Study on Synthesis and Performance of a Hybrid Crosslinked Composite Gel for High-Temperature Lost Circulation Control.

Abstract

Conventional chemical gel plugging materials often suffer from poor high-temperature stability and inadequate mechanical properties. To address these issues, this study developed a high-performance composite gel material using a multi-component hybrid crosslinking strategy. The material employs γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) as the silica source, which hydrolyzes in situ to generate SiO₂, thereby enhancing temperature resistance. Laponite nanoplatelets are incorporated as a toughening agent and physical crosslinking points, while a self-synthesized reactive microgel (BWL) serves as the organic crosslinking core. Through copolymerization with monomers such as acrylamide (AM) and methacrylic acid (MAA), a triple-crosslinked network structure is constructed. Compared with conventional gels, the synthesized hybrid crosslinked composite gel maintains a high storage modulus and loss modulus after aging at 140 °C and exhibits excellent tensile and compressive properties. Furthermore, the gel was processed into particle-based lost circulation materials with different particle sizes. High-temperature and high-pressure plugging experiments demonstrate that when using a mixed system of 40-60 mesh, 20-40 mesh, and 10-20 mesh gel particles with a total concentration of 2%, it can effectively seal highly permeable sand beds and fractures with apertures up to 5 mm. This meets the engineering requirements for lost circulation materials with high strength and high stability in deep, high-temperature formations.