Impact of Mono-, Di-, and Trivalent Ions on the Rheology of Borate-Crosslinked Guar Fracturing Fluids

Water-based fracturing fluids, which are essential for enhancing oil and gas production, increasingly utilize seawater or produced water as alternatives to freshwater due to scarcity and cost considerations. However, the high salinity of these alternative water sources can compromise fluid stability and induce formation damage. Herein, the rheological behavior of borate-crosslinked hydroxypropyl guar (HPG) fracturing fluids was systematically evaluated in the presence of individual salts to elucidate the effects of ionic composition and concentration. Viscosity measurements at 80 °C and 170 s−1 revealed that Ca2+ above 1500 mg/L reduced viscosity to below 50 mPa·s within 50 min, whereas Na+, K+, Mg2+ and SO42− up to 10,000 mg/L exhibited no significant influence on viscosity and shear resistance. Among the cations investigated, Fe3+ exerted the most severe effect: only 15 mg/L Fe3+ caused viscosity to drop below 50 mPa·s within 30 min, far below the requirement for field applications. At elevated concentrations, MgCl2, CaCl2 and FeCl3 compromised gel structural strength, while KCl-containing fluids demonstrated superior elastic resistance compared to NaCl at equivalent high concentrations. Microstructural analysis by SEM revealed that Na+, K+ and Mg2+ enhanced polymer hydration and HPG fiber entanglement, promoting the formation of well-defined network structures. In contrast, Ca2+ and Fe3+ disrupted the crosslinked gel architecture through complexation and electrostatic interactions with the polymer, resulting in reduced structural integrity. These findings provide critical insights for formulating fracturing fluids using saline or recycled water sources and inform targeted pretreatment strategies for flowback water in hydraulic fracturing operations.