Materials Research Innovations

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Analysis of the effect of polyanionic cellulose on

viscosity and filtrate volume in drilling fluid

P. Yang, T.-B. Li, M.-H. Wu, X.-W. Zhu & X.-Q. Sun

To cite this article: P. Yang, T.-B. Li, M.-H. Wu, X.-W. Zhu & X.-Q. Sun (2015) Analysis of the effect
of polyanionic cellulose on viscosity and filtrate volume in drilling fluid, Materials Research
Innovations, 19:sup5, S5-12-S5-16, DOI: 10.1179/1432891715Z.0000000001329

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1179/1432891715Z.0000000001329

Published online: 30 May 2015.

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 Analysis of the effect of polyanionic cellulose
on viscosity and filtrate volume in drilling
fluid
P. Yang*1,2, T.-B. Li2, M.-H. Wu 1, X.-W. Zhu1 and X.-Q. Sun1
The viscosity and filtrate volume of drilling fluid were tested by changing the polyanionic cellulose
content in drilling fluid. The effect of polyanionic cellulose on the viscosity and filtrate volume of
drilling fluid was analysed. The test results showed that the viscosity of drilling fluid increases
with increasing polyanionic cellulose content. When the polyanionic cellulose content is below
1·5%, the viscosity increases slowly, whereas the viscosity increases rapidly when the
polyanionic cellulose content is above 1·5%. Equation (1) is a fitting equation that shows the
relationship between viscosity and polyanionic cellulose content. The filtrate volume of drilling
fluid decreases approximately linearly with increasing polyanionic cellulose content. Equation (2)
is a fitting equation that shows the relationship between filtrate volume and polyanionic cellulose
content. Polyanionic cellulose can effectively improve the viscosity and reduce the filtrate volume
of drilling fluid.
Keywords: Polyanionic cellulose, Viscosity, Filtrate volume, Low-solid drilling fluid

Introduction has been well established, and the application of PAC in

As drilling depth increases, a greater number of drill hole
hazards arise, such as the risk of drill hole collapse. Thus,
good drilling fluid performance, especially in terms of vis-
cosity and fluid loss, is especially important. In recent
years, several scholars have carried out studies on these
two performance characteristics of drilling fluid. Zhang
et al. 1 added novel modified cellulosic polymers into dril-
ling fluid and analysed the effect of novel modified cellu-
losic polymers on drilling fluid. Ozbayoglu et al. 2
estimated the filtrate volume of water using empirical cor-
relations. Hamida et al. 3 analysed the filtration loss
characteristics of aqueous waxy hullless barley solutions.
Iscan et al. 4 applied polymers and carboxymethyl cellu-
lose (CMC) in water-based drilling fluids and analysed
the effect of CMC on the rheological properties and
fluid loss of the drilling fluid. Kok and Iscan5 estimated
the thickness of the filter cake for water-based drilling
fluids.
Polyanionic cellulose (PAC) is a modified product of
cellulose, and is an advanced product of CMC.6 PAC is
a water-soluble anionic cellulose with a high degree of
polymerisation, high degree of substitution and evenly
distributed substituent groups.7 The production of PAC
1
Key Laboratory of Geotechnical and Underground Engineering of Ministry
of Education, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
2
State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment
Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
*Corresponding author, email csuyangp@163.com
the drilling fluid has also gradually been standardised.8
Some scholars have studied the use of PAC in drilling
fluid.9 Bennion et al. 10 added PAC into drilling fluid
and analysed the effect of PAC on inhibitory strata.
Mahto et al. 11 added PAC into freshwater and saltwater
drilling fluid and analysed the effect of PAC on rheologi-
cal properties of drilling. Kok et al. 12 added PAC into
high-density water-based drilling fluid and analysed the
effect of PAC on the drilling fluid properties. Plank13
added PAC into ordinary freshwater drilling fluid and
analysed the effect of PAC on the temperature stability
of the drilling fluid. The aforementioned studies show
that the PAC was mostly used in the ordinary water-
based drilling fluid, brine drilling fluid and high-density
drilling fluid. However, there are few studies on the use
of PAC in low-solid or solid-free drilling fluids.14
Although water-soluble cellulose is one of the most com-
monly used drilling fluid additives in Chinese drilling pro-
jects, in recent years, insufficient research into PAC has
prevented it from meeting the needs of practical
projects.15
Unlike other drilling fluid additives, PAC is a renew-
able resource and has very broad applications as a
drilling fluid additive. It is very important to understand
the effect of PAC on the performance of drilling
fluid, especially in terms of viscosity and filtrate
volume.15,16 The test was conducted by changing the
PAC content in drilling fluid and analysing the effect
of PAC content on the viscosity and filtrate volume of
drilling fluid.

© W. S. Maney & Son Ltd 2015

Received 20 October 2014; accepted 12 December 2014
S5-12 DOI 10.1179/1432891715Z.0000000001329 Materials Research Innovations 2015 VOL 19 SUPPL 5
 Yang et al. Analysis of the effect of polyanionic cellulose

Experimental
Material and methods
The materials used include PAC, polyacrylamide, bento-
nite, soda ash, caustic soda and potassium chloride.
PAC, polyacrylamide and bentonite were industrial-
grade, and others were analytically pure.
The instruments used include a ZNN-D6 rotary visc-
ometer with a 6-speed transmission, ZES-1 moderate-
pressure dehydration analyser, a slurry agitator and an
electronic balance. In order to study the effect of different
PAC contents on the properties of the drilling fluid, par-
allel testing was conducted. The drilling fluid compo-
sitions are given in Table 1.

Experimental procedure
(i) First, 20 g of bentonite, 2 g of soda ash, 0·5 g of 1 Curve of plastic viscosity with PAC content
caustic soda, 5 g of potassium chloride and 1 g of
polyacrylamide were placed into five separate beakers.
(ii) Next, 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 mL of a PAC sol-
ution (1 g PAC per 100 mL water) were added in sep-
arate beakers.
(iii) Water was added to bring every solution up to
1000 mL. The solutions were mixed for approxi-
mately 30 min and kept at normal temperature for
3 h, allowing the polymer to mix completely and to
yield a drilling fluid.

Based on the drilling fluid test standard from American

Petroleum Institute (API), the parameters tested include
apparent viscosity, plastic viscosity and API filtrate volume.

Results and discussion

Relationship between PAC content and viscosity
The relationship between PAC content and plastic vis-
cosity is shown in Fig. 1. Figure 1 shows that the plastic
viscosity increases nonlinearly with increasing PAC
content. When the PAC content is below 1·5%, the
plastic viscosity increases slowly, whereas when the PAC
content is above 1·5%, the plastic viscosity increases
rapidly. The use of a low PAC content can significantly
improve the plastic viscosity, enabling effective drilling
and facilitating drilling cleanup using low-density fluid.
The relationship between PAC content and apparent
viscosity is shown in Fig. 2. Figure 2 shows that the
apparent viscosity of drilling fluid increases nonlinearly
with increasing PAC content. When the PAC content is
below 1·5%, the apparent viscosity increases slowly,
whereas when the PAC content is above 1·5%, the appar-
ent viscosity increases rapidly. Low PAC content can sig-
nificantly improve the apparent viscosity, enabling
effective drilling and facilitating drilling cleanup using
low-density fluid.
2 Curve of apparent viscosity with PAC content
Figures 1 and 2 show that the plastic viscosity and
apparent viscosity behave similarly with changing PAC
content. The changes in plastic viscosity and apparent vis-
cosity with changing PAC content can be described using
formula (1)
1
V= (1)
a + bx
where V is the viscosity of the drilling fluid; a, b are test
parameters; and x is PAC content ( g).
The correlation coefficient given in Table 2 and fitting
curves in Figs. 1 and 2 show that the correlation between
the fitting data and test data is good; thus, the relationship
between PAC content and viscosity is described well by
formula (1).

Table 1 Composition of drilling fluid (unit: g)

Test number Bentonite Soda ash Caustic soda Potassium chloride Polyacrylamide PAC

1 20 2 0·5 5 1 0·5
2 20 2 0·5 5 1 1
3 20 2 0·5 5 1 1·5
4 20 2 0·5 5 1 2
5 20 2 0·5 5 1 2·5

Materials Research Innovations 2015 VOL 19 SUPPL 5 S5-13

Yang et al. Analysis of the effect of polyanionic cellulose

Table 2 Fitting parameters of the relationship between

content of PAC and viscosity

Parameter a b R2

Apparent viscosity 0·38 − 0·11 0·97

Plastic viscosity 0·35 − 0·09 0·97

Relationship between PAC content and filtrate

volume
The relationship between filtrate volume at various times
and PAC content is shown in Fig. 3. Figure 3 shows that
as PAC content increases, the filtrate volume of the dril-
ling fluid decreases almost linearly with increasing PAC
content. PAC can be ionised into polyoxoanion-long
chains, which adsorb many clay particles, forming a
hybrid network structure throughout the system. This 4 Curve of filtrate volume with time
feature improves the clay coagulation stability of particles
and helps to keep the particle content suspended in the
fluid, forming a dense mud cake and reducing the filtrate coefficient of permeability and increases the mud cake
volume. density.
The relationship between filtrate volume and PAC
content can be described by formula (2)

F = 22.93 − 2.94x
where F is filtrate volume (mL), x is PAC content ( g) and
R-square is 0·92659.
Relationship between the filtrate volume of
drilling fluid and time for different PAC contents
The relationship between the filtrate volume of the dril-
ling fluid and time for various PAC contents is shown
in Fig. 4. Figure 4 shows that the slope of the curve is
the filtrate volume of the fluid per unit time. A large
slope corresponds to a large filtrate volume, whereas a
small slope corresponds to a small filtrate volume. For a
given filter process, the filtrate volume decreases continu-
ously with time, with the formation of mud cake transi-
tioning from thin to thick. As the mud cake forms, its
coefficient of permeability continuously decreases, and
the filtrate volume per unit time also decreases. The
greater the PAC content, the smaller the slope of the
curve. This shows that the use of PAC decreases the
(2) Relationship between the filter loss velocity and
time for different PAC contents
The relationship between filter loss velocity and time is
shown in Fig. 5. For different PAC contents, the relation-
ship between filter loss velocity and time is similar. In the
early stage of the filter loss test, the filter loss velocity is
high, but with increasing time, the filter loss velocity
decreases rapidly. When the time exceeds 250 s, the
filter loss velocity is essentially constant for different
PAC contents, and the filter loss velocity is very low.
The relationship between filter loss velocity at different
PAC contents and times can be described by formula (3)
v = ta (3)
where v is the filter loss velocity (mL/s), t is the time and a
is a test parameter.
The correlation coefficient in Table 3 and fitting curve
in Fig. 6 show that the correlation between the fitting data
and test data is good; thus, the relationship between filter
loss velocity and time is described well by formula (3).

3 Relationship between filtrate volume in different time and

content of PAC 5 Relationship between velocity of filter loss and time

S5-14 Materials Research Innovations 2015 VOL 19 SUPPL 5


Table 3 Fitting parameter of relationship between velocity of
filter loss at different content of PAC and time
Content of PAC (g)
0·5 1 1·5 2 2·5
a − 0·81 − 0·82 − 0·84 − 0·94 − 0·96
R2 0·95 0·95 0·96 0·93 0·91
6 Relationship between velocity of filter loss and time
Discussion
The relationship between viscosity and filtrate volume is
shown in Fig. 7. Figure 7 shows that the filtrate volume
of the drilling fluid increases approximately linearly
with decreasing drilling fluid viscosity. In the drilling
process, the drilling efficiency is closely related to the
properties of the drilling fluid, among which the rheologi-
cal properties ( plastic viscosity and apparent viscosity)
are the most important. When the viscosity is low,
increasing the drilling efficiency of drilling tool, which
can accelerate the rock crushing rate, is helpful, but is
not beneficial for cleaning an empty wellbore. However,
as shown in Fig. 7, when the viscosity is low, the filter
loss of the drilling fluid is high, and the stability of the
drilling fluid is low. When the viscosity is high, the drilling
fluid is able to carry cuttings, which is beneficial for clean-
ing the wellbore. On the other hand, when the viscosity is
7 Relationship between viscosity and filtrate volume of
drilling fluid
Yang et al. Analysis of the effect of polyanionic cellulose
high, the filter loss is low, and the stability of the drilling
fluid is high. However, when the viscosity is high, a large
proportion of the power of the drilling tool will be used to
overcome the shearing force of the drilling fluid, thereby
greatly reducing the drilling rate. To obtain a higher dril-
ling efficiency, the viscosity and the filtrate volume of the
drilling fluid were considered together, as shown in
Fig. 7, where the dashed area indicates the optimal drilling
fluid performance. In practical applications, the viscosity
and the filtrate volume of the drilling fluid should be
measured first, and then the viscosity and filtrate volume
(like Fig. 7) should be plotted. This plot can be used to
identify the optimum performance of the drilling fluid.
Conclusion
With increasing polyanionic cellulose content, the appar-
ent viscosity increases nonlinearly. When the content is
below 1·5%, the increase is slow, whereas when the
content is above 1·5%, the increase is rapid. The use of
a low polyanionic cellulose content can significantly
improve the apparent viscosity and fluid performance.
As the polyanionic cellulose content increases, the fil-
trate volume of the drilling fluid decreases almost linearly.
Low polyanionic cellulose contents can significantly
reduce the filtrate volume and form a mud cake, which
can be effectively used as a water-sensitive stratum to
prevent collapse.
Because of the transition of the mud cake from thin to
thick during the filter loss process, the coefficient of per-
meability of the mud cake and the filtrate volume con-
tinuously decrease with time. As the polyanionic
cellulose content increases, the coefficient of permeability
of the mud cake continuously decreases, and the mud
cake becomes denser.
Early in the filter loss process, the filter loss velocity
decreases rapidly with time; however, when the time
exceeds 250 s, the change in the filter loss velocity is
very slow.
Acknowledgements
This investigation was supported by Opening fund of
State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and
Geoenvironment Protection (Chengdu University of
Technology) (Project No. SKLGP 2014K013); the
National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project
Nos. 41002093 and 41072205); the Fundamental
Research Funds for the Central Universities; the
Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (Project No.
14ZR1442800); the Programme for Young Excellent
Talents, Tongji University. The authors are extremely
grateful for the financial support from these six
organisations.
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