A facile method for synthesis and dispersion of silica nanoparticles in water-based drilling fluid

Silica nanoparticles were synthesized using the sol-gel method in an acidic environment containing tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) and hydrochloric acid (HCl), and the particle size distribution and morphology of silica nanoparticles were determined using dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The results show that the product is highly monodisperse and composed of amorphous SiO2 nanoparticles. Afterwards, a facile route for dispersion of nanoparticles in bentonite suspensions, low-salinity and high-salinity muds, was explained and the stability of the dispersions at different experimental conditions was investigated. Finally, the effect of silica nanoparticles on rheological properties and fluid filtration behavior was investigated using the API filter press test. The presented dispersion method in this study showed superior performance to previous dispersion methods.