How can I prepare standard water based drilling fluid in the lab? materials and quantities?

I want prepare mud in the lab for research purpose

Drilling Fluids

Petroleum Engineering

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Popular Answers (1)

3 years ago

Ayman Abdel Ghany AL-Zahry

Egyptian Mud Engineering & Chemicals Company

Dear Mortatha

Drilling fluids are separated into three major classifications:

• Pneumatic

• Oil-Based

• Water-Based

Pneumatic (air/gas based) fluids are used for drilling depleted zones or areas where abnormally
low formation pressures may be encountered.

Oil-based fluids is used to drill troublesome shales and to improve hole stability. They are also
applicable in drilling highly deviated holes because of their high degree of lubricity and ability to
prevent hydration of clays. They may also be selected for special applications such as high
temperature/high pressure wells, minimizing formation damage, and native-state coring. Another
reason for choosing oil-based fluids is that they are resistant to contaminants such as anhydrite,
salt, and CO2 and H2S acid gases.

Water based fluids are the most extensively used drilling fluids. They are generally easy to build,
inexpensive to maintain, and can be formulated to overcome most drilling problems.

As mentioned above by esteemed colleagues; in order to prepare a simple water based drilling
fluid in the lab.; you should first know the following principles of the "Pilot Testing".

Pilot testing of drilling fluids is testing performed on proportionately small-scale samples. It is an

essential part of drilling fluid Lab. testing and treating.
Pilot testing is based on the fact that 1 gm/350 cm3 of the sample is equivalent to 1 lb/bbl (42 gal)
of the actual mud system. Also 8.33 cm3 /350 is equivalent to 1 gal/bbl (42 gal) of the actual mud
system. i.e.

1 lab barrel = 350 cm3 (Final Volume)

1 gm = 1 lb

1 gallon = 8.33 cm3

Any Drilling fluid sample will be prepared by adding the required concentration of materials
(depend upon their function) into base fluid (water) to obtain 1 bbl (350 cm3 Final Volume) with
specific parameters e.g. Mud Weight, Rheological properties PV, YP and Gel, Fluid Loss....etc

The drilling fluid materials include:-

Water is the base fluid (Tap Water)

Soda Ash (sodium Carbonate) which is a Hardness control agent ( 0.2 - 0.5 gm)

Caustic Soda (sodium hydroxide) for pH control (0.25 - 0.3 gm to give pH 9 -10)

Bentonite (Clay Mineral) (10 - 20 gm) or Xanthan Gum Polymer ( 0.25 0.5 gm) as a Viscosifier

Starch; PAC (Poly anionic Cellulose) as a Filter loss reducer

Barite or Calcium Carbonate as a Weighing material.

This is a simple Water Drilling Fluid components you can prepared in the Lab. for Pilot testing.

If you need to design any drilling fluid (water or Oil); I will calculate to you the needed
concentration of materials depending upon the required parameters.

it's my pleasure assisting you

Ayman AL-Zahry

8 Recommendations

All Answers (13)

4 years ago

Paul F Luckham

Imperial College London

somewhere between a 5-10% bentonite suspension will give you the correct rheology (exact value
depends on the quality of the bentonite)
Paul

1 Recommendation

4 years ago

Sebastiao Loureiro

Petróleo Brasileiro S.A.

Please Mortatha be more specific. Anyhow, You can start with what we call "laboratory barril"
which means 1g/350ml = 1lb/bbl.

1 Recommendation

4 years ago

Haval Hawez

Koya University

5- 10% barrite or bentonite gives you best mark. then should be checked for Plastic Viscosity,
Yield Point and Gel Strength.

4 years ago

Mortatha Alyasiri

University of Leeds

Many thanks for your help

4 years ago

Bilal Sabiu

Ahmadu Bello University ,Zaria. Nigeria.

If the desired rheological properties have not been achieved using sodium based Bentonite, you
should add a synthetic visciosifier such as Poly anionic cellulose (Dris PAC) to the laboratory barrel,
usually between 0.2 -1.4g of PAC

3 years ago

Sherief Bassiouny

Halliburton

Dear Mortatha,
You need to be more specified about the sample you want to mix.

As said before You have to use the lab barrel (350 ml) so for any concentration you can use 1gm
for 1 lb (1lb/bbl=1gm/350ml).

The basic sample is Bentonite with fresh water (20-25 lb/bbl Bentonite) should give a good sample
for rheology testing.

Regards,

Sherief Bassiouny

1 Recommendation

3 years ago

Mortatha Alyasiri

University of Leeds

Many thanks Sherief for your answer.

Yes, I am looking for basic sample in order to see the effect of nanoparticles.

Regards

Mortatha

3 years ago

Marcus Davidson

Harlaw Fluids Ltd

Take 350 ml water, add 20 g sodium bentonite, 0.5 g of sodium hydroxide for pH control and 0.5 g
of soda ash. You can add barite too for density if you wish. Some CMC polymer would help
control the fluid loss as needed, probably 1 g - 5g., You will need a blender or a mixer to combine
the ingredients.

Polymer fluids could be made using xanthan gum and starch with barite or calcium carbonate for
additional weight. Magnesium oxide would be used for pH buffering.

Best wishes,

Marcus

1 Recommendation

3 years ago
Ayman Abdel Ghany AL-Zahry

Egyptian Mud Engineering & Chemicals Company

Dear Mortatha

Drilling fluids are separated into three major classifications:

• Pneumatic

• Oil-Based

• Water-Based

Pneumatic (air/gas based) fluids are used for drilling depleted zones or areas where abnormally
low formation pressures may be encountered.

Oil-based fluids is used to drill troublesome shales and to improve hole stability. They are also
applicable in drilling highly deviated holes because of their high degree of lubricity and ability to
prevent hydration of clays. They may also be selected for special applications such as high
temperature/high pressure wells, minimizing formation damage, and native-state coring. Another
reason for choosing oil-based fluids is that they are resistant to contaminants such as anhydrite,
salt, and CO2 and H2S acid gases.

Water based fluids are the most extensively used drilling fluids. They are generally easy to build,
inexpensive to maintain, and can be formulated to overcome most drilling problems.

As mentioned above by esteemed colleagues; in order to prepare a simple water based drilling
fluid in the lab.; you should first know the following principles of the "Pilot Testing".

Pilot testing of drilling fluids is testing performed on proportionately small-scale samples. It is an

essential part of drilling fluid Lab. testing and treating.

Pilot testing is based on the fact that 1 gm/350 cm3 of the sample is equivalent to 1 lb/bbl (42 gal)
of the actual mud system. Also 8.33 cm3 /350 is equivalent to 1 gal/bbl (42 gal) of the actual mud
system. i.e.

1 lab barrel = 350 cm3 (Final Volume)

1 gm = 1 lb

1 gallon = 8.33 cm3

Any Drilling fluid sample will be prepared by adding the required concentration of materials
(depend upon their function) into base fluid (water) to obtain 1 bbl (350 cm3 Final Volume) with
specific parameters e.g. Mud Weight, Rheological properties PV, YP and Gel, Fluid Loss....etc

The drilling fluid materials include:-

Water is the base fluid (Tap Water)

Soda Ash (sodium Carbonate) which is a Hardness control agent ( 0.2 - 0.5 gm)

Caustic Soda (sodium hydroxide) for pH control (0.25 - 0.3 gm to give pH 9 -10)

Bentonite (Clay Mineral) (10 - 20 gm) or Xanthan Gum Polymer ( 0.25 0.5 gm) as a Viscosifier

Starch; PAC (Poly anionic Cellulose) as a Filter loss reducer

Barite or Calcium Carbonate as a Weighing material.

This is a simple Water Drilling Fluid components you can prepared in the Lab. for Pilot testing.

If you need to design any drilling fluid (water or Oil); I will calculate to you the needed
concentration of materials depending upon the required parameters.

it's my pleasure assisting you

Ayman AL-Zahry

8 Recommendations

3 years ago

Bahram Hosseini Monjezi

Research Institute of Petroleum Industry (RIPI)

I prefer to complete some other comments. You can use lime and caustic soda as a pH control
agent. Green or red starch as a viscosifier and barite, ferobar and limestone as a weighing agent. If
you want to know why 350cc is a lab barrel you should read (chapter: drilling fluids and tests) in
applied drilling engineering book. suggest you study this book

3 years ago

Chris Greenwell

Durham University

Dear Mortatha

Not sure if you have resolved this, but we have a mini drilling fluid lab in my research group, with
1/2 lab barrel set up, including aging cells and roller oven and would be happy to collaborate if it
helps your project.

With best wishes,

Chris
1 Recommendation

a year ago

Sheeraz Soomro

Mehran University of Engineering and Technology

Hello all.. Kindly help me.. I want to make Oil Based drilling mud in the lab for experimentation
purpose... I am combining petroleum diesel, water, barite, bentonite and lime... I want to know if I
prepare 1 litre of mud.. what should be the quantity of all materials I have to add???

6 months ago

Oluwabukunola Olapoju

Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research

Dear Ayman,

Thank you for the answer provided to the above question. Kindly provide a journal publication
reference or a book reference to this method of preparation for my research you.

Thank you.