Wellbore Cleaning Efficiency of a Bio-Based Derived Graphene Nanoplatelets Using Water Base Drilling Fluid Formulation

Abstract There is always an issue with cleaning the holes, especially when drilling is taking place. Drilling fluid is crucial to moving drill cuttings from the wellbore's annular region to the surface. Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) surface-modified for usage in aqueous drilling fluids are investigated in this work to tackle these problems. Because it is economical and environmentally benign, a water-based mud (WBM) with modified GNP (GRT) made from rice husk was chosen to carry the cuttings. It is possible to increase hole cleaning efficiency (HCE) by creating drilling fluid with better filtration and rheological characteristics. In a laboratory scale rig simulator inclined at vertical, deviated, and horizontal angles, a 20-foot test section with 1.40–2.00mm cutting size and 0.6–0.8–1.0 L/s mud annular flowrate were used in this experiment. The concentration of the nano additive was adjusted to 0.125, 0.25, and 0.375wt%. The cutting transport ratio rises in tandem with the GRT concentration. A critical angle of 60° was found to lift the fewest cuttings, followed by 30°, 90°, and 0°. When traditional water-based drilling fluids and nano-enhanced drilling fluids were tested for their effectiveness in the cutting's removal process, it was discovered that GRT nano additives improved the cuttings transport efficiency in every experiment. According to the findings, for the various nano-enhanced water-based drilling fluids utilized in this study, the inclusion of GRT in the drilling mud enhanced the colloidal interactions with cuttings and helped to improve cuttings transportation efficiency by 40–72% in the critical hole angle.