OREANDA-NEWS SFU scientists have proposed using domestic nanofibers to improve the quality of solutions used in drilling oil and gas wells in permafrost. According to them, the additive will improve drilling efficiency, reduce equipment wear and environmental damage from mining. The results are published in the Journal of Molecular Liquids.

The development of oil and gas fields in the Arctic and a number of adjacent regions is difficult due to difficult mining, geological and climatic conditions, experts noted. According to them, the effective development of the industry in this region requires new technological solutions.

Water-based drilling fluids used in the construction of most oil and gas wells are of little use in permafrost conditions, scientists reported: irretrievable losses of the solution during drilling are quite large, and the borehole thaws from the water, which leads to its rapid destruction.

As experts explained, in the Arctic conditions, hydrocarbon-based solutions are much more effective, which, unlike water, allow avoiding excessive swelling of clay deposits, greatly complicating the drilling process, as well as some other problems.

Scientists of the Siberian Federal University (SFU) have proposed using aluminum oxide nanofibers to improve the properties of hydrocarbon-based drilling fluids. According to them, such an additive will reduce equipment wear and mortar losses, and will also help to pump drilled rock out of the well more efficiently.