Vital Role of Nanomaterials in Drilling Fluid and Reservoir Protection Applications

Abstract

AbstractNanotechnology has already contributed significantly to technological advances in the energy industries. Nanotechnology has the potential to introduce revolutionary change in drilling industry. Nanotechnology produces nanomaterials with many attractive properties, which can play an important role in intensifying mud cake quality, reducing friction, eliminating differential pipe sticking, maintaining borehole stability, protecting reservoir, and enhancing oil and gas recovery.Recent research has indicated that nanomaterials have special characteristics for a broad range of applications in the fields of drilling fluids and reservoir protection, where fluid loss control, borehole stability, hole cleaning, torque and drag reduction, lost circulation control, and reservoir protection are of interest.This paper presents an extensive literature review of assessing the applications of nanomaterials in drilling fluids and reservoir protection, and evaluates the potential technical benefits that these nanomaterials might provide to petroleum development and production.