Dilution-Resistant Industrial Fluids for Well Leak Sealing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drilling fluids face challenges in preventing fluid loss through porous or fractured formations, requiring additional materials like LCMs that may be ineffective and costly, and there is a need for improved methods to seal leaks and enhance viscosity for wellbore stability and fluid management.
Innovation Solution
The use of calcium-containing fluids modified with agents such as polymers, alcohols, and salts to increase viscosity, creating enhanced-viscosity fluids that can seal leaks and form plugs, and the application of phenolic resins for leak sealing and acid-resistant cement compositions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional lost circulation materials (LCMs) are added to drilling fluid to prevent fluid loss through porous or fractured formations, then fluid loss prevention is improved, but the effectiveness is insufficient and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the drilling fluid by adding calcium oxide (CaO) which reacts with water to form calcium hydroxide, significantly increasing the fluid's viscosity. This parameter change transforms the fluid from a low-viscosity state that leaks easily to a high-viscosity state that resists flow through formations, thereby preventing fluid loss without requiring additional LCM materials
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite system by combining calcium oxide with drilling fluid components. The calcium oxide reacts with water in the drilling fluid to form calcium hydroxide, creating a composite chemical system with enhanced viscosity and fluid loss prevention properties. This composite approach eliminates the need for separate LCM additives while achieving superior fluid loss control
2Reliability
If drilling fluid viscosity is increased to prevent fluid loss, then fluid loss prevention is improved, but the fluid may become too viscous for effective circulation and pumping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a dynamic viscosity system where the drilling fluid's viscosity changes over time and with environmental conditions. The calcium oxide-water reaction continues to progress after injection, allowing viscosity to increase gradually to the optimal level. Additionally, the high temperature downhole environment accelerates the reaction, automatically adjusting viscosity to match downhole conditions without requiring manual intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the phase transition and chemical transformation of calcium oxide when it contacts water. The rapid chemical reaction and heat generation create a dynamic environment where the fluid properties change dramatically and quickly, transforming from a pumpable low-viscosity state to a high-viscosity plug-forming state, thereby resolving the contradiction between circulation ease and fluid loss prevention
3Reliability
If additional materials are added to drilling fluid to seal fractures and prevent fluid loss, then fluid loss prevention is improved, but the complexity of the drilling fluid system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the need for multiple separate fluid loss prevention materials (such as LCMs, viscosifiers, and fracture sealants) by using a single calcium oxide addition. This single material performs multiple functions: it increases viscosity, seals fractures through expansion and reaction products, and prevents fluid loss. By taking out the complexity of multiple additives and replacing them with one versatile material, the system achieves fluid loss prevention with reduced complexity
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are compositions and methods for sealing a leak in a well. In many embodiments, the leak is sealed by deploying a mixture of water and a phenolic curable resin into the well, wherein the resin polymerizes and hardens at and around the leak in the well. In various embodiments, the well may be an oil, gas, or geothermal well.