Mechanisms of Low Temperature Thickening of Different Materials for Deepwater Water-Based Drilling Fluids

During deepwater drilling, the low mudline temperatures and narrow safe density window pose serious challenges to the safe and efficient performance of deepwater water-based drilling fluids. Low temperatures can lead to physical and chemical changes in the components of water-based drilling fluids and the behavior of low temperature gelation. As a coarse dispersion system, water-based drilling fluid has a complex composition of dispersed phase and dispersing medium. Further clarification of low temperature gelation would be helpful in developing technical approaches to enhance the flat rheology performance of deepwater water-based drilling fluids. In this paper, different components are separated in order to comprehensively analyze the gelation behavior of different materials in water-based drilling fluids at low temperatures. In the first place, the rheological and hydrodynamic radius alterations of inorganic salts, bentonite, and additives in aqueous solutions were examined at low temperatures. The effects of inorganic salts, bentonite, and additives on the purified water system were investigated at low (4 °C)–normal (25 °C)–high (75 °C) temperatures. The low temperature gelation of different materials in pure water systems are fully clarified. The mud containing 4% bentonite with weak low temperature gelation commonly used in deepwater water-based drilling fluids was selected as the basic test system. Inorganic salts, additives, and solid-phase materials were added to the mud containing 4% bentonite. The effects of the interactions between different materials and bentonite particles on the low temperature gelation behavior of mud were analyzed. The higher the bentonite dosage, the stronger the low temperature gelation behavior of mud. The higher the addition of inorganic salts, the more serious the low temperature gelation behavior of mud. Inorganic salts should be avoided as much as possible to add too much. The low temperature gelation behavior of mud with low-viscosity additives is weak. However, the viscosity of mud with high-viscosity additives has a small change in viscosity with increasing temperature. The low temperature gelation of mud with the addition of solid-phase particulate materials with reactive groups on the surface is strong, and the low temperature gelation with the addition of inert particles is weak. This paper elucidates the low temperature gelation mechanism of bentonite, inorganic salts, additives, and solid-phase materials in deepwater water-based drilling fluids. The conclusion can also be used to guide the construction of a drilling fluid system, which is of great significance for the research and development of deepwater water-based drilling fluid additives and the safe and efficient performance of deepwater drilling fluids.