2015

Mud Filtration

Supervised By : Mr.Pshtewan Jaf

Mr.Sarhad
Kamal Abdurahman
Mr.Goran
Group:B
2/7/2015
Aim of experiment:

The test consists of monitoring the rate, at which fluid is forced from a
filter press under specific conditions of time, temperature and pressure,
then measuring the thickness of the residue deposited upon the filter
paper.
 Introduction

The filtration and wall building characteristics of a drilling mud are important
for providing a relative measure of the amount of mud filtrate invasion into a
porous and permeable formation and the amount of filter cake that will be
deposited on the wall of the well bore wherever filtration occurs. From a
drilling viewpoint these properties give an indication of the amount of water
(or oil) wetting that can take place in filtrate sensitive formations and the
potential for tight hole or differential sticking problems. For productive,
hydrocarbon bearing formations these properties give an indication of the
amount of filtrate invasion and permeability damage that can be expected.
 Theory
Loss of fluid (usually water and soluble chemicals) from the mud to the
formation occurs when the permeability is such that it allows fluid to pass
through the pore spaces. As fluid is lost, a build up of mud solids occurs
on the face of the wellbore. This is the filter cake.
The loss of liquid from a mud due to filtration is controlled by the filter cake
formed of the solid constituents in the drilling fluid. Two types of filtration
occur; dynamic, while circulating and static, while the mud is at rest.
Dynamic filtration reaches a constant rate when the rate of erosion of the
filter cake due to circulating matches the rate of deposition of the filter
cake.
Static filtration will cause the cake to grow thicker with time, which
results in a decrease in loss of fluids with time.

Filtration tests are conducted under two different conditions:

1. The standard API filtration test is conducted at surface (or room)

temperature and 700 kPA, (l00 psi), pressure for thirty minutes. For this
test the fluid loss is the volume (in millilitres) of filtrate collected in this
time period and the filter cake thickness (in millimetres) is the thickness
of the cake that is deposited on the filter paper in this time period.

2. The API high temperature, high-pressure test, (HTHP test) is

conducted for thirty minutes of filtration at a temperature of l49 C, (300
F), and a differential of 3450 kPa, (500 psi). For this test the filtrate must
be collected under a backpressure of 700 kPA, (l00 psi) in order to
prevent vaporization of the filtrate.
 Apparatus of experiment
Equipment:

Standard Filter Press

 Procedure

1. Be sure each part of the cell is clean and dry, particularly the screen,
and that the gaskets are not distorted or worn. The screen should be
free of sharp edges, burrs or tears.

2. Assemble the cell as follows: Base Cap, rubber gasket, screen, one
sheet of filter paper, rubber gasket and cell body.

3. Pour the freshly stirred sample of fluid into the cell to within 0.5 inch
(13 millimeters) to the top in order to minimize CO2 contamination of the
filtrate. Check the top cap to insure the rubber gasket is in place and
seated all the way around and complete the assembly. Place the cell
assembly into the frame and secure with the T-screw.

4. Place a clean dry graduated cylinder under the filtrate exit tube.

5. Close the relief valve and adjust the regulator so that a pressure of
100 ± 5 pounds per square inch (690 ± 35 kilopascals) is applied in 30
seconds or less. The test period begins at the time of initial
pressurization.

6. At the end of 30 minutes, measure the volume of filtrate collected.

Shut off the air flow through the pressure regulator and open the relief
valve carefully.

7. Report the volume of filtrate collected in cubic centimeters to the

nearest 1/10th centimeter3 as the API filtrate. Report the time interval
and the mud temperature in °F (°C) at the start of the test. Save the
filtrate for running chemical analysis.

8. Check to see that all pressure has been removed from the cell, and
then remove the cell from the frame. Disassemble the cell, discard any
remaining mud and using extreme care save the filter paper and
deposited cake with a minimum of disturbance to the cake. Wash the
filter cake on the paper with a gentle stream of water or with diesel oil if
oil mud is being tested.

9. Measure and report the thickness of the filter cake to the nearest 1/32
inch (0.8 millimeter). A cakethickness less than 2/32 inch is usually
considered acceptable. Observations as to the quality of the cake should
be noted. Notations such as hardness, softness, toughness, slickness,
rubberiness, firmness, flexibility and sponginess are appropriate
descriptions.
 Discussion

-Effect of mud filtration on formation damage:

Formation damage

is an undesirable operational and economic problem that can occurs during the various
phases of oil and gas recovery from subsurface reservoirs including production, drilling,
hydraulic fracturing, and work-over operations. Formation damage assessment, control,
and remediation are among the most important issues to be resolved for efficient
exploitation of hydrocarbon reservoirs.

Deep bed filtration of fines with capture and permeability damage takes place near to
production wells, in drilling operation. The particles in drilling fluid are captured by size
exclusion (straining) or by different attachment mechanisms (electric forces, gravity
segregation and diffusion).

-Mud cake occur when:

The residue deposited on a permeable medium when a slurry, such as a drilling fluid, is forced
against the medium under a pressure. Filtrate is the liquid that passes through the medium,
leaving the cake on the medium. Drilling muds are tested to determine filtration rate and filter-cake
properties. Cake properties such as cake thickness, toughness, slickness and permeability are
important because the cake that forms on permeable zones in the wellbore can cause stuck
pipe and other drilling problems. Reduced oil and gas production can result
from reservoir damage when a poor filter cake allows deep filtrate invasion. A certain degree of
cake buildup is desirable to isolate formations from drilling fluids. In open hole completions in high-
angle or horizontal holes, the formation of an external filter cake is preferable to a cake that forms
partly inside the formation. The latter has a higher potential for formation damage.

-Excessive filtration and thick filter cake build up are likely to cause the
following problems :

Tight hole, causing excessive barrier. Increased pressure ,due to reduced hole diameter.
Differential sticking, due to an increased pipe contact in filter cake.
-Pressure affects filtration by:

Compressing the filter cake, reducing its permeability and therefore reducing the filtrate.

-Temperature affects on filtration by:

Reducing the viscosity of the liquid phase and hence increasing filtration.

-Time affects on filtration:

With all other factors being constant, It has been found in early work that the volume of
fluid lost is roughly proportional to the square root of the time for filtration.

-Form of mud cake and mud filtration with time cause to occur of formation damage:

Formation damage is defined as the impairment to reservoir (reduced production) caused by

wellbore fluids used during drilling/completion and workover operations. It is a zone of reduced
permeability within the vicinity of the wellbore (skin) as a result of foreign-fluid invasion into
the reservoir rock.

-Preventing formation damage:

1-Ability to recover fluids from the reservoir is affected very strongly by the hydrocarbon
permeability in the near-wellbore region

2-Although we do not have the ability to control reservoir rock properties and fluid properties,
we have some degree of control over drilling, completion, and production operations
 Reference

Payatakes, A.C. et al., “Application of Porous Medium models to the Study of Deep Bed Filtration,”
Can. J. Chem. Eng., 52, 727 (1974).

Jiao, D. and M.M. Sharma, “Mechanism of Cake Buildup in Crossflow Filtration of Colloidal
Suspensions,” Journal of Colloidal and Interfacial Science, 1994. 162:p. 454-462.

http://www.glossary.oilfield.slb.com/en/Terms/m/mudcake.aspx

Fisk, J.V., and Jamison, D.E., "Physical Properties of Drilling Fluids at High Temperatures and Pressures," SPE
Drilling Engineering, December 1989, pp. 341-46.