US 12,269,986 B2
Low-density hollow glass bead (HGB) fluids for wellbore drilling, completion, and workover operations
Glenn Penny, Houston, TX (US); Vishwas Gupta, Conroe, TX (US); Sai Sashankh Rao, Spring, TX (US); Nikolay M. Kostov, Spring, TX (US); and Qian Wu, Conroe, TX (US)
Assigned to ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company, Spring, TX (US)
Appl. No. 18/547,993
Filed by ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company, Spring, TX (US)
PCT Filed Feb. 3, 2022, PCT No. PCT/US2022/015075
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 25, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/191936, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 15, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/158,687, filed on Mar. 9, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0132769 A1, Apr. 25, 2024
Prior Publication US 2024/0228857 A9, Jul. 11, 2024
Int. Cl. E21B 21/08 (2006.01); C09K 8/03 (2006.01); C09K 8/32 (2006.01)
CPC C09K 8/32 (2013.01) [C09K 8/032 (2013.01); E21B 21/08 (2013.01)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for performing a drilling operation employing pressurized mudcap drilling (PMCD) techniques using a hollow glass bead (HGB) fluid, comprising:
providing an HGB fluid with a density of 3.5 pounds per gallon (ppg) to 6.0 ppg by suitably mixing the following combination of constituents:
a base oil;
an oil viscosifying agent comprising a hydrogenated polyisoprene (HPI) star polymer;
hollow glass beads (HGBs);
an organophilic clay;
a clay activator comprising an oil-soluble, polar material;
a surfactant comprising a silicone block copolymer; and
a liquid oil-soluble hydrogen sulfide (H2S) scavenger;
drilling a wellbore through a reservoir using a drill bit arranged at an end of a drill string, wherein an annulus is defined between the drill string and an inner wall of the wellbore;
closing the annulus;
pressurizing the annulus by introducing the HGB fluid into the annulus; and
pumping a sacrificial fluid through the drill string with the HGB fluid placed in the annulus.