Contaminants: © 2001 Petroskills LLC, All Rights Reserved

Contaminants
Introduction
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© 2001 PetroSkills LLC, All Rights Reserved
Contaminants
A contaminant is defined as any undesirable

component that causes a detrimental effect when
incorporated in a drilling fluid.
Any substance that is both undesirable and
detrimental may be classified as a contaminant.
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Contaminants
Contaminants are encountered at every phase of

the drilling operation. They may come from the:
• Drilled formation
• Water supply
• Materials used to formulate and maintain the
drilling fluid properties.
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Contaminants
The vast majority of problems associated with

the control of drilling fluid properties can be
directly attributed to the detrimental effects of
some type of contamination
The overall economic success or failure of the
drilling operation may depends on recognizing
how a contaminant can alter the physical and
chemical characteristics of a drilling fluid, often
in the period of one circulation.
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Recognizing Contaminants
The primary indication of contamination is a general
instability of the drilling fluid properties. This instability
may manifest itself as a difficulty in controlling:
• Fluid loss
• Alkalinity
• Rheology
Some form of contamination should be suspected when
there is no apparent reason for the failure to control
drilling fluid properties.
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Recognizing Contaminants
Contamination can be both specific and general.
Contaminants can have a "masking" effect on

each other.
The most reliable method for determining the
presence of contaminants is regular, accurate
analysis of both the physical and chemical
properties of the drilling fluid.
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Drilled Solids Contaminants
Contaminants encountered while drilling (drilled solids):
• Active solids - clay fraction of shales
• Inactive solids - sands, limestone, etc..
• Evaporite Salts
• Sodium chloride, NaCl
• Potassium chloride, KCl
• Calcium chloride, CaCl2
• Magnesium chloride, MgCl2
• Anhydrite, CaSO4
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Water Flow Contaminants
Contaminants encountered while drilling water flows
• Mixed salts at various concentrations (Devil's Brine)
• Acid Gases
• Carbon dioxide, CO2
• Hydrogen sulfide, H2S
• Hydrocarbons
• Light or heavy oils
• Lignite
• Coal
• Thermal degradation of mud products
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Introduced Contaminants
Contaminants Introduced at the Surface (accidental and
intentional):
• Cement, Ca (OH)2
• Seawater (mixed salts)
• Completion or workover fluids (mixed salts)
• Spotting fluid (generally a type of oil)
• Calcium carbonate, CaCO3
• Bicarbonate, NaHCO3
• Bacteria
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Chemically Treatable Contaminants
Chemically Treatable Contaminants :

• Calcium, Ca2+
• Magnesium, Mg2+
• Soluble carbonates, CO32-
• Hydrogen sulfide, H2S
• Bacteria
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Drilled Solids
Solids are an unavoidable component of all drilling

fluids.
Solids may be intentionally added as commercially
processed materials, or incorporated as a result of the
drilling operation.
Drilled solids are those that are generated as the
formation is drilled and they are classified as either
cuttings or cavings.
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Drilled Solids
A certain percentage of drilled solids is unavoidable due
to several factors:
• Insufficient settling
• Inefficient time mechanical separation equipment
• The type of formation being drilled and the
type of drilling fluid being used.
The degree of contaminating effect by drilled solids

depends largely on their type and particle size.
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Shale Solids
Dispersed shales are serious contaminants to drilling
fluids because they contain clays.
Clays are usually present in drilling fluids, whether
added intentionally to condition the mud (bentonite) or
incorporated into the mud as drilled solids (smectite,
illite, chlorite, kaolinite.)
The water that is "bound" to the clay is essentially
unavailable to the mud. This reduction in the fluid phase
component of the mud causes the effective viscosity to
increase.
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Solids Control Techniques
Methods of solids control:
• Settling
• Dilution
• Mechanical Separation
• Chemical Treatment
Each of these methods has advantages and
disadvantages.
In practice, the most efficient form of solids control is
often a combination of methods.
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Chemical Treatment
The control of drilled solids with chemical treatment

takes two forms.
The first is involved with chemical additions to
overcome the effects of drilled solids build-up, while the
second is designed to prevent the drilled solid from
becoming a problem.
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Pilot Testing
Pilot tests must be conducted at the wellsite anytime the

mud system must be altered or when mud properties do
not meet specifications.
Pilot tests are conducted in order to determine the
appropriate mud treatment under controlled conditions.
Contaminants Identification
5 4

Contaminants: © 2001 Petroskills LLC, All Rights Reserved

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Contaminants: © 2001 Petroskills LLC, All Rights Reserved

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Copyright:

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Contaminants

A contaminant is defined as any undesirable

Contaminants are encountered at every phase of

The vast majority of problems associated with

Contamination can be both specific and general.

Contaminants can have a "masking" effect on

Chemically Treatable Contaminants :

Solids are an unavoidable component of all drilling

The degree of contaminating effect by drilled solids

The control of drilled solids with chemical treatment

Pilot tests must be conducted at the wellsite anytime the

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