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Low-Temperature Recrosslinkable Preformed Particle Gel as a Material for Lost Circulation Control
SPE Journal
  • Mohamed Ahdaya
  • Ali Al Brahim
  • Baojun Bai, Missouri University of Science and Technology
  • Thomas P. Schuman, Missouri University of Science and Technology
Abstract

One of the most prevalent, expensive, and time-consuming problems during drilling operations is the loss of circulation. Uncontrolled lost circulation of drilling fluids may lead to dangerous well control difficulties and, in some cases, complete loss of the well. In this paper, the ability of a low-Temperature recrosslinkable preformed particle gel (LT-RPPG) has been evaluated to determine the extent to which it can be used to control drilling fluid losses during drilling operations. The RPPG consists of swellable gel particles that can self-crosslink to form a strong bulk gel in fractures to form strong plugging after being placed in the loss zones. We investigated the effect of the LT-RPPG swelling ratio and fracture width on its plugging efficiency to fractures through core flooding tests. Results showed that its sealing pressure can reach up to 1,381 psi/ft and permeability reduction more than 99.99% when the RPPG swelling ratio is five for the fracture with a width of 2.00 mm. LT-RPPG is a good candidate that can be used to control the severe or total loss during drilling operations.

Department(s)
Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering
Second Department
Chemistry
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2023 Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
10-1-2022
Publication Date
01 Oct 2022
Citation Information
Mohamed Ahdaya, Ali Al Brahim, Baojun Bai and Thomas P. Schuman. "Low-Temperature Recrosslinkable Preformed Particle Gel as a Material for Lost Circulation Control" SPE Journal Vol. 27 Iss. 5 (2022) p. 2541 - 2551 ISSN: 1086-055X
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/thomas-schuman/101/