Novel approach to improve shale stability using super-amphiphobic nanoscale materials in water-based drilling fluids and its field application

Abstract: In this study, super-amphiphobic nano-silica nanoparticles (SA-NPs) were used to enhance the shale stabilization performance of water-based drilling fluids (WBDFs) by altering the surface wettability, preventing the capillary self-priming effect, and plugging the nano-micro pores of shale. The results of transmission electron microscopy, particle size distribution, and scanning electron microscopy characterization revealed that SA-NPs exhibited a nanoscale “coalesce” structure, which is composed of spherical particles joined together, and could form a nano-papillary structure on the shale surface. Due to the presence of nano-micro scale rough structures and ultra-low surface energy components, the shale treated by SA-NPS exhibited super-amphiphobic surface property in the contact angle test. Contact angles of water and hexadecane on the shale surface reached up to 154.13° and 151.34° after being treated with SA-NPs, respectively. Furthermore, the addition of 1% SA-NPs in WBDFs could reduce the linear swelling rate from 40.5 to 6.0%, increase the shale cuttings recovery percentages from 82.5 to 95.6%, increase the plugging rate of low permeability shale core from 81.25 to 94.00%, and raise the high-temperature and high-pressure uniaxial compressive strength from 3.45 to 4.87 MPa. Compared with the polyether amine and fumed nano-silica, the addition of SA-NPs produced the best performance. Based on the excellent shale stabilization performance of SA-NPs, a high-performance WBDF was developed and applied in Dagang Oilfield. During the drilling operation， no wellbore instability, sticking, and other complex situations occurred. The results indicate that SA-NPs could better address the issue of wellbore instability in shale formations and have a great application prospect in shale well drilling.

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Novel approach to improve shale stability using super-amphiphobic nanoscale materials in water-based drilling fluids and its field application ; volume:61 ; number:1 ; year:2022 ; pages:41-54 ; extent:14 ; Reviews on advanced materials science ; 61, Heft 1 (2022), 41-54 (gesamt 14)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Luo, Xuwu ; Jiang, Guancheng ; Wang, Guoshuai ; Yang, Lili ; He, Yinbo ; Cui, Kaixiao ; Yang, Jun

Further information

• DOI: 10.1515/rams-2022-0003
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2022071815065775813302
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 15.08.2025, 7:22 AM CEST