Effects of Silicondioxide Nanomaterial in Enhancing the Performance of Water Based Drilling Mud

With the current high energy demand, oil and gas companies are increasingly exploring unconventional reservoirs. However, these reservoirs pose environmental challenges that hinder conventional drilling fluid usage. This is where nanomaterials come into the picture, offering a solution due to their unique size. Nanomaterials prove effective in overcoming harsh environmental conditions, including high temperature and pressure, enabling the production of oil and gas from these challenging reservoirs. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of silicon dioxide on water-based drilling fluid properties. Initially, a base mud was formulated with careful consideration of solvents to ensure proper dispersion of silicon dioxide. The aim was to achieve complete and homogeneous dispersion of silicon dioxide within the base mud, thereby examining its effects. The findings indicate significant improvements in the water-based mud properties with the inclusion of silicon dioxide. These enhancements include an 18.6% reduction in plastic viscosity, a 31% increase in yield strength, a 25% increase in gel strength, an 18.6% reduction in fluid loss, and a 19.04% reduction in mud cake thickness. The exceptional results stem from the unique structure of silicon dioxide, which demonstrates the potential to elevate water-based mud performance to levels comparable to oil-based mud. The environmental drawbacks of oil-based mud have already been established, coupled with its higher cost compared to water-based mud. However, if water-based mud can achieve comparable effectiveness to its oil-based counterpart, it would lead to a reduction in pollution and significantly lower operational expenses.