resins (Sparlin, 1976). Eoff et al (2011) developed a water‐dispersible, aliphatic epoxy‐resin system (WDR) with specific aims to plug fractures/vugs, reduce formation permeability, and artificially increase formation fracture gradients. The system turned out to be capable of significantly enhancing the compressive strength of cores and sandpacks, and decreasing the permeability of treated cores (Eoff and Funkhouser, 1999; Ng and Adisa, 1997).…”