HRE1009-2
A success story
Cellulose nanocrystals added to
drilling fluids
Being Canada’s largest producer of oil and natural gas, the province of Alberta will soon
benefit from the contribution of a tree-based nanoparticle: cellulose nanocrystals (CNC).
ADVANTAGES
D CNC is derived from the wood biomass
and can be transformed into a powder,
liquid or gel
D Renewable and recyclable resource
D Environmentally safe additive
D Helps minimize the loss of drilling fluids
In fact, since 2011, the ArboraNano network, in partnership
with Marquis Alliance Energy Group Inc. and Alberta
Innovates, has carried out research on the potential role of
CNC as an additive to drilling fluids and muds.
It can play a number of roles in the drilling of a well, notably
keeping liquids and gases from seeping into the boreholes.
The drilling mud also allows drilling debris to rise to the
surface and helps to cool the bit and keep it clean during
drilling. Under the direction of Professor Yaman Boluk from
University of Alberta, this project has shown that the use
of CNC as an additive to drilling fluids makes it possible to
minimize the loss of mud in boreholes, as well as to limit
damage to geological formations, and to ensure that other
additives such as clays and polymers perform better in
lower dosages.
ELOQUENT FACTS
D Drilling fluids account for approximately 10% of
the total cost of drilling a well
D It is estimated that the total volume of drilling
fluids used on Canadian territory amounts to
300,000 million tons of fluids per year
D Tests conducted at the Frog Lake drilling site
revealed that CNC helps form a film on the walls
of a borehole, which keeps mud from seeping
into the environment
D The province of Quebec has a production
capability of 1 metric ton of CNC per day
CONTACT US
Photo : puits de forage.
RECYCLED
514.284.0211
[email protected] / nanoquebec.ca