Traditionally, oil-based drilling fluids are preferable in drilling shale plays because of their negligible chemical interactions, but strict environmental regulations have motived the industry to design water-based muds (WBMs) capable of controlling shale/water interactions. Still, conventional additives in general are too large to plug shale microfractures and nanopores. Thus, nanoparticles, because of their size, shape, and other properties, can provide a solution for WBMs. This study focuses on the design and evaluation of a customized water-based mud (NP-WBM) using silica oxide nanoparticles (SiO2-NPs) and graphene oxide nanoplatelets (GNPs).
Experimental Description
Experimental Materials. Conventional Drilling-Fluid Additives. The microsize additives used in this work included bentonite to provide primary viscosity and xanthan gum to adjust the final rheological properties of the base fluid.
