Imidazoline-Based Fatty Acid Derivatives as Novel Shale Inhibitors for Water-Based Drilling Fluids

Water-based drilling fluids (WBMs) are widely applied in petroleum engineering due to their lower cost and reduced environmental impact compared to oil-based muds. However, their performance is severely limited in shale formations, where hydration and swelling of clay minerals lead to wellbore insta...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Applied sciences Jg. 15; H. 20; S. 11050
Hauptverfasser: Stan, Ioana Gabriela, Tudose, Mihail, Prundurel, Alina Petronela, Branoiu, Gheorghe, Dumitrache, Liviu, Suditu, Silvian, Stoica, Doru Bogdan, Zaharia, Emil, Doukeh, Rami
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: Basel MDPI AG 01.10.2025
Schlagworte:
Additives
Amines
anti-swelling additives
Atmospheric pressure
Chloride
Clay
Clay minerals
Composite materials
Drilling
Efficiency
Environmental engineering
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
Hydration
imidazoline derivatives
Oil well drilling
Phenolphthalein
Polyethylene glycol
Potassium
rheological properties
Saturated fatty acids
shale inhibition
Temperature
Toxicity
Unsaturated fatty acids
Water
Romania
ISSN:2076-3417, 2076-3417
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Water-based drilling fluids (WBMs) are widely applied in petroleum engineering due to their lower cost and reduced environmental impact compared to oil-based muds. However, their performance is severely limited in shale formations, where hydration and swelling of clay minerals lead to wellbore instability. In this study, two novel imidazoline-type inhibitors were synthesized from fatty acids: A-Lin (derived from linoleic acid) and A-Lau (derived from lauric acid). The synthesis involved amidation followed by cyclization, and the products were characterized using FTIR and TGA. Their performance as shale hydration inhibitors was evaluated in WBM formulations and compared with commercial additives (Amine NF and Glycol). The FTIR spectra confirmed successful imidazoline ring formation, while TGA demonstrated good thermal stability up to 150 °C, with A-Lin exhibiting superior resistance due to its unsaturated structure. Rheological tests showed that the synthesized additives reduced plastic viscosity, thereby improving cuttings transport efficiency. Swelling tests revealed that A-Lin achieved the lowest final swelling (6.3%), outperforming both commercial inhibitors and the saturated A-Lau analogue. Furthermore, A-Lin provided the best lubricity coefficient (0.148), reducing torque and drag during drilling. Overall, A-Lin demonstrated strong potential as an efficient, thermally stable, and environmentally compatible shale inhibitor for advanced WBM formulations. Compared to conventional inhibitors such as KCl, glycol, and amine-based additives, A-Lin uniquely combines superior swelling inhibition, enhanced lubricity, and good thermal stability, highlighting its novelty as an imidazoline derivative derived from renewable fatty acids
Bibliographie:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
ISSN:2076-3417
2076-3417
DOI:10.3390/app152011050