Application of modified starch in high-temperature-resistant colloidal gas aphron (CGA) drilling fluids

Authors:
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Colloidal gas aphrons (CGA) are finding increasing application in depleted oil and gas reservoirs because of their distinctive characteristics. To overcome the limitations of its application in high-temperature drilling, a modified starch foams stabilizer WST with a temperature resistance of 160 °C was synthesized via radical polymerization. The chemical structure of WST was characterized by Fourier infrared spectroscopy and results showed that all three monomers acrylamide, 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid, and N-vinylpyrrolidone have been grafted onto starch efficiently. Based on the microscopic observations, highly stable aphrons have been successfully generated in the WST-based CGA drilling fluids within 160 °C, and most aphrons lie in the range of 10–150 μm. WST can provide higher viscosity at high temperatures compared to xanthan gum, which helps to extend foam life and stability by enhancing the film strength and slowing down the gravity drainage. Results show that WST-CGA aged at elevated temperatures (120–160 °C) is a high-performance drilling fluid with excellent shear-thinning behavior, cutting carrying capacity, and filtration control ability. The significant improvement of filtration control and well-building capability at high temperatures is an important advantage of WST-CGA, which can be attributed to the enhancement of mud cake quality by WST.
Funding Information
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (41872184)

This publication has 25 references indexed in Scilit: