MOSCOW, September 11. Siberian Federal University scientists proposed using domestic nanofibers to improve the quality of solutions used when drilling oil and gas wells in permafrost. According to them, the additive will improve drilling efficiency, reduce equipment wear and environmental damage from production. The results were published in the Journal of Molecular Liqiuds.
The development of oil and gas fields in the Arctic and a number of adjacent regions is difficult due to difficult mining, geological and climatic conditions, experts noted. According to them, effective development of the industry in this region requires new technological solutions.
Water-based drilling fluids used in the construction of most oil and gas wells are of little use in permafrost conditions, scientists reported: the irretrievable losses of the fluid during drilling are quite large, and the water thaws the wellbore, which leads to its rapid destruction.
As experts explained, in Arctic conditions, hydrocarbon-based solutions are much more effective, which, unlike water-based ones, avoid excessive swelling of clay deposits, which greatly complicate the drilling process, as well as some other problems.
Scientists at Siberian Federal University (SFU) have proposed using aluminum oxide nanofibers to improve the properties of hydrocarbon-based drilling fluids. According to them, such an additive will reduce equipment wear and loss of solution, and will also help pump drilled rock out of the well more efficiently.
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“Nanoparticle additives can significantly change the functional properties of drilling fluids. Strongly non-isometric particles, such as fibers or threads, already in small quantities significantly increase the stability of colloidal solutions, thereby increasing the efficiency of drilling operations,” said Maxim Pryazhnikov, a researcher at the Laboratory of Physical and Chemical Technologies for the Development of Hard-to-Recover Hydrocarbon Reserves at Siberian Federal University.
< br />The proposed nanofibers are a unique, new-generation crystalline material that has ultra-high mechanical strength and forms stable dispersions, the researchers said.
Test results showed that in the optimal concentration range, the used nanofibers not only significantly facilitate pumping out drilled rock, but also reduce the coefficient of friction and reduce solution losses by 2.5 times.
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“Drilling fluid with the addition of nanofibers can ensure the stability of the wellbore not only in permafrost, but also in shale formations, and also reduce the impact on the environment by eliminating the use of standard toxic chemicals in the drilling fluid,” noted Pryazhnikov.
According to Siberian Federal University scientists, they also comprehensively studied the effect of aluminum oxide nanofibers on various properties of hydrocarbon-based drilling fluids.
The scientists used aluminum oxide nanofibers obtained by the co-authors of the work, employees of the Federal Research Center «KSC SB RAS», on their own technology based on the oxidation of aluminum melt in a controlled gas environment.
Research is carried out within the framework of the Russian Science Foundation grant “Development of new micro- and nanofluidic technologies for the problems of the oil and gas industry.”
Siberian Federal University is a participant in the state support program for universities of the Russian Federation. «Priority 2030».