Acid Encapsulated Wax Particles Potentially Useful to Speed up Drilling in Carbonate Formations

Encapsulated acids can increase the rate of penetration (ROP) during drilling operations by reacting with carbonate formations while avoiding corrosion of the metallic equipment parts. Drilling fluids can carry particles containing acid to the drilling tip where they will be mashed, and the acid released. The paraffin encapsulation is used in the processing of food ingredients, flavors, chemicals, drugs, protection of cosmetics, and in the oil industry. The novel solution presented in this paper is to use paraffin in the strong acid encapsulation to be added to the drilling fluid. Acid containing wax particles is prepared by the double emulsion technique. The results indicate that encapsulation efficiency is dependent on the wax to acid solution ratio and on acid concentration. Acid leakage is a significant concern; it is found to be directly dependent on acid concentration in the particle and on the particle wax fraction.

Automated summary

Encapsulated acids can enhance the rate of penetration during drilling operations while preventing corrosion of metallic equipment parts. Paraffin encapsulation is widely used in various industries such as food processing, chemicals, cosmetics, and oil. The efficiency of encapsulation is influenced by the ratio of wax to acid solution and the concentration of acid.