Utilising Environmentally Friendly Polymers as Rheological Control and Fluid Loss Additives in Water-Based Drilling Muds

Abstract

This research study investigates the efficacy of natural polymers, specifically gum Arabic and konjac gum, as rheological control and fluid-loss additives in water-based drilling fluids compared to commonly used additives in the oil industry - polyanionic cellulose (PAC R) and xanthan gum (XC). Laboratory experiments were conducted to analyze the rheological properties, filter cake formation, and API filtrate loss of drilling fluids formulated with varying concentrations of the natural polymers. Parameters such as mud weight, pH, viscosity, yield point, gel strength, filter cake characteristics, and fluid loss were measured to assess the performance of the different additives. The findings show that konjac gum exhibits exceptional viscosifying properties and imparts high gel strength and yield point to water-based drilling muds at 120°F, surpassing PAC R and xanthan gum. Moreover, gum Arabic demonstrates effectiveness as a filtration loss and filter cake forming agent at 212°F, outperforming PAC R and xanthan gum in these aspects. In conclusion, this research establishes that gum arabic can be effective as both a filtration loss inhibitor and a filter cake forming agent, while konjac gum can serve as an agent enhancing gel strength and yield point for oil well drilling at 120°F, owing to their advantageous performance characteristics.