Effects of carboxylated styrene‐butadiene latex nanoparticles on channeling leakage and pore structure of oil well cement

Abstract The exploitation efficiency of oil and gas resources depends on the cementing quality. In cementing engineering, interlayer migration occurs in the underground gas layer with cement hole as the main channel, which seriously threatens the sealing integrity of cement casing and leads to the failure of cementing operation. To improve the gas migration control ability of oil well cement (OWC), two carboxylated styrene‐butadiene latex nanomaterials styrene butadiene latex containing itaconic acid and sodium p‐styrene sulfonate (SBSI) and styrene‐butadiene latex containing methacrylic acid and sodium p‐styrene sulfonate (SBSM) were synthesized. The effects of SBSI and SBSM with different carboxyl structures on the gas migration control ability and pore structure of cement were investigated. The results show that the latex is densely packed on the cement matrix through the dissociation and adsorption behavior of carboxyl groups, and the smaller particle size and lower adsorption are more conducive to the formation of the film. The introduction of latex effectively shortened the transition time of cement gel state and significantly reduced the permeability of interlayer material migration. Compared with OWC, the transition time of cement containing SBSI and SBSM latex (SBSI/OWC and SBSM/OWC) decreased from 28 to 18 and 17 min, respectively, and the filter loss decreased from 60 to 40 and 36 mL, respectively. The isolation effect of the latex film on the interlayer gas and the provision of mechanical support have greatly improved the gas migration control ability of the cement and ensured the cementing quality. In addition, the refinement of cement pore structure caused by latex brings better rheological and mechanical properties to cement. This study clarified the change of latex in the gel transition stage of OWC from liquid to solid and revealed the mechanism of latex on the internal structure change of cement. It broadens the application range of latex nanomaterials in the field of OWC and provides a new possibility for the use of OWC in high temperature and high salt environment.