MECL Summer Internship Report

(Location- Baikunthpur)

Submitted by- Shauryaneil Vats

 MECL SUMMER INTERNSHIP REPORT

Submitted By

Name Roll No SAP ID

Shauryaneil Vats R870216102 500052333

University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, Dehradun

Applied Petroleum Engineering with Specialization in Upstream

Under the Guidance of

Mentor
Mr. Mukesh Kumar Ojha
Project Manager
MECL (Reonti- Labji Pusla)
Baikunthpur, Koriya, Chhattisgarh

Department of Petroleum Engineering & Earth Sciences

UPES, Dehradun

18th July 2019

 Bonafide Certificate
This is to certify that this training report entitled “MECL Summer Internship
Report” submitted at MECL, Reonti Project, Baikunthpur (Chhattisgarh) is a
bonafide record done by the student: Shauryaneil Vats under my supervision
from 3rd June, 2019 to 18th July, 2019.

I wish him all the success in his future endeavours.

Mr. Mukesh Kumar Ojha

Project Manager (Reonti-Labji Pusla)
MECL, Baikunthpur, Koriya, Chhattisgarh

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 Disclaimer
Access to the information, documents, products and services contained in this report is
provided as a public service by the authors of this report. The information presented does
not necessarily reflect the views of authors or of the college of the trainees and as such is not
an official record.

All information available from this report is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis.
Our team makes no warranties, either express or implied, concerning the accuracy,
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Extracts from this material contained in this report may be freely used elsewhere provided
that acknowledgement of the source is made. If the material indicates that the information
(including photos and graphics) is from a source or external to this project, permission for
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Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited cannot and does not guarantee the authenticity of
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The mention of names of specific companies or products (whether or not indicated as

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Nothing herein shall constitute or be considered to be a limitation upon or a waiver of the

privileges and immunities of MECL, which are specifically reserved.

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 Acknowledgement
It is a matter of immense pride and pleasure for me having been provided with the golden
opportunity of working as a summer trainee at MECL, Baikunthpur, Chhattisgarh. First of
all, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the esteemed, Mr. Niranjan Mishra, Sr.
Manager (HR) for his kind consideration of our request for training.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my respectful mentor, Shri Mukesh Kumar
Ojha, Project Manager (Reonti-Labji Pusla), for his immense support and guidance. His
incredible and affectionate attitude throughout my entire training period has been
inspirational. I would also like to extend our sincere regards for his valuable suggestions
during report preparation.

I would also like to thank Mr. Suraj Kumar, Sr. Drilling Engineer; Mr. Shubham Pachauri, Sr.
Drilling Engineer; Mr. Anuj Kumar Garg, Sr. Geologist; Mr. Guru Dutt Singh, Sr. Drilling
Engineer; Mr. Bhabajeet Dhingia, Sr. Geologist; Mr. Ghazal Khan, Assistant Manager
(Drilling), Mr. Gaurav Kumar, Sr. Geophysicist; Mr. Vikas Ranjan, Assistant Manager; Mr.
Saurabh Upadhyay, Sr. Drilling Engineer; and Mr. Sandeep Yadav, Sr. Drilling Engineer;
for their guidance during the entire training period.

I am thankful to each and every member of MECL who believed in me and motivated me till
this point.

At last, I wish to acknowledge, with gratitude, continued support given by Department of

Petroleum and Earth Sciences, School of Engineering, UPES, Dehradun for providing me
with an opportunity to do our Industrial training at MECL, Baikunthpur, Chhattisgarh. I
would like to formally acknowledge the co-operation and support of my fellow mates and
my parents without the support of whom this training would not have been possible.

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 Contents

Topics Page No.

➢ Introduction 1
➢ About Coal Exploration by MECL 3
➢ Drilling Fluids Technology 4
▪ Equipments used for Mud Preparation 5
▪ Drilling Fluids 14
▪ Classification of Drilling Fluids 14
▪ Functions of Drilling Fluids 16
▪ Determination of Drilling fluids properties 16
▪ Advantages of using mud while drilling. 21
▪ Cyclic mud patterns at MECL 21
▪ Types of polymer used for mud preparation at MECL. 22
▪ Difference between Bentonite and Polymer. 23
▪ Types of Rigs used at MECL 23
➢ Field Visit Report 25

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 Introduction
"WE LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED"

Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited (MECL) is functioning under Ministry of Mines, Govt. of India
with 100% Government of India holding, for systematic exploration of minerals “To Bridge the Gap
between Initial Discovery of Mineral Prospect and its Eventual Exploitation”. It is the only organisation
both in Government and in private sector, possessing an entire spectrum of mineral exploration facilities
under one roof. Since its inception in October 1972, MECL has grown from strength to strength by
adopting modern techniques of exploration and it has now emerged as the premier exploration agency in
the country. The Company has its corporate office at Nagpur, Maharashtra, with a number of Zonal /
Project offices located throughout the length and breadth of the country. The authorised capital is Rs. 125
crores. MECL has the Mission "to provide high quality, cost effective and time bound geoscientific
services for exploration and exploitation of minerals".

Dedicated service of MECL in mineral exploration over three decades has resulted in updating the mineral
inventory of various minerals manifold and setting up of a number of mineral-based industries and
Companies in India. Since inception till date, it has completed over 1466 projects of detailed mineral
exploration, mine development and 1, 70,736 million tonnes of mineral reserves have been established.
The exploration inputs are 9.47 million metres of drilling, 3.32 million metres of geophysical logging, 6126
sq.km. of detailed geological mapping and topographical survey and 0.29 million metres of exploratory &
developmental mining. Besides this, more than 186 projects on remote sensing and environmental studies
have also been completed.

The main strength of the company is its team of borehole-qualified and experienced exploration
geologists, geophysicists, analytical chemists, drilling & mining engineers and surveyors supported by
highly skilled, trained technical and scientific staff and state-of-art computer facilities.

MECL has made noteworthy contributions in development of the nation by exploration of coal, lignite,
base metals, gold, bauxite, limestone etc. and has achieved several distinctions such as;

Brought India on the world bauxite map by augmenting large metallurgical grade bauxite reserves
in East Coast Provinces of India, which was appreciated by World Class Players in the aluminium
industry. This has resulted in the creation of National Aluminium Company Ltd. (NALCO), the
largest aluminium Company and several investments are in pipeline for greenfield
alumina/aluminium plants.
The largest open cast mine for copper at Malanjkhand and rich copper potential of Banwas had
turned out to be the lifeline for Hindustan Copper Ltd. (HCL).
The underground gold mining at Chigargunta by Bharat Gold Mines Ltd. (BGML) and open cast
mine at Uti by Hutti Gold Mines Ltd. (HGML).

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 The coal production has witnessed a quantum leap from a level of 70 million tonnes to over 400
million tonnes and inflow of matching investments in new coal mining projects in the private
sector too.
Several lignite based power projects have been/are being established with huge investments in
coal deficient states.
It has diversified its activities into CBM exploration & commercial mining.
It has emerged as one of the leading agencies in slim hole drilling for CBM and is currently
planning to provide services for production borehole drilling for CBM.
• The longest incline of 600 metres was constructed at Balaria lead-zinc deposit in Rajasthan.
India’s longest raise of 143 metres was also constructed at Zawar.
MECL has carried out drilling for geotechnical studies at PirPanjal range of Jammu & Kashmir for
the prestigious Kashmir Rail Project, Dulhasti Hydroelectric project, Chemera Hydroelectric
project and in Subensiri Basin.
It has also contributed significantly in the preparation of ground water potential maps under
“Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission”.
Successfully completed the deepest borehole of 1400 Metre depth for CBM investigation in
Gondwana Formation (Jharia coalfield) on behalf of CMPDIL.

With these achievements, a number of foreign companies have joined/are joining hands with MECL to
expand their activities in India under the on- going liberalisation process in Mineral Industry.

MECL, with the developed infrastructure and expertise, is committed to execute cost and time effective
comprehensive programme(s) from reconnaissance survey to pre-feasibility studies on turn key basis. It
will “leave no stone unturned” to achieve the goals, singly or in association with suitable strategic partners
in the present economic reforms.

MECL has the expertise and renders services in the following fields:
➢
Remote Sensing through Satellite Imagery.
➢
Regional and Detailed Geological Mapping.
➢
Topographic and Underground Survey.
➢
Exploratory Drilling up to 2000 metres.
➢
Slim Hole Drilling for Coal Bed Methane.
➢
Drilling for Geo-Thermal Energy and Geo-Technical Studies.
➢
Surface and Borehole Geophysics.
➢
Exploratory Mining / Developmental Mining.
➢
Chemical, Mineralogical and Petrological Analysis.
➢
World Class IT Centre for Mineral Exploration.
➢
Mineral Deposit Assessment & 3-D Ore Body Modelling.
➢
Preparation of Pre-Feasibility Reports.
➢
Geotechnical and GeophysicalStudies for Construction industry

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 About Coal Exploration by MECL
MECL has carried out coal exploration in over 879 blocks in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal
Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Sikkim and
West Bengal. A total of 4624325 m of drilling and 42112 m of mining & associated geological work has
resulted in proving of 95109 million tonnes of coking and non-coking coal reserves.

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Drilling Fluids Technology

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 Equipment used for Mud Preparation.
1) Mixer -A machine, pump, hopper, or other apparatus used to mix dry ingredients with water or
other liquids to prepare a drill mud. Also, called atomizer; jet mixer.

2) Mud Balance - A mud balance, also known as a mud scale is a device used to measure the density
(weight) of drilling fluid, cement or any type of liquid or slurry. It consists of a graduated beam
with a bubble level and a weight slider along its length and a cup with a lid on one end. The cup is
used to hold a fixed amount of fluid so it can be weighed. A slider-weight can be moved along the
beam, and a bubble indicates when the beam is level. Density is read at the point where the slider-
weight sits on the beam at level. Its calibration is done using a liquid of known density (often
water) by adjusting the counter weight. Typical balances are not pressurized, but a pressurized
mud balance operates in the same manner.

Figure 1 – Mud Balance

3) Marsh Funnel - The Marsh funnel is a simple device for measuring viscosity by observing the time
it takes a known volume of liquid to flow from a cone through a short tube. It is standardized for
use by mud engineers to check the quality of drilling mud. Other cones with different geometries
and orifice arrangements are called flow cones, but have the same operating principle. In use, the
funnel is held vertically with the end of the tube closed by a finger. The liquid to be measured is
poured through the mesh to remove any particles which might block the tube. When the fluid
level reaches the mesh, the amount inside is equal to the rated volume. To take the measurement,
the finger is released as a stopwatch is started, and the liquid is allowed to run into a measuring
container. The time in seconds is recorded as a measure of the viscosity.

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 Figure 2 – Marsh Funnel

4) Fann Viscometer - Also known as direct-indicating viscometer or V-G meter, an instrument used
to measure viscosity and gel strength of drilling mud. The direct-indicating viscometer is a
rotational cylinder and bob instrument. Two speeds of rotation, 300 and 600 rpm, are available
in all instruments, but some are 6- or variable-speed. It is called "direct-indicating" because at a
given speed, the dial reading is a true centipoise viscosity.

Figure 3 – Fann Viscometer

5) Hydrometer - A hydrometer is an instrument that measures the specific gravity (relative density)
of liquids, the ratio of the density of the liquid to the density of water. A hydrometer is usually
made of glass, and consists of a cylindrical stem and a bulb weighted with mercury or lead shot

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 to make it float upright. The liquid to test is poured into a tall container, often a graduated
cylinder, and the hydrometer is gently lowered into the liquid until it floats freely. The point at
which the surface of the liquid touches the stem of the hydrometer correlates to specific gravity.
Hydrometers usually contain a scale inside the stem, so that the person using it can read specific
gravity. A variety of scales exist for different contexts. Hydrometers are calibrated for different
uses, such as a lactometer for measuring the density (creaminess) of milk, a saccharometer for
measuring the density of sugar in a liquid, or an alcoholometer for measuring higher levels of
alcohol in spirits. The hydrometer to give makes use of Archimedes' principle which states that a
solid suspended in a fluid is buoyed by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the
submerged part of the suspended solid. The lower the density of the fluid, the deeper a
hydrometer of a given weight sinks; the stem is calibrated a numerical reading.

Figure 4 - Hydrometer

6) Sand Content Kit - The sand content kit is a simple, accurate and inexpensive sieve analysis
apparatus for determining the sand content of drilling fluid. Sieve analysis is the preferred method
for sand content determination because of the reliability of the test and simplicity of

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 equipment. The volume of sand, including that of void spaces between grains, is usually measured
and expressed as a percentage by volume of the drilling fluid. The sand content kit consists of a
special 200-mesh sieve 2½ inches in diameter, fastened inside a collar upon which a small funnel
is fitted on either end. This is used with a 10-ml glass measuring tube, graduated to read from 0
to 20% the percentage sand by volume. The collar and funnel are made of polyethylene and the
screen is made of brass. A 500ml wash bottle and carrying case are included.

Figure 5 – Sand Content Kit

7) Bentonite - Bentonite is absorbent aluminium phyllosilicate clay consisting mostly of

montmorillonite. The different types of bentonite are each named after the respective dominant
element, such as potassium (K), sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), and aluminium (Al). Bentonite usually
forms from weathering of volcanic ash, most often in the presence of water. Bentonite is used in
drilling fluids to lubricate and cool the cutting tools, to remove cuttings, and to help prevent
blowouts. Its general formula is Al2O3. 4(SiO2). H2O . Much of bentonite's usefulness in the drilling
and geotechnical engineering industry comes from its unique rheological properties. Relatively
small quantities of bentonite suspended in water form a viscous, shear-thinning material. It is a
common component of drilling mud used to curtail drilling fluid invasion by its property for aiding
in the formation of mud cake.

Figure 6 - Bentonite

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8) Desander -Desanders are solid control equipment with a set of hydrocyclones that separate sand
and silt from the drilling fluids in drilling rigs. Desanders are installed on top of the mud tank
following the shale shaker and the degasser, but before the desilter. Desander removes the
abrasive solids from the drilling fluids which cannot be removed by shakers.

Figure 7 - Desander

9) Desilter - A hydro-cyclone much like a desander except that its design incorporates a greater
number of smaller cones. As with the desander, its purpose is to remove unwanted solids from
the mud system. The smaller cones allow the desilter to efficiently remove smaller diameter drill
solids than a desander does. For that reason, the desilter is located downstream from the
desander in the surface mud system.

Figure 8 - Desilter

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10) Degasser - A degasser is a device used in drilling to remove gasses from drilling fluid which could
otherwise form bubbles. For a small amount of entrained gas in a drilling fluid, the degasser can
play a major role of removing small bubbles that a liquid film has enveloped and entrapped. In
order for it to be released and break out the air and gas such as methane, H2S and CO2 from the
mud to the surface, the drilling fluid must pass degassing technique and it can be accomplished
by the equipment called degasser which is also a major part of a mud systems.

Figure 9 - Degasser
11) Shale Shaker - Shale shakers are components of drilling equipment used in many industries, such
as coal cleaning, mining, oil and gas drilling. They are the first phase of a solids control system on
a drilling rig, and are used to remove large solids (cuttings) from the drilling fluid ("Mud"). Shale
shakers are the primary solids separation tool on a rig. After returning to the surface of the
borehole the used drilling fluid flows directly to the shale shakers where it begins to be
processed. Once processed by the shale shakers the drilling fluid is deposited into the mud
tanks where other solid control equipment begins to remove the finer solids from it. The
solids removed by the shale shaker are discharged out of the discharge port into a separate
holding tank where they await further treatment or disposal.

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 Figure 10 – Shale Shaker

12) Hydrocyclone - A hydrocyclone (often referred to by the shortened form cyclone) is a device to
classify, separate or sort particles in a liquid suspension based on the ratio of their centripetal
force to fluid resistance. This ratio is high for dense (where separation by density is required) and
coarse (where separation by size is required) particles, and low for light and fine particles.
Hydrocyclones also find application in the separation of liquids of different densities.

Figure 11 - Hydrocyclone
13) Mud Cleaner - A mud cleaner is a combination of desander and/or desilter mounted over a shaker
with a fine mesh screen. A mud is fed to the inlet of the hydrocyclone (desander and/or desilter)
to separate particles and the underflow passes to the fine screen mesh where in particles larger
than barite are discarded and thrown away. In most drilling operations, a mud cleaner is installed
in its mud systems. It is usually located in a mud tank in the same location as with the desilter.

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 Figure 12 – Mud Cleaner

14) Centrifuge - An item of solids-removal equipment that removes fine and ultrafine solids. It
consists of a conical drum that rotates at 2000 to 4000 rpm. Drilling fluid is fed into one end and
the separated solids are moved up the bowl by a rotating scroll to exit at the other end.
Centrifuges generally have limited processing capacity (50 to 250 gpm) but are useful for
processing weighted drilling fluids and can remove finer solids than can a hydrocyclone or shaker
screens. They can also be used for water clarification or for processing oily cuttings.

Figure 13 - Centrifuge

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15) Shearometer – Measurement of shear strength of drilling fluids is done using this. It is also used
to identify the gel strength of mud.

Figure 14 - Shearometer

16) Emulsion Stability Test – It determines the emulsion stability by applying a precision voltage
ramped sinusoidal signal across a pair of parallel flat plate electrodes that are immersed in the
fluids.
17) pH meter – The digital pH meter is easy to operate, rugged, portable and compact. The meter is
packaged in a rugged carrying case with one 9-volt alkaline battery, scaled combination probe, pH
4, 7 and 10 buffer capsules.

Figure 15 – pH meter

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 DRILLING FLUIDS
There are several different types of drilling fluids, based on both their composition and use. The three
key factors that drive decisions about the type of drilling fluid selected for a specific borehole are:

Cost

Technical Performance

Environmental Impact

Classification of Drilling Fluids:

Categories of drilling fluids, includes:

 Freshwater system

 Saltwater system

 Oil -Synthetic based system

 Pneumatic (air, mist, foam, gas) “Fluids” system

Water-based fluids (WBFs) are the most widely used systems, and are considered less expensive than oil-
based fluids (OBFs) or synthetic-based fluids (SBFs). The OBFs and SBFs—also known as invert-emulsion
systems—have an oil or synthetic base fluid as the continuous (or external) phase, and brine as the
internal phase.

Water based Mud:

Water-based fluids (WBFs) are used to drill approximately 80% of all boreholes. The base fluid may be
fresh water, seawater, brine, saturated brine, or formate brine. The type of fluid selected
depends on anticipated borehole conditions or on the specific interval of the borehole being drilled.
For example, the surface interval typically is drilled with a low-density water- or seawater-based mud
that contains few commercial additives. These systems incorporate natural clays in the course of
the drilling operation. Some commercial bentonite or attapulgite also may be added to aid in fluid-
loss control and to enhance hole- cleaning effectiveness. After surface casing is set and cemented, the
operator often continues drilling with a WBF unless borehole conditions require displacing to an oil- or
synthetic-based system.

Salt Water Drilling Fluids:

Saltwater drilling fluids often are used for shale inhibition and for drilling salt formations. They also are
known to inhibit the formation of ice-like hydrates that can accumulate around subsea boreholeheads
and
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borehole-control equipment, blocking lines and impeding critical operations. Solids-free and low-
solids systems can be formulated with high-density brines.

Examples - Sodium Chloride, Calcium bromide, Zinc bromide.

Polymer Drilling Fluids:

Polymer drilling fluids are used to drill reactive formations where the requirement for shale inhibition is
significant. Shale inhibitors frequently used are salts, glycols and amines, all of which are incompatible
with the use of bentonite. These systems typically derive their viscosity profile from polymers such as
xanthan gum and fluid loss control from starch or cellulose derivatives. Potassium chloride is an
inexpensive and highly effective shale inhibitor which is widely used as the base brine for polymer drilling
fluids in many parts of the world. Glycol and amine-based inhibitors can be added to further enhance the
inhibitive properties of these fluids.

Drill-in fluids (DIF) is a clean fluid designed to cause little or no loss of natural permeability of the pay
zone, and to provide superior hole cleaning and easy cleanup.

DIF can be water based, brine based, oil based and synthetic based.

Oil based fluids:

Oil based mud are used to reduce the several drilling problems such as:


Formation clays that react, sborehole, or slough after exposure to

WBFs Increasing down hole temperatures Contaminants



Stuck pipe and torque and drag

Oil-based fluids (OBFs) in use today are formulated with diesel, mineral oil, or low-toxicity linear olefins
and paraffin. Barite is used to increase system density, and specially-treated organophilic bentonite is the
primary viscosifier in most oil-based systems. Organophilic lignitic, asphaltic and polymeric materials are
added to help control HP/HT (High pressure/High temperature) fluid loss.

Shale inhibition is one of the key benefits of using an oil-based system. The high-salinity water phase helps
to prevent shale from hydrating, sboreholeing, and sloughing into the boreholebore.

Synthetic based drilling fluids:

Synthetic-based fluids were developed out of an increasing desire to reduce the environmental impact of
offshore drilling operations, but without sacrificing the cost-effectiveness of oil-based systems.

Like traditional OBFs, SBFs can be used to:

⚫ Maximize rate of penetrations (ROPs)

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⚫ Increase lubricity in directional and horizontal boreholes
⚫ Minimize boreholebore-stability problems, such as those caused by reactive shales

Pneumatic drilling fluids:

Compressed air or gas can be used in place of drilling fluid to circulate cuttings out of the
boreholebore. Pneumatic fluids fall into one of three categories:

⚫ Air or gas only

⚫ Aerated fluids
⚫ Foam

Pneumatic fluids offer several advantages such as -

⚫ Little or no formation damage

⚫ Rapid evaluations of cuttings for the presence of hydrocarbon
⚫ Prevention of lost circulation

Functions of drilling fluids:

The main functions of drilling fluid when drilling is:

➢ To remove debris or cuttings from the borehole bore.
➢ To clean the bottom of the borehole bore.
➢ To control subsurface pressure.
➢ To cool the bit, drill pipes and drill collar.
➢ Provide a medium to settle out the cuttings.
➢ To form a filter cake on the walls of the borehole.
➢ To prevent caving-in of the formation.
➢ To suspend the cuttings if the drilling is stopped.

Determination of drilling fluids properties:

Determination of various drilling fluid properties such as density, gel strength, viscosity and filter cake
are briefly listed below -

1) Density- Density is the weight per given volume. Measuring the density of the drilling fluid is important
to determine the buoyancy force induced when drilling. A higher density will prevent

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formation fluid from entering the borehole bore. It is also important for the calculation of the fluid
properties like viscosity. The density is determined using the mud balance shown in figure 16. The mud
cup takes a fixed volume of fluid sample and by adjusting the rider until balanced, a reading can be
taken. This apparatus has to be calibrated using fresh water.

The procedure of finding the density using mud balance tool is given below:

1. Fill the cup to capacity of 200 cc with fresh, screened mud.

2. Replace lid and rotate until firmly seated, making sure some mud is squeezed out the vent
hole.
3. Wipe or wash excess mud from the exterior of the balance, and dry.
4. Then seat the balance with its knife edge on the stand and level it by adjusting the rider.
5. Read mud density from the edge of the rider as indicated by marker on the rider. Use any of
the four scales to express the mud density as required.
6. Calibration can be checked by filling the cup with fresh water. It should read 8.34 lb /gal or
1.0 g/cm3.

The Mud density observed at different units is given below:

Specific gravity of mud at Unit 338 - 1.04 g/cc
Specific gravity of mud at unit 363 - 1.03 g/cc
Specific gravity of mud at unit 309 - 1.03g/cc

Specific gravity of mud at unit 378- 1.02g/cc

Specific gravity of mud at unit 384 - 1.03g/cc

Specific gravity of mud at unit 337 - 1.05g/cc

(The Specific gravity of mud at unit 337 was high because the mud was being used for more than 24
hours for drilling)

Figure 16 – Mud Balance

2) Viscosity - Viscosity is the fluid’s resistance to flow. The viscosity of the mud determines the efficiency
and even ability to lift cuttings out of the borehole bore. The higher the density and viscosity of the
mud, the easier it is to lift cuttings.

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The Marsh funnel is a simple device for measuring viscosity by observing the time it takes a known volume
of liquid to flow from a cone through a short tube. The procedure to find the viscosity using marsh funnel
is as follows:

1. Check the Calibration of Marsh funnel by finding the viscosity of fresh water. The funnel is
dimensioned so that the outflow of one pint (946 cc) of fresh water at a temperature of
70'±5'F is 26±0.5 seconds. If the Marsh Funnel checks out of calibration, it should be cleaned
again, using a pipe cleaner, to make sure that there is nothing obstructing the outlet. If the
Marsh Funnel continues to give an incorrect reading for fresh water after cleaning then the
outlet tube probably has been bent out of shape and the funnel should be replaced.
2. Hold the funnel erect with a finger over the outlet tube, and pour the mud into the funnel
through the screen until the mud level reaches the bottom of the screen (The screen will filter
out the larger particles that could clog the outlet tube).
3. Quickly remove the finger from the outlet tube, and at the same time, begin timing the mud
outflow.
4. Allow one pint (946 cc) of mud to drain from the Marsh Funnel into a graduated container.
5. Record the number of seconds it takes for the pint of mud to flow out of the funnel, and
report this value as the Marsh Funnel Viscosity.

The precautions that are to be taken are as follows:

1. Clean and dry the funnel thoroughly after each use.

2. Take special care not to bend or flatten the brass outlet tube at the bottom of the funnel.
3. The Marsh Funnel Viscosity readings are computed using the exact diameter of this outlet
and if the outlet is distorted the readings will be inaccurate.

The average marsh funnel viscosity of the drilling fluid at different unit is given below

The marsh funnel viscosity at unit 338 - 48 sec

The marsh funnel viscosity at unit 309 - 53.5 sec
The marsh funnel viscosity at unit 363 - 47 sec
The marsh funnel viscosity at unit 378 - 43 sec
The marsh funnel viscosity at unit 337 - 42 sec
The marsh funnel viscosity at unit 384 - 69 sec

(The viscosity of mud at unit 384 was much higher than other units because it was treated by using
polymer while bentonite was used for the preparation of mud at other units.)

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 Figure 17 – Marsh Funnel

Fann VG meter is used to determine the viscosity of the mud. The drilling fluid is contained in the annular
space between the two concentric cylinders as shown in figure 18. There is a small gap and the distance
of the gap will determine the constants to obtain shear rate and shear stress.

Figure 18 – Fann VG Meter

3) Sand Content of Mud - Abrasive solids, like sand, cause excessive wear on pumps, drill string and bit.
The drilling rate is reduced; a thick filter cake is deposited on permeable formations, and the pump does
unnecessary work recirculating solids that have been allowed to collect in the mud. Measurement of the
sand content of mud should be made regularly because excessive sand may settle when circulation is
stopped and interfere with pipe movement or setting of casing. Sand content (API method) is defined as
the percentage by volume of solids in the mud that are retained on a 200-mesh sieve. Abrasiveness is not
dependent on size alone, however, but upon the hardness and shape of the particles and may be

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severe with particles even smaller than 200-mesh (74 microns). The volume of sand, including the spaces
between the grains, is expressed as a percentage of the volume of the drilling fluid. The value read from
the measuring tube is reported as: "% by Volume".

The sand content kit employs the sieve analysis method for determining the sand content. It uses a 200
mesh sand screen to trap the sand and other course particles in the drilling fluid. It contains the sand
screen [a sieve mounted in a plastic cylinder, 2-1/4 inches (5.7cm) in diameter x 3-3/4 (9.5cm) long], a
plastic funnel that fits over the end of the screen cylinder with the small end fitting into a glass measuring
tube, and a wash bottle. The measuring tube has a scale that is graduated from 0 to 20% to measure
percentage of sand by the volume of drilling fluid.

The procedure of finding the sand content of the drilling fluid is given below:
1. Fill the measuring tube up to the line labeled "Mud to Here" with drilling fluid, and then use the wash
bottle to add clear water (or diesel if oil drilling fluid) to the line labeled "Water to Here". Close the mouth
of the tube with the thumb and shake vigorously.
2. Pour the mixture in the tube through the screen. Continue adding wash bottle fluid to the tube, shaking
it, and pouring the contents through the screen until all of the drilling fluid has been washed out of the
tube. Stir the fluid gently with the stirrer if required.
3. Flush the screen with fluid from the wash bottle to wash away the remaining drilling fluid and shale
particles until all that remains on the screen is sand.
4. Fit the large end of the funnel over the top of the screen holder and slowly invert the screen and
funnel assembly, fitting the tip of the funnel into the mouth of the glass measuring tube.
5. Using a fine spray of fluid from the wash bottle, wash the sand from the screen back through the
funnel into the glass measuring tube, and allow the sand to settle.
6. Note the quantity of sand that has settled and, using the scale on the outside of the tube, determine
the percentage of the total mud volume that is sand.

The Precautions that must be taken while performing this test is given below:
1. After each use of the Sand Content Kit, wash any dirt or drilling fluid from the screen, the funnel, and
the measuring tube, and dry all equipment.
2. Take special care to clean and dry the screen thoroughly. Refill the wash bottle.

Note: If the sand content is more than 2 or 3% in the drilling fluid then it needs to be replaced.

The Sand content of different unit are given below:

The sand content of unit 338 - 0.75%

The sand content of unit 363 - 0.5%
The sand content of unit 309 - 0.5%
The sand content of unit 373 - 0.25%
The sand content of unit 384 - >0.25%
The sand content of unit 337 - 2%

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 Figure 19 – Sand Content kit

Advantages of using mud while drilling

The major advantage of using drilling mud is –

• It helps in reducing the temperature of drill bit during the drilling process.
• It provides lubrication to the drill bit while drilling thus increasing the lifetime of the drill bit.
• It helps in carrying the cuttings from the drill bit to the surface through the annulus.
• It prevents the boreholebore from caving in by providing enough hydrostatic pressure
to the formation.
• It also helps in detection the thief zone and prevents the fluid loss by forming mud cake on the
surface of the inner wall of the boreholebore.

Cyclic Mud Patterns at MECL

The mud after preparation, at mud pit is left overnight (12 hours approx.) to make the solid lumps of
bentonite to mix thoroughly in the mud. Once the preparations are complete, it is used in the drilling
operations.

The mud starts from the mud pits from where it is passed through the mud pumps which pumps the mud
at the pressure of 100 psi on average. The high-pressure mud then passes from the from the mud pumps
through the pipes into the swivel which is present at the top of drill pipe. The mud flows through the drill
pipe down into the boreholebore and comes out of the drill bit at high pressure. This high pressure
helps in carrying the cuttings which are produced during the drilling operations. The mud along with
the cuttings rises up the annulus towards the surface. Once the mud reached the surface along with
the cuttings, it flows through a channel back into the mud pit. The mud cycle continues to follow the
same route from here.

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Below is shown the flow chart of how the mud flows.

Figure 20 –Schematic Diagram of Mud cycle

Types of Polymers used for Mud Preparation at MECL

Since MECL Reonti project uses water based mud at all the drill sites and no oil base mud or polymer based
mud, the WBM is prepared either by mixing the water with bentonite or with polymer. The mud is
prepared such that it exits from marsh funnel in 32 to 35 seconds.

There are number of polymers available in the market such as CR650, Ausplug, Liquipol, Superfoam, PHPA
etc. MECL uses PHPA polymer at the required drill sites for mud preparation. Superfoam was rarely used
and is currently not used at any of the drill sites for the mud preparation.

Bentonite mud has a tendency to form mud cakes at the inner walls of the boreholebore. As the
depth increases, the thickness of mud cake increases too. This may lead to the stucking of the drill pipe.
Thus, to prevent this from happening, the mud prepared with polymer (PHPA) is used. It inhibits
the further thickening of mud cake. The polymer thus prevents the drill pipe from getting stuck into the
boreholebore

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but it has a few disadvantages as borehole like it increases the cutting/sand production by eroding the
boreholebore.

Difference between Bentonite and Polymer

Bentonite Polymer (PHPA)
It is used when drilling depth are lower than 250- It is used when drilling depth are higher than 250-
300m 300m
It forms thick mud cake which may led to drill It led to the dissolution of mud cake thus helping
pipes to stuck the drill pipe to get unstuck.
It is mostly used in formation with higher It is mostly used in formation with lower
permeability permeability
The preparation of Bentonite mud takes few The Polymer is mixed almost instantaneously to
hours after mixing it with water form mud
Table 1 – Difference between bentonite and polymer.

Types of Rigs used at MECL

At MECL Reonti project and Labji Pusla project, 2 major types of drilling rigs are used, which are as follows
–

A) Conventional Type – This type of drilling rig was previously purchased by MECL and is used at
locations where the drilling depth or the target depth is less than 400 meters. Under normal
conditions, it has an average drilling depth of 20-25 meters daily. These type of rigs mostly uses
the mud prepared from bentonite during the drilling operation.
MECL Reonti project and Labji Pusla project currently uses the following models of conventional
rigs–
1) KORES – KDR 1000 Model
2) Sandvik- DE 710 Model
3) Rock Drill – 100 Model

This conventional type of drilling rig requires an assembly of external mud pump and a derrick to
start the drilling operation. The derrick is formed by a tripod structure which further assists in
hoisting and positioning the drill pipe over the conventional rig.

B) Hydraulic Type – This type of drilling rig was recently purchased by MECL and it has been
operating at Reonti project and Labji Pusla project. The model of hydraulic rig is “Kores
Drilling Rig – 1000” or “KDR – 1000”. There are currently two operational KDR-1000 rigs at this
location. The KDR -1000 rig has the maximum drilling depth capability of 1000 meters. It can have
an average drilling depth of 30 – 40 meters per day. The KDR – 1000 rig has its own hoisting
system. It’s also has its own mud pump mounted on the truck. This type of rig is mobile and does
not require derrick for its operation. At depth higher than 300 meters, the KDR – 1000 rig switches
from the bentonite based mud to polymer based mud.

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MECL uses diamond coring bit for its drilling purpose at both conventional and hydraulic drilling rig.
Previously MECL used the diamond coring bit bought from a third party but recently MECL designed and
developed its own diamond coring bit which was far more superior and performed almost twice as much
as the pervious bits during the drilling operation.

Figure 21 – Diamond Coring Bit previously used by MECL

Figure 22 – Current Diamond Coring Bit Designed by MECL.

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Field Visit Report

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Location – Bijuri Site, Mahai Block, Madhya Pradesh Date – 15th June 2019

Project Manager – Mr. Mukesh Kumar Ojha

Unit Deployed – MEC 369 Unit Type – Truck Mounted

(Hydraulic)

Current Drilling Depth – 365.50 meters

Major Formation – Sandstone

Report – The time of arrival at Mahai Block was around 10 AM, MEC 369 unit was deployed at the location
and the drilling work was in progress. The target depth was approximately 400 meters and the current
drilling depth was 369 meters. The work was done on a 12-hour shift and the daily rate of drilling was
about 30 meters/day depending on factors like weather, formation type, and equipment conditions. From
the cores available at the site, it can be comprehended that the location had a major sandstone formation.
Formations of Shale and coal were also found at certain depths.

The boreholebore had 2 types of casing. The first type was PX – Casing which was 5 inches in
diameter and extended up to a depth of 6 meters from the surface. The second type was HX – Casing
and it extended up to 21 meters. These casings were mainly put together to prevent the groundwater
from mixing with drilling mud. The mud was prepared in a 5 X 5 X 5 ft. mud pit where the fresh water
was mixed with 2 bags of PHPA polymer (Partially Hydrolysed Poly Acrylamide).

After completion, the borehole will be logged and covered and the cores extracted from the
borehole will be analysed to retain all the critical data. The cores will then be crushed to prevent the
leakage of important data to others.

Below are the images of the equipment present at the site:

Figure 23- Truck Mounted Drilling Unit MEC 369 at Mahai Block, MP

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Figure 24 – Close-up view of MEC 369 unit. (KORES – KDR – 1000 Model)

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Figure 25 – Mud Pump on site with MEC 369 unit. (GPS - 125 pump)

Figure 26 – Mud pit on site with MEC 369 unit.

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 Figure 27 – Chrome Plated Drill Pipes

Figure 28 – Cores extracted by MEC 369 unit at Bijuri Site, Mahai Block, MP.

Figure 29 - Core Samples at Bijuri Site, Mahai Block, MP.

Conclusion – The field visit provided valuable insights on drilling and coring process. Valuable
information was learned about surveying, drilling, mud preparation, core analysis etc.

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Location – Ghanchimuda, Madapur, Mahai Block, Koriya Date – 20th June 2019

Project Manager – Mr. Mukesh Kumar Ojha

Unit Deployed – MEC 390, MEC 386 Unit Type – Truck mounted (Hydraulic)

Current Drilling Depth –637 and 546 meters respectively

Major Formation – Shale and coal

Report – The time of arrival at Ghanchimuda was around 9 am. Unit MEC 390 and MEC 386 were
visited sequentially. Drilling work was in progress in both the drill sites. The formation at the region was
predominantly shale followed by coal seams. Unit MEC 390 and MEC 386 were operated using KDR-1000
drilling unit and used polymer (PHPA Polymer) as the major component for the preparation of mud. The
work was done on a 12-hour shift and the daily rate of drilling was about 30 meters/day by KDR unit
depending on factors like weather, formation type, and equipment conditions. Conventional type drills
have the maximum drilling depth of 500 – 600 meters whereas the rigs present at these sites i.e. KDR
types have the maximum drilling depth of 1000 to 1200 meters. From the cores available at the site, it can
be comprehended that the region had a major shale formation. Coal seams were predominant too.
Formations of sandstone were also found at certain intervals.

Each boreholebore had 2 types of casing. The first type was PX – Casing which was 5 inches in
diameter and extended up to a depth of 6 meters from the surface. The second type was HX – Casing
and it extended up to 21 meters. These casings were mainly put together to prevent the groundwater
from mixing with drilling mud.

After completion, the borehole will be logged and covered and the cores extracted from the
borehole will be analysed to retain all the critical data. The cores then may be crushed to prevent the
leakage of important data to others. Sometimes the core samples are used for plugging the borehole
after completion.

Below are the image of the equipment present at the site:

Figure 30–Hydraulic Drilling Unit MEC 390 at Ghanchimuda (KORES – KDR – 1000 Model)

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 Figure 31 – Rig site #3 MEC-390 at Ghanchimuda, Koriya

Figure 32– KDR-1000 Drilling Unit MEC 386 at Madapur (Horizontal View).

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Figure 33– KDR-1000 Drilling Unit MEC 386 at Madapur (Vertical View).

Figure 34 –Hydraulic Drilling Unit MEC 390 at Ghanchimuda

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Figure 35 – Hydraulically controlled Meters & Switch Board at the rig (MEC 386 at Madapur)

Figure 36– KDR-1000 Drilling Unit MEC 386 at Madapur (Horizontal View).

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Figure 37– KDR-1000 Drilling Unit MEC 386 at Madapur (Vertical View).

Figure 38 – Bentonite.

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 Figure 39 – PHPA Polymer.

Figure 40 – Core Samples from Ghanchimuda.

Conclusion – The field visit provided valuable insights on drilling and coring process. Valuable
information was learned about surveying, drilling, mud preparation, core analysis etc.

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Location – Bijuri Village, Mahai Block, Madhya Pradesh Date – 28th June 2019

Project Manager – Mr. Mukesh Kumar Ojha

Unit Deployed – MEC 381 (Sandvik DE-710) Unit Type - Hydraulic

Work Done – Geological and Geophysical Logging

Drilling Status – Depth reached- 524 metres

Logging Tools Used – ELTG and FDGS

Report – After arrival at unit 381, geological logging was done by the supervisor at site. This was done by
physically analysing the cores and distinguishing between different rocks types like shale, sandstone, coal,
ICAL, shaly-coal, carb-shale etc. Since the formation of interest is coal, the coal seams from the cores are
analysed. The coal seams which were more than 50 centimetres were noted down with their respective
depths. These are considered economical and these seams help in developing further plans when mining
will be considered. Other seams whose length is smaller than 50 cm is also noted down at their respective
depths but they are not considered for further mining plans unless told explicitly. Once this process is
completed, the coal samples from the cores are picked, packed and are sent for further analysis.

Later, the geophysical logging was started. The drill pipes were already pulled out from the
boreholebore but the casing was still there in the boreholebore to provide stability while geophysical
logging. The logger truck was aligned to the boreholebore. A tripod was fitted over the boreholebore
which had a pulley that could assist the wireline from the logger truck to keep the tool at the centre of
the boreholebore and also to reduce the friction while pulling out the tool.

The logging unit uses the software Winlogger for operating the tool and recording the data coming from
the tool through the wireline. Once the tool is placed inside the boreholebore, the offset is set in the
software to calibrate the depth of the tool with respect to the boreholebore. The offset of different
tools are given below-

Logging Tool Offset (meters)

FDGS 2.97
ELTG 2.70
NNTS 2.08
DNNS 2.155
Table 2 – Offset Values of different Logging tools.

After setting the offset, the tool is lowered into the boreholebore. Once the required depth is
reached, a calibration file is attached to the software for certain the tool used then a command is
sent to the tool which enables it to start functioning and record the data. The tool is gradually pulled
upward at a certain rate.

At unit MEC 381, the ELTG tool was lowered first. This tool was pulled up the speed of 10 meters/minute.
This tool is used to record the SP, temperature, Natural gamma, long normal resistivity, short normal
resistivity and single point resistivity of the formation. Once the logging was stopped at 20 meters. This
was done because the casing extended from the surface to the depth of 20 meters and so

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the readings from ELTG tool will be useless since ELTG cannot read the formation behind the casing. The
tool was pulled out and removed.

Next FDGS tool was connected to the wireline and a radioactive source such as cobalt or caesium is
attached to it. This tool has a source which is a radioactive material such as cobalt or caesium, 2
photomultiplier and 2 crystals for both short range and long range. This tool operates on the principle of
Compton scattering. The tool is now lowered to the boreholebore after setting the offset. The
calibration file is attached to the software to get an accurate formation density reading from the high
resolution density readings. Once the tool is lowered to the desired depth, a command is sent to the
tool which enables it to start functioning and record the data, the calliper is also extended and tool is
gradually pulled upward at the speed of 6 meters/minute. This tool gives us the calliper distance,
natural gamma, high resolution density and formation density. The logging is done till the tool reached
the surface since it is not affected by the presence of casing.

Once the geophysical logging is done, the logs are used to interpret the formation and cross-reference it
with the geological logging data to get an accurate idea of the formation.

Below are the few images of the drill site and of the tools used during geophysical logging:

Figure 41 – Logger Truck

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Figure 42 – Tripod used to move wireline while logging.

Figure 43 – ELTG tool used at unit MEC 384

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 Figure 44 – FDGS tool used at unit MEC 384

Figure 45 – Calliper attached to the FDGS tool.

Figure 46 – Containment for radioactive source for FDGS tool.

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 Figure 47 – Hydraulic Drilling Rig MEC-381 (Sandvik) at Bijuri

Figure 48 –Rig MEC-381 (Sandvik) [Horizontal View]

Figure 49- Valve & Meter switch board (control panel) at MEC- 381
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Figure 50- Drilling Rig MEC- 381 (Front View) at Figure 51- Rotation Head & Hoisting Plug depicted
Bijuri Village, Madhya Pradesh at Rig MEC-381, Bijuri Village, Madhya Pradesh

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Location – Jamodi Mohanna NMET Block, Satna, Madhya Pradesh Date – 5th June 2019

Project Manager – Mr. Mukesh Kumar Ojha

Unit Deployed – MEC 379 (KDR1000) Unit Type – Truck Mounted

(Hydraulic)

Current Drilling Depth – 45 meters

Major Formation – Limestone

Report – The time of arrival at Jamodi Block was around 8 am, MEC 379 unit was deployed at the
proposed point and the drilling work was in progress. The target depth was approximately 55 meters
and the current borehole depth was 45 meters. The work was done on a 12-hour shift and the daily
rate of drilling was about 18 meters/day depending on factors like weather, formation type, and
equipment conditions. From the cores available at the site, it can be comprehended that the location had
a major limestone fractured formation.

After completion, the borehole will be covered and the cores extracted from the bore hole will be
analyzed to retain all the critical data. The cores will then be crushed to prevent the leakage of important
data to others.

Figure 52 – KDR-1000 Drilling Unit MEC-379 (Kores) at Satna

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Figure 53 – Hydraulically controlled Meters & Switch Board
at the rig (MEC 379 at Satna)

Figure 54 – Borehole (after completion)

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Figure 55 – Limestone Cores at Jamodi block
(Numbered according to depth of extraction)

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 Conclusion
The field visit provided valuable insights on the geological and geophysical logging technique done at
MECL. Valuable information was learned about geological features of the formation, rocks, types of
logging tools, its working principle and borehole log interpretation.

I also had the opportunity to visit various drilling sites and experience the operations taking place. A
thorough knowledge of the technique, procedure and development phases was imparted to me through
MECL. All in all, it was an enlightening learning experience at MECL.

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