HalfMenHalfMud’s Essay

Team Members : - Wahyu Budi Dwi Prasetyo

- Bryan Pamenasa Ginting
- Fatih Raka Subiantoro

Geothermal and oil/gas are energies that originate from within the earth and can be
utilized by drilling. Although they both originated from within the earth and require drilling,
geothermal drilling, and oil/gas drilling are two different things. They both look similar in the
eyes but there is a lot of difference that can't be seen with just our eyes. They got their
characteristics and problems that are unique to each of them. Oil/gas formations are formed by
small grains of rock due to erosion that settles in sedimentary basins, which are also called
sedimentary formations. Sedimentary formations usually have high pressure because of the
overburden pressure that emits stronger pressure with higher depth. The temperature is fairly
normal following the temperature gradient. The rocks are easy to penetrate due to the brittle
and crumbly nature of the sedimentary rock. The major problem in oil/gas drilling is a kick that
leads to blowout caused by the high pore pressure in sedimentary formations so the drilling is
usually done in a state of overbalanced.

Compared to the sedimentary formations of most oil/gas reservoirs, geothermal

formations are formed by igneous rocks that are often hard (240+ MPa Compressive Strength),
hot (160°C to above 300°C), abrasive (quartz content above 50%), highly fractured in the pay
zone (fracture apertures of centimeters), and under-pressured that could cause loss circulation
which is the main problem in geothermal drilling. Geothermal formations also often contain
corrosive fluids and some formation fluids have very high solids content. This condition of
geothermal formations means that drilling will be difficult and could counter many problems
such as partial loss that leads to total loss caused by the highly fractured formations and
relatively low pore pressure. Because of the hard igneous rock of geothermal formations, the
bit has a short lifetime and the rate of penetration (ROP) is fairly low. Drilling fluid properties
will also change due to the acidic formation fluids that are produced.

Since there is a significant difference in the characteristics and major problems between
geothermal drilling and oil/gas drilling, the drilling fluid that are used will also be different.
The drilling fluid in oil/gas drilling is focused on preventing and controlling the occurring kick
so it doesn't lead to a blowout. Therefore, the drilling fluid is usually high in density and
overbalanced which would cause more fractures resulting in an increase of drilling fluid that
goes to the fracture. This type of drilling fluid could be used in geothermal drilling but the
efficiency is very low and the cost will be high because the expensive polymer additive that is
usually used in oil/gas drilling fluid will go into the fracture and can't be used again. The
polymer will also be degraded by the high heat of the geothermal reservoir and decreasing its
function. For that reason, the drilling fluid used in oil/gas can't and shouldn't be used in
geothermal drilling.

The high temperature and low pressure in geothermal usually occur in the greater depth
within the pay zone. The high temperature can cause changes in the properties of the drilling
fluid, one of which is the rheology. The high temperature will affect most of the clay and
additives used to tailor the fluid properties by degrading them over long periods. The value of
plastic viscosity, yield point, and gel strength will differ according to the temperature of the
drilling fluid. Temperature also correlates with the density of drilling fluid in the shift of
drilling fluid rheology. Low-density drilling fluid had a low plastic viscosity at high
temperatures whereas high-density drilling fluid had a high plastic viscosity at high
temperatures. The yield point of high-density drilling fluid is less than the yield point of low-
density drilling fluid in high temperatures. These changes in rheology or even the properties of
drilling fluid could be decreased by using mud coolers to reduce the temperature of the drilling
fluid when it circulates.

Low pressure in geothermal may not affect the rheology of the drilling fluid directly, but
it will correlate with the high temperature and the type of drilling fluid that will be used. As we
can see by the statement above, the lower the density of the drilling fluid the greater the
rheology with the increase in temperature. The low-density drilling fluid is also the solution to
prevent and negate loss circulation because the pressure created by the low-density drilling
fluid was the same as pore pressure or below the pore pressure (under-balanced). Therefore the
low-density drilling fluid is preferable to be used in geothermal drilling.

For that reason, the most suitable drilling fluid for geothermal drilling is aerated drilling
fluid. By using aerated drilling fluid, we can maintain the fluid circulation because of the under-
balanced pressure which will prevent the loss of circulation and will ensure a great hole
cleaning. The reduced bottom hole hydrostatic pressure imposed by aerated fluids will also
increase the rate of penetration in some formations. Drilling fluid consumption will also be
decreased because the drilling fluid will not be loss in the formation and can't be used again.
This aerated drilling fluid is only effective in drilling the pay zone to combat the loss of
circulation by the highly fractured formations while maintaining the permeability of the
reservoir. Aerated drilling fluid will not plug the fracture of the formation by injecting the
cuttings into the fractures. Therefore increasing the power output of the well.

Aerated drilling fluid is a drilling fluid that was injected with compressed air or nitrogen
(if the corrosion level is high). Aerated drilling fluid is usually composed of water, additives,
and sometimes a little bit of polymer. The base of the drilling fluid is usually fresh water
because the drilling site of geothermal drilling was far from the sea to be using seawater and
too expensive to be using oil base. The additives for aerated drilling fluid was the same as other
drilling fluid, the difference was that aerated drilling fluid used compressed air or nitrogen used
to lower the density of the drilling fluid. Another type of aerated drilling fluid is foam drilling
fluid which is great to use for drilling in the pay zone. The difference between the normal
aerated drilling fluid and foam drilling fluid is the type of additives that are used in the drilling
fluid. The foam drilling fluid was only composed of water, KOH or soap, and compressed air
or nitrogen. Despite the minimal use of additives in foam drilling fluid, the performance was
excellent. The hole cleaning is very good which can be indicated by the cutting that got lifted
to the surface. The temperature resistance was great against high temperatures because the
rheology was not disturbed by the heat. A problem such as partial loss and total loss was not
found in the section that are using foam drilling fluid.

Although aerated drilling was great in dealing with and preventing loss circulation, it
can’t avoid a loss of fluid that occurs because of the highly fractured formation, especially in
the pay zone. This fluid loss will increase if the drilling fluid type was over-balanced due to
the high density of the drilling fluid which will cause high pressure in the annulus, thus pushing
the drilling fluid even more to the formation.

The fluid loss in the upper section could be prevented by maintaining the specified LCM
concentration in the drilling fluid. If there are losses, do a sweep with 30 – 50 ppb LCM pills
every one or half a joint progress. If sweeping with LCM pills doesn’t stop the loss spot 80 –
100 ppb of LCM pills and f the loss doesn't stop, proceed to cement plug to continue drilling
through the troublesome zone. After encountering major partial or total loss of circulation a
pumping of hi-vis sweeps every joint. Sweep frequency will be dictated by torque and drag
trends. Sweep the hole with hi-vis sweeps before making a connection or if the hole dictates.
Review the performance of sweeps by monitoring cuttings out, torque, and drag and keep a
tally of the hi-vis sweeps. In the lower section of the well where there are reservoirs, it's best
to use foam drilling fluid or a lower-density aerated drilling fluid because of its ability to lift
cuttings to the surface. Rather than using only water as a drilling fluid that will plug the fracture
and reduce the permeability of the reservoir by bringing the cuttings to the fracture.

By using this method and strategy we can decrease the drilling cost significantly because
the cost of drilling fluid will be cut drastically where usually the cost for drilling fluid is around
15% - 30%. The cost of renting the rig and other equipment will be less because the non-
productive time when drilling is reduced due to the minimal problems that this method and
strategy offers and making the drilling time much more efficient and faster. The result of using
the aerated drilling fluid and under-balanced method will also increase the power output of the
well because it won't plug the fractured reservoir. Therefore increasing the profit after investing
so much into drilling the well. The aerated drilling fluid doesn't require many additives,
especially for the foam drilling fluid which only consisted of water, soap, and compressed air
or nitrogen. This will make the initial cost of the drilling much less than using other drilling
fluid types.

In conclusion, the recommended drilling fluid to be used in geothermal drilling that has
a characteristic of high temperature and highly fractured formations is aerated drilling fluid
while maintaining the LCM concentration and pumping LCM pills if losses do occur. While in
the pay zone the best option is to use foam drilling fluid or lower-density aerated drilling fluid
to maximize the hole cleaning by lifting the cuttings to the surface.
References

Finger, J., & Blankenship, D. (2010). Handbook of Best Practices for Geothermal Drilling.
Sandia National Laboratories.

Birkisson, S. F., & Hole, H. (2007). Aerated Fluids for Drilling of Geothermal Wells. European
Gothermal Congress 2007.

Dayan, G. M. (2014). DRILLING FLUID DESIGN FOR GEOTHERMAL WELLS. Kenya

Electricity Generating Company Ltd.

Dayan, G. M. (2019). Effect of Temperature on Drilling Mud. First International Scientific

Conference Al-Ayen University IOP Conf.

Vollmar, D., Wittig, V., & Bracke, R. (2013). Geothermal Drilling Best Practices: The
Geothermal translation ofconventional drilling recommendations - main potential challenges.
GZB - International Geothermal Centre, Bochum / Germany.