A Solidified Controllable Resin System Suitable for Fracture Cavity Formation Plugging and Its Performance...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Petroleum Engineering

Background:

• Thermosetting resins are vital for oil field plugging due to temperature resistance and strength.
• Existing resins face challenges with high costs, brittleness, and poor flame retardancy after curing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, high-strength resin gel plugging system with enhanced properties.
• To overcome the limitations of conventional thermosetting resins in oil field applications.

Main Methods:

• Physical blending was employed to modify the resin matrix, curing agent, rheology modifier, and filling materials.
• Optimization of formulation focused on curing strength and temperature resistance.
• Rheological properties, anti-contamination capabilities, and plugging efficiency were evaluated.

Main Results:

• The optimized resin gel system demonstrated good fluidity, pumpability, and stable viscosity under varying shear rates.
• The system exhibited excellent anti-contamination capability against drilling fluids, maintaining high curing strength.
• Effective plugging was achieved in a wedge-shaped fracture (7mm to 5mm) at 12.84 MPa and a sand-filled pipe at 11.29 MPa.

Conclusions:

• The developed resin gel system offers a promising solution for effective plugging of deep, large-fracture leakage layers in oil fields.
• The modified thermosetting resin overcomes brittleness and property deterioration issues of unmodified resins.
• The system's robust performance indicates significant potential for downhole applications.