Iran-Made Hybrid Stabilizers Settle Environmental Problems of Refinery Industries
“Now, due to environmental problems, the use of aqueous fluids and additives that can have the performance of oily fluids have been proposed. This product is a globally innovative product because it can simultaneously use mechanical, chemical and physical mechanisms to keep the formation stable,” Mohammad Hossein Akhlaqi, the chairman of the board of directors and head of the Research and Development (R&D) department of the knowledge-based company, told ANA.
“At present, we have made three product grades. First, the base hybrid grade, inside which advanced materials are used. This product consists of several components. Second, the polymer base, whose stabilization is due to encapsulating the clay inside the formation, and third, hyperromance, which is used in wells with high temperature and pressure,” he added.
“In some wells of oil fields, due to high temperature and pressure, we are not able to drill and we lose production, but by using the additions of these fluids, we can drill those sections as well,” Akhlaqi said.
Drilling water-sensitive shale formations often leads to wellbore instability, resulting in drilling problems because of the clay's high-water affinity.
To solve this problem, different nanoparticles (NPs), such as nanosilica, have been used to formulate water-based muds with potassium chloride (KCl-WBM).
High-performance water-based drilling fluids are environmentally-friendly, remain stable when exposed to high temperatures, and retard problems associated with reactive shale.
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