Advanced Drilling Fluids

PE 7123 Fall/2005

Overview

Schematic of Example Rig Circulating

System for Liquid Drilling Fluids

Advanced

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Drilling Fluids
API

defines a drilling fluid as:

A circulating fluid used in rotary drilling to

perform any or all of the various functions

required in a drilling operation
This implies that rotary drilling is impossible
without a circulating fluid
Fails to consider the five major mud functions

Advanced

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Drilling Fluids
A better

definition

An optimum drilling fluid is one in which the

flow rate necessary to clean the hole results in

the proper hydraulic horsepower to clean the bit
for the weight and rotary speed imposed to give
the lowest cost, provided this combination of
variables results in a stable borehole that meets
formation evaluation criteria and penetrates the
desired target.
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Drilling Fluid Functions

Cooling

and lubricating the bit

Cleaning the bottom of the borehole of
drilled cutting
Transporting cuttings to the surface
Stabilizing the wellbore
Allowing adequate formation evaluation
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And more
Exert

sufficient hydrostatic pressure against

productive formation to prevent them from flowing
into the wellbore
Keep the wellbore open until steel casing can be run
Seal off the permeable formations with a thin filter
cake
Assist in the collection of information from the well
in the form of cuttings, cores, and well logs
Support part of the drillstring through buoyancy
Control drilling rates
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Drilling Fluids Should NOT

Be

harmful to personnel nor the

environment
Interfere with formation evaluation
Damage the production rate from the
formations
Cause corrosion of the drilling equipment
and subsurface tubulars
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Why Are We Concerned over

Drilling Fluids
All

drilling problems are related to drilling

fluids
Many wells are abandoned because of poor
drilling fluids
Drilling fluid costs can be excessive (over
$1,000,000 on some wells)

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Drilling Fluids Are Selected on

the Basis of
The

types of formations (shaleyness) to be drilled

The range of temperature and pressure
encountered
The type of formation evaluation needed
The water quality available
Ecological and environmental considerations
And, $$$$$$
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Types of Drilling Fluids

Air-Gas

Water-Base

Dry air or gas

Foam muds
Aerated muds
Oil-Base

Muds

True oil-base muds

Invert-emulsion

Advanced

Muds

Bentonite
Phosphates
A gel-chemical mud
Calcium muds
Low solids/nondispersed
polymer muds
Salt-mud

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LIQUIDS

GAS

GAS-LIQUID MIXTURES

AERATED WATER

WATER_BASE
MUD

Advanced

OIL_BASE
MUD

FOAM

AIR

NATURAL
GAS

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Water Base Mud Compositions

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Water Base Mud

Water

phase can contain many different

dissolved chemicals
Oil is seldom used today, because of
ecological considerations
Active solids (clays) are affected by the
water present
Inactive solids(both low and high gravity)
increased the viscosity of the mud
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Oil Base Mud Compositions

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Oil Base Mud

Diesel

or Mineral Oils are used

The emulsified water phase contains salts
for osmotic control
All solids affect the viscosity of the mud

Advanced

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Gas Base Mud

Used

when the low hydrostatic pressures

are possible
Under-Balanced Drilling

Advanced

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