MEMS-lost circulation materials for evaluating fluid loss and wellbore strengthening during a drilling operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9488019-B1
Application number	US-201414784146-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 30, 2014
Priority date	Dec 30, 2014
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

Micro-electro-mechanical systems lost circulation materials (MEMS-LCMs) of various sizes, shapes, and specific gravities may be used in a drilling fluid to determine the preferred LCMs for use in wellbore strengthening of the wellbore. For example, a method may include drilling at least a portion of a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation with a drilling fluid that comprises a base fluid, a plurality of MEMS-LCMs, and a plurality of LCMs, wherein the MEMS-LCMs and the LCMs are substantially similar in size, shape, and specific gravity; measuring a first concentration of the MEMS-LCMs in the drilling fluid before circulating the drilling fluid through the wellbore; measuring a second concentration of the MEMS-LCMs in the drilling fluid after circulating the drilling fluid through the wellbore; performing a comparison of the first and second concentrations of the MEMS-LCMs; and changing a composition of the drilling fluid based on the comparison.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
drilling at least a portion of a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation with a drilling fluid that comprises a base fluid, a plurality of micro-electro-mechanical systems lost circulation materials (MEMS-LCMs), and a plurality of lost circulation materials (LCMs), wherein the MEMS-LCMs and the LCMs are substantially similar in size, shape, and specific gravity;
measuring a first concentration of the MEMS-LCMs in the drilling fluid before circulating the drilling fluid through the wellbore;
measuring a second concentration of the MEMS-LCMs in the drilling fluid after circulating the drilling fluid through the wellbore;
performing a comparison of the first and second concentrations of the MEMS-LCMs; and
changing a composition of the drilling fluid based on the comparison.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
measuring a third concentration of the MEMS-LCMs in the drilling fluid while the drilling fluid is circulating through the wellbore; and
wherein performing the comparison of the first and second concentrations of the MEMS-LCMs further involves comparing the first, second, and third concentrations of MEMS-LCMs.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein changing the composition of the drilling fluid involves increasing the concentration of the LCMs.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the LCMs are first LCMs, and wherein changing the composition of the drilling fluid involves adding a plurality of second LCMs to the drilling fluid.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the second LCMs have a larger diameter than the first LCMs.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the second LCMs have a greater specific gravity than the first LCMs.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the LCMs are first LCMs and the MEMS-LCMs are first MEMS-LCMs, the drilling fluid further comprising a plurality of second LCMs and a plurality of second MEMS-LCMs, wherein the second MEMS-LCMs and the second LCMs are substantially similar in size, shape, and specific gravity, and wherein the first MEMS-LCMs and the second MEMS-LCMs exhibit different signatures readable by a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) sensor, the method further comprising:
measuring a first concentration of the second MEMS-LCMs in the drilling fluid before circulating the drilling fluid through the wellbore;
measuring a second concentration of the second MEMS-LCMs in the drilling fluid after circulating the drilling fluid through the wellbore;
performing a second comparison of the first and second concentrations of the second MEMS-LCMs; and
changing the composition of the drilling fluid based on the comparison and the second comparison.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of the MEMS-LCMs comprise a passive radio frequency identification device (RFID).

9. A method comprising:
drilling at least a portion of a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation with a drilling fluid that comprises a base fluid, a plurality of micro-electro-mechanical systems lost circulation materials (MEMS-LCMs), and a plurality of lost circulation materials (LCMs), wherein the MEMS-LCMs and the LCMs are substantially similar in size, shape, and specific gravity;
measuring a first concentration and a second concentration of the MEMS-LCMs in the drilling fluid at a first location and a second location in the wellbore;
performing a comparison of the first and second concentrations of the MEMS-LCMs; and
changing a composition of the drilling fluid based on the comparison.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
measuring a third concentration of the MEMS-LCMs in the drilling fluid before circulating the drilling fluid through the wellbore; and
wherein performing the comparison of the first and second concentrations of the MEMS-LCMs further involves comparing the first, second, and third concentrations of MEMS-LCMs.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
measuring a third concentration of the MEMS-LCMs in the drilling fluid after circulating the drilling fluid through the wellbore; and
wherein performing the comparison of the first and second concentrations of the MEMS-LCMs further involves comparing the first, second, and third concentrations of MEMS-LCMs.

12. The method of claim 9 further comprising:
measuring a third concentration of the MEMS-LCMs in the drilling fluid before circulating the drilling fluid through the wellbore;
measuring a fourth concentration of the MEMS-LCMs in the drilling fluid after circulating the drilling fluid through the wellbore; and
wherein performing the comparison of the first and second concentrations of the MEMS-LCMs further involves comparing the first, second, third, and fourth concentrations of MEMS-LCMs.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein changing the composition of the drilling fluid involves increasing the concentration of the LCMs.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the LCMs are first LCMs, and wherein changing the composition of the drilling fluid involves adding a plurality of second LCMs to the drilling fluid.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the LCMs are first LCMs and the MEMS-LCMs are first MEMS-LCMs, the drilling fluid further comprising a plurality of second LCMs and a plurality of second MEMS-LCMs, wherein the second MEMS-LCMs and the second LCMs are substantially similar in size, shape, and specific gravity, and wherein the first MEMS-LCMs and the second MEMS-LCMs exhibit different signatures readable by a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) sensor, the method further comprising:
measuring a first concentration and a second concentration of the second MEMS-LCMs in the drilling fluid at the first location and the second location in the wellbore;
performing a second comparison of the first and second concentrations of the second MEMS-LCMs; and
changing the composition of the drilling fluid based on the comparison and the second comparison.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of the MEMS-LCMs comprise a passive radio frequency identification device (RFID).

17. A system comprising:
a drilling assembly with a drill string extending therefrom, through a blowout preventer (BOP) and a wellhead and into a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation;
a wireline extending from the drilling assembly and into the wellbore;
a pump fluidly coupled to the drill string, the drill string containing a drilling fluid that comprises a base fluid, a plurality of micro-electro-mechanical systems lost circulation materials (MEMS-LCMs), and a plurality of lost circulation materials (LCMs), wherein the MEMS-LCMs and the LCMs are substantially similar in size, shape, and specific gravity; and
at least one micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) sensor in at least one location selected from the group consisting of (1) along the drill string; (2) along a feed pipe fluidly coupled to the drill string upstream of the wellbore; (3) along a flow line fluidly coupled to the drill string downstream of the wellbore; (4) at the wellhead, (5) at the pump, (6) at the BOP, (7) along the casing, and (8) along the wireline.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the at least one MEMS sensor is an active radio frequency identification device (RFID) reader and the plurality of the MEMS-LCMs comprise a passive RFID.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Rowe Matthew Dennis
• Galliano Clinton Cheramie
• Graves Walter Varney Andrew

Classifications

• E21B47/10

  Locating fluid leaks, intrusions or movements · CPC title

• E21B33/138

  Plastering the borehole wall; Injecting into the formation · CPC title

• E21B7/00

  Special methods or apparatus for drilling · CPC title

• E21B33/03

  Well heads; Setting-up thereof · CPC title

• E21B33/13 Primary

  Methods or devices for cementing, for plugging holes, crevices or the like · CPC title