Rheological Properties Of Water Based Mud Research Articles

Enhancement of Rheological Properties of Nano-Fe2O3-Modified Drilling Fluids

Summary In this study, we explore the potential of using nanoparticles (NPs) to enhance the properties of water-based drilling fluids (WBDFs). Specifically, we investigate the effects of nano-Fe2O3 on the rheological behavior of drilling fluid muds under high-temperature and high-pressure (HTHP) conditions to determine the optimal concentration of Fe2O3 NPs to maintain consistent rheology and improve drilling fluid systems. Results show that as temperature increases, the rheological properties of water-based muds (WBMs) decrease, leading to compromised structural integrity. To address this issue, nano-Fe2O3 is introduced into the system. We prepared and evaluated six WBM formulations with varying weight percentages of Fe2O3 NPs, and found that an optimal NP concentration of 2.5 g wt% resulted in a 13.8% reduction in American Petroleum Institute (API) filtrate volume and a 40% reduction in filter-cake thickness. Under conditions of 300°F temperature and 10,000 psi pressure, consistent reductions were observed in the rheological properties of plastic viscosity (PV), yield point (YP), and gel strength with the addition of Fe2O3 NPs. The YP-PV span was measured at 2.7, and the yield strength was determined to be 11 lb/100 ft2. Regarding fluid loss, Drilling Mudcake A containing 0.5 wt% NPs experienced a loss of 6 mL of fluid after 30 minutes, whereas Mudcake E containing 3 wt% NPs exhibited a fluid loss of 5.1 mL in the API filter press test. According to the Bingham plastic model, Muds E and F, containing 2.5 wt% and 3 wt% NPs, respectively, displayed the maximum shear stress vs. shear rate. This highlights the efficacy of nano-Fe2O3 in adjusting the properties of drilling fluids, presenting opportunities for enhanced performance and efficiency in drilling operations.

Assessing the Utilization of Sawdust in Water-Based Drilling Fluid for Managing Fluid Loss and Enhancing Viscosity

The evaluation of the use of sawdust in drilling fluid formulation is covered in this study. The investigation focused on the physicochemical and rheological properties of water-based mud (WBM) drilling fluids that included four different dosages of sawdust. These properties included yield stress, plastic viscosity, rheological behavior, gel strength, filtration test (API filtrate; American Petroleum Institute), and pH. The sawdust was employed as a substitute for the polymers commonly used in water-based muds (WBMs) to serve either as a viscosifier or as a fluid loss controller. The current study set out to evaluate how sawdust (diameter ≤630 µm) affected the primary characteristics of the drilling muds. Sawdust was utilized in place of carboxymethyl cellulose polymer (CMC) as a viscosifier and polyanionic cellulose polymer (PAC) as a filtrate reducer at several dosages (0, 10, 20, 50, and 100 g/L). It was found that the sawdust dosage and its role had a significant impact on the rheological characteristics of the drilling fluids. At amounts between 20 and 50 g/L, the sawdust was added as a viscosifier to the drilling fluids under study, resulting in a significant improvement in their physicochemical and rheological parameters (yield stress, plastic viscosity, and gel strength). However, the drilling fluids showed extremely high rheological properties and a viscosity that can slow down fluid circulation in the well when 100 g/L of sawdust were used, totally substituting for the polymers.

FACILITATING MUD DESIGN, CEMENTING JOB DESIGN AND THE ENTIRE DRILLING OPERATIONS BY MODELLING THE RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF WATER-BASED MUD AND OIL-BASED MUD WITH TEMPERATURE

The increasing rental cost of drilling Rig and the associated painful cost of downtime during drilling operations are some of the major concerns of the oil & gas companies. Improper rheological properties of drilling mud may cause a variety of problems including insufficient cuttings transport, limited solids suspension, poor hole-cleaning and excess filtrate loss into the formation. Facilitating mud design, cementing job design and the entire drilling operations will save Rig time and associated cost and prompt management of oil & gas companies to devote more of their useful time and resources to other significant aspects of their operations. The aforesaid prompted this work to invent a method for developing mathematical models representing the rheological parameters of drilling mud (water-based mud and oil-based mud) to enable prediction of the rheological properties in emergency situations where and when Laboratory services are not immediately available. The methods applied include Laboratory testing and mathematical modelling. Results revealed that the mathematical models can be confidently applied to predict the Plastic viscosity and Yield stress of water based mud and oil-based mud as the correlation coefficient (R-squared value) obtained for each of the aforesaid rheological properties was higher than 95% Therefore, as the rheological properties of water-based mud and oil-based mud depend on their composition, physical and chemical properties, mathematical models should be proactively developed for the Plastic viscosity and Yield stress for every mud in hole to enable prediction of the its rheological parameters when and where laboratory services are not immediately available.

Optimisation of Rheological Properties of Water-Based Mud (WBM) with Natural Additives by Using Response Surface Methodology (RSM)

The rheological properties of drilling muds are critical for achieving optimal performances during drilling operations. In this study, bentonite, tannin, and xanthan gum were utilised as water-based drilling mud additives to enhance the rheological properties. The Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with Box-Behnken Design (BBD) was used to investigate the additive's effect on the rheological properties of the drilling muds. The concentration of bentonite, tannin and xanthan gum were considered as the independent variables, while plastic viscosity (PV), apparent viscosity (AV), and yield point (YP) as the responses in the design of experiment (DOE). The YP, AV and PV were determined using 9.0 ppg of drilling mud according to the API standard procedures. Response surface plots (3D) were used to analyse the effect of the independent factors on the rheological properties and resulting in R2 values of 0.9753 for PV, 0.9582 for AV and 0.9513 for YP, which indicates that the interaction between elements in the system were statistically significant as these R2 values were close to 1.0. Bentonite was observed to significantly increased the PV, AV, and YP, whereas it decreased as tannin concentration increased. The optimal rheological properties required for low PV and AV with a high YP could be achieved using WBM formulation of bentonite at 4.02 g, 7.29 g of tannin, and 0.53 g of xanthan gum. Meanwhile, xanthan gum had an insignificant effect on the PV, AV, and YP. This finding demonstrates that the RSM model is accurate and relevant tool; hence it may be utilised to optimise the experimental conditions of mud formulation and accurately predict the rheology parameters of drilling muds.

Effects of Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNT) on Performance of Water Based Mud (WBM)

The present review article expresses the effectiveness of different types of Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotube(s) (MWCNT) on the rheological properties of Water-Based Mud drilling fluid. Shale formations are troublesome according to their water sensitivity characteristic, low Nano-Darcy permeability with small nanometer-sized pore throats that are not effectively sealed by the solids in conventional drilling fluids. Water invasion into the shale formations causes different problems in the drilling industry. Nanoparticle additives have the potential to be used in drilling operations due to their large surface area and lower kinetic energy than micro-additives. The test results demonstrate that multi-wall carbon nanotube improves the rheological properties of the WaterBased Mud drilling fluid. Acidic-surface modified carbon nanotube in the presence of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) increases the plastic viscosity and yield point of the sample more than unmodified carbon nanotube and hybrid multiwall carbon nanotube. Test results show that multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) improve shale stability and shale recovery, finally leading to more well-bore stability in shale formations.

Experimental investigation of rheological properties of water-base mud with zinc oxide nanoparticles using response surface methodology

Special and advanced techniques at drilling and production operations are used to drill and produce hydrocarbons from different eccentric reservoirs such as deep-water reservoirs, shale gas, and shale oil necessitates. However, these advanced techniques are considered to be costly and affecting the environment. Therefore, nanotechnology has been implemented in the drilling fluids to improve the rheological properties, hydrogen concentration, and filtration rate. This study is, therefore, aimed at evaluating the properties of zinc oxide nanoparticles and their previous implementation in drilling fluids, examining the rheological properties of water base mud from atmospheric temperature to downhole condition (90 °C). The experiment was designed to investigate the effect of nanoparticles concentration and temperature variation on the rheological properties of water-based mud using response surface methodology. A rotational viscometer was used to measure viscosity, yield point and gel strength. Moreover, a Consistometer was used to heat the fluid sample to different temperatures reaching up to downhole condition (90 °C). It was observed experimentally that addition of zinc oxide nanoparticles impressively improved the rheological properties of water-base mud by 50% for viscosity and gel strength, and 80% for yield point. It also allowed them to maintain their quality at all temperatures. Furthermore, addition of higher concentrations of zinc oxide nanoparticles of more than 1 wt% (6 g) at low temperatures (below 40 °C) gave the highest and most effective results of the rheological properties. • The effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles on rheological properties of water base mud were investigated. • Regression models were developed via Central Composite Design (CCD) method. • Zinc oxide nanoparticles impressively improved viscosity and gel strength by 50% and yield point by 80%. • Addition of more than 1 wt% (6 g) of zinc oxide nanoparticles at low temperatures below 40 °C was found effective. • The developed models' accuracy was affirmed at optimum point.

Modeling and Laboratory Evaluation of Rheological Properties of Water-Based Mud for Extended Reach Well

Modeling and Laboratory Evaluation of Rheological Properties of Water-Based Mud for Extended Reach Well

Stabilizing Asmari Formation interlayer shales using water-based mud containing biogenic silica oxide nanoparticles synthesized

One of the principal factors in Shale instability is the stress variation due to water invasion into Shale in water-based drilling fluids, consequently causes in wellbore instability. This comprehensive study aims to improve the rheological properties and plug the nanometers Shale pore throat with biogenic silica oxide Nanoparticles. To do this, a new procedure of waste product from an agricultural industrial named Rice husks (RHs), amorphous silica oxide (SiO2) Nanoparticles (NPs) with a purity of 97.7% synthesized. Amorphous biogenic silica Nanoparticles have unique properties that do not exist in their crystalline state due to extraction from natural materials. One of these properties is environmentally friendly than crystalline shape, which belongs to the first group of carcinogens for humans. The NPs characterization was performed by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), Energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The utilization of synthesized NPs in the water-based drilling fluid at two concentrations of 3 and 5% w/v illustrated that the mud-based rheological properties such as viscosity and fluid loss were improved. Since then Pore Pressure Transmission (PPT) apparatus is applied to investigate the effect of the synthesized NPs to plug Shale pore throats. The PPT test results showed that 3% w/v of NPs block the pore throats of interlayer Shale of Asmari Formation and reduce the rate of fluid penetration in Shale is about 5.6%. Moreover, at the concentration of 5% w/v NPs, fluid invasion into Shale reduces up to 43.7% compared to base mud. Consequently, synthesized NPs from RHs could be used as an efficient method to improve the rheological properties of water-based muds and stabilize the Shale layer.

Experimental and modelling of the impact of quaternary ammonium salts/ionic liquid on the rheological and hydrate inhibition properties of xanthan gum water-based muds for drilling gas hydrate-bearing rocks

In this study, quaternary ammonium salts (QAS) and ionic liquid (IL) were used as additives in xanthan gum water-based muds formulations to investigate their rheological and hydrate inhibitive potentials in drilling gas hydrate sediment. The QAS/IL used were TMABr, TPrABr, TMACl, and EMIMCl. The mud rheological characterisation was performed at a controlled shear rate of 1 s−1 to 200 s−1 at -2 °C–40 °C. The hydrate test was conducted in a high-pressure reactor at 8 MPa and -2 °C. The hydrate nucleation onset time was predicted using the classical nucleation theory (CNT) model. The rheology and hydrate results confirmed the potential application of QAS/IL in drilling mud formulations for drilling hydrate sediments. The presence of QAS/IL in the base mud suitably reduced the mud viscosity and yield stress, which are desired properties for generating turbulent flow to enhance cuttings transport, especially in high angle wellbores. The rheological properties of water-based mud were found to be significantly controlled or affected by the cation, anion, and alkyl chain length type of QAS/IL. However, the anion effect is more dominant and exhibit a critical concentration depending on its respective ionic strength. Further FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of N–O stretching which supports the performance of TMA+ over EMIM+ to reduce the mud yield stress. In addition, the thermal degradation of the base mud was significantly reduced in the presence of QAS/IL. Amongst the studied additives, TMACl and TPrABr WBMs completely prevented hydrate plugs in the mud system. Furthermore, the CNT model accurately predicted the hydrate onset time with APE <2%. The QAS/IL in the WBM systems exhibited minimal to negligible disturbance (<0.5 K shift) on the methane hydrate phase boundary compared with commercial hydrate additives at 3 wt%. This study provides guidelines to design efficient QAS/IL WBMs for drilling gas hydrate rocks.

A comprehensive investigation on the performance of durian rind as a lost circulation material in water based drilling mud

Abstract Oil and gas operators worldwide are expecting service companies to deliver integrated techniques to minimize, if not prevent, drilling problems. Drilling fluids perform vital functions to ensure the success of drilling operations. The technical challenges often associated with water-based drilling fluids are loss of critical properties, such as fluid loss control and rheology, under demanding conditions, such as in drilling deeper, high-temperature and high-pressure wells. Fluid loss during drilling operations has a very significant effect in both reservoir formation damage and monetary terms. The use of durian rind (DR) as a new additive in controlling lost circulation would provide another opportunity to reduce waste and avoid pollution. Therefore, DR was used to improve the rheological properties of water-based mud, and it was prepared for use as a fluid loss additive. For a better understanding of the influence of pectin on drilling mud properties, the rheological evaluation of untreated DR was compared to that of mud samples containing treated DR. The pectin in DR was extracted using four different solvents, namely, ethanol, methanol, sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide, and the most effective solvent to remove the pectin was then determined. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results showed that NaOH was the best solvent for removing pectin from DR. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to determine the thermal stability of DR before and after treatments. The TGA results demonstrated that the treated DR had improved thermal stability compared to untreated DR. The sizes of DR used were coarse, medium, and fine. The untreated DR presented better rheological properties than the treated DR. The experimental investigation showed that a concentration of 20 lb/bbl of intermediate-sized DR was the best concentration among the tested samples.

Influence of Graphene Nanoplatelet and Silver Nanoparticle on the Rheological Properties of Water-Based Mud †

Water-based mud is known as an environmental-friendly drilling fluid system. The formulation of water-based mud is designed to have specific rheological properties under specific oil field conditions. In this study, graphene nanoplatelet and silver nanoparticle (nanosilver) were added to a water-based mud formulation in which they act as drilling mud additives. Rheological properties measurements and filtration tests were conducted for evaluating the influence of the added nanoparticles. The results showed that the graphene nanoplatelet and the nanosilver increased the plastic viscosity (PV) by up to 89.2% and 64.2%, respectively. Meanwhile, both the yield point (YP) and the fluid loss values were reduced. In addition, we believe this is the first result ever report where nanosilver is utilized for enhancing-enhanced water-based mud’s performance.

Plantain Peels Powder, Burnt Palm Head Powder and Commercial Sodium Hydroxide as Additives for Water Based Drilling Mud

Drilling operation efficiency is enhanced by the application of drilling mud constituted with suitable additives. This work investigates the use of locally sourced plantain peels powder (PPP) and burnt palm head sponge powder (BPHSP) in comparison with the use of commercial sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as additives for the enhancement of the pH and rheological properties of water-based mud. The water-based mud samples with and without various amounts (1.0 – 5.0 g) of PPP, BPHSP and commercial NaOH, respectively. Analyses of the results revealed that the pH and rheological properties (apparent viscosity, plastic viscosity and yield point) of the formulated waterbased mud were relatively enhanced with the respective use of the commercial NaOH, BPHSP and PPP as additives. The pH, apparent viscosity and yield point respectively increased with increase in the quantity of each of the added additives (commercial NaOH, BPHSP and PPP). The commercial NaOH had the highest percentage of improvement on the mud pH with 22.2 – 50%, followed by that of BPHSP (16.7 – 44.4%) and PPP (11.1 – 33.3%), respectively. Therefore, commercial sodium hydroxide, burnt palm head sponge ash powder and plantain peels powder can respectively be used as additives to enhance or improve the pH and rheological properties (viscosity and yield point) of water-based mud.Key words:Drilling mud; pH; Plantain peels; Palm head sponge; Rheological properties.

Comparison of rheological and lubricity properties of polymer beads and glass beads in water-based mud

Torque and drag become a major problem in succeeding the extended reach drilling (ERD). One of the techniques used to mitigate torque and drag is using lubricant in water-based mud. In this study, the solid lubricants used were glass beads as it is chemically inert, non-toxic, and non-abrasive, and also the polymer beads of improved physical properties, namely tensile strength and izod impact strength. This study was performed in order to determine the most suitable size of glass and polymer beads that could give the optimum performance of lubricity in drilling mud. The experimental results showed that the rheological properties of water-based mud with glass

An Improvement in Thermal and Rheological Properties of Water-based Drilling Fluids Using Multiwall Carbon Nanotube (MWCNT)

Designing drilling fluids for drilling in deep gas reservoirs and geothermal wells is a major challenge. Cooling drilling fluids and preparing stable mud with high thermal conductivity are of great concern. Drilling nanofluids, i.e. a low fraction of carbon nanotube (CNT) well dispersed in mud, may enhance the mixture thermal conductivity compared to the base fluids. Thus, they are potentially useful for advanced designing high temperature and high pressure (HTHP) drilling fluids. In the present study, the impacts of CNT volume fraction, ball milling time, functionalization, temperature, and dispersion quality (by means of scanning electron microscopy, SEM) on the thermal and rheological properties of water-based mud are experimentally investigated. The thermal conductivities of the nano-based drilling fluid are measured with a transient hot wire method. The experimental results show that the thermal conductivity of the water-based drilling fluid is enhanced by 23.2% in the presence of 1 vol% functionalized CNT at room temperature; it increases by 31.8% by raising the mud temperature to 50 °C. Furthermore, significant improvements are seen in the rheological properties—such as yield point, filtration properties, and annular viscosity—of the CNTmodified drilling fluid compared to the base mud, which pushes forward their future development.