US 11,891,562 B2
Drilling fluid comprising a lubricant
Craig Allan Davies, East Yorkshire (GB); Kevin John Duncan, East Yorkshire (GB); and Helen Rachel Sarginson, East Yorkshire (GB)
Assigned to EQUUS UK TOPCO LTD, East Yorkshire (GB)
Appl. No. 16/978,468
Filed by EQUUS UK TOPCO LTD, East Yorkshire (GB)
PCT Filed Mar. 5, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/055372
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 4, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/170627, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 12, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 1803610 (GB), filed on Mar. 7, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0095178 A1, Apr. 1, 2021
Int. Cl. C09K 8/06 (2006.01); C09K 8/28 (2006.01); E21B 21/00 (2006.01)
CPC C09K 8/06 (2013.01) [C09K 8/28 (2013.01); E21B 21/00 (2013.01); C09K 2208/34 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
 
1. A drilling fluid comprising:
a) an aqueous brine phase;
b) a particulate solid phase;
c) a compound comprising a dimer and/or trimer fatty residue and an alkyleneoxy chain comprising a first ethyleneoxy section, a second ethyleneoxy section, and a propyleneoxy section located between the first ethyleneoxy section and the second ethyleneoxy section, wherein the propyleneoxy section comprises from 1 to 20 propyleneoxy groups; and
d) optionally, one or more additives selected from rheology modifiers, fluid loss control agents, shale inhibitors, gas hydrate inhibitors and dispersants;
wherein the drilling fluid is suitable for lubricating a drill bit during drilling in a geological formation, and
wherein the compound c) is a compound of the formula (I):
R1[(EO)p(PO)q(EO)r]nR2  (I)
wherein:
R1 is a residue of at least one of: a dimer fatty diacid, a trimer fatty triacid, a dimer fatty diol and/or a trimer fatty triol;
R2 is H or (CO)xR3 where x is 0 or 1 and R3 is a C1 to C6 aliphatic hydrocarbyl group;
EO is an ethyleneoxy group;
PO is a propyleneoxy group;
P is from 1 to 20;
q is from 1 to 20;
r is from 1 to 20;
n is from 1 to 3;
a weight ratio of R1 to total ethyleneoxy and propyleneoxy groups in compound c) is 0.2:1 to 0.6:1; and
wherein the ratio of (p+r) to q is from 0.5 to 8:1.