Cellulose nanocrystals in multi-phase systems: stabilization of water-in-oil emulsions for oil-based drilling fluids.

这项合作研究及发展（CRD）拨款申请，将支持由香港大学的阿尔伯塔大学的Yaman Boluk和Vivek Bindiganavile及其团队与工业合作伙伴阿尔伯塔太平洋森林工业公司（Alpac）和雪佛龙菲利普斯化学公司（DSC）分部钻井专业公司合作。该项目的重点是开发用木基纤维素纳米晶体（CNC）稳定的油基钻井液。位于阿尔伯塔省和不列颠哥伦比亚省之间的蒙特尼地质构造是北美最大的非常规油气储量之一。这些非常规资源需要在垂直钻探3000米后，再进行3000米的水平钻井。在如此困难的作业中，需要性能更好的钻井液。这些具有挑战性的钻井条件以及世界其他地区都需要特殊开发的油基钻井液。我们的目标是通过使用纤维素纳米晶（CNC）颗粒稳定的油包水（W/O）乳液，开发出具有优异的井筒稳定性、独特的流动特性和高温耐受性的油基钻井液。我们的科学目标是：1)用喷雾干燥工艺生产表面改性的CNC颗粒；2)得到CNC稳定的W/O乳剂；3)通过CNC稳定的W/O乳液获得独特的流动性能和过滤特性；4)使开发的水乳状液与钻后作业具有良好的相容性。这个项目对我们的合作伙伴的好处是：1)开发CNC的高价值和大批量应用，这将使加拿大林产品公司的CNC生产在经济上具有吸引力；2)高性能、高性价比的油田产品，将为加拿大带来更安全、更经济的钻井作业。

This Collaborative Research and Development (CRD) grant application will support the research and development project which will be conducted by Drs. Yaman Boluk and Vivek Bindiganavile and their teams at the University of Alberta in collaboration with industrial partners, Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc. (Alpac) and Drilling Specialties Company, Division of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP (DSC). The focus of this project is the development of oil-based drilling fluids stabilized with wood based cellulose nanocrystals (CNC). Montney geological formation bordered between Alberta and British Columbia is one of the top North American nonconventional oil and gas reserves. Such nonconventional resources require horizontal drillings up to 3,000 meters after the vertical drillings of down to 3,000 meters. Better performing drilling fluids are needed in such difficult operations. Those challenging drilling conditions there and also in the rest of the world require specially developed oil-based drilling fluids. Our goal is to develop oil-based drilling fluids with excellent wellbore stability, distinct flow properties and high temperature tolerance by using water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions stabilized with cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) particles. Our scientific objectives are: 1) to produce surface modified CNC particles with spray drying process; 2) to obtain CNC stabilized W/O emulsions; 3) to obtain unique flow properties and filtration characteristics with CNC stabilized W/O emulsions; 4) to attain good compatibility between the developed W/O emulsions and post drilling operations.The benefits of this project to our partners will be: 1) development of high value and high volume applications of CNC which will make CNC production by forest products companies in Canada economically attractive; 2) high performing and cost effective oil-field products which will bring safer, economically favorable drilling operations in Canada.