Work

Development and Mechanistic Evaluation of Polymeric Nanomicrogels Under High-Temperature and High-Salinity Conditions

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Fracture-induced loss poses severe challenges to drilling operations, particularly under high-temperature and high-salinity conditions encountered in deep wells. Conventional plugging materials, characterized by relatively large particle sizes and poor structural integrity, often exhibit insufficient thermal stability and salt tolerance under extreme drilling conditions, making them prone to structural degradation and loss of adhesion, which ultimately leads to drilling fluid deterioration and downhole complications. To address this issue, a core-shell-structured microgel, ANDT-70 (named after the acronyms of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone, N, N-dimethylacrylamide, dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride, and titanium dioxide nanoparticles), was synthesized and systematically evaluated for its thermal stability, salt resistance, and interfacial adhesion capabilities. The structural evolution, dispersion behavior, and colloidal stability of the microgel were thoroughly characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman spectroscopy, and Zeta potential analysis. Experimental results indicate that ANDT-70 exhibits excellent thermal stability and resistance to salt-induced degradation at 260 °C, maintaining its fundamental structure and performance under harsh high-temperature and high-salinity conditions, with a viscosity retention of 81.10% compared with ambient conditions. Compared to representative materials reported in the literature, ANDT-70 exhibited superior tolerance to ionic erosion in saline conditions. AFM analysis confirmed that ANDT-70 significantly improves bentonite slurry dispersion and reduces salt sensitivity risks. ANDT-70 stably adsorbs onto bentonite lamellae via the synergistic action of electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding, thereby forming a dense cementation network that markedly enhances the structural stability and adhesion of the system. This network significantly enhances the cohesion and structural integrity of drilling fluid systems under extreme conditions. In conclusion, ANDT-70 demonstrates strong potential as a high-performance functional microgel for enhancing the stability and effectiveness of advanced drilling fluids under complex geological environments.

Source: Gels

DOI: 10.3390/gels11090689

Authors: Wei Zhang, Yinbo He, Tengfei Dong, Huayan Mu, Guancheng Jiang, Quande Wang

Institution: China University of Petroleum, Beijing

Language: English

Topic: Drilling and Well Engineering

Subfield: Ocean Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,534

Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China