Synthesis and Assessment of a CO2-Switchable Foaming Agent Used in Drilling Fluids for Underbalanced Drilling

In underbalanced drilling, a switchable foam fluid is essential to reduce the drilling cost. A switchable foaming agent was synthesized by carbonyl-amine condensation and characterized by Fourier transform infrared and H-1 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry showed that the tolerable temperature limit of the surfactant was 128 degrees C. The effectiveness of CO2/N-2 switching was confirmed by analysis of the electrical conductivity and surface tension. Utilizing the foaming agent, 3 different foam systems (unstable, stable, and hard) were designed for drilling after formula optimization. Experimentally, the self-circulation indicated that the foaming fluids still maintained great foaming performance even after multiple cycles. The experiment also indicated that the suspension of the foam systems was 50-90 times that of water and had a significant resistance to salts (NaCl, CaCl2). Besides, the foam systems found that the suitable foaming temperature was 40-100 degrees C and that the hard foam system could maintain the foaming performance up to 120 degrees C. In the oil resistance experiment, the foaming ability of the foam systems decreased obviously above a kerosene content of 5% (w/v), whereas a certain foaming performance still could be ensured below 10% kerosene.