Adsorption behavior and effectiveness of poly(N,N‐dimethylacrylamide‐co‐Ca 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropanesulfonate) as cement fluid loss additive in the presence of acetone‐formaldehyde‐sulfite dispersant

Abstract A copolymer of N,N‐dimethylacrylamide and Calcium 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropanesulfonate was synthesized by free‐radical copolymerization. Its performance as anionic fluid loss additive (FLA) was studied by measuring static filtration properties of oil well cement slurries at 27°C and 70 bar pressure, respectively. It was found that cement filter cake permeability and API fluid loss decrease with increasing FLA dosage. Filtrate analysis revealed a linear correlation between fluid loss and the amount of FLA adsorbed on the cement surface. FLA adsorption on cement was determined by total organic carbon (TOC) analysis in cement filtrate and confirmed by ζ‐potential measurement. According to environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) investigations, FLA does not alter the filter cake structure. In the presence of an anionic acetone–formaldehyde–sulfite (AFS) polycondensate dispersant, fluid loss control from FLA decreased and cement filter cake permeability increased because AFS reduces the amount of FLA adsorbed. In comparison to FLA, AFS shows stronger adsorption on the cement surface and succeeds in the competition with FLA. The different adsorption behavior of the two polymers is the reason for limited compatibility of this admixture com bination. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 4341–4347, 2006