Research Proposal Defense Report

on

Development of a new formulation for enhancing the rheological

and filtration characteristics of low-solids muds

Submitted to

Department of Mechanical (Well Engineering)

International College of Engineering and Management (ICEM)
by

Your name
HXXXXXXXXX

Supervisor

Dr. Imtiaz
 ABSTRACT

Higher fluid loss volumes and suspension capability are the critical shortcomings of
water-based muds. It can promote problems during drilling operations. The rheological
and filtration properties of all drilling muds have been continually considered the
essential characteristics for a successful drilling operation. Various irreversible problems
are directly associated with drilling fluids rheological and filtration properties such as
differential sticking, formation damage, borehole instability and uncontrollable
formation fluids intrusion to the wellbore. Drilling fluid is closely associated with the
complications or solutions of the mentioned problems. The control of such properties is
of paramount importance, especially at high temperature conditions of the wellbore. This
study aims to formulate a low-solid drilling fluid for better performance by replacing
bentonite in conventional fluids with an equal amount of xanthan gum and tapioca
starch. The effects of tapioca starch on rheological and filtration characteristics of water-
based muds (WBMs) in static conditions will be investigated at different temperatures
and pressures. Various mud blends will be prepared containing tapioca starch (TS) and
polyanionic cellulose (PAC) in the presence of xanthan gum (XG) at different
replacement levels. The impact of tapioca starch on rheological and filtration
characteristics will be evaluated using rheometer, filterpress (LPLT and HPHT) and
scanning electron microscope (SEM). The presence of tapioca starch is expected to
significantly improve rheological and filtration characteristics of water-based muds
(WBMs). The preliminary results showed that shear stress (σ) versus shear rate (s−1)
data of optimized mud samples was best fitted to the Power Law model with R2 of 0.99.
The flow behavior index was decreased from 0.47 to 0.21, while the consistency index
was increased from 0.31 to 4.45 with the addition of tapioca starch.

ii
 TABLE OF CONTENT

ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................ii
LIST OF FIGURES...........................................................................................................iv
LIST OF TABLES..............................................................................................................v
LIST OF ABBREVIATION..............................................................................................vi

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................1
1.1 Background...............................................................................................................1
1.2 Problem Statement....................................................................................................2
1.3 Research Objectives..................................................................................................2
1.4 Scope of the study.....................................................................................................3

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW.........................................................................4

2.1 Heading.....................................................................................................................4
2.1 Heading.....................................................................................................................4

CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.............................................................6

3.1 Research Methodology Flowchart.............................................................................6
3.2 Study Plan..................................................................................................................7

iii
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1-1: Global Energy Demand by Region (Administration & Office, 2016).............2

Figure 3-1: Flow chart........................................................................................................6

iv
 LIST OF TABLES

Table 2: Review of drilling fluid additives used for rheological and filtration

characteristics......................................................................................................................4

v
 LIST OF ABBREVIATION

OBM Oil Based Mud

WBM Water Based Mud
XRD X- Ray Diffraction
OOIP Original Oil in Place
IOIP Initial Oil in Place
OHIP Orignal Hydrocarbon in Place
IFT Interfacial Tension
PV Pore Volume
SEM Scanning Electron Microscope
CMC Carboxyl methyl cellulose
CNT Carbon Nanotubes
Rt True Resistivity
Rxo Flushed Zone Resistivity
Rm Mud Resistivity
Rmf Mud Filtrate Resistivity
GG Guar Gum
XG Xanthan Gum
DP Pore Diameter
DT Throat Diameter
cp Centipoise
atm Atmosphere
cm2 Square Centimeters
cm3 Cubic Centimeters
D Darcies
SR Shear Rate
SS Shear Stress
LSR Low Shear Rate
FL Filtrate Loss
FCT Filtercake Thickness
ppb Pounds per barrel

vi
 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

Drilling is a key technique of extracting useful underground resources, and the primary

factor of achieving this aim is the selection of proper drilling fluid. It is a complex

mixture that consisted of a base fluid and solid phases in either reactive or inert form. The

base fluid may constitute of water, oil, air or a combination of these fluids. Solid particles

may consist of chemical additives for certain functions. Out of the available mud types,

water-based mud has been extensively used in petroleum industry for more than 150 years

due to its cost effectiveness, eco-friendliness, safety and most efficient compared to other

fluids (multiple references). Traditionally, muds have been used as a way of cuttings

removal and transport from the bottom of the well. But at present, drilling fluids perform

vital roles in drilling operations such as suspending of cuttings, preventing formation

fluids intrusion into the wellbore, minimizing corrosion, stabilizing wellbore, cooling and

lubricating metal assemblies, reducing friction, and preventing formation failure

(References). Figure 1 -1 shows the global energy demand by region. Several polymeric

additives have been used in drilling operations as viscosifiers and fluid loss agents

depending on their molecular structure and chemical configuration. The use of locally

refined potato starch as a viscosity enhancer and fluid loss agent in drilling fluids has been

the subject of numerous studies. Comparative analyses has been carried out on the

properties of mud formulated from potato starch and commercially available fluid loss

agents. The results showed that approximately equal proportion of potato starch and

polyanionic cellulose (PAC) combination is optimal for optimizing the rheological and

filtration properties of drilling mud.

1
 Figure 1-1: Global Energy Demand by Region (Administration & Office, 2016)

1.2 Problem Statement

Higher fluid loss volumes and suspension capability are the critical shortcomings of

water-based muds. It can promote problems during drilling operations. The rheological

and filtration properties of all drilling muds have been continually considered the essential

characteristics for a successful drilling operation. Various irreversible problems are

directly associated with drilling fluids rheological and filtration properties such as

differential sticking, formation damage, borehole instability and uncontrollable formation

fluids intrusion to the wellbore. Drilling fluid is closely associated with the complications

or solutions of the mentioned problems. The control of such properties is of paramount

importance, especially at high temperature conditions of the wellbore.

1.3 Research Objectives

1. To develop a drilling mud by modifying the starches/biopolymers with the

addition of chitin derivatives to enhance its thermal stability.

2. To examine the performance of mud in ……… conditions etc.

2
1.4 Scope of the study

The current study covers experimental investigation of the drilling fluid. To mimic the

wellbore conditions, the temperature of the system in the current study would be 150,

200, 250 and 300 oF. Similarly, the differential pressure during the experimental work

would be maintained at 300 psi.

3
 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Heading

Drilling fluid, also known as drilling mud, is a viscous fluid mixture that is the circulation

medium flushing the wellbore in the process of oil and gas drilling, and represents up to

one-fifth of the total cost of total well drilling (Sun et al., 2018). Drilling fluids are

composed of several base fluids (liquids and gaseous fluids), soluble additives and solids.

2.1 Heading

Write and cite…………………………………………….. Table 1 summarizes the review

of drilling fluid additives ……..

Table 1: Review of drilling fluid additives used for rheological and filtration characteristics
Mud
Test
Material used properties Main findings References
conditions
determined
Hybrid polymer  Stable rheology (Mohamadia
nanocomposite Temperatur  22% reduction in API filtrate n, Ghorbani,
PV, YP
poly(styrene-methyl e up to loss for nano clay-based mud Wood, &
GS, FL
methacrylate-acrylic 250°F  65% reduction in API filtrate Khoshmarda
acid)/nanoclay loss for polymer–based muds n, 2019)
(Elkatatny,
Tapioca Starch HPHT FL  Reduction in HPHT FL by 50%
2019)
 Improved the rheological and (Davoodi,
Acrylamide–styrene filtration properties Soleimanian
HT up to PV, YP
copolymer  API and HPHT filtrate volume , Ramazani,
250 °F GS, FL
(SBASC) reduction were 47.5% and & Jahromi,
38.8% respectively 2019)
 PV and YP increased by 7.1% (Xu, Qiu,
Hydrophobic modified
PV, YP and 25% respectively Zhao, &
polymer based silica LPLT
GS, FL  API filtrate volume reduced by Huang,
nanocomposite
21.2% 2017)

4
 (Luo, Pei,
Ionic Liquids (Imidazolium  Less than 4ml of FL volume Wang, Yu,
HT FL
based) obtained at HPHT conditions & Chen,
2017)

5
 CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research Methodology Flowchart

Kasfjdk kas fdkas fklsadjfklas fklsadfjklsadj fklsdajfklsad f ./ Figure 3.1 safdasfsadfsadfsafsa

Figure 3-2: Flow chart

6
 3.2 Study Plan

Activity/ Month
O N D J F M A M

Literature Review                

Proposal writeup and submission                

Mud formulation                

Experimentation and characterization                

Analysis and interpretation of results                

Thesis Writing and submission

7
 REFERENCES

Administration, E. I., & Office, G. P. (2016). International Energy Outlook 2016, with Projections
to 2040: Government Printing Office.
Davoodi, S., Soleimanian, A., Ramazani, S. A., & Jahromi, A. F. (2019). Application of a novel
acrylamide copolymer containing highly hydrophobic comonomer as filtration control
and rheology modifier additive in water-based drilling mud. Journal of Petroleum
Science and Engineering.
Elkatatny, S. (2019). Enhancing the Rheological Properties of Water-Based Drilling Fluid Using
Micronized Starch. Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, 1-10.
Luo, Z., Pei, J., Wang, L., Yu, P., & Chen, Z. (2017). Influence of an ionic liquid on rheological and
filtration properties of water-based drilling fluids at high temperatures. Applied Clay
Science, 136, 96-102.
Mohamadian, N., Ghorbani, H., Wood, D. A., & Khoshmardan, M. A. (2019). A hybrid
nanocomposite of poly(styrene-methyl methacrylate- acrylic acid) /clay as a novel
rheology-improvement additive for drilling fluids. Journal of Polymer Research, 26(2),
33. doi:10.1007/s10965-019-1696-6
Sun, W.-J., Tian, G.-Q., Huang, H.-J., Lu, G.-M., Ke, C.-Y., Hui, J.-F., & Zhang, X.-L. (2018).
Synthesis and characterisation of a multifunctional oil-based drilling fluid additive.
Environmental earth sciences, 77(24), 793.
Xu, J.-g., Qiu, Z., Zhao, X., & Huang, W. (2017). Hydrophobic modified polymer based silica
nanocomposite for improving shale stability in water-based drilling fluids. Journal of
Petroleum Science and Engineering, 153, 325-330.
doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2017.04.013