Research Projects

The increasing energy demand has led to the drilling of deeper high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) wells, but the completion and production of these wells are challenging due to thermal degradation and formation damage induced by drilling fluids. Traditional reservoir drilling fluids provide typical drilling fluid properties, such as transport and suspension of cuttings, lubrication of bit, and control of subsurface and formation pressure. However, most reservoir drilling fluids are proprietary and costly, making it essential to develop an in-house, cost-effective fluid with thermal stability greater than 150⁰C for drilling the pay zone section. The proposed work aims to synthesize a high temperature resistant water-soluble synthetic polymer to formulate a reservoir drilling and completion fluid. The polymer will be optimized using response surface methodology and characterized using analytical instruments. The effectiveness of the synthesized polymer will be assessed through rheology, filtration loss, and lubricity testing at surface and downhole conditions. The practical feasibility of the proposed work will be assessed experimentally by subjecting the formulated fluid to a fabricated permeability plugging apparatus and return permeability test setup. The suitability of the developed fluid system will be evaluated by performing a return permeability test on core samples from the HPHT field of India and comparing it with commercially available fluids from nationalised oil and gas companies. The data obtained from both experimental setups will be used to develop mathematical models to predict static filtration loss and severity of formation damage.