Evaluation of Lost Circulation Material Sealing for Geothermal Drilling

William Kibikas (), Seiji Nakagawa, Mathew Ingraham, Stephen Bauer, Chun Chang, Patrick Dobson, Timothy Kneafsey and Abraham Samuel
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William Kibikas: Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA
Seiji Nakagawa: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Mathew Ingraham: Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA
Stephen Bauer: Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA
Chun Chang: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Patrick Dobson: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Timothy Kneafsey: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Abraham Samuel: GeoEnergize LLC, La Quinta, CA 92253, USA

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-25

Abstract: Lost circulation is a pervasive problem in geothermal wells that can create prohibitive costs during drilling. The main issue with treatment is that the mechanism of plug formation is poorly understood. Here we applied two experimental approaches to characterize the clogging effectiveness of different materials. Fracture flow tests with different geometries were conducted with various individual materials and mixtures at relevant conditions. A high-temperature flow loop system was also developed to inject single- and mixed-material plugs into a gravel pack with a non-uniform geometry to compare with the fracture tests. The fracture tests revealed that single materials tended to form no plug or an unstable plug, while mixtures of materials were uniformly better at sealing fractures. Gravel pack tests at high temperatures show most of the materials are intact but degraded. The fibrous materials can create partial or unstable plugs in the gravel pack, but mixed-material plugs are far more effective at clogging. Both test types suggest that (1) mixed materials are more effective at blocking fluid flow and (2) fibrous materials seal fracture openings better, while granular materials seal inside fractures or pore throats better. Further research is needed to study the long-term stability of different plug configurations.

Keywords: lost circulation; geothermal systems; fracture permeability; clogging tests (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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