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Evaluation of Lost Circulation Material Sealing for Geothermal Drilling

Author

Listed:
  • 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)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • William Kibikas & Seiji Nakagawa & Mathew Ingraham & Stephen Bauer & Chun Chang & Patrick Dobson & Timothy Kneafsey & Abraham Samuel, 2024. "Evaluation of Lost Circulation Material Sealing for Geothermal Drilling," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-25, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:11:p:2703-:d:1407509
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Xu, Chengyuan & Zhang, Honglin & She, Jiping & Jiang, Guobin & Peng, Chi & You, Zhenjiang, 2023. "Experimental study on fracture plugging effect of irregular-shaped lost circulation materials," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).
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