Stiff Fibers and Solid Particles for Lost Circulation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current solutions for lost circulation during well construction and stimulation treatments are inadequate, as existing fibers are sensitive to particle sizes, pressure changes, and fracture widths, and fail to effectively control fluid loss across a wide range of conditions.
Innovation Solution
The use of stiff fibers with specific mechanical properties, combined with solid plugging particles, to form a mesh that blocks fluid flow in subterranean formations, reducing permeability and controlling fluid loss, while maintaining the ability to withstand pressure changes and varying fracture widths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional fibers are used in lost circulation materials, then the system can be easily handled and is available in various shapes and sizes, but the fibers are sensitive to particle sizes, pressure changes, and fracture widths, resulting in unsatisfactory success rate and efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the fibers by introducing a coating layer with specific properties (viscoelastic or porous structure) that modifies how the fiber interacts with particles and pressure. This coating allows the fiber to adapt to varying particle sizes and pressure conditions without changing the fiber's basic dimensions, thereby improving reliability across different well conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite fiber structure consisting of a core fiber material combined with a coating layer. This composite structure combines the mechanical strength of the core fiber with the adaptive properties of the coating (viscoelasticity or porosity), enabling the fiber to maintain effectiveness across a wider range of particle sizes, pressures, and fracture widths.
2Manufacturing precision
If a precise particle-size distribution is used with a given fiber to achieve a suitable filter cake, then the filter cake formation is optimized, but the system becomes highly sensitive to particle size variations and requires precise control
Solution Approach 1:
The coating on the fiber changes its physical parameters (viscoelastic modulus or pore size) in response to particle size variations. This allows the fiber to effectively capture particles across a broader size range without requiring precise control of the particle-size distribution, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining filter cake quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The viscoelastic or porous coating on the fiber automatically adapts to the particle size and pressure conditions it encounters. This self-adjusting mechanism eliminates the need for external control systems to precisely manage particle-size distribution, allowing the fiber to effectively form filter cakes across varying conditions without complex intervention.
3Reliability
If high solids concentrations are used to form an effective filter cake, then fluid loss control is improved, but the fluid viscosity increases and handling becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The coating on the fiber changes its physical parameters to enhance particle capture efficiency at lower solids concentrations. This allows the system to achieve effective fluid loss control with reduced solids content, thereby maintaining lower fluid viscosity and easier handling characteristics while still forming an effective filter cake.
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 described method effectively reduces fluid loss by forming a robust filter cake that sustains high pressure drops and plugs wide fractures, minimizing the need for precise particle-size distributions and high solids concentrations, thus providing a more reliable solution for lost circulation issues.
Implementation Method 1
The stiff fibers form a mesh across the pathway and the solid particles plug the mesh and block fluid flow
Implementation Method 2
the solid particles plug the mesh and block fluid flow
Implementation Method 3
The stiff fibers form a mesh across the pathway and the solid particles plug the mesh and block fluid flow. The pathway typically has one dimension at the formation face of at least about 1 mm
Data Source
AI summary
Mixtures of fibers and solid particles are effective for curing fluid losses and lost circulation in a subterranean well. Stiff fibers are more effective than flexible ones; however, mixtures of stiff and flexible fibers have a synergistic effect. The quantity and particle-size distribution of the solids are optimized according to the stiffness, dimensions and concentrations of fibers.