Investigation of Minerals Wettability Alteration in Invert-Emulsion Drilling Fluid by Surfactants

The invert-emulsion drilling fluids are commonly used to drill reactive formations because they inhibit water interaction with sensitive shales and dispersive formations. In an invert-emulsion drilling fluid solid additives should not be wet. In the absence of oil wetting agents, solid particles including weighting agents and shale are usually preferentially water-wet in mineral oils/brine emulsions saturated with calcium chloride or sodium chloride. Phospholipid and alkylimidazoline were used to make the solids oil-wet. Then the wettability of Barite and Calcite in invert-emulsion was studied along with evaluation of yield point and gel strength of drilling fluids. These oil- wetting agents caused Barite and Calcite to be moderately to strongly oil-wet resulting in lower yield point and gel strength for fluid. Alkylimidazoline is the comparatively more effective oil-wetting agent in different invert-emulsion drilling fluids.