OPTIMUM ENGINEERING STANDARDS

OIL MUDS
BY: MOHAMMAD AHMED
OIL MUD SYSTEM IN
THE PAST
POSITIVE ASPECTS OF
OIL MUDS
• Affected less by chemical contaminants than water base
muds
• Provide better inhibition of clay minerals than any water
base mud
• Higher temperature stability than water base mud
• Better corrosion control than water base muds
 NEGATIVE ASPECTS
OF OIL MUDS
• Less environmentally acceptable than water base mud
• Cost of compliance with environmental regulations
• Cost of mud
 Unit cost
 Lost circulation
 Salt water flows
 BACKGROUND
CRUDE OIL

• Crude oil used for drilling in the 1920’s

 Dangerous
 Poor rheology
 No filtration control
 Low density
 Effective in reducing sticking and in stabilizing the
wellbore
 BACKGROUND
ALL OIL

• “All oil” diesel oil muds used in the 1930’s

 Viscosifiers – Blown Asphalt, steric acid, and lamp black
 Improved viscosity, helped hole cleaning, and made it
possible to suspend weight material
 High density achieved with barite in 1929
 Poor tolerance for water contamination
 “Black Magic” was the last version of these muds
 EMULSION MUDS
• Oil external phase
 Contains water or a brine emulsified in oil
 Oil-wets solid surfaces
 Desirable for drilling applications
• Water external phase
 Contains oil emulsified in water
 Water-wets solid surfaces
 Desirable for cementing or stimulation applications
EMULSION MUDS
Two kinds of Emulsions
EMULSION MUDS
 BACKGROUND
EMULSION MUDS
• Oil emulsified in water muds in the 1930’s
 As much as 20% of the liquid fraction of the mud was oil
 Called oil emulsion muds
 Provided improved lubricity and filtration control
 Water base mud additives used to control mud properties
 Muds thickened when contaminants were encountered
 Did not improve clay inhibition
 BACKGROUND
INVERT EMULSIONS

• Water emulsified into the continuous oil phase

• First successful application in 1948
• Additions of salts to the water phase for shale inhibition &
borehole stability (1960’s)
• Relaxed filtrate (1978)
• Mineral oil (1980)
• Synthetics used in the North Sea (1991)
POSITIVE ASPECTS

• Hole stability, inhibition of clay swelling in cuttings and on

the wall of the wellbore
 DNon-polar solvent
 ehydration
• Lubricity
• Rate of penetration
• Tolerance for chemical contamination
• Tolerance for solids contamination
• Thermal stability
NEGATIVE ASPECTS

• Costs
 Lost circulation
 Salt water flows
• Environmental compliance
• Less detailed interpretation (No electric logs)
• Kick detection
• Gas solubility
 Well control
 Barite stripping
OIL MUD SYSTEM IN
THE PRESENT TIME
 INVERT EMULSION MUDS

• THREE PHASE SYSTEM – Two immiscible fluids and the

solids phase
 OIL/SYNTHETIC FLUID – Continuous, external phase.
Contains oily liquid additives.
 WATER – Emulsified droplets of CaCl2 brine, internal
phase. Some soluble Lime.
 SOLIDS – Barite, organophilic clays, drilled solids, insoluble
additives (filtration control additives, LCM)
INVERT EMULSION OF WATER IN OIL
OIL MUD TODAY

• All oil
 Black Magic – Primarily stuck pipe
 Coring fluids
• Invert emulsions
 Conventional low filtrate muds
 Relaxed filtrate for higher ROP
COMPONENTS

• Base oil or synthetic fluid • Wetting Agents

• Brine – usually CaCl2 • Viscofiers
• Emulsifiers • Filtration control additives
 Primary – Fatty Acids • Weight material
 Secondary – Amido-Amines • Special additives (LCM)
CONTINUOUS PHASE

• OILS
 Diesel oil
 Mineral oil
 Enhanced mineral oil
• SYNTHETIC FLUIDS
 PAO - Poly Alpha Olefin
 IO – Internal Olefin
 LAO – Linear Alpha Olefin
 Ester – Organic Ester
INTERNAL PHASE

• Water – Contains dissolved salts or glycols to lower the

water activity (AW)
• Acts like a compressible solid particle
 Reduces HTHP filtrate in conventional muds
 Increases the viscosity of the mud
• Decreases the Electrical Stability (ES)
• Increases in the amount of water necessitates additional
emulsifier additions
WATER ACTIVITY (AW)

• AW = Chemical Potential for Water Transfer

• Measured by the Water Vapor Pressure
• Percent relative humidity in the air space above an enclosed
sample of mud
• > salinity will lower the AW
• To stabilize the wellbore and cuttings, the AW must be equal to
or less than the formation activity
WATER ACTIVITY (AW)

• Normally adjusted by adding CaCl2

• Fresh water
 AW = 1.00
• NaCl (26% by wt)
 AW = 0.75
• CaCl2 (35% by wt)
 AW = 0.52
EFFECT ON OBM WATER
ACTIVITY ON SHALE
STRENGTH
THEORIES

• Mud activity > Shale activity

 General agreement -- Shale weaker
• Mud activity < Shale activity
 Three theories
 shale cracks or fractures & becomes weaker

 shale dehydrates & becomes stronger

 no significant effect the strength of the shale

SURFACTANTS

• SURFace ACTive AgeNTs

• Oil Muds
 Water in Oil Emulsifiers
 Wetting Agents
• Water Muds
 Oil in Water Emulsifiers
 Wetting Agents
SURFACTANTS

• Act by reducing the interfacial tension between two liquids

or between a liquid and a solid
 Emulsifiers
 Wetting Agents
 Detergents
SURFACTANTS
EMULSIFIERS

• Primary Emulsifiers – Require equal amounts of lime to form

calcium soaps for emulsification to occur
• Secondary Emulsifiers – Do not need lime to emulsify water
into oil
VISCOSIFIERS

• Organophilic clays
 Organo Bentonite
 Organo Hectorite
• Polyamines
 Products formed by reacting dimer and trimer acids with
diamines and triamines
OTHER OIL MUD
PRODUCTS
• THINNERS
 Proprietary surfactants
• HTHP FILTRATION CONTROL ADDITIVES
 High melting point asphalt
 Gilsonite
• LIME – Ca(OH)2
ORDER OF ADDITION

• Base oil
• Viscosifiers
• Emulsifiers
• Lime
• Brine
• Wetting agents
• Weighting material
STANDARD MUD
TEST
• Mud weight (ppg) at ____oF
• Funnel viscosity (sec/qt) at ____oF
• Rheology at 120 oF
• HTHP Filtrate at 300 oF
• Retort (% oil, % H2O, % solids)
• POM (total cc’s of 0.1N H2SO4, three titrations)
• Excess Lime = POM (cc’s) x 1.3 = lb/bbl
• Calcium (Whole Mud) mg/L
• Electrical Stability (ES) at 120 oF
HTHP Filtration Test

• HTHP Filtrate = 2 times the volume of liquid filtrate collected

in 30 minutes
• Test run at 300 oF
• Water in the filtrate is undesirable.
• Freshly prepared muds may contain some water in the HTHP
Filtrate. After shearing through the bit nozzles, no water
should be present in the HTHP Filtrate.
• Measure and record filter cake thickness.
• Thick cakes indicate barite settling during the test
RETORT ANALYSIS

• Consistency and accuracy is important

• The temperature of the mud used to fill the retort cup should
be the same at that used to fill the mud balance when
measuring the mud density.
• Record % Oil, % H2O, and % Solids
CALCULATIONS –
OIL/WATER RATIO
• OR = {(vol %Oil)/(vol %Oil + vol %Water)} x 100
• WR = 100 - OR
• Oil: Water Ratio is expressed as OR/WR
• Examples are 90:10, 95:5, 80:20, 77:23
• If you add solids to an oil mud, you do not change the Oil:
Water Ratio of the mud
• You should increase the Oil: Water Ratio of an oil mud (ie.
add oil to the mud) if you intend to increase the mud density
significantly with Barite
RETORT CALCULATION

The volume of Oil and Water in a mud are obtained directly

from the Retort Readings.

Basis of Retort Calculations:

1.000 bbl of mud
Mass of 1.000 bbl of mud, lb = Mud Density x 42
Oil, lb = (vol % Oil/100) x 42 x 7.0
H2O, lb = (vol % H2O/100) x 42 x 8.33
RETORT CALCULATION

We also know the volume of the Oil, Water, and CaCl2 in 1.000
bbl of mud. If we subtract the volume of the Oil, Water, and
CaCl2 from 1.000, we will obtain the volume of the undissolved
solids.

Undissolved Solids, bbl =

1.000 – (vol % Oil + vol % H2O+ vol % CaCl)/100
 EFFECT
OF
CONTAMINANTS
• Anhydrite – No effect on the chemical or physical properties
• Halite (NaCl) – Solubility limited by the the % by vol of H2O
and the amount of CaCl2 in the mud. An excess of fine salt
acts like drilled solids.
• Mixed salts – Divalent salts (Ca & Mg) require additional
amounts of wetting agents, especially when in excess of
saturation
DRILLING THROUGH
SALT
• Viscosity may increase due to the entrainment of fine salt in
the mud
• Water-wetting of solids can occur while drilling through
MgCl2 and CaCl2
• Pipe sticking can occur because of plastic flow of salt
 Spotting of fresh water can be effective in freeing the drill
string
CEMENT, CO2, AND H2S

• Cement – Insoluble in oil muds. Increases the POM. Acts as a

solid in the mud.
• Carbon Dioxide – Depletes lime from the mud. Lime must be
replaced. Can precipitate out of solution as a carbonate scale
on shaker screen. Can destabilize the emulsion.
• Hydrogen sulfide – Depletes lime from the mud. Can
destabilize the emulsion.
CARBON DIOXIDE

• Decrease in the POM

• Decrease in the Lime Content
• Decrease in the ES of the mud
• Treatment
 Add lime to maintain an excess.
 Increase the mud density to control CO2 influx
HYDROGEN SULFIDE

• Decrease in the POM

• Decrease in the Lime Content
• Decrease in the ES
• Sulfide detected with Garrett Gas Train
• Turns mud black
• Treatment
 Zinc Carbonate or Zinc Oxide
 Maintain excess lime
 Increase mud density to control influx
SOLIDS

• High viscosity (Funnel Viscosity, PV)

• Thick filter cake
• Treatment
 Finner mesh shaker screens
 Tandem centrifuges
 Dilute with oil
 Add wetting Agent
 Add emulsifier
SALT WATER FLOWS

• Detected by an increase in the H2O content of the mud

• Reduction in the Oil : Water Ratio
• Increased viscosity
• Lower ES
SALT WATER FLOWS

• Water-wet solids
• Water in the HTHP Filtrate of the mud
• Treatment
 Emulsifier and Lime
 Wetting Agent
 Increase density to control influx
 Oil to adjust the O:W Ratio
TROUBLE SHOOTING

• Insufficient Viscosity
• Excessive Viscosity
• Solids Contamination
• Salt Water Flow
• Carbon Dioxide
• Hydrogen Sulfide
• Massive Salts & Salt Stringers
• Barite Sag/Settling
• Lost Circulation
INSUFFICIENT VISCOSITY

• Barite Settling
• Inadequate Hole Cleaning
• Treatment
 Add Viscosifiers – Organophilic Clays
 Add water (Brine)
WATER – WET SOLIDS

• Increased viscosity
• Decreased ES
• Settling
• Shale shaker screen blinding
• Treatment
 Wetting Agent
 If brine phase is saturated, add fresh H2O
BARITE SAG

• SAG – Barite settling in the hole during trips. Indicated by

uneven mud density measurements while circulating
bottoms up after a trip
• Treatment
 Increase Low Shear Rate Viscosity
LOST CIRCULATION

• Compressibility increases the mud density at depth.

Increases the likelihood of fracturIng
• Avoid adding LCM such as Cellophane of Ground Paper
which can break the emulsion
• Treat with Mica, Calcium Carbonate, Nut Hulls, or Graphite
SOLUBILITY OF GAS

• Composition of the base fluid

 Solubility of gases in oil is >100 times their solubility in
H20
 Solubility greater in light oils than in heavy oils
• Gas Solubility in oils
 H2S > Ethane > CO2 > Methane
What is the error in
measured kick volume?
• It depends on the rate at which the kick occurs. A sudden,
rapid kick will result in a high Gas/Mud Ratio. A slow influx
of gas will result in a low Gas/Mud Ratio.
• High Gas/Mud Ratios result in small errors in the measured
kick volume.
• Low Gas/Mud Ratios result in larger errors in the measured
kick volume.
KICK
CHARACTERISTICS
• Oil Muds • Water Base Muds
 Dissolved gases do not
migrate
 Rapid expansion occurs
when the gas reaches the
bubble point (>2000ft)
 Rapid increase in pit
volume occurs
 Gases migrate upward
 Expansion occurs as
gases migrate
 Flow increases steadily
 Pit Volume increases
over a longer period of
time than with oil muds
ADVANTAGES
OF OIL MUDS

• If kick is detected early, more time is available before

expansion occurs
• Swabbed-in gas does not migrate
• Reduced likelihood of sticking while killing a well.
DISADVANTAGES
OF OIL MUDS

• Solubility of gas means that more gas has entered the

wellbore than is indicated by the pit volume gain
• Solubility of gas minimizes the apparent flow rate of gas into
the wellbore
• Since kicks are harder to detect, an increased likelihood of
lowing control
OTHER
CONSIDERATIONS

• Dissolved gases reduce the viscosity of the continuous phase

• Weight material may settle because of reduced viscosity
especially when not circulating
• Barite settling can stick pipe Driller’s method for well control
should be considered if the shoe can withstand the increased
pressure
DISPLACEMENT

• Meet, communicate, organize

• Mud (Water Mud) being displaced should be as thin as
possible
• Oil mud should be as thick as is allowed
• Do not begin the displacement until all of the oil mud is on
location
• Use an oil spaced equal to 500’ to 1000’ of annular volume
• Pump at highest practical flow rate
• Do not stop circulating once displacement has begun
DISPLACEMENT

• Rotate pipe
• Reciprocate pipe
• Place bit near bottom as oil mud nears the bit
• Change shaker screens
• Add Wetting Agent
• Monitor ES at the shale shaker with an Electrical Stability
Meter
APPLICATIONS

• Development wells
• Deviated wells
 Extended reach
 Horizontal wells
• Torque limited applications
• Exploratory wells with good offset well data
THINGS TO WATCH FOR

• Drilling fast generates a large volume of drill cuttings

• May have to slow the ROP to remove cuttings from hole
• Gauge hole and stiff bottom hole assemblies can lead to stuck
pipe
• Gauge hole and higher viscosity can lead to higher surge and
swab pressures
DRILLING PRACTICES

• Avoid full gauge, stiff drilling assemblies when possible

• Use roller reamers in place of bladed stabilizers
• Use spiral collars and heavy weight drill pipe when possible
to reduce hole contact
RIG PROCEDURES

• Drill out with interval TD mud weight if possible

• Use un-weighted or lower weight mud to make up volume
while drilling
• Run centrifuge while drilling large hole sections
RIG REQUIREMENTS

• Top Drive Recommended

• Base Fluid Holding Tank
• Reserve Tank Capacity
• Solids Control – Shakers, Centrifuges
SHAKERS

• Primary shakers do majority of work

• Pump rates and drill rates can be limited by the number and
capacity of shakers
• At least 3 primary over secondary shakers are needed when
drilling fast 12-1/4”and 9-7/8” holes