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Article

Gel Stability of Calcium Bentonite Suspension in Brine and Its Application in Water-Based Drilling Fluids

Beijing Key Laboratory of Materials Utilization of Nonmetallic Minerals and Solid Wastes (National Laboratory of Mineral Materials), School of Materials Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Both of them are the co-first author of the paper.
Gels 2022, 8(10), 643; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels8100643
Submission received: 18 September 2022 / Revised: 29 September 2022 / Accepted: 7 October 2022 / Published: 10 October 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gels for Oil Drilling and Enhanced Recovery)

Abstract

With the development of the oil industry and the increasingly complex drilling environment, the performance of drilling fluids has to be constantly improved. In order to solve the problem of bentonite dispersion and hydration in a saline medium, a drilling fluid additive with good performance and acceptable cost was sought. The effects of several water-soluble polymers, such as cellulose polymers, synthetic polymers and natural polymers, on the rheology and gel suspension stability of calcium-based bentonite were compared in this study. Among the examined polymers, the xanthan gum biopolymer (XC) was the least negatively affected in the saline medium used. However, its high price limits its industrial application in oil and gas drilling fluids. In this study, a salt-tolerant polymer, modified vegetable gum (MVG), was prepared by a cross-linking modification of a natural plant gum, which is abundant and cheap. Then, a salt-tolerant polymer mixture called SNV was prepared, composed of the salt-resistant natural polymer MVG and the biopolymer XC. The salt tolerance and slurry ability of SNV and common water-soluble polymers were evaluated and compared. We then selected the most suitable Herschel–Bulkley model to fit the rheological curve of the SNV–bentonite aqueous suspension system. SNV improved the rheological properties of the calcium-based bentonite slurry and the dispersion stability of bentonite. In an SNV concentration of 0.35%, the apparent viscosity (AV) of the base slurry increased from 2 mPa·s to 32 mPa·s, and the low shear reading value at 3 rpm increased from 0 dia to 5 dia. This could greatly improve the viscosity and cutting carrying capacity of the bentonite drilling fluid. The bentonite drilling fluid prepared with SNV could be directly slurried with brine and even seawater; this means that when drilling in ocean, coastal saline water and high-salinity-surface saline water areas, the slurry preparation cost and preparation time can be conveniently reduced.
Keywords: calcium bentonite; composite salt-resistant polymer thickening agent; cross linked natural vegetable gum (MVG); salt-resistant polymer mixture (SNV); rheology and stability of an aqueous suspension; drilling fluids calcium bentonite; composite salt-resistant polymer thickening agent; cross linked natural vegetable gum (MVG); salt-resistant polymer mixture (SNV); rheology and stability of an aqueous suspension; drilling fluids

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhao, Z.; Chen, S.; Zhou, F.; Wei, Z. Gel Stability of Calcium Bentonite Suspension in Brine and Its Application in Water-Based Drilling Fluids. Gels 2022, 8, 643. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels8100643

AMA Style

Zhao Z, Chen S, Zhou F, Wei Z. Gel Stability of Calcium Bentonite Suspension in Brine and Its Application in Water-Based Drilling Fluids. Gels. 2022; 8(10):643. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels8100643

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhao, Zhenhua, Sinan Chen, Fengshan Zhou, and Zhongjin Wei. 2022. "Gel Stability of Calcium Bentonite Suspension in Brine and Its Application in Water-Based Drilling Fluids" Gels 8, no. 10: 643. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels8100643

APA Style

Zhao, Z., Chen, S., Zhou, F., & Wei, Z. (2022). Gel Stability of Calcium Bentonite Suspension in Brine and Its Application in Water-Based Drilling Fluids. Gels, 8(10), 643. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels8100643

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