A Nano-Cleaning Fluid for Downhole Casing Cleaning

In drilling and completion projects, sludge is formed as a byproduct when barite and oil are mixed, and later sticks to the casing. This phenomenon has caused a delay in drilling progress, and increased exploration and development costs. Since nano-emulsions have low interfacial surface tension, wetting, and reversal capabilities, this study used nano-emulsions with a particle size of about 14 nm to prepare a cleaning fluid system. This system enhances stability through the network structure in the fiber-reinforced system, and prepares a set of nano-cleaning fluids with adjustable density for ultra-deep wells. The effective viscosity of the nano-cleaning fluid reaches 11 mPa center dot s, and the system is stable for up to 8 h. In addition, this research independently developed an indoor evaluation instrument. Based on on-site parameters, the performance of the nano-cleaning fluid was evaluated from multiple angles by heating to 150 degrees C and pressurizing to 3.0 Mpa to simulate downhole temperature and pressure. The evaluation results show that the viscosity and shear value of the nano-cleaning fluid system is greatly affected by the fiber content, and the cleaning efficiency is greatly affected by the concentration of the nano-emulsion. Curve fitting shows that the average processing efficiency could reach 60-85% within 25 min and the cleaning efficiency has a linear relationship with time. The cleaning efficiency has a linear relationship with time, where R-2 = 0.98335. The nano-cleaning fluid enables the deconstruction and carrying of the sludge attached to the well wall, which accomplishes the purpose of downhole cleaning.

Automated summary

In this study, a cleaning fluid system was prepared using nano-emulsions with a particle size of about 14 nm. The system exhibited enhanced stability through network structure in the fiber-reinforced system and adjustable density for ultra-deep wells. The effective viscosity of the nano-cleaning fluid reached 11 mPa · s and remained stable for up to 8 h. An indoor evaluation instrument was independently developed to assess the performance of the nano-cleaning fluid under simulated downhole temperature and pressure conditions. The evaluation results showed that the viscosity and shear value of the nano-cleaning fluid system were greatly influenced by the fiber content, and the cleaning efficiency was greatly affected by the concentration of the nano-emulsion.