(405f) Development of Novel Crosslinked Polymer Gel Composite As Lost Circulation Materials for Oil and Gas Wells

Loss circulation is one of the major concerns in drilling and well construction. The uncontrolled flow of fluids into formation while drilling or primary cementing lead to substantial non-productive time (NPT). The methods of wellbore strengthening (WS) maximize the pressure that the wellbore can withstand before fractures is initiated or propagated, which is the key parameter in prevention and mitigation of loss circulation. The cross-linkable polymers among various loss circulation materials (LCM) are considered an efficient plugging material that can seal wide range of fracture sizes, strengthen the wellbore and provide solution for lost circulations under extreme drilling condition. This work overviews different polymeric formulations cross-linked with organic and in-organic crosslinkers as lost circulation materials (LCM) to seal fractures in oil and gas reservoirs. Functionalized silica showed the potential to replace the conventional use of polyethyleneimine (PEI). Moreover, nano-silica of various sizes can reinforce the developed gels and improve the stability of the formulations. On the other hand, environmentally friendly in-organic crosslinkers such as cobalt acetate and aluminum acetate were implemented for high and low-temperature applications as alternatives to the toxic chromium acetate.