Gemini surfactant as foaming agent for foam drilling
AssigneeKing Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
InventorsAhmed Hamdy GOWIDA, Salaheldin Mahmoud Ahmed ELKATATNY, Muhammad Shahzad KAMAL, Sayed Muhammad Shakil HUSSAIN
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Abstract
A method of underbalanced drilling includes drilling into a subterranean geological formation to form a wellbore and injecting a foaming agent into the wellbore during drilling at a wellbore pressure that is below a pore pressure of the subterranean geological formation. The foaming agent forms a foam in the wellbore at a drilling surface at a bottom of the wellbore and transports drill cuttings formed by the drilling away from the drilling surface in the foam. The foaming agent is an aqueous solution including a gemini amphiphile dicationic surfactant having a linker and a lipophilic tail.
Claims20
A method of underbalanced drilling, comprising:
- drilling into a subterranean geological formation to form a wellbore therein;
- injecting a foaming agent into the wellbore during drilling at a wellbore pressure that is below a pore pressure of the subterranean geological formation, wherein the foaming agent forms a foam in the wellbore at a drilling surface at a bottom of the wellbore;
- and
- transporting drill cuttings formed by the drilling away from the drilling surface in the foam,
- wherein the foaming agent is an aqueous solution comprising a gemini amphiphile dicationic surfactant having a linker and a lipophilic tail of Formula I
- and
- wherein
- s is an integer from 10 to 12,
- x is an integer from 8 to 12, and
- n is an integer from 6 to 10,
- wherein the gemini amphiphile is present in the foaming agent in an amount of 0.5 to 1.5 wt. %, and
- wherein the foaming agent has a foam half-life of at least 15 min.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.