Amphiphilic Reservoir Protecting Agent for High-Temperature Drilling Fluids
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing reservoir protecting agents in oil and gas exploration face issues such as poor plugging performance, high viscosity, low temperature and salt tolerance, and limited adaptability to high-temperature and high-salinity environments, leading to reservoir contamination and reduced production yields.
Innovation Solution
An amphiphilic reservoir protecting agent is developed, comprising specific structural units and a soap-free emulsion polymerization method, which forms a hydrophilic-hydrophobic film on reservoir rocks, enhancing plugging performance and shale inhibition, while maintaining stability in harsh environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cationic emulsified asphalt products are used as reservoir protecting agents, then they provide basic plugging capability, but they have severe impacts on drilling fluid properties, high deformability, poor elasticity and rigidity, poor plugging performance, and low pressure bearing capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials by combining polyacrylamide backbone with grafted hydrophobic groups (such as vinyl aromatic compounds) to create an amphiphilic polymer structure. This composite structure integrates the hydrophilic nature of polyacrylamide for drilling fluid compatibility with hydrophobic groups for enhanced plugging performance, thereby resolving the contradiction between plugging effectiveness and drilling fluid property preservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The amphiphilic polymer structure implements local quality by having different functional groups distributed along the polymer chain - hydrophilic polyacrylamide segments interact with drilling fluid while hydrophobic grafted groups interact with reservoir rock surfaces. This local differentiation allows the single material to simultaneously achieve good drilling fluid compatibility and effective plugging performance.
2Reliability
If polymeric alcohol products are used as reservoir protecting agents, then they provide some plugging capability, but they have poor plugging performance and tend to produce foams
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the polymer by introducing hydrophobic grafted groups onto the polyacrylamide backbone. This parameter modification enhances the polymer's affinity for oil reservoir surfaces while maintaining water solubility, thereby improving plugging performance without the foam-producing characteristics of polymeric alcohols.
3Reliability
If non-permeability or extra-low-permeability reservoir protecting agents are used, then they have good plugging performance, but they have high viscosity and poor inhibition property
Solution Approach 1:
The amphiphilic polymer structure implements local quality by having different functional groups distributed along the polymer chain - hydrophilic polyacrylamide segments interact with drilling fluid while hydrophobic grafted groups interact with reservoir rock surfaces. This local differentiation allows the single material to simultaneously achieve good drilling fluid compatibility and effective plugging performance.
4Reliability
If super-fine calcium carbonate products are used as reservoir protecting agents, then they provide basic plugging capability, but they have little elasticity and poor deformability, and thereby have poor adaptability to the strata, low plugging performance, and little rock inhibition property
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials by combining polyacrylamide backbone with grafted hydrophobic groups (such as vinyl aromatic compounds) to create an amphiphilic polymer structure. This composite structure integrates the hydrophilic nature of polyacrylamide for drilling fluid compatibility with hydrophobic groups for enhanced plugging performance, thereby resolving the contradiction between plugging effectiveness and drilling fluid property preservation.
Solution Approach 2:
The polymer structure provides dynamic adaptability through its flexible chains that can conform to irregular reservoir pore structures. The amphiphilic nature allows the polymer to dynamically adjust its configuration - hydrophilic portions remain in drilling fluid while hydrophobic portions attach to rock surfaces, enabling adaptation to various strata conditions unlike rigid calcium carbonate particles.
5Reliability
If polymeric products are used as reservoir protecting agents, then they provide plugging capability, but they have poor temperature and salt tolerance, and thereby have poor reservoir protection performance in high-temperature and high-salinity environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameters of the polymer by introducing hydrophobic grafted groups onto the polyacrylamide backbone. This parameter modification enhances the polymer's affinity for oil reservoir surfaces while maintaining water solubility, thereby improving plugging performance without the foam-producing characteristics of polymeric alcohols.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The amphiphilic reservoir protecting agent effectively prevents reservoir damage by reducing filtrate loss, improving temperature and salinity tolerance, and maintaining rock stability, thus enhancing drilling fluid performance and reservoir protection.
Implementation Method 1
forms a hydrophilic-hydrophobic film on reservoir rocks
Implementation Method 2
soap-free emulsion polymerization method
Data Source
AI summary
The present subject matter relates to an amphiphilic reservoir protecting agent, including structural units denoted by the following formula (1), (2), (3) and (4). The present subject matter further provides a method for preparation of an amphiphilic reservoir protecting agent. The present subject matter further provides a drilling fluid that contains the amphiphilic reservoir protecting agent. The amphiphilic reservoir protecting agent and drilling fluid obtained in the present subject matter have high reservoir protection property and high shale inhibition property.