Drilling Fluid Enhancement via Addition of Sustainably Synthesized Nanoparticles

Abstract

The addition of nanoparticles to the drilling fluids for geological projects is a promising application for enhancing the stability, rheological properties, and overall performance of the mud. This study aims to thoroughly analyze and compare the effects of silica and alumina nanoparticles on the properties and effectiveness of polymer drilling mud. Silica and alpha-alumina nanoparticles were synthesized using the sol-gel process and characterized through several techniques, including X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The effects of silica and alumina nanoparticles on various properties of drilling mud were then measured using a permeable plugging tester, a high-temperature high-pressure fluid loss apparatus, and an API low-temperature low-pressure fluid loss device. The findings indicated that the addition of silica nanoparticles strengthened and thickened the polymer mud.  Meanwhile, alumina nanoparticles showed only a slight influence on the flow properties of the polymer mud. Precisely, the addition of nanoparticles resulted in a significant reduction in the filtration loss of drilling fluid at low-pressure, low-temperature and high-pressure, high-temperature conditions by 37.5%, 29% for silica, 58%, and 52.7% for alumina, respectively. Furthermore, the swelling of polymer muds in formation water decreased from 7.66% to 5.8% with silica and 4.76% with alumina nanoparticles. Moreover, the addition of nanoparticles reduces the fractional coefficient from 0.61% to 0.55% with silica and 0.52% with alumina, indicating the most effective lubricant phenomenon. These results, which were conducted for the first time at subsurface high pressures and high temperatures, reveal that the combination of nanoparticles with drilling mud has high potential in the drilling industry, if correctly formulated.