Lost circulation material having tentacles
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorMd Amanullah
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Lost circulation material (LCM) and method including LCM objects each having a centrally-disposed solid core and tentacles extending from the solid core to entangle with tentacles of neighboring LCM objects to treat loss circulation in a wellbore in a subterranean formation. The LCM as solid cores and entangled tentacles at the loss circulation zone collects solids from wellbore fluid to form a barrier to treat the loss circulation.
Claims27
A method of applying loss circulation material (LCM) to a wellbore in a subterranean formation, the method comprising:
- specifying that first tentacles of each LCM object of LCM objects comprise a greater percentage elongation at break and a lower Young's modulus than second tentacles of each LCM object of the LCM objects;
- pumping a slurry comprising base fluid, the LCM objects, and solids into the wellbore to a loss circulation zone in the wellbore, the LCM objects comprising solid cores and tentacles comprising the first tentacles and the second tentacles attached to and extending from the solid cores;
- allowing the tentacles to entangle between the solid cores at the loss circulation zone;
- flowing the base fluid through gaps between the tentacles as entangled into the subterranean formation at the loss circulation zone;
- and
- collecting the solids on the tentacles as entangled to form a flow barrier to reduce or prevent loss circulation at the loss circulation zone, wherein the first tentacles and the second tentacles provide a synergy in forming the flow barrier in response to the first tentacles comprising a greater percentage elongation at break and a lower Young's modulus than the second tentacles.
A method of treating loss circulation in a wellbore in a subterranean formation, the method comprising:
- requiring that first tentacles of each loss circulation material (LCM) object of LCM objects comprise a greater percentage elongation at break and a lower Young's modulus than second tentacles of each LCM object of the LCM objects;
- placing fluid having the LCM objects into the wellbore, each LCM object comprising tentacles and a centrally-disposed solid core comprising wood, wherein the tentacles comprise the first tentacles and the second tentacles and are attached to and extend from the centrally-disposed solid core;
- flowing the LCM objects to against the subterranean formation at a loss circulation zone in the wellbore, wherein the tentacles entangle between the LCM objects;
- flowing wellbore fluid from the wellbore into the subterranean formation through voids between the tentacles as entangled at the loss circulation zone;
- and
- collecting solids from the wellbore fluid on the tentacles as entangled to form a barrier to treat the loss circulation at the loss circulation zone, wherein the first tentacles and the second tentacles provide a synergy in forming the flow barrier because of the first tentacles comprising a greater percentage elongation at break and a lower Young's modulus than the second tentacles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.