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A Comparative Study of Lost Circulation Materials

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DOI: 10.1080/00908310490494612

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A Comparative Study of Lost Circulation Materials

a b c d
FATHI BOUKADI , BASMA YAGHI , HAMOUD AL-HADRAMI , ALI BEMANI , TAYFUN
e f
BABADAGLI & PETER DE MESTRE
a
Sultan Qaboos University, College of Engineering, Department of Petroleum & Mineral
Resources Engineering, Khoud, Oman
b
Sultan Qaboos University, College of Engineering, Department of Petroleum & Mineral
Resources Engineering, Khoud, Oman
c
Sultan Qaboos University, College of Engineering, Department of Petroleum & Mineral
Resources Engineering, Khoud, Oman
d
Sultan Qaboos University, College of Engineering, Department of Petroleum & Mineral
Resources Engineering, Khoud, Oman
e
University of Alberta, School of Mining & Petroleum, Department of Civil & Environmental
Engineering, Edmonton, AB Canada
f
Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), Muscat, Oman
Published online: 24 Jun 2010.

To cite this article: FATHI BOUKADI , BASMA YAGHI , HAMOUD AL-HADRAMI , ALI BEMANI , TAYFUN BABADAGLI &
PETER DE MESTRE (2004) A Comparative Study of Lost Circulation Materials, Energy Sources, 26:11, 1043-1051, DOI:
10.1080/00908310490494612

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 Energy Sources, 26:1043–1051, 2004
Copyright © Taylor & Francis Inc.
ISSN: 0090-8312 print/1521-0510 online
DOI: 10.1080/00908310490494612

A Comparative Study of Lost Circulation Materials

FATHI BOUKADI
BASMA YAGHI
HAMOUD AL-HADRAMI
ALI BEMANI
Sultan Qaboos University
College of Engineering
Downloaded by [Sultan Qaboos University] at 21:09 04 July 2015

Department of Petroleum & Mineral Resources Engineering

Khoud, Oman

TAYFUN BABADAGLI
University of Alberta
School of Mining & Petroleum
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Edmonton, AB Canada

PETER DE MESTRE
Petroleum Development Oman (PDO)
Muscat, Oman

In this article, the objective is to identify an alternative lost circulation material

(LCM) to combat typical operational problems associated with drilling mud losses.
These problems cost the local oil company significant downtime. In the oil industry,
and, of course, to the local oil company, most of the commercial lost circulation ma-
terials have been tested with different levels of success. The trend now is to rethink
different ways to better tackle the mud losses intricate problem and reduce drilling
costs. The objective is to investigate possible gelling and bridging agents that are
currently used by other industries. To start, an extensive literature search for pos-
sible LCM candidates from industries like construction, refrigeration, pleasure-boat
manufacturing and others is embarked on. The next challenge would be to envisage a
thorough chemical screening and testing program to come up with an LCM that could
be effective if pumped through thief zones. The effectiveness yardstick could then be
measured by: (1) solving the problems of placement, (2) temperature, (3) pressure,
etc.

Keywords epoxy, lost circulation material, polymers, polyurethanes, resins

Received 14 March 2003; accepted 4 May 2003.

The authors wish to thank Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) for supporting this project
through CTR #2000-08.
Address correspondence to Fathi Boukadi, Dept. of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Engi-
neering, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33, Khoud 123, Oman. E-mail: [email protected]

1043
 1044 F. Boukadi et al.

Designing a cost-effective drilling fluid is, without a doubt, of primal importance. In-
vestment in drilling fluids can sometimes be very significant, especially when partial
or complete fluid losses are encountered while drilling. Drilling through cavernous and
highly fractured, naturally and sometimes induced, formations could be challenging if
the lost circulation material is not properly designed. Lost circulation materials can be
classified as fibers, flakes, granular material, or a mixture of all three. The materials are
needed to stop fluid losses in order to drill ahead. These materials, which come in differ-
ent forms and have different chemistries, should provide the proper seal to problematic
thief zones. The materials ought to block openings within the matrix itself and provide
bridging capability between the different fluid flow channels that could exist outside the
matrix in open cracks and caverns. Most of the lost circulation materials tested by the
local oil company and the industry have limited capability of blocking pore-throat open-
ings (in the case of clastics) and open cracks and fractures (in the case of carbonates).
A lost circulation material that if placed in the wellbore should be timed to react, block
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fractures, and bridge to provide a perfect seal. The seal could be temporary or even
permanent. Permanent seals are often pumped to block thief zones in non-producing
formations. The temporary seals are placed in hydrocarbon-bearing zones that have been
encountered while drilling.
In the oil industry, most of the conventional LCMs have been tested with different
degrees of success. Lost circulation materials in the form of fibers, flakes, granular
material and a mixture of all three have proved to be effective in some instances. The
tendency, however, has moved towards using polymeric materials.

Industry Practices
The latest technology of implementing polymeric materials have showed an unprece-
dented success in the civil engineering areas of road pavement and construction mainte-
nance practices of crack bridging and sealing. Other industries have also followed track
in applying the polymeric solutions. Future applications in the oil industry could also
be promising if the polymeric solutions could prove successful and deployable under
typical drilling conditions. The authors are proposing a different approach to tackle the
lost circulation problem.

Proposed Work Plan

It is thought that the polymeric lost circulation materials are worth pursuing. It is then
proposed to follow the industry track and come up with a component/multi-component
aggregate that would provide a reliable solution to lost circulation problems. But to
consolidate chances for success, it is intended to first embark on a comparative study of
all screened chemicals. The end product would be a scheme that would rank the screened
chemicals in terms of performance. The authors, with the help of the local oil company,
adopted the following criteria as a measuring stick of the performance of the potential
candidates:
1. Ensure proper timely placement of the anticipated LCM.
2. Guarantee an appropriate cure time.
3. Ensure that LCM can function under typical field conditions.
4. Ensure that the chemical can withstand differential pressures relevant to the appli-
cation.
 A Comparative Study of LCMs 1045

In the comparative study, the literature search part will serve to identify possible
candidates. Screening and testing of all possible chemicals would take place thereafter.
It was also agreed with the concerned local oil company staff to relegate the issue of
economics to a later stage when feasibility analyses could then be addressed.

Literature Review
A literature survey of materials that could be identified as potential lost circulation agents
was gathered from construction and chemical industries. Research laboratories’ industrial
reports and communications, made public, have already been reviewed. In sum, the
reviewed lost circulation materials fall in different categories that could be classified as
follows:

Conventional LCMs. It was pointed out (Canson, 1985) that field experience indicated
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that properly mixed compounded materials could be satisfactorily pumped through 1/32
of an inch jet nozzles in concentrations of up to 40 lbs/bbl. The author suggested that
bulk fillers like mud sacks, burlap bags, canvas, hay, sawdust, styrofoam, packing pellets,
tires and lumber could also be pumped through open-ended drillpipes. It was also noted
(Leoppke et al., 1990) that thermostat rubber, a granular type LCM, applies to geothermal
reservoirs, a domain of excessive temperatures. The authors also added that the cited
LCM, if mixed with pliant flakes, provides the best fracture-plugging characteristics. In
addition, the authors suggested that for coal of a medium grade, the maximum sealing
pressure of a bridge is a function of the particles’ mechanical properties, and their sizes
and shapes relative to the fracture, but not their absolute dimensions.
The performance of an LCM blend in an unconsolidated sandstone reservoir with
permeability of 25 to 10 mD and porosity range of 15 to 32% has also been investigated
(Attong et al., 1993). The LCM blend is cellulosic fiber in nature with particle sizes
ranging from 2 to 120 microns. The authors noted that blend concentrations in the range
of 40 to 60 ppb are commonly used. They, nevertheless, admitted that an LCM with a
concentration of 100 ppb was pumped successfully without plugging the 8-in MWD tool.
Later, in the evaluation of lost circulation materials for water-base muds, Grow-
cock et al. (1996) tested the sealing capacity of 17 samples from the following agents:
(1) graded mica flakes, (2) dual composition carbon acid flakes, calcium carbonate blends
(3), pecan hulls, nut shells, blended products of pulverized cellulose fibers and acid solu-
ble fibers. Shredded cellophane and shredded paper, thermostat laminate chips and other
blended cellulosic products have also been tested as sealing agents. Out of the 17 sam-
ples, 8 did not seal at all. Only 7 samples were able to form a seal without being affected
by elevated temperatures.

Polymeric Solutions. Early attempts on polymeric solutions have been made by Nayberg
and Linafelter (1984) who identified a polymeric material that could be used as a lost
circulation agent for highly permeable zones as well as for fractured formations. The
authors concluded that the polymeric solution gave better results as compared to gilsonite,
cellophane falkes, crushed coal, and graded plastic materials that have median diameters
between 12 to 40 mm.

Cements. Cements as LCMs have also been explored by Canson (1985) who singled out
diesel oil bentonite cement (DOBC) as a treatment that could be considered as the best
“next step” to conventional lost circulation material pills to seal off fractures or vugs.
 1046 F. Boukadi et al.

The author noted that among the examined lost circulation materials, perlite cement is
not as effective as it is thought to be. Canson (1985) also found that perlite cement
collapses and loses its effectiveness if pressure greater than 3000 psi is applied, but he
noted that perlite cement could be a good application for cavernous zones. The author
also identified liquid sodium silicate as a material that gels upon contact with calcium to
form a gelatin-like solid.
In addition, Alastair (1999) suggested that the use of a floating mud cap and fiber
cement improved the performance in drilling. Bradford et al. (1999) also noted that an
LCM pill and the cement plugs must be chosen for their dissolvability by later acid
treatment.

Calcium Carbonates. Dill (1969) tested salt as a bridging material. The tests were con-
ducted using a modified API BB bed test. The test data indicated that bridging and sealing
efficiency of salt and sand does not differ significantly. The author added that sand would
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not be considered because of its inertness and the effect this would have on clean-up
operations. Dill (1969) also said that the carrier fluid for bridging agents is important
to the success of the diverting material. The author did, in addition, note that greater
diverting efficiency is achieved with gelled carrier fluids than emulsion carrier fluids.
Later, Zurdo et al. (1986) identified calcium carbonate as a weighting or a temporary
plugging agent. The authors concluded that calcium carbonate has the ability to build up
a firm and acid-soluble cake against unconsolidated sand formations. They added that
granular LCMs are highly inefficient, but insisted that granular, fibrous, lamellar mixtures
give excellent results.
Van Vliet and Haj Hassan (1999) also identified a saturated salt brine/polymer/graded
salt drill-in-fluid as a bridging agent with particle size ranging from 1 to 74 microns.
They concluded that for a sealing material to bridge outside the permeable zone, the
pore-size distribution of the bridging particles’ median should be slightly larger than
1/3 of the median pore-throat size. The authors also added that a KCl/polymer/graded
carbonate yields good return permeability after filter cake cleaning by acidization.
In addition, Pitoni and Ballard (1999) studied changes in solids’ composition of
reservoir drill-in fluids during drilling and the impact on filter cake’s properties. They
concluded that it is beneficial to correctly design the pore-size distribution of bridging
materials to meet the requirements of a reservoir with a wide variation of permeability.
In their study, they examined calcium carbonate, sized salt, and cellulosic materials as
bridging agents. Martinez and Luzardo (1999) also investigated calcium carbonate as a
bridging material.
Ghosh et al. (1999) later wrote about horizontal drilling experience in the limestone
reservoir of Panna Field, India. The authors indicated that pills of flake calcium carbonate
were pumped with success to combat lost circulation problems.

Other LCMs. Lietard (1999) suggested that cellulose fibers are used to control small
losses of drilling fluids. He added that the product would lack in acid solubility, but
prove to be highly soluble in alkaline solutions to increase permeability. Later, Meize
et al. (2000) investigated recovery of synthetic based drilling fluids using drying methods.
Verret et al. (2000) also indicated that a water-based gunk treatment was used to drill
while penetrating salt and adjacent shale and native clay-making formations. In addition,
Dick et al. (2000) optimized the selection of bridging particles for reservoir drilling fluids.
They noted that in order to minimize LCM damage, LCM proper particle size must be
selected carefully. The authors added that the best LCM is one with coarser particles
 A Comparative Study of LCMs 1047

with a diameter of about 40% of the width of the fissure. Verga et al. (2000) also tested
drilling mud types based on different particle sizes for formation damage purposes. The
following paragraph lists an array of agents that have been used by different industries
to combat lost circulation.

Other Sealing Agents. Aquagel gold seal is a premium untreated sodium bentonite. It
reduces seepage-type lost circulation. It is a one-component system that is mixed slowly
through a jet mixer. Borafoam, however, is a biodegradable foaming agent that has been
applied in lost circulation zones with large diameter holes. It is a one-component system
with a concentration and injection rate that could be monitored to obtain the desired
foaming consistency.
Quick-foam is also a high expansion, biodegradable surfactant blend that is used
in lost circulation zones. The surfactant blend is a one, two or three-component system
depending on the type of the drilling system. After use, the foam mixture must be
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localized in an earthen pit and allowed to biodegrade naturally.

Quick-gel is a high-yield treated sodium. As a viscofier and gellant, it has the ca-
pability of reducing fluid losses. It is a one-component system. For optimum yield, the
make-up water should be pre-treated with 2 lbs of soda ash per 100 gallons of water.
Holeplug is a graded sodium bentonite. It is a sealing and plugging agent that seals
lost circulation zones and around the conductor pipes. Drilfoam is another biodegradable
single component foaming agent that is used to cure lost circulation problems. The
drilfoam is a high expansion foam that looks like a shaving foam.
Casing Seal, a Falcon GPD Inc. product, is commonly used to seal leaking ponds
and dams and casing in cable tools. It is a one-component system that comes in paper
bags of 50 pounds.

Study Findings
It was thought that among other identified potential candidates, the following could be
listed:

Epoxy Adhesive. The epoxy type, Hydrobond500, is used to repair concrete and steel. It is
a two-component system that could be used in underwater conditions. The EpoxyBond550
is another type that bonds to a wide variety of surfaces and could be a good sealing
candidate. Its cure time is 2 hours at 150◦ C. The viscosity of the epoxy adhesive amounts
to 14,000 cp. The URC RLV epoxy is an under rubber repair compound. It is a hybrid
component that cures underwater to a tough and adherent rubber. Its work life is 2 to
3 hours.

Polymers. Urethane902 is a polymer that is used for flooring and concrete restoration. It
is a two-component system with a viscosity of around 2500 cp, and a gel time that is in
the range of 5 to 30 minutes. Butyl Sealant 611W is a rubber based sealant. It is used
on glass, plastic and metal surfaces. It permanently retains its flexibility.
Another polymer is FP1212. The polymer is used in metals and wood as an adhesive
agent that would seal joints and cracks. The polymer cures over a wide temperature
range and could be a tough adherent rubber. It is available in pourable and gum grade
consistencies. The anticipated polymer work life is within 30 to 60 minutes.
1400-D, Duoseal III, is an elastomeric sealant. The polysulfide polymer seals joints
and cracks in Portland cement concrete pavement. It is a two-component poly-sulfide
 1048 F. Boukadi et al.

base that is cold applied. In addition, 14000-A is a duoseal two-component polysulfide

sealant. It is commonly used in structural expansion joints in civil engineering operations.
The polymer forms a tough elastic rubber-like seal. Flexseal 1700B is another type of
polymer that is used on a large scale to seal cracks and joints. It is a single-component
system that expands 3 times (300%) at a temperature of −20◦ F.
Hotpour 164 is a polymer that is used in conjunction with asphalt. It is a joint
sealer that is used by bridges and airport runways construction industries. Form-A-Set
AK product is a cross-linked lost circulation polymer. The polymer is a one-component
system that produces a very firm rubbery plug but can be pumped.

Polyurethanes. Polyurethane elastomer, HMP 85-1, is a mechanical grade casting rubber.

It is a two-component system with a work life of 1 to 2 minutes. Purform R is a
polyurethane and silicone foam system another polymer that could be classified as a
polyurethane and silicone foam system. The polyurethane is used to fill the gaps, seal
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and therefore insulate against vibration and sound. It is a two-component system that
could be custom-formulated.
WEBAC 151 is another polyurethane foam that could be injected to seal defective
concrete joints. It could also be used to provide soil stabilization. WEBAC 160 is struc-
turally dry reactive polyurethane foam. It is used to fill voids, repair defective concrete
joints. It has been also used by the bricks construction industry. It is a two-component sys-
tem with an adjustable gel time. WEBAC flexgel is a hydrophilic polyurethane foam-gel
that seals joints and stops water infiltration. It is a single component system with a cure
time that is controlled by the amount of added water. WEBAC 157 is a one-component
polyurethane foam with an added activator. It is suitable for sealing against water in moist
and wet joints and cracks. The WEBAC 157 gel time is adjustable. WEBAC 240/250
could be characterized as a two-component hydrophilic acrylate gel. The WEBAC 250
is not soluble in water and hydrocarbons and is not affected by microorganisms. Its gel
time can be varied to up 2 hours.
EpoxySystems #63 is an ethylene vinyl acetate expanded foam material. It is used
in the construction of bridge decks, water tanks, chemical storage areas, stadiums, and
in horizontal and vertical joints that are 3/8 of an inch wide or larger. 15A, 50A, and
80A PERCOL are rapid polyurethane joint sealants. They are used with Portland cement
to build concrete roads, bridges, highways, airport runways and industrial floors. 15A is
the softest product. It is used to seal expansion joints with high degree of movement.
The 50A product seals expansion joints with moderate movement. The 80A, however,
seals joints where movement is limited. The 15A, 50A, and 80A products are all liquid
applied with a cure time of 20 minutes at 74◦ F.

Resins. The resin type Nylane IV is a high performance casting resin. It is used in con-
junction with concrete, wood, steel, aluminum, non-ferrous metals, polyesters, polystyrene,
acrylics, and phenolics. It has a low viscosity and a work life of 45 to 60 minutes.
WEBAC 1403 is a two-component low viscosity hydrophobic resin. It is commonly
injected into wet and dry structures and hairline cracks. Its gel time can be adjusted
by the addition of the WEBAC 1400 catalyst. WEBAC 4111 is a two-component low
viscosity injection resin. It is used to block hairline cracks and weld cracked concrete.
The resin may be used with additives such as silica flour, sand or thixotropic fillers.
The EpoxySysems #420 product is a hydrophylic and grouting compound. The one-
component system is a liquid resin that reacts rapidly in the presence of water or moisture.
 A Comparative Study of LCMs 1049

The reaction time is less than 10 seconds at 70◦ F. The Phenol Seal is a thermoset resin
laminate. It is a superior bridging agent that is available in 3 dust free grades.

Way Forward
From other industrial’s experience standpoint, chemicals like gels and resins, which in-
clude polyurethanes, have promising results and could be pursued as potential LCM
candidates. In civil engineering, using polyurethane as a chemical grout in dam remedi-
ation and mining water-control was the driving force behind an extensive re-evaluation
of its use to control lost circulation (Bruce et al., 1998). Polyurethane is also becoming
the material of choice for sealing boreholes with large voids and high inflows, conditions
associated with severe lost circulation problems (Mansure, 2002). This review has, hence,
showed that there is a considerable interest in research and development activities to use
suitable polyurethane formulations in severe lost circulation conditions (Mansure, 2002).
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Our approach is to learn from other industries where polyurethane grouting is ap-
plied. Past work targeted high pressure and temperature lost-circulation zones. Successful
tests (Tschoepe, 1982) were reported for work conducted at high pressure (900 psi) and
temperature (300◦ F). This work was believed to be successful because of the significant
expansion of the foam. Unsuccessful tests included both high-pressure laboratory and
field tests (Glowka et al., 1989). The deployment of the chemicals was achieved by a
two-chamber tool lowered into the well.
Current work (Mansure, 2002) showed that successful polyurethane lost-circulation
plug should be able to withstand 1000 psi across the plug. The quantity and rate of
injection must be sufficient for the polyurethane to sweep out the mud and/or water so
that the polyurethane becomes the continuous phase. Evidence was shown that although
the polyurethane expansion may be beneficial, this expansion is not required to form a
good plug. Expansion has two advantages; namely it decreases the cost of a plug and helps
squeeze the material into the loss zone. Merely pouring the polyurethane into the well
will not result in penetration in the loss zone. Laboratory tests showed that penetration
could be reliably achieved by applying hydraulic pressures, not only by expansion, and
the following plug formation best practices were recommended:
1. Packing off the loss zone by squeezing the polyurethane in the loss zone.
2. Sufficient polyurethane must be injected to sweep out the mud and becomes the
continuous phase.
3. Injection time should be longer than the gel time so that the material starts to set
(becomes viscous) during injection.
In sum, excellent progress has been achieved on controlling the process of lost cir-
culation and understanding of how polyurethane chemistry affects proper plug formation
(Mansure, 2002). The emplacement techniques, however, remain an obstacle. Neverthe-
less, the development of such techniques is under investigation and some choices are
already being considered:
1. Should one-part or two-part polyurethane be used?
2. Should the material be tripped in a canister or pumped in?
Industry input is being sought to guide such choices.
As mentioned above, in the past work, emphasis was focused on the use of polyure-
thane formulations suitable for high temperature and pressure lost-circulation zones,
 1050 F. Boukadi et al.

which explain the limited successes reported. Currently, the target application has changed
(Mansure, 2002). Most of the troublesome loss zones are in the upper part of the geother-
mal boreholes. Thus, the focus was shifted to more cost effective techniques that can be
used near the surface (first 1000 ft).
Finally, some investigations associated the cost of sealing a lost circulation zone with
polyurethane plug to a number of factors including raw materials cost, borehole diameter,
penetration of the plug into the loss zone, loss zone void fraction, and foam density.

Conclusions
In conclusion, it is now well established that polyurethane grouting is routinely applied
in sealing boreholes in dam remediation projects. Many drilling and grouting companies
gained a solid experience with pumping polyurethane downholes and at least one grouting
contractor has used polyurethane to control lost circulation. Opportunities to test the
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application of polyurethane to lost circulation zones in geothermal drilling projects are

being sought by some companies. Among these companies, Sandia National Corporation
has been actively involved in developing polyurethane grouting to plug lost circulation
zones for the past ten years. Polyurethane foams were tried in both laboratory tests and
sponsored field tests.
Based on the work done by other companies, our approach is then to learn from
previous investigations and to follow up the polyurethane track. We propose to carry on
with the following work plan items:
1. Screening and testing of commercially available polyurethanes.
2. Recommend a formulation.
3. Recommend a pilot testing.

References
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