Degradable tags for depth correlation mud logging
AssigneesAramco Services Company, Saudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorsChengzhe Gao, Shitong Sherry Zhu, Marta Antoniv, Nouf AlJabri
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Abstract
Degradable polymer additives are provided. The degradable polymer additives include a tracer functional group that is bonded to a base polymeric component by a hydrolysable covalent bond. The base polymeric component is a polysaccharide. The tracer functional group is selected from the group comprising a halogen-containing functional group, a substituted heterocyclic aromatic group, and combination thereof. A method utilizing the degradable polymeric additives in an altered drilling fluid is provided. Such a method includes introducing the altered drilling fluid into a wellbore and recovering an associated wellbore cutting from a depleted drilling fluid.
Claims12
An altered drilling mud, comprising:
- a base fluid;
- and
- a degradable polymeric additive comprises a tracer functional group that is bonded to a base polymeric component by a hydrolysable covalent bond, where the base polymeric component is a polysaccharide and where the tracer functional group is a combination of at least one halogen-containing functional group and a substituted heterocyclic aromatic group, wherein the at least one halogen-containing functional group is derived from a halogenated aromatic compound.
A method of using a degradable polymeric additive, comprising:
- introducing an amount of the degradable polymeric additive into a drilling fluid to form an altered drilling fluid;
- introducing the altered drilling fluid into a wellbore;
- recovering an associated wellbore cutting from a depleted drilling fluid;
- and
- detecting the presence of the degradable polymeric additive associated with the associated wellbore cutting,
- where the degradable polymeric additive comprises a tracer functional group that is bonded to a base polymeric component by a hydrolysable covalent bond, where the base polymeric component is a polysaccharide, and where the tracer functional group is a combination of at least one halogen-containing functional group and a substituted heterocyclic aromatic group, wherein the at least one halogen-containing functional group is derived from a halogenated aromatic compound.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.