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Experimental Investigation of Tight Sandstone Reservoir Damage Induced by Silicate-Based Drilling Fluid

  • Research Article-Petroleum Engineering
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Abstract

Silicate-based drilling fluid (SDF) has a strong inhibition effect on shale swelling and provides good wellbore stability. SDF has also been widely used in drilling through the reservoir in recent years. However, SDF has certain damage effects on the reservoir, and its damage mechanism is not well understood. In this work, the damage of the tight sandstone formations induced by SDF was assessed by conducting fluid displacement and filtrate imbibition experiments. In addition, the damage mechanisms were further analyzed based on microscopic experiments. The research results mainly included the following four aspects: First, SDF caused significant reservoir damage by solid-phase particles and filtrate intrusion in tight sandstone reservoirs, and the latter was the main reason. Second, the incompatibility between the filtrate of the SDF and formation led to reservoir damage. This was because the SiO32−, CO32−, and OH− in the SDF reacted with Ca2+, Mg2+, and Al3+ in the formation, resulting in the generation of new minerals such as kaolinite and gibbsite. Third, the filtrate of the SDF increased the hydrophilicity of the rock surface, which induced the aqueous trapping damage. Finally, SDF was strongly alkaline (pH = 13.08), in which OH− produced by sodium metasilicate hydrolysis had alkaline corrosion effect on minerals, enhancing pore permeability. This work provides experimental evidence for the feasibility discussion of the SDF in tight sandstone reservoirs.

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Abbreviations

μ a :

Apparent viscosity (mPa s)

μ p :

Plastic viscosity (mPa s)

τ i :

Initial shear (Pa)

τ f :

Final shear (Pa)

τ 0 :

Dynamic shear (Pa)

D k :

The permeability damage rate (%)

K 0 :

The initial permeability (mD)

K 1 :

The post-damage permeability (mD)

m 0 :

Initial mass of the rock samples (g)

m 1 :

The mass of the rock samples after self-imbibition (g)

m 2 :

The mass of the rock samples after backflow (g)

φ :

The backflow rate of self-imbibition (%)

r 1 :

Large solid-phase particle radius (μm)

r 2 :

Pore size of the tight sandstone (μm)

r 3 :

Small solid-phase particle radius (μm)

D 10 :

The corresponding particle size when the cumulative particle size distribution reaches 10% (μm)

D 50 :

The median particle size of solid-phase particles (μm)

D 90 :

The corresponding particle size when the cumulative particle size distribution reaches 90% (μm)

Rc50 :

The median pore throat radius (μm)

P c :

Capillary imbibition force (mN/cm2)

σ :

The surface tension of the liquid (mN/cm)

θ :

The contact angle (°)

r :

The capillary radius (cm)

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51704043), the Science and Technology Planning Project of Sichuan Province (No. 2021YJ0359), and the National Natural Science Youth Foundation of China (No. 52104003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China

    Jiping She, Hao Zhang & Bin Yang

  2. College of Energy, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China

    Gege Teng, Jiping She, Wenjing Ma, Shiyu Zhang, Hao Zhang & Bin Yang

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Correspondence to Jiping She.

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Teng, G., She, J., Ma, W. et al. Experimental Investigation of Tight Sandstone Reservoir Damage Induced by Silicate-Based Drilling Fluid. Arab J Sci Eng (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-024-08857-2

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