Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.

Carlos Arturo Carrera

Jay Paul Deville

Waseem Abdulrazzaq

In general, in one aspect, embodiments relate to a method that includes circulating a water-based drilling fluid though a drill string to extend a wellbore through a subterranean formation, separating at least a portion of the water-based drilling fluid from the circulated water-based drilling fluid to form a separated portion of water-based drilling fluid, mixing a metal salt and a metal oxide into the separated portion of water-based drilling fluid to form a mixture and shearing the mixture to form a chemical sealing pill, where the chemical sealing pill includes the portion of the water-based drilling fluid, the metal salt, and the metal oxide, and after mixing and shearing, introducing the chemical sealing pill into the drill string as a single mixture and flowing the chemical sealing pill into a lost circulation zone in the subterranean formation.

Curing lost circulation of water-based drilling muds

A method may include: circulating an oil-based drilling fluid though a drill string to extend a wellbore through a subterranean formation, wherein the oil-based drilling fluid comprises an invert emulsion; separating at least a portion of the oil-based drilling fluid from the circulated oil-based drilling fluid to form a separated portion of oil-based drilling fluid; mixing a metal salt and a metal oxide into the separated portion of the oil-based drilling fluid to form a chemical sealing pill; introducing the chemical sealing pill into the drill string and flowing the chemical sealing pill into a lost circulation zone in the subterranean formation; allowing at least a portion of the chemical sealing pill to set in the lost circulation zone to form a set plug, wherein the set plug seals the lost circulation zone and reduces loss of fluid into the lost circulation zone from subsequently introduced fluids; and preventing loss of fluid into the lost circulation zone from subsequently introduced fluids with the set plug.

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Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

Carlos Arturo Carrera