DRILLING FLUIDS

Drilling Fluids
All the fluids used in a well-bore during
drilling operation are called “Drilling
Fluids
⚫ Liquids (Water, Oil)
⚫ Gases
⚫ Solids in liquids
⚫ Emulsions
⚫ Synthetic Mud
Drilling Mud Properties
⚫ Density or Mud Weight
⚫ Viscosity
⚫ Gel Strength
⚫ Yield Point
⚫ Filtration
⚫ Sand Contents
⚫ pH
 Functions
1) Containment of pore pressure
2) Hole cleaning/ Transport cuttings
3) Suspend cuttings
4) Clean the bit and other in-hole tools
5) Lubricate the drill string & drilled hole
6) Assist in gathering of subsurface geological
data and formation evaluation
 7) Prevent adverse effects of H2S and CO2
8) Assist in cementation
9) Deposit filter cake
10) Stabilize weak or incompetent zones
11) Reduce filtrate invasion
12) Protect formation productivity
13) Powering down-hole tools
14) Support weight of tubular
15) Cool and lubricate the bit and drill string
16) Transmit hydraulic horsepower to bit
 Drilling Fluid Selection
1. Pore pressure and fracture pressure plots to
establish the minimum / maximum mud
weights to be used
2. Offset well data
3. Geological plot of the prognosed lithology
4. Basic mud properties required for each
open hole section before it is cased-off
5. Government legislation and environmental
concerns etc.
6. Range of formation temperature
7. Cost estimation
Drilling Mud Additives
⚫ Weighting Materials
⚫ Viscosifiers
⚫ Filtration Control Materials
⚫ pH Control Materials
⚫ Lost Circulation Control Materials
⚫ Lubricating Materials
⚫ Shale Stabilizing Materials
Weighting Materials
⚫ Weighting materials or densifiers are
powdered material which when mixed or
dissolved in water will increase the mud
weight
Viscosifiers
Filtration Control Materials
⚫ Filtration control materials are compounds which
reduce the amount of liquid that will be lost from
the drilling mud into a subsurface porous and
permeable formation caused by the differential
pressure between the hydrostatic pressure of
drilling mud and formation pressure

⚫ Bentonite acts as filtration control agents

pH Control Materials
pH control additives include:

1. NaOH, KOH
2. Ca(OH)2
3. NaHCO3 and
4. Mg(OH)2
 Lost Circulation Control Materials
Commonly used lost-circulation materials
include are:
⚫ Fibrous (cedar bark, shredded cane
stalks, mineral fiber and hair)
⚫ Flaky (mica flakes and pieces of plastic
or cellophane sheeting)
⚫ Granular (ground and sized limestone
or marble, wood, nut hulls, Formica,
corncobs and cotton hulls)
 Lubricating Materials
⚫ A mud additive for lowering torque
(rotary friction) and drag (axial friction) in
the wellbore
⚫ Such as oils, synthetic oil, glycols,
vegetable oils, soaps and surfactants
Shale Stabilizing Materials
⚫ Shale stabilizers include: High molecular
weight polymers, potassium and calcium
salts (e.g. KCl) and glycols
Classification of Drilling Fluids
⚫ A drilling fluid can be classified by the
nature of its continuous fluid phase
There are three types of drilling fluids:

1. Water Based Muds

2. Oil Based Muds
3. Synthetic Muds
4. Gas Based Muds