Experimental investigation of environmentally friendly drilling fluid additives (mandarin peels powder) to substitute the conventional chemicals used in water-based drilling fluid

Abstract

The non-biodegradable additives used in controlling drilling fluid properties cause harm to the environment and personal safety. Thus, there is a need for alternative drilling fluid additives to reduce the amount of non-biodegradable waste disposed to the environment. This work investigates the potential of using mandarin peels powder (MPP), a food waste product, as a new environmentally friendly drilling fluid additive. A complete set of tests were conducted to recognize the impact of MPP on the drilling fluid properties. The results of MPP were compared to low viscosity polyanionic cellulose (PAC-LV), commonly used chemical additive for the drilling fluid. The results showed that MPP reduced the alkalinity by 20-32% and modified the rheological properties (plastic viscosity, yield point, and gel strength) of the drilling fluid. The fluid loss decreased by 44-68% at concentrations of MPP as less as 1-4%, and filter cake was enhanced as well when comparing to the reference mud. In addition, MPP had a negligible to minor impact on mud weight, and this effect was resulted due to foaming issues. Other properties such as salinity, calcium content, and resistivity were negligibly affected by MPP. This makes MPP an effective material to be used as pH reducer, a viscosity modifier, and an excellent fluid loss agent. This work also provides a practical guide for minimizing the cost of the drilling fluid through economic, environmental, and safety considerations, by comparing MPP with PAC-LV.

Insights into the applications of waste materials in the oil and gas industry: state of the art review, availability, cost analysis, and classification

“…Food wastes can cause many problems to public health and the environment if not managed properly. One of the best options for managing food wastes is recycling them to use them in the oil and gas industry (Al-Hameedi et al 2019a). Research on which countries generate the most food waste is important to provide insights into where food waste is most present in the globe.…”

“…Other examples include non-food waste products derived from plants such as tree wastes, leaves, grass waste, and other waste generated from plant sources. Al-Hameedi et al (2019a) performed an analysis of eco-friendly waste materials and how they have the potential to be utilized in the petroleum industry.…”

“…These waste materials may be utilized in the petroleum industry by taking advantage of them for different targets rather than throwing the unfavorable waste. For instance, the inedible food wastes can be used for other uses such as altering the drilling fluid properties (Al-Hameedi et al 2019a). Another waste additive that has the feasibility to be utilized in the petroleum industry is grass.…”

“…Some of the conventional toxic additives for the drilling fluids(Basra Oil Company 2017;Halliburton 2018;Baker Hughes 2010; Newpark Drilling Fluids 2012;Al-Hameedi et al 2019a) …”

Improvement of rheological and filtration characteristics of water-based drilling fluids using naturally derived henna leaf and hibiscus leaf extracts

“…Also, polymer, such as polyanionic cellulose (PAC) acts as a fluid loss reducing agent which minimizes the flow of fluid to form a thin cake with low permeability (Luz et al 2017). It can also improve the viscosity of the drilling fluids depending on its molecular weight and chemical structure (Al-Hameedi et al 2020). These additives are large size diameter chemicals and are chemically processed.…”