Advances and future prospects of shale oil and gas drilling fluid technology

作者：Jinsheng SUN, Guiqin XU, Yang DING, Kaihe LYU, Junhao Fan, Jian Li · 发表于：Petroleum Exploration and Development · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/s1876-3804(26)60665-9 · 被引用次数：8 · 研究领域：Drilling and Well Engineering、Hydraulic Fracturing and Reservoir Analysis、Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis

This paper systematically reviews the advances in shale oil and gas drilling fluid technology, provides an in-depth analysis of the critical bottlenecks in each technology and explores their future development directions. Several technologies have been developed for shale oil and gas: water-based drilling fluids with a core emphasis on sealing, inhibition and lubrication; oil-based drilling fluids centered around wellbore strengthening, low-oil-water-ratio emulsions, and synthetic-based systems; drilling fluids for reservoir protection based on clay-free, under-balanced, and interfacial modification; as well as lost circulation control technologies founded on bridging, gelling, responsive, and composite mechanisms. A comprehensive analysis indicates that existing technologies are still plagued by several bottlenecks, including inadequate high-temperature and contamination resistance, prohibitive costs, and poor formation adaptability. Drilling operations still face severe challenges such as wellbore instability, reservoir damage and severe fluid losses. Accordingly, the following prospects for future shale oil and gas drilling fluid technology are proposed: (1) Water-based drilling fluids require a focus on the synergistic effects of nanoscale plugging and chemical inhibition, the development of smart responsive lubricants, and enhanced resistance to high temperatures and acid gas contamination. (2) Oil-based drilling fluids should achieve breakthroughs in novel emulsifiers f...