A REVIEW ON APPLICATIONS OF NANOPARTICLES TO ENHANCE THE PROPERTIES OF WATER BASED DRILLING FLUID

Nanoparticles (NPs) have large surface areas and high-volume concentrations which give them unique mechanical, chemical, thermal, and magnetic properties and, therefore, have a superior performance than conventional micro and macro materials in a range of oil and gas field applications. Due to their unique physico-chemical properties, NPs are considered as very good candidates for smart drilling fluid formulation, i.e. fluids with tailor-made rheological and filtration properties. Over the years, several researchers have examined the use of various nanoparticles, from commercial to custom made particles, to formulate drilling fluids with enhanced properties that can withstand extreme downhole environments, particularly at high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) conditions related drilling problems, and also alleviate drilling problems including wellbore instability, lost circulation, torque and drag force, differential pipe sticking, low drilling rates, etc. This review work summarizes the recent progresses made on the use of nanoparticles as additives in drilling fluids.