Evaluating the locally sourced materials as fluid loss control additives in water-based drilling fluid

Abstract

In the exploration for hydrocarbons, a successful drilling operation to the desired depth hinges on the effective performance of the formulated drilling fluid. Apart from carrying drill cuttings to the surface, another major function of the fluid is to seal off the walls of the wellbore to prevent fluids from coming into and out of the wellbore while drilling a well. Numerous commercial fluid loss additives: carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), polyanionic cellulose (PAC), among others have been in existence with their drawbacks and effect on the total drilling cost. This study evaluates the use of locally sourced materials: Detarium microcarpum, Brachystegia eurycoma and rice husk, as fluid loss control additive in the water-based drilling fluid. The materials were prepared, ground and sieved to 125 microns. Four sets of water-based drilling muds were formulated using the local materials and CMC as fluid loss control additives. The mud formulation was based on the American Petroleum Institute (API) standard of 25g bentonite to 350mL of water. Also, the filtration test of the formulated muds was performed using API recommended practice for static filtration test at low temperature-low pressure (LTLP) condition. The results obtained showed that Detarium microcarpum and rice husk fluid loss volume and filter cake thickness were comparable with that of CMC from additive content of 10g, while Brachystegia eurycoma was comparable from additive content of 15g. Furthermore, the composite additive results indicated that Detarium microcarpum-rice husk at 95% Detarium microcarpum-5% rice husk performed better than Brachystegia eurycomarice husk of the same combination. Additionally, the fluid loss volume and filter cake thickness of Detarium microcarpum-rice husk additive were comparable with CMC from 10g content. Also, the results revealed that the fluid loss volume and filter cake thickness obtained from the locally sourced materials were within API specification for fluid loss control agents. The mud filter cake characteristics exhibited by these materials depicted that they have slippery, smooth and soft mud cakes; thus, the characteristics of a good mud cake that will prevent differential pipe sticking.

Formulation of cellulose using groundnut husk as an environment-friendly fluid loss retarder additive and rheological modifier comparable to PAC for WBM

“…This can further lead to formation damage around the wellbore. Hence, a filter cake that is thin, impermeable, and dense ensures that a lesser amount of filtrate is lost to the formation, which helps prevent a change in the rheological properties of the drilling fluid by averting a change in the fluid density (Nasiri and Jafari 2016). Figure 10a shows the trend of the filtrate losses of the formulated drilling fluids at 1% of the additive.…”

Evaluation of using waste pinecones as an eco-friendly additive to water-based mud

“…When the filtration liquid enters the formations, they contaminate the zones around the well, which leads to a negative impact on the productivity of these formations and reduces the strength of the wellbore (Feng et al, 2018). Commercial additives, such as (CMC) and (PAC) are costly materials that increase the total cost of drilling (Okoro et al, 2018;Okon et al, 2020). Therefore, researchers are looking for environ mentally friendly natural materials with a lower cost compared to commercial additives that are used to reduce filter loss.…”

Application of Psyllium Husk as a Friendly Filtrate Reducer for High-Temperature Water-Based Drilling Fluids

“…With the increasingly stringent environmental regulations, the exploitation of green and environmentally friendly drilling fluid treatment agents is of great significance for protecting the environment. In recent years, researchers have carried out a lot of research and developed a richer variety of environmentally friendly treatment agents. − Among them, because polysaccharide polymers have the advantages of wide sources, low price, easy modification, and biodegradability, they are extensively applied in drilling fluids to improve rheological properties and fluid loss properties, , such as xanthan gum, starch derivatives, cellulose derivatives, and so on. When the hot rolling temperature is greater than 140 °C, it is susceptible to oxidative decomposition or thermal degradation at high temperature, leading to breakage of the molecular chain and losing the control effect on the performance of the drilling fluid. − , …”