Materials Microencapsulation Applications in Oil Drilling and Production

Abstract

Abstract Advancing the materials used in oil drilling and production has significantly augmented the industry’s efforts to improving the processes and preventing the operations failures. Presently, oil drilling and production demand that materials do not simply demonstrate better performance, but also possess some degree of intelligence. The intelligence is induced to the materials by preprogramming a certain response to a change in the surrounding conditions to trigger the function of the used materials. This improves the performance and prevents possible physical damage or mitigates negative changes in the downhole environment during production. Smart responsive microcapsules, with the ability to self-heal the materials, delayed and targeted active release, and could become a viable solution for the challenges the oil drilling and production industry is currently facing. This paper provides an overview of the benefits that a microencapsulation technique has demonstrated when applied to the materials involved in oil drilling and production. It outlines possibilities for improving the well drilling process when products containing microcapsules are applied. Several examples demonstrating the ability to perform downhole treatment seamlessly with pre-designed microcapsules are embedded. The paper puts emphasis on developing smart self-healing materials by integrating microcapsules into the cement sheath as well as the coatings of steel pipes to mitigate costly failures. Finally, the paper shows examples of some outstanding results of microencapsulated materials when applied to the most advanced research areas in the oil industry such as enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and hydraulic fracturing.