Shear Bond Strength Testing for Wellbore Sealants
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Solution Overview
Problem
Determining the bond strength of lost-circulation materials used in wellbore operations is challenging due to the geological variability of subterranean formations, which affects their ability to seal permeable zones and prevent fluid loss.
Innovation Solution
A test apparatus is used to determine the shear bond strength of chemical-sealant lost-circulation materials by applying a uniaxial load to a core sample, allowing for the selection of optimal plugging materials based on their bonding strength with the formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If plugging materials are selected based on general bonding properties, then material selection is simplified, but the bond strength with specific subterranean formations cannot be guaranteed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses core samples (copies) of subterranean formation to simulate actual bonding conditions in a controlled laboratory setting. This allows bond strength testing without requiring actual wellbore operations, resolving the contradiction by enabling specific formation testing while maintaining operational simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The testing apparatus allows variation of testing parameters such as confining pressure, temperature, and material composition to match specific subterranean conditions. This enables adaptation to different formations while using a standardized testing procedure, resolving the contradiction between specific adaptability and method simplicity.
2Measurement precision
If bond strength testing is performed for each specific formation, then accurate material selection is achieved, but time and resources are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs bond strength testing on core samples before actual wellbore operations. This preliminary testing allows accurate determination of material-formation compatibility in advance, preventing time loss during actual operations while maintaining measurement precision through controlled laboratory conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the bonding test from the actual wellbore operation and performs it separately on core samples in a laboratory setting. This separation allows precise measurement without consuming wellbore operation time, resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and time consumption.
3Ease of operation
If standard testing procedures are used, then testing process is simplified, but geological variability of subterranean formations cannot be accounted for
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses core samples that represent specific local formations to conduct bonding tests. Each test is tailored to the local geological conditions of the target formation, allowing standard testing procedures to be applied while accounting for formation-specific properties through the use of representative core samples.
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
This method enables the effective selection of plugging materials with high bond strength, reducing downtime in wellbore operations by ensuring effective sealing of permeable zones and maintaining fluid circulation.
Implementation Method 1
determine a shear bond strength of the material to the core sample. The bond strength can be determined by a uniaxial load test, in which the applied force moves the core sample toward an end of the testing apparatus.
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are methods and apparatus for testing bond strength of a chemical-sealant, lost circulation material to a subterranean sample. An apparatus can include a body defining walls of a chamber to receive a subterranean core sample from a wellbore, the body being sized to receive a chemical-sealant lost-circulation material (CS-LCM) to an area of the chamber between the core sample and the body, and a removable insert mateable to the body, the insert defining a base of the chamber, where the test apparatus is positionable to transfer a force to the core sample to decouple the core sample from the CS-LCM such that a shear bond strength of the CS-LCM to the core sample is determinable based on a maximum amount of force used to decouple the core sample from the CS-LCM.