Investigation of the Effect of Nono-silica Particles on Heat Specific Properties of Water Based Drilling Fluids and Rheological Properties

Abstract

The drilling fluid or drilling mud plays various roles during drilling operations, including well cleaning, cooling, supplying necessary pressure on the well, cooling drilling bit; if correctly done, it will increase its lifespan and improve drilling performance. One of the most important properties associated with heat transfer into the well is the specific heat capacity. Increasing the special heat capacity of drilling mud improves the heat transfer in both streaming and static conditions, because this parameter improves the convection heat transfer coefficient. Today, many studies have been carried out on nanotechnology applications in the industry. Useful studies have been conducted on various industries in the field of heat transfer. The application of nanotechnology in drilling mud has not been deeply investigated to improve the performance of drilling mud during heat transfer. In this study, the impact of silicon oxide nanoparticles on improving the performance of heat transfer behavior and specific heat capacity of drilling mud is examined. Due to the structure of nanoparticles that enter the fluid as tiny and active particles, this additive is expected to improve the heat transfer process; and also the selection of nano-silicon, as a less expensive material, is also cost-effective. The results of this study indicate that a mixture of nano-silica along with polymer materials with a combination of specific concentration leads to presentation of a drilling fluid with a better control over the rheology and an increase in the thermal heat transfer coefficient due to the increase of the specific heat capacity, resulting in improving the performance of drilling fluid.