An Introduction To Drilling Fluids

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Oilwell Drilling Volume 3: An Introduction to Drilling Fluids
Introduction
Objectives
Welcome to Oilwell Drilling, Volume 3: Introduction to Drilling Fluids
Upon completion of this program, you should be able to:
Describe the primary types of drilling fluid.

Specify the functions of drilling fluid.
Tell why crew members put additives in drilling fluid.
Identify the various tests that are performed on drilling fluid and explain why
they are necessary.
Mud Types
Overview
Drilling fluid, or drilling mud as many people call it, is a vital element of the rotary
drilling process. The term 'drilling fluid' includes air, gas, water, and mud. Mud
refers to the liquid that contains solids in water or oil. The mud is made up with
clay and other additives that give it desirable properties.
Water-base Mud
Often, water is the base of drilling mud. Water makes up the liquid part, or
phase, of a water-based mud. Crew members put clay and special additives into
the water to make a mud with the properties needed to do its job well. For
example, clays give it thickness, or viscosity. The water in the mud may be fresh
water, sea water, or concentrated brine (salt water). The one used depends on
its availability and whether it gives the mud the needed properties to drill the
hole efficiently.
Oil-base Mud
At times, downhole drilling conditions require the crew to add oil to the mud. Or,
in some cases, crew members use oil instead of water as the base of the mud.
This is called oil-base mud. Oil-base mud has many advantages. It can stabilize
the formation and reduce downhole drilling problems. However, it is harder for
the crew to work with because it can create slippery conditions and
environmental precautions must be used. From an environmental standpoint,
https://www.techno-media.com/aicc_halliburton/tmi/tmixm/core/data/sound.htm 3/29/2013
mud with oil is more difficult to handle, because the oil clings to the drill cuttings.
The oil must be cleaned off the cuttings before they are disposed of.
Drilling with Air
Sometimes, drilling fluid is dry air or natural gas. Here, dry air is coming out of
the rig's blooey line carrying very fine drilled cuttings. Air drilling uses large air
compressors instead of mud pumps. Drilling with air or gas can prevent
formation damage and can overcome severe lost circulation problems. And it
allows the bit to drill very fast.
Downhole conditions have to be just right for air or gas to be useable. For
example, the bit cannot drill though formations containing large amounts of
water. The water mixes with the cuttings in the air or gas and clogs up the hole.
Foam Drilling
If small amounts of water are present in the formations being drilled, special
equipment can inject a foaming agent into the air stream. The foam helps
separate the cuttings and remove water from the hole.
Aerated Drilling
In some cases, the rig operator may use aerated mud, which, like foam drilling,
helps prevent clogging of the wellbore. Aerated drilling uses both mud and air
pumped into the standpipe at the same time.
Drilling Fluid Function
Overview
When circulated down the drill string and up the hole, drilling mud serves many
functions. For example, mud cleans the hole, cools and lubricates the bit and the
drill string, lifts cuttings to the surface, carries information about the formations
being drilled, stabilizes the well bore, controls formation pressure, and suspends
cuttings when pumping stops.
Cleaning the Hole
One function of mud is to clean the hole. A clean hole allows the bit to drill into
uncut formation rock. Here's an example of what can happen when cuttings are
not removed off bottom. Mud jets out of the bit and moves cuttings away from
the bottom of the hole. The mud then carries the cuttings up the annulus and to
the surface for disposal.
Cooling/Lubrication
Heat is encountered downhole. Deep formations can be very hot, and friction
from rotating drilling components generates a lot of heat. High temperatures
increase drill string and bit wear. Drilling fluid helps to reduce the temperature in
the drill string downhole while drilling. In addition, drilling fluid provides
lubrication to the drill string and bit that also helps prevent wear.
Protecting Wellbore Walls
Mud stabilizes the hole-keeps it from caving in. As mud moves up the hole, it
usually flows by permeable formations. Permeable formations are those that
allow fluid to flow. When the mud is next to a permeable formation, pressure
forces the liquid part of the mud-the filtrate-into the tiny openings, or pore
spaces, in the formation. This leaves behind a thin sheath of solid particles
known as mud cake. These solids plaster the side of the hole, much like the
plaster on the wall of a building. The wall cake helps keep the hole from caving
in.
Controlling Formation Pressure
The column of mud in the well creates pressure downhole, called hydrostatic
pressure. The hydrostatic pressure of the mud column offsets formation
pressure. Mud is the first line of defense in well control. As long as the hole is
full of mud that is the right weight, the well cannot kick and perhaps blow out.
A kick is the entry of formation fluids into the well bore. The kick forces drilling
mud out of the hole. If crew members fail to control a kick, a blowout can occur.
A blowout is the uncontrolled flow of drilling mud and formation fluids out of the
hole.
Obtaining Downhole Information
Mud is also used to obtain information about formations downhole. Mud loggers,
by examining cuttings at the surface, can gather important information about the
formation being drilled and the conditions downhole.
Mud Properties
Bentonite
In water- or oil-based drilling mud, crew members usually add a clay called
bentonite, or a similar mineral. Bentonite swells in water. Therefore, it thickens
the mud-gives it viscosity-to help clean the cuttings from the hole and provide
other desirable properties.
Barite
Barite is a heavy mineral. The crew adds barite to mud to make it heavy, or
dense. Barite is over four times heavier than water. Dense mud exerts more
pressure than light mud. Weighted mud controls formation pressure. This is
called primary well control.
pH
The control of many mud properties depends on its pH. The pH of a mud is a
measure of its acidity or alkalinity. The pH scale runs from zero to fourteen. If
the mud is neutral-neither acidic nor alkaline-it has a pH of seven. Mud with a
pH below seven is acidic. A pH above seven shows that the mud is alkaline.
Most drilling muds require a high pH-at least nine or higher.
Caustic Soda
Because mud needs to have a high pH, another common mud additive is caustic
soda, or sodium hydroxide. Caustic soda is often called 'caustic'. Crew members
add caustic soda to the mud to control pH. Caustic soda increases the pH value-
it makes the mud more alkaline.
In general, caustics are the most dangerous chemicals that you will handle on
the rig. High-strength solutions can seriously burn your skin. Be very careful
when handling it to avoid injury. Wear the proper personal protective equipment.
Also, remember to always add caustic soda to water. Never add water to caustic
soda! If you do, the caustic soda will boil up, splatter and cover you with a
burning chemical.
Gelled Mud
When drilling stops-say, to let the crew make a connection (add a joint of drill
pipe to the string)-the driller normally stops pumping mud. When pumping stops,
the mud stops moving. At rest, mud gels-that is, it becomes a semi-solid, like
gelatin. Gelled mud suspends the cuttings. Gelling keeps the cuttings from
falling downhole and piling up around the bit. The ability of a gel to keep the
cutting suspended is measured by its gel strength. When the driller starts the
pump and resumes mud circulation, the mud's gel strength reduces, which
allows the drilling fluid to flow easier.
Mud Tests
Overview
We have just covered a few key points about mud additives and the properties
that mud should have to allow successful drilling. On the rig, it is important for
crew members to constantly monitor and maintain these properties.

An important member of the drilling team is the mud engineer. The mud
engineer runs tests on the drilling fluid. The mud engineer's job is to monitor and
maintain the mud's properties to the specifications of the well operator. He may
also recommend changes to improve drilling, such as adding more caustic soda
to increase the mud's pH. In this section, we will learn about tools that are used
to monitor mud properties.
Mud Balance
The density, or weight per unit volume, of the drilling mud determines how much
hydrostatic pressure the mud column exerts on the formation. It is therefore
important to know the mud's density at all times. To determine mud density, the
mud engineer or helper uses a mud balance. The person weighing the mud puts
a small amount of mud in the mud container at left on the balance. He then
slides the adjustable counterweight to the right or left until the arm balances on
the fulcrum. The person then reads the mud density at the point on the arm next
to the counterweight. In many areas, mud density is read in pounds per gallon,
but can also be reported in pounds per cubic foot, milligrams per liter, and other
units. Mud density is usually called 'mud weight' by the rig crew.
Marsh Funnel
The viscosity of the mud-its thickness or resistance to flow-is also an important
factor. The mud's viscosity determines how well it can carry cuttings up the hole.
One measure of a mud's viscosity is it funnel viscosity. That is, how many
seconds does it take exactly one quart of mud to flow out of a special funnel
called a Marsh funnel.
A Marsh funnel has a hole in the bottom that is a standard size. The mud
engineer or helper pours one quart of mud into the funnel, and records the time
it takes to run out into a pitcher or beaker. In this example, one quart of mud
flows out of the funnel and into the beaker in 35 seconds, so this mud has a
funnel viscosity of 35 seconds. A less viscous, or thinner, mud would flow
through the funnel faster. A more viscous, or thicker, mud would flow through
the funnel slower.
Rotational Viscometer
This device also measures mud viscosity. It is a more scientific viscosity
measure than the Marsh funnel. A Fann V-G meter measures the mud's
viscosity in centipoises. A centipoise is a unit of measure for viscosity, just as an
inch is a unit of measure for length. The Fann V-G meter works by spinning a
rotor, or bob, in a sample of mud at two different speeds. In addition, a Fann V-
G meter is used to determine a mud's yield point, which is a measure of the
mud's resistance to flow. Combined with a timer, the meter also measures the
mud's gel strength. Gel strength is the mud's ability to temporarily solidify, or gel,
when it is not flowing.
Filter Press
This is a filter press. Inside the white container is a piece of porous paper called
filter paper. Also inside the container is a mud sample. The mud engineer puts
the mud sample under 100 pounds per square inch of pressure for thirty
minutes. The pressure forces the liquid part of the mud-the filtrate-through the
filter paper and into the graduated cylinder. By measuring the amount of filtrate,
the mud engineer can get an indication of the amount of filtrate that will be lost
to downhole formations and the amount of solids, or wall cake, build-up on the
wall of the hole.
Chloride Test
Mud engineers may run other drilling mud tests. One common test is for salt or
chlorides in the mud filtrate. By adding potassium chromate and other
chemicals, the engineer can determine if the hole has penetrated a salt
formation. He can also determine whether saltwater has enter the wellbore,
which may be a sign of a kick.
Summary
Objectives
In this module, you learned to:
Describe the primary types of drilling fluid.

Specify the functions of drilling fluid.
Explain the purpose of additives in drilling fluid.
Identify the various tests that are performed on drilling fluid and explain why
they are necessary.
Review
This module provided an introduction to drilling fluids. Different varieties of
drilling fluid were examined. The module explained the functions of drilling fluid,
and described different drilling mud additives. Finally, methods of mud testing
were discussed.

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CONFIDENTIAL Page 1 of 7

Oilwell Drilling Volume 3: An Introduction to Drilling Fluids

Describe the primary types of drilling fluid.

crew members to constantly monitor and maintain these properties.

Describe the primary types of drilling fluid.

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