A review on the use of carboxymethyl cellulose in oil and gas field operations

Abstract

The purpose of this review is to highlight the applications of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) in oil and gas industries. CMC is one of the most promising cellulose derivatives and the most widely used in the drilling sector. Owing to its multifunctionality, facile, inexpensive, raw material abundance, availability, compatibility, distinctive surface property and many other disparate aspects, it is now widely used in many fields for a variety of applications, including the oil and gas industry, pharmaceuticals, food, textiles, wastewater treatment, and energy production/storage. Despite CMC’s wide applications in many fields, very few studies report its role in oil and gas operations such as drilling and completion, hydraulic fracturing, corrosion inhibition and cementing applications. As a result, this review points some of CMC’s relevance in the oil and gas industry now and in future.