Degradable polymeric nanoparticles and uses thereof
AssigneeTexas A&M University
InventorsJenn-Tai Liang, Hulli Guan
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Abstract
Provided herein are drilling muds, including water-based drilling muds. The components of the drilling muds are a degradable fluid loss additive, for example, synthetic degradable nanoparticles, a clay mineral, for example, a smectite, and a base fluid, for example, water. Also provide are methods for preventing leak-off during a drilling operation and for automatically cleaning-up filter cake after completion of a drilling process both of which utilize the drilling muds and water-based drilling muds.
Claims12
A drilling mud consisting of:
- a degradable fluid loss additive consisting of:
- a plurality of synthetic self-degradable polymeric nanoparticles consisting of a plurality of monomers that are 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid sodium salt and methacrylic acid and a crosslinker that is acrylamide, a methacrylamide, an acrylate, or a methacrylate ester, or a combination thereof copolymerized to said monomers with a chain transfer agent, said plurality of synthetic self-degradable polymeric nanoparticles hydrolytically self-degradable into lower molecular weight, shorter-chained polymers over a temperature-dependent period of time;
- a clay mineral;
- and
- water.
A water-based drilling mud, consisting of:
- synthetic self-degradable polymeric nanoparticles each consisting of monomers 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid sodium salt and methacrylic acid crosslinked with an acrylamide, a methacrylamide, an acrylate, or a methacrylate ester crosslinker via a chain transfer agent, said plurality of synthetic self-degradable polymeric nanoparticles hydrolytically self-degradable into lower molecular weight, shorter-chained polymers over a temperature-dependent period of time;
- a smectite;
- and
- water.
A water-based bentonite drilling mud consisting of synthetic self-degradable nanoparticles, each consisting of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid sodium salt monomers and methacrylic acid monomers copolymerized via a chain transfer agent with a methacrylamide crosslinker, said plurality of synthetic self-degradable polymeric nanoparticles hydrolytically self-degradable into lower molecular weight, shorter-chained polymers over a temperature-dependent period of time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.