Experimental Study on Surface Frictional Behavior of Materials for Lost Circulation Control in Deep Naturally Fractured Reservoir

Abstract

Plugging natural fractures with lost control materials (LCMs) is the common method to prevent foramtion damage and control fluids loss in In naturally fractured reservoir. The plugging zone strenfth stability is critically important for maintaining long-term plugging quality. Surface friction coefficient (SFC) is proposed as an important parameter for the selection of LCMs based on based on granular matter mechanics and the instability of plugging zone. The force chain network with specific geometry is the basis of the plugging zone strength and supporting external load. The likelihood of shear failure can be increased by decline of SFC. And high strength of force chain can not be formed and it can relatively easy to be broken even if a small shear is applied. Effects of LCMs particle size distribution, circulation abrasion, LCMs combination, working fluids infiltration, and high temperature aging on friction behaviors are analyzed for LCMs with high SFC selection. Results show that the average SFC shows a decreasing trend with the particle size reduction and the difficulty of particle dislocation decreases with the particle size reduction. For deep naturally fractured reservoirs, particle size will degradate due to long-term drilling fluid circulation in the wellbore, thus affecting the plugging effect of drill-in fluid. The mixture of elastic material and fiber into rigid material increases the SFC and elastic material contributes most to the increasing the SFC. The SFC decreases under the condition of fluids infiltration, and the SFC show a higher decline in oil-based condition. The high-temperature aging makes the edge of the organic rigid material more smooth, which reduces its SFC.