AutoTrak

Operations Manual

Section 6
Specifications

Mud and Lost

Circulation Material

ATK-20-70-0000-06-01
 AutoTrak
Operations Manual
Specifications
ATK-20-70-0000-06-01 Revision: A September, 2004

Confidential

Revision History
All revisions to the document should be listed here. At the minimum, entries should include the section
altered, the approver of the revision, and the date. All revisions to this document must have an associated
Document Change Request (DCR). Changes cannot be made to this document without an approved DCR.

REV DCR Amendment Detail Approval Date

A -- Initial release G. Cawthorne 09/2004

This manual is provided without any warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. The
information in this document is believed to be accurate; however, Baker Hughes INTEQ will not
be liable for any damages, whether direct or indirect, which results from the use of any
information contained herein.

© 2004 Baker Hughes Incorporated. All rights reserved.

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 Section 6
Specifications
Mud and Lost Circulation Material
The drilling mud is a vital element of the drilling process.
Most drilling muds will be compatible with the AutoTrak Generation 2.5 and 3.0 systems since
there is very little elastomer in contact with the drilling fluids. If in doubt, contact Technical
Services for advice.

Silicate Mud
The only drilling fluid where a high degree of caution should be applied is any drilling fluid
based on silicate. Silicate muds in general do not pose compatibility problems with elastomer or
other materials. The problems which can arise through the use of silicate muds is their potential
for the silicate to come out of solution (accretion). If silicate comes out of solution, it forms very
hard, very angular needles, which can adhere to surfaces. In the case of AutoTrak Generation
2.5/3.0– if the silicate needles adhere to any moving parts (pulser, turbine, non-rotating sleeve
bearings etc), greatly accelerated wear (at least) will result. The silicate needles can also adhere to
the entire drillstring and to the wellbore, generating very high friction factors. A high degree of
caution should therefore be applied if any potential application involves the use of silicate muds
at least until further technological advances are made with these fluids.

LCM
As part of any drilling operation LCM material and high/low viscosity pills are pumped downhole,
this might cause downhole failures and all measures possible should be taken to make sure the
downhole tool is functional and operational after the pills.
This memo addresses the challenges with pumping LCM and pills through the pulser and turbine
of the tools operated by INTEQ. It explains the different focus necessary when differentiating
between pills and LCM material and the recommended procedure of how reduce risk of failure
when pumping pills through the tools.

Risks
Particle Size
Conventional LCMs can be classified by the particle shape into 1) fibers, 2) flakes, and 3)
granules. It is particularly important to note that although most conventional LCMs are labeled as
being “fine”, medium”, or “coarse”, there are no standards. Each individual material will have a
different particle size and each manufacturer will use a different particle size for their LCM
materials.

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Any contamination of the mud with a certain size can influence the performance of the downhole
tool. The most sensitive component is the pulser system, where particles and grains in the size
range from 0.7-1.3mm (0.028-0.05”) might plug flow channels and ultimately lead to pulser
blockage. To minimize the risk of pulser plugging, LCM of this size should be pumped at
very low flowrates (i.e. ~500 lpm (130gpm) as stated in the OPS manual), ensuring that the
easily pluggable pulser by-pass channel is exposed to as low flow as possible, hence limiting the
amount of LCM to enter the channel.
LCM Size Recommended Flow Rate Risk area if not followed
0.5 - 1.3mm (0.020 - 0.05”) below 500 lpm (< 130gpm) Pulser plugging
1.3 – 3.2mm (0.05 - 0.126”) above 500 lpm (> 130gpm) Turbine blockage
>3.2mm (>0.126”) Bit plugging
The tool turbine is the second most likely component to be blocked, however, the turbine will
develop considerable torque and momentum depending on flow rate and mud weight. Coarse
LCM might be able to bridge the gap between turbine OD and collar ID thereby braking or even
halting the turbine, hence LCM size above 1.5 mm (0.059”) should be pumped through the tool at
a higher flow rate to ensure a minimum of momentum as the risk of plugging the pulser is less
with coarse material (it will be filtered away by the pulser mesh).
In general, any ground, shredded, manufactured, etc. LCM that has an average component
dimension greater than one-third the diameter of the bit nozzles might plug these. The following
table provides a guideline for maximum diameter fiber length and nozzle sizes.
Nozzle Size Max. Fibre Length
12 3.17 mm (0.125”)
14 3.70 mm (0.146”)
16 4.23 mm (0.167”)
18 4.76 mm (0.187”)
For the AutoTrak and OnTrak standard pulser a minimum nominal LCM length of the 1mm
(0.039”) is recommended, hence the window between the risks of plugging the bit and pulser
should be used as effective as possible. The turbine will potentially free itself after partial
plugging and should be considered far less suspect to fail after the use of LCM materials. If fine
LCM in the size range of 0.5-1.3mm (0.020 - 0.05”) is to be used this should be pumped through
at flow rate below 500 lpm (<130gpm).
Any other flow restrictions (i.e. bit nozzles, additional downhole tools in the BHA) might or
might not conflict with these recommendations and should be considered prior to pumping any
LCM.
Turbine speed
The mud viscosity has an impact on the effectiveness of the tool turbine. When pumping high
viscosity pills one might cause over-spinning of the turbine if using operation flow, this again
might cause a current peak and might lead to an electronic short.
Slugging
All pills introduced into the system needs to be properly mixed and before pumping the tool
through the tool it is important to lower the flow rate. Failing to do so might cause the pill to hit
the pulser like a fist and damage it.

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Mud and Lost Circulation Material Specifications

Operation Procedures LCM

The following procedure should be reviewed and followed prior to and during AutoTrak and
OnTrak operations.
• Always visually inspect the LCM being used.
• All granular LCM material should be fine or medium in size.
• Course LCM should be avoided
• Fibrous materials should be avoided
• Concentration should start at 8.6 kg/m3 (3 lbs/bbl) with good mixing.
• Increase the concentration of the LCM as needed. The MWD mud pulse signal should be
monitored carefully during this process. If the tool starts to skip pulses or pulses increase
in size, concentrations of LCM should not be increased.
• Calculate the displacement / strokes to 150m (500ft) from the top of the tool and reduce
flow when the pill reaches this point.
• Avoid slugging. Reduce pump flow to below 500lpm (130 gpm) before pill reaches the
tool. The flow should be kept low.
• Max concentration 114 kg/m3
• Pills with higher concentration have been pumped with success, but this is outside of
specification. Examples available in AutoTrak Operation Manual Appendix G.
Contact Technical support for further details.
• If pills with higher concentration are to be pumped, make sure a customer non
conformance is filed.

Operation Procedures High/Low Viscosity

The following procedure should be reviewed and followed prior to and during AutoTrak and
OnTrak operations.
• Calculate the displacement / strokes to 150m (500ft) from the top of the tool and reduce
flow when the pill reaches this point.
• Reduce flow to maximum 50% of startflow for current tool (dependent on turbine setup).
• When the pill is going through the tool the flow can be increased to operating flow.
• NB: for AutoTrak G1.5, the flow while pumping the pill through the tool should be
maximum 80% of operation (to prevent overspeed of turbine).
• Return to operation flow after the pill has passed the tool.

The operator will always have the final saying in this matter – the first priority should
Note: always be to save the well, but these recommendations should be presented as the INTEQ
recommendation of how to pump pills through AutoTrak and OnTrak tools.

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Mud Additives
With any mud additives, to minimise the risk of adverse effects on the AutoTrak tool the
following guidelines should be followed
• Avoid any slugging of calcium carbonate
• If the tool starts to skip pulses or pulses increase in size, concentrations of LCM should
not be increased
• Do not use Calcium Carbonate in oil base mud. It may coagulate and plug the tool.
Calcium Carbonate is processed from either ground up limestone or marble. The calcium
carbonates made from limestone are slightly soluble and will coagulate in oil based mud.
Lubriglide Beads are used in drilling applications for reducing torque and drag.
• Only fine or medium lubriglide beads should be used. It is suggested that the mix be of
equal parts of fine and medium
• Avoid any slugging of the beads
• Concentrations should start at 8,6 kg/m 3 (3 lbs/bbl), with good mixing, increasing the
concentration of the LCM as needed. The MWD mud pulse signal should be monitored
carefully during this process. If the tool starts to skip pulses or pulses increase in size,
concentrations of LCM should not be increased
• Soap can be used as an additive to reduce “clumping”
• Do not use in polymer mud or add polymers to the system.

General Operating Procedures

The following procedures should be reviewed and followed prior to and during AutoTrak jobs.
• Always visually inspect the LCM being used
• Always visually inspect the drill pipe being used for pipe scale or cement
• Take provisions to clean the pipe if pipe scale or cement is present
• Inspect the circulation system. Ensure that cuttings are being removed and are not
bypassing the shakers
• Insure that the shaker screens are in good condition
• Check the shaker screens for proper mesh size
• Insure that the LCM is being added to the hopper properly.
Here is one experience about use of LCM materials at one occasion of circulation loss problems:
LCM pill#1: 300 kg/m 3 : 22 kg/m 3 Lignocell, 90 kg/m 3 Ultraseal, 86 kg/m 3 3Mica F,
100 kg/m 3 Walnut F.
Pumped through the AutoTrak with 250 lpm (66gpm).
LCM pill#2: 293 kg/m 3 : 42 kg/m 3 Lignocell, 67 kg/m 3 Ultraseal, 109 kg/m 3 3Mica F,
75 kg/m 3 Walnut F.
Pumped through the AutoTrak with 200 lpm (53gpm).

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Mud and Lost Circulation Material Specifications

Halliburton Flexplug: This liquid reacts with the oil mud to create a barrier to the formation. It is
important that it does not get in contact with the mud before it is out of the BHA. It is therefor
pumped with spacer before and after. After this, pills pumped and the flow rate was brought up to
1500 lpm (396 gpm) for a short while. The AutoTrak started to pulse, indicating that none of
these pills had plugged it up.

Recommended Application of LCM/ Mud

Additives
Description Fine Medium Course
Cedar Fibers – splinters No No No
Ground Bagasse Fibers – Dried and ground up sugarcane
No No No
pulp - Very Stringy
Shredded Cellophane Flake No No No
(Muscovite) Mica Graded Yes Yes No
Ground Pecan Shells Yes Yes No
Blended LCM – contains paper, Cedar Splinters and
Yes No No
Cellophane
Cottonseed Hulls – Contains the cotton hull and small
No No No
amounts of cotton linen fibers
Ground Paper No No No
Ground Walnut Shells Yes Yes No
Baroid Barafibre No No No

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