Abstract: The Arctic region possesses abundant oil and gas resources. Driven by a confluence of factors including climate warming, technological advancements, and geoeconomics, oil and gas exploration and development are accelerating in the region; however, the extreme operating environment imposes stringent requirements on the performance of low-temperature drilling fluids. Focusing on the Arctic drilling environment, this study employs VOSviewer software to conduct a visual analysis of literatures related to Arctic low-temperature drilling technologies. It identifies the challenges and technical difficulties in regional drilling operations, systematically reviews the research progress of low-temperature drilling fluids, and provides prospects for future trends. The Arctic region is characterized by an extremely harsh climatic environment, complex and diverse formation structures, sensitive ecosystems, and a lack of infrastructure, all of which pose severe challenges to drilling operations. The widely developed permafrost and natural gas hydrates are both signature geological features of the Arctic and critical research priorities requiring breakthroughs in the field of low-temperature drilling fluid technology. Permafrost is temperature-sensitive and prone to thawing, borehole instability, and collapse during drilling; thermal disturbances can induce the decomposition of natural gas hydrates and shallow free gas near the wellbore, triggering accidents such as gas influx, well kicks, and blowouts. During drilling in natural gas hydrate-bearing formations, variations in temperature and pressure can easily disrupt the hydrate phase equilibrium, leading to decomposition and gasification, which in turn causes complex engineering challenges including borehole instability, formation subsidence, and gas blowouts. Furthermore, the fragile polar ecological environment imposes stringent requirements on the environmental friendliness of drilling fluids. Low-temperature drilling fluids in the Arctic primarily include brine, polymer, oil-based, ester-based, and synthetic ether-based systems; however, existing formulations still face bottlenecks in simultaneously achieving low-temperature stability, wellbore stability control, and ecological compatibility. This paper integrates the existing technologies and proposes that future research should focus on the construction of green, high-performance, low-temperature drilling fluid systems, specifically across four dimensions:optimizing low-temperature rheology, strengthening inhibition and sealing capacities, improving hydrate inhibition effects, and enhancing biodegradability, to support the efficient and safe exploitation of Arctic oil and gas resources.

Key words: Arctic region, low-temperature drilling fluid, permafrost, natural gas hydrate, drilling fluid system

摘要： 北极地区油气资源丰富,受气候变暖、技术发展及地缘经济等多重因素驱动,油气勘探开发加速推进,但其极端的作业环境对低温钻井液性能提出了严苛要求。以北极地区钻井环境为切入点,通过VOSviewer软件对北极地区低温钻井技术相关文献进行可视化处理,分析得出了该地区钻井面临的挑战与技术难点,梳理了低温钻井液的研究进展,并展望了未来趋势。北极地区气候环境极端恶劣,地层结构复杂多样,生态系统敏感,基础设施匮乏,这对钻井作业提出了严峻挑战。地层中广泛发育的永久冻土与天然气水合物,既是北极地区地质构造的标志性特征,也是低温钻井液技术领域亟待突破的研究重点。永冻层对温度敏感,在钻进过程中易出现冻土融化、井壁失稳、坍塌等现象,热扰动导致井壁附近的天然气水合物和浅层游离气发生分解,引发气侵、井涌、井喷等事故;天然气水合物层钻进因钻井作业的温压变化极易破坏水合物的相平衡状态,导致其分解气化,引发井壁失稳、地层沉降及气体井喷等复杂工程难题。此外,脆弱的极地生态环境也对钻井液的环保性提出了极高要求。北极地区低温钻井液主要包括盐水钻井液、聚合物钻井液、石油基钻井液、酯基钻井液以及复合醚基钻井液,但现有钻井液体系在兼顾“钻井液低温稳定性、井壁稳定控制、生态兼容性”等方面仍存在瓶颈。综合现有技术,提出了未来应聚焦构建绿色环保高性能低温钻井液体系,重点从优化低温流变性、强化抑制封堵能力、提升水合物抑制效果及增强生物可降解性4个维度开展,以期支撑北极地区油气资源的高效安全开发。

关键词: 北极地区, 低温钻井液, 永冻层, 天然气水合物, 钻井液体系