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AssigneeAlbright & Wilson Limited
InventorsMichael Blezard, Michael John Williams, Boyd William Grover, William John Nicholson, Edward Tunstall Messenger
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Aqueous structured surfactants, e.g., lamellar, or preferably spherulitic systems optionally containing suspended solids are used as functional fluids, such as drilling fluids, cutting fluids, hydraulic fluids, heat transfer fluids, construction muds and lubricants. A composition consisting essentially of: water; a surfactant or mixture of surfactants present in a concentration sufficient to form a mobile spherulitic or dispersed lamellar phase in the absence of an electrolyte; and a substantially water insoluble functional material, suspended in the composition, the composition being substantially free from electrolyte.
A method of drilling bore holes by means of a drill bit wherein a drilling fluid is applied to said drill bit, wherein said drilling fluid comprises an aqueous structured surfactant system and wherein said structured surfactant system is a fluid composition which has shear dependent viscosity and solid suspending properties and which comprises a surfactant mesophase dispersed in or interspersed with an aqueous phase, said mesophase comprising a G-phase, spherical or spheroidal bodies having dimensions of from 0.1 to 50 microns formed from substantially concentric shells of surfactant bilayer or lamellar hydrated solid, and said structured surfactant system contains a total of less than 10% by weight of oils, organic solvents and hydrotropes.
A drilling mud composition consisting essentially of an aqueous structured surfactant system and solid particles of shale suspended therein, and wherein said aqueous structured surfactant system is a fluid composition which has shear dependent viscosity and solid suspending properties and which comprises a surfactant mesophase dispersed in or interspersed with an aqueous phase, said mesophase comprising a G-phase, spherical or spheroidal bodies having dimensions of from 0.1 to 50 microns formed from substantially concentric shells of surfactant bilayer or lamellar hydrated solid, and said structured surfactant system contains a total of less than 10% by weight of oils, organic solvents and hydrotropes.
A drilling mud consisting essentially of an aqueous structured surfactant system and solid particles of shale and/or a weighting agent suspended therein, and wherein said aqueous structured surfactant system is a fluid composition which has shear dependent viscosity and solid suspending properties and which comprises a surfactant mesophase dispersed in or interspersed with an aqueous phase, said mesophase comprising a G-phase, spherical or spheroidal bodies having dimensions of from 0.1 to 50 microns formed from substantially concentric shells of surfactant bilayer or lamellar hydrated solid, and said structured surfactant system contains a total of less than 10% by weight of oils, organic solvents and hydrotropes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.