Recent advances of modified polyacrylamide in drilling technology

Several factors shall be considered in the drilling, such as constituent selection, pile selection, cost, environment, and safety considerations. In conventional water-based drilling fluids, bentonite, natural polymer, and synthetic polymer were discovered in the past. There are many drawbacks to the use of bentonite, natural polymer, and synthetic polymer. Consequently, polymer modification is required in drilling nowadays. The modified polyacrylamide reviewed in this paper is a polymer aqueous solution with high molecular weight, which has a similar density as water but a much higher viscosity. Further, it is a water-soluble, easily mixed dry granular, and non-gelling agent. Compared to bentonite, the modified polyacrylamide can contribute to many environmental and operational advantages such as a smaller site footprint, ease of mixing, cheaper disposal cost, and less pollution. Therefore, we review recent achievements regarding polymer modification incorporated with several dopants like carbon nanotubes, zeolite, silica, and graphene oxide. Further, the water volume, thermal stability, pH and cutting effect on the polymer nanocomposite have been reviewed. Future prospects and challenges are inadequate knowledge of innovative modified towards in-situ soil, the optimisation study of modified polyacrylamide in drilling fluid as well as the empirical study of shaft friction and base resistance for innovative polymer nanocomposite in bored pile design. Indeed, modified polyacrylamide drilling fluid has been proven to be of great interest for use in the construction of bored piles and diaphragm walls in recent years.