Magnesium oxide for the oil and gas industry

Magnesium oxide is a powder of mineral origin. Due to its unique performance characteristics, Magnesium oxide has earned wide application in the oil and gas industry.

The main directions in the use of this material are:

• Primary cementing of casing strings under normal conditions
• Primary cementing of casing strings in unique mining and geological conditions
• Repair and insulation works of operating wells
• Isolation of the absorption intervals of petroleum products.

Let's look at everything in order.

1. In the primary cementing of casing strings under normal conditions, traditionally used grouting compositions based on Portland cement, as well as various additives and additives, the number of which can reach 20 names. One of the groups is expanding additives – those that help to create a dense fluid-tight contact of the cement stone with the rock.

It is for these purposes that our product Magnesium oxide is used – and according to experts, the use of magnesium oxide for these purposes is more effective and appropriate, because its action is very uniform and provides expansion of the grouting mixture during the period of solidification and adhesion to the limiting rocks.

2. Cementing in unique mining and geological conditions. The demand and widespread use of petroleum products lead to the fact that more and more difficult-to-reach deposits with unique production conditions are being developed: zones of permafrost, salt-saturated rocks, rapopoietic horizons, mobile or flowing salts.

In such cases, unique grouting compositions are needed, which are based on magnesium oxide, due to their properties. At the same time, the purity and properties of magnesium oxide are of great importance. It is no longer suitable for products that are waste from the main production or by-products, such as dust removal (a by-product in the production of refractories), since the quality of such materials is not stable.

The only solution is specially produced magnesium oxide, which has a number of advantages:

• Low W/T ratio, which allows you to get the desired deformation and strength characteristics of the grouting stone and reduce the final cost by saving on an expensive recluse-a solution of magnesium chloride.
• Low level of exoteria in the hydration of magnesium oxide-based grouting compositions, which allows the use of such compositions in MMP conditions.

Cementing the inter-column space is another difficult task for specialists in the oil and gas industry, which is easily handled by magnesium oxide. Moreover, as in the previous case-in comparison with the use of various substances containing magnesium oxide and being a by-product or waste-specially produced by our company Magnesium Oxide is the only feasible option, tk can be produced in a certain fraction, with a specific surface area and astringent activity.

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3. Another problem of the oil industry, which we will introduce you to, is the isolation of the absorption intervals of process fluids. Increasingly, non-standard PCT-based curable formulations are used for these purposes due to the frequent dilution of such formulations and the long thickening interval and the increased setting time.

Increasingly, specialists are turning to the use of the astringent properties of magnesium oxide for the formation of an insulating screen, which is formed in a short time allowed by the technological process. At the same time, the thickening and setting of grouting compositions based on magnesium oxide is not affected by borehole fluid and reservoir water.

Due to its exceptional astringent activity, magnesium oxide is used as the basis for such exclusive insulation compositions as curable viscoelastic compositions (VUS). A characteristic feature of cured VUS is their ability to form an elastic rubber-like structure with subsequent curing. Such compositions are not only highly effective, but are often the only ones that provide results in the fight against complete and catastrophic absorption.

4. Repair and insulation work of the wells under construction is another task that our product – Magnesium oxide-helps to cope with.

Magnesia astringent, as the basis for compositions for RIR, is a promising product. The properties necessary for insulation compositions are completely inherent in grouting materials based on powdered magnesium oxide.

1. The high salinity of the solution allows for almost zero filtrate recovery, even in the absence of a polymer complex.
2. The high activity of the binder guarantees the transition from the state of solution to stone within a few minutes, which prevents the dilution of the insulation screen with reservoir fluid.
3. The high fluidity of the grouting solution, comparable to the fluidity of true salt solutions, allows the use of magnesia compositions even with minimal pick-up.
4. The ability to hydrate even at low positive temperatures ensures the effectiveness of the RIR even when injected into the MCP from the mouth.
5. The selective ability of grouting compositions, which consists in the formation of stone at the boundary with aquiferous layers and almost the cessation of hydration at the boundary with oil-saturated layers, characterizes not only the effectiveness of RIR, but also the preservation of the reservoir properties of the near-trunk zone of the formation.

One important note I would like to add to this chapter about the features of the use of magnesia materials in repair and insulation work. For these purposes, the fractional composition of the magnesium oxide powder is particularly important: the grouting composition based on magnesium oxide with an average particle size of 70-90 microns is not particularly stable. The average particle size of 40-60 microns in the magnesium oxide powder allows us to significantly expand the capabilities of magnesia compositions during RIR. But the most effective is the use of magnesium oxide with an average particle size of 40 microns or less, as it makes it easier to deliver the insulation composition with minimal pick-up.

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