RT Journal Article T1 Flow behavior and thermal resistance of xanthan gum in formate brine A1 Reinoso, David A1 Martín Alfonso, María José A1 Luckham, Paul F. A1 Martínez Boza, Francisco José AB Drilling and completion operations in HP/HT environments demand the use of environmentally friendly fluids with suitable properties such as solid-free high-density and pseudoplastic behavior. Xanthan gum solutions in different brines may be an interesting alternative to ensure a suitable thermo-rheological behavior and biodegradability. Nevertheless, xanthan exposed at high temperature experiences thermal degradation that can modify the flow properties over time and limits the ceiling temperature of oilfield applications. To gain insight on this issue, this paper characterizes the flow behavior of low concentration XT solutions in calcium and potassium brines, evaluating the effect that potassium formate exerts on both the flow properties and the resistance to thermal degradation of xanthan solutions as a function of the biopolymer concentration. Xanthan in formate brine retains the pseudoplastic behavior up to 190ºC, however, low concentrate solutions undergo a thermal degradation that decreases the recovery of pseudoplasticity after being exposed to high temperature. PB Elsevier YR 2019 FD 2019-12-30 LK https://hdl.handle.net/10272/27666 UL https://hdl.handle.net/10272/27666 LA eng NO Reinoso, D., Martín-Alfonso, M. J., Luckham, P. F., & Martínez-Boza, F. J. (2020). Flow behavior and thermal resistance of xanthan gum in formate brine. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 188, 106881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2019.106881 NO This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (Project CTQ2017-89792-R (AEI/FEDER, EU)) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Project CTQ2014-56980-R (MINECO/FEDER)) DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva RD 1 jun 2026