Phase-Conversion Stiffened Dual-Network Hydrogel for Fracture Plugging in Oil-Based Drilling Fluid

During drilling operations, lost circulation frequently occurs, leading to significant loss of drilling fluids which causes environmental damage and increasing drilling costs. To address the problem of fracture plugging, gel materials have emerged as an ideal solution due to stable physicochemical properties and excellent environmental compatibility. However, most existing gels exhibit poor stability and low mechanical strength under high-temperature conditions. To overcome these limitations, high-temperature-resistant phase-conversion stiffened dual-network hydrogel for oil-based drilling fluids was developed. Phase-conversion was realized by immersing synthesized double-network hydrogel in ethylene glycol (EG), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and glycerol (Gly), optimizing and enhancing its mechanical properties, followed by plugging performance evaluations. Experimental results demonstrated that the phase-conversion stiffened gels achieved significantly improved compressive strength and plugging efficiency at elevated temperature. The GC-MS results indicated that dehydration and reagent exchange occurred during immersion, with change in the solid content of the sample. After being treated by white oil at high temperature, the oil phase almost replaced the water phase in the gel. The results of ATR-IR confirmed the formation of hydrogen bonds in the gel. TGA data revealed that PEG enhanced the thermal stability of the gel, EG negatively affected thermal stability, and Gly had negligible influence. The enhancement in gel strength primarily stems from the increase in solid content caused by phase transformation. Dehydration and multiple hydrogen bonds formed between organic reagent molecules and polymer chains in the gel have a synergistic enhancement effect.