DRILLING FLUID

INTRODUCTION
 Drilling fluid is important to well as
BLOOD is to human body.

 Drilling Fluid is the blood of well and

Mud Engineer is the Physician cum
pathologist of the well.
 INTRODUCTION
 Merely having blood / Drilling fluid is
not sufficient. It is to be circulated at
required parameters to maintain
healthy Body / well.

 It is very essential to maintain the

effective parameters of drilling fluid for
SUCESSFUL drilling and completion of
the oil / gas well.
 DEFINITION
 Drilling fluid is a fluid used to drill bore
holes into the earth. Often used while
drilling oil and natural gas wells in site
for exploration and exploitation of oil /
gas wells.

 Drilling fluid is a mixture of clays and

chemicals and water; pumped down the
drill pipe to lubricate and cool the
drilling bit and to flush out the drilled
cuttings from wellbore.
 DEFINITION
 Fluid used in the wellbore to lubricate
and cool the bit, control bottom-hole
pressures and remove cuttings.

 Circulating fluid, one function of which

is to lift cuttings out of the well bore
and to the surface. It also serves to
cool the bit and to counteract downhole
formation pressure.
 IMPORTANCE OF DRILLING FLUID
 COMPLICATION FREE DRILLING.

 PREVENTION OF FORMATION
DAMAGE.

 SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF WELL.

 ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY SYSTEM.

FUNCTIONS OF DRILLING FLUID
 Pickup and Transport drilled cuttings,
unwanted solids and caving to the
surface.

 Suspend drilled cuttings, unwanted

solids and caving when circulation is
stopped.

 Balance and Control subsurface

pressure through hydrostatic head.
FUNCTIONS OF DRILLING FLUID
 Cool and lubricate bit and drill string.

 Prevent the hole from collapsing.

 Support the walls of the well bore.

 Help suspend the weight of the drill

string and casing by buoyancy.
FUNCTIONS OF DRILLING FLUID
 Deliver hydraulic energy upon the
formation beneath bit .

 Provide suitable medium for wire line

logs.

 Clean the bottom of the hole beneath

the bit.
FUNCTIONS OF DRILLING FLUID
 Maintain the well bore stability by
inhibition of Formations.

 Seal permeable formations.

 Minimizing formation damage if use

with clay free drilling fluid system in
pay zone.
FUNCTIONS OF DRILLING FLUID
 Ensure adequate formation evaluation.

 Control corrosion in acceptance level.

 Facilitate cementing and completion.

 Minimize impact on environment.

 TYPE OF DRILLING FLUID

 Dispersed Drilling Fluid.

e.g. CL-CLS-CMC System

 Non-Dispersed Drilling fluid.

 e.g. KCL-PHPA-POLYMER System.
 CLASSIFICATION OF DRILLING
FLUID
 WATER BASE DRILLING FLUID
SYSTEMS.

 OIL BASE DRILLING FLUIDS.

 AERATED-DRY GAS, MIST, FOAM ,

STABLE FOAM .
 (A) Water Phase:

 SALT CONC. IN WATER MUD CLASSIFICATION

 (1) 10,000ppm or less-Fresh water mud.

 (2) 10,000 to 20,000ppm - brackish water mud.

 (3) 20,000 to 40,000ppm – Sea water mud.

 (4) 40,000ppm to near saturated-salt brine mud.

 (5) Max. Salt content 3,15,000ppm-Saturated Salt mud.

 (B) Reactive solid phase

 Composed of commercial clays-Such

as Bentonite Powder and incorporated
hydratable clays and shales from
drilled formations.

 Other Additives such as polymers,

Thinners, Lubricants and specialized
chemicals to control the properties of
the drilling fluids.
 (C) INERT SOLIDS
 Inert solids refers to those solids in
suspension, which are chemically
inactive. These may be inert drilled
solids such as limestone, sands, salts or
loading materials such as Barite,
Heametite, Calcium carbonate. Other
inert solids are LCM-Saw dust, Wall nut,
Mica, Rice Husk etc.
 WATER BASE DRILLING FLUIDS
SYSTEM
 Spud Drilling fluid System: only bentonite
suspension with slightly treated with fluid loss
additives and thinners. Used in spudding the
well and drilling the top section of clay and sand
formation.

 CL-CLS Drilling fluid: Used in drilling the shale

section in exploratory vertical wells and inhibit
the shale through maintaining CL-CLS Ratio.
 WATER BASE DRILLING FLUIDS
SYSTEM
 KCL-PHPA-POLYMER-POLYOL
SYTEM:
This is non-dispersed system and
widely used in drilling the deviation
wells for drilling the trouble shooting
shale up to 89-90 degree angle. The
shale inhibition is done by KCL-ion
exchange and encapsulating the shale
with PHPA. The main advantages of
this drilling fluid are:
 KCL-PHPA-POLYMER
 Increase ROP.
 Best Bore hole stability.
 Gauge or nearly gauge hole.
 Improved hole cleaning.
 Cut in Drilling fluid weight due to inhibitive
characteristic of the syatem.
 Enhance Lubricity.
 WATER BASE DRILLING FLUIDS
SYSTEM
 Clay Free-Non damaging System: It is
also non dispersed system and used in
drilling the pay zone. Bentonite or Barite
not used in this system. Only Polymers,
Salts and ultrafine calcium carbonates used
in this system. This system can be used as a
completion / work over fluid as not having
high solids and bentonite etc.
 CLAY FREE SYSTEM
 Advantage:
 High ROP.
 No formation damage / Very Minimum
Damage as compare to Normal Drilling fluid.
 Good Lubricity.
 Minimum surge or swab pressure due to low
solid availability in the system.
 Good hole cleaning efficiency.
 OTHER INHIBITIVE SYSTEM
 1. LIME base Muds
 Low lime (80 to 100 ppm Ca2+)

 Intermediate lime (100 to180 ppm Ca2+)

 High lime (180 to 200 ppm Ca2+)
 2.Gypsum Mud - Ca2+ > 200 ppm
 3. Salt water mud
 4. HTHP Drilling fluid.-Stable to 236 c degree.
 5. K-Lignite-KCL Polyol System.
 OIL BASE DRILLING FLUID
 OIL – DIESEL OR CRUDE.

 OIL MUD – STABLE OIL BASE.

 DRILLING FLUID CONTAINS :

• WATER EMULSIFYING AGENTS
• SUSPENDING AGENTS
• FILTRATION CONTROL AGENTS
 OIL BASE DRILLING FLUID
EMULSIONS : An oily liquid maintained in
small droplets in water by an emulsifying
agent , e.g. diesel oil and a film – stabilizing
surfactant.
It is of two type:
1. Oil in water Emulsion:

2. Water in oil Emulsion.

 GASEOUS DRILLING FLUID
 DRY GAS.

 MIST.

 FOAM.

 STABLE FOAM.
 GASEOUS DRILLING FLUID
 DRY GAS - NATURALGAS, EXHAUST GAS,
COMBUSTION GAS.
 MIST – DROPLETS OF WATER OR MUD
CARRIED IN THE AIR STREAM.
 FOAM – AIR BUBBLES SURROUNDED BY A
FILM OF WATER CONTAINING A FOAM
STABILISING SURFACTENT.
 STABLE FOAM – FOAM CONTAINING FILM
STRENGTHENING MATERIALS , SUCH AS
ORGANIC POLYMERS AND BENTONITE.
 PROPERTIES OF DRILLING
FLUIDS
 DENSITY (SPECIFIC GRAVITY): Density is
defined as weight per unit volume. It is expressed in:
 ppg (lbs/ gallons) or
 pound per cubic feet (lb/ft3) or

 kg/m3 or

 gm/cm3 or

 as specific gravity (compared to the

weight of an equal volume of water )

 In field Density is measured with a mud balance.
 DRILLING FLUID WEIGHT
SELECTION
 Pore pressure .
 Fracture gradient.
 In order to prevent the inflow of formation
fluids and to lay down a thin, low
permeable filter cake on the walls of the
hole, the pressure of mud column must
exceed the pore pressure by at least 200
psi (14.2 kg/cm2).
 DRILLING FLUID WEIGHT
Weighing materials.

 Barite, Galena, Haematite, Limestone.

 Dissolved salts: NaCl, KCl, CaCl2

 VISCOSITY
 Viscosity is defined as the resistance to flow.
 It is measured with Marsh Funnel in field and
called static viscosity.
 It is also measured with Viscometer in
Laboratory and field and Called Dynamic
Viscosity.
 From DIRECTINDICATING VISCOMETER we
measure, Apparent Viscosity, Plastic Viscosity,
Yield Point and geletion of Drilling fluid.
 GEL STRENGTH

while the Gel strength is the

thixotropic property of mud i.e. mud
tends to thicken up if left unagitated
for some time and start flowing when
agitating.
 Filtration Loss
 The filtration or wall building property, of a
mud is indicative of the ability of the solid
components of the mud to form a filter cake
and the magnitude of cake permeability. It is
measured by filter press.

 The mud cake protects the formation from

further invasion, and supports the borehole
wall from collapse.
 OTHER PROPERTIES
 pH - measured with Ph Paper.

 Lubricity – By lubricity tester.

 Sand content – By sand content apparatus.

 Liquids And Solids – by Retort kit.

 Filtrate Analysis – By titration.



 . Alkalinity Determinations – By Titration.

 DRILLING FLUID HANDLING
EQUEPMENTS
 MUD TANKS.

 MIXING HOPPER.

 MIXING GUNS.

 MUD PUMPS.
 .
 DRILLING FLUID HANDLIG
EQUIPMENTS
 SHALE SHAKER.

 D-GASSER.

 D-SANDER.

 D-SILTER.

 MUD CLEANER.
 CONCLUSION
 DRILLING FLUID IS THE KEY OF
SUCCESSFUL DRILLING AND
COMPLETION OF THE WELL.

 IT IS SO IMPORTANT FOR WELL

AS BLOOD IS IN THE BODY OF
LIVING BEING.
DRILLING FLUID

 THANK YOU