How does Novel Water-Based Drilling Help Improve Well and Flowback Services?

Oil-based drilling fluids (OBDFs) have several benefits over water-based drilling fluids (WDBFs), and the latter may provide long-term solutions.

Fremont, CA: For China to become more self-sufficient in oil and gas supplies, compelling unconventional oil and gas exploration and development are essential. However, these operations still encounter significant issues (such as borehole collapse, loss, and high friction), and the resulting formation damage can significantly lower well completion rates, raise costs, and decrease efficiency. Oil-based drilling fluids (OBDFs) have several benefits over water-based drilling fluids (WDBFs), and the latter may provide long-term solutions. Unconventional oil and gas development continues to face substantial technological challenges, and a significant advancement with this material has yet to be accomplished. In this case, an internal-external approach is developed from the international frontier external method, which merely enhances drilling fluid inhibition and lubricity during drilling. Bionic technologies are included in the chemical synthesis process to mimic life activities. A unique drilling and completion fluid technology was created to enhance the quality of the wellbore during drilling and protect the integrity of the formation. Macroscopic and microscopic examinations suggested that this strategy might outperform approaches that employ conventional OBDFs regarding wellbore stability, lubricity, and formation protection. The recommended procedure also results in a classification upgrade from drilling fluid that is environmentally protective to drilling fluid that is environmentally friendly.

More than 1000 unconventional oil and gas wells in China were used to test the created technique, and the findings show a considerable reduction in the formation damage caused by borehole collapse, loss, and high friction. It is accepted as a powerful foundational technique for using unconventional oil and gas resources. This study demonstrates how observations and insights from the natural world can provide an endless source of ideas and inspire the development of unique materials, technologies, and theories for petroleum engineering. It also introduces a novel research direction for formation protection technology.

To solve the many issues, drilling fluid technology development is essential. Notably, compared to oil-based drilling fluids (OBDFs), water-based drilling fluids (WBDFs) exhibit significantly better development potential. Since the 1960s, WBDF technology has undergone four stages: conception, creation, improvement, and second cycle of the product. From the period 1960s to the 1970s, the use of partially selective flocculants, such as hydrolyzed polyacrylamide and its derivatives, allowed drilling fluid systems to progress from dispersible to non-dispersible polymer systems with low solid contents, increasing the rate of penetration (ROP) and lowering the issues related to complex downhole conditions. However, just a few unreliable variants of drilling fluid additives are now available.