HP-HT Drilling Mud Based on Environmently-Friendly Fluorinated Chemicals

Abstract

The worldwide growing demand for energy drives oil and gas companies to drill deeper and hotter wells. The exploration and the development of Deeply Buried Reservoirs (DBR) generate major technical challenges due to the extremely high pressures and temperatures met (1 400 bar, 300°C). Currently, several drilling fluids are emerging. They are briefly reviewed at the beginning of the paper. The technical difficulty related to HP-HT mud is so significant that standard mud formulation technologies are irrelevant and alternative systems have to be considered. New formulations based on perfluorochemicals have been jointly developed by IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN), Solvay Specialty Polymers Italy and Total. Their lab characterizations are presented and reveal their promising benefits.