EMC has developed a range of products in the AURADRILL family with the key objective of eliminating drilling fluid induced formation damage in reservoirs and improving return permeability and production. The self-sealing mechanism ensures that pore-pressure transmission may be eliminated, and that extended reach drilling becomes possible.

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The product range is based on EMC's Patended sealing technology

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EMC has successfully applied its Smart Fluid Technology in situations where high differential pressures and permeable or fractured formations create situations with challenges such as lost circulation, differential sticking and wellbore integrity. The patented technology has now also been adapted with the specific objective of eliminating damages to the reservoir caused by solids and the drilling fluid itself.
 

The inherent nature of oil- and gas reservoirs is the presence of porosity, permeability and fractures of various concentrations and sizes. This causes a natural exposure to losses of drilling fluids into the reservoir when drilling with an overbalance. The constituents of the drilling fluid, including weighting agents, and drilled cuttings present a risk for reducing permeability and plugging fractures permanently, so that the production potential of the well is reduced. EMC’s Smart Fluid Technology has been particularly adapted to seal of the wellbore with minimum loss of drilling fluid and minimum interaction between the drilling fluid and the formation. Also, the products are designed for ease of removal once the drilling operation has been successfully completed.

 

Increasing ECD window for extended reach drilling
 

EMC products have been tested in renowned University laboratories proving a capacity to surface-seal fractures up to several millimeters and at pressures up to 5000psi (345 bar). EMC's NIF product FEBRICOAT has also been proven in field trials holding differential pressures in excess of 4100psi (283 bar). The unique sealing capacity ensures that the products facilitates better reservoir protection and increases the potential for drilling extended reservoir sections without losing control over the well. Reference SPE-195609-MS.

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One of the newly developed preventative AURACOAT LCM materials designed by EMC were used to set a new slim-hole drilling record in a fractured limestone reservoir offshore Norway. Two wells were completed during the summer of 2022 with excellent wellbore strengthening effect in a formation that is well known to be challenging. One of the reservoirs was drilled with 2500 psi overbalance and zero losses. Wells have since been drilled with overbalance up to 3300 psi and without losses. A review of the first three well applications can be found in reference OTC-32173-MS.

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Improving reservoir protection for enhanced production

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Field applications of EMC's products have led to significant improvements in reservoir drilling applications, including enhanced ROP, reduced fluid loss, improved fluid and PSD stability, reduced ECD and frictional pressure drop, reduction in Non-Productive Time and enhanced production. An in-depth review of field applications will be presented by ADNOC at the 2023 ADIPEC Conference and Exhibition in Abu Dhabi. Reference SPE-216525-MS.

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• AURACOAT  UF/F/M are unique Non-Invasive Fluid products which reduce filter-cake permeability, improve return-permeability, and enhance the PSD stability of reservoir drilling fluids. A unique product size enables effective solids removal whilst retaining high sealing effectiveness.

• AURACOAT C is an effective material for wellbore strengthening, enabling preventative sealing of fractured reservoirs under high differential pressures.

• AURABRIDGE is a Lost Circulation Material built on the unique technology of AURACOAT, but with a coarser particle distribution of healing of high-loss situations.

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Preventing Drilling Fluid Induced Reservoir Formation Damage

 

EMC earlier presented at the SPE/IADC Middle East Drilling Technology Conference and Exhibition to be held in Abu Dhabi, 25-27 May 2021. The research was conducted jointly with University of Stavanger to evaluate EMC products' ability to form HTHP seals of permeable formations without the presence of solids in the drilling fluid. SPE-202187-MS is titled Preventing Drilling Fluid Induced Reservoir Formation Damage.