NILE UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF PETROLEUM AND GAS
ENGINEERING

A LABORATORY PRACTICAL REPORT ON THE

DETERMINATION OF MUD RESISTIVITY OF
A GIVEN MUD SAMPLE

EXPERIMENT 4
GROUP D

NAME: UMAR MUSA

STUDENT ID: 191205007
DEGREE PROGRAM: B Eng PETROLEUM AND
GAS ENGINEERING
LEVEL: 400
COURSE CODE: PGE 415
ACADEMIC YEAR: 2021/2022
ACADEMIC SESSION
DATE:9/12/2022
 TABLE OF CONTENT
Cover Page......................................................................................................................I
Table of Content............................................................................................................II
List of Figures.............................................................................................................. III
List of Tables................................................................................................................IV
1.0 Introduction..............................................................................................................5
2.0 Aims and Objectives................................................................................................ 7
3.0 Experimental apparatus............................................................................................8
4.0 Experimental procedure........................................................................................ 10
5.0 Results ...................................................................................................................11
6.0 Discussion ............................................................................................................. 12
7.0 Conclusion and Recommendation..........................................................................13
8.0 Reference................................................................................................................14

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 LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 3.1: Water ..........................................................................................................8
Figure 3.2: Mud mixer and a mixer cup........................................................................8
Figure 3.3: Weigh balance.............................................................................................8
Figure 3.4: OFITE Digital resistivity meter .................................................................8
Figure 3.5: Bentonite clay ............................................................................................9
Figure 3.6: Mineral oil ..................................................................................................9

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 LIST OF TABLES
Table 5.1: Results of resistivity test ........................................................................... 11

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 1.0 INTRODUCTION
Resistivity is a measure of a particular material's resistance to the flow of electric
current. Resistivity is the resistance that a material introduces to a cross-sectional area
per unit length. Ohm (Ω m) is the SI unit of resistivity.
Drilling mud resistivity (Rm) is a key factor in determining the mud's effectiveness in
controlling formation pressure and preventing formation fluids from entering the
wellbore. It is also a key factor in determining the mud's ability to lubricate and cool the
drill bit. Drilling mud resistivity is determined by the amount of solids, the type of solids,
and the amount of water in the mud. The higher the solids content, the higher the
resistivity. The type of solid also affects resistivity. For example, clay particles have
higher resistivity than sand particles. The amount of water in the mud also affects
resistivity. The more moisture in the mud, the lower the resistivity. Drilling mud
resistivity is usually measured in ohm meters (Ωm). The higher the resistivity, the better
the mud's ability to control formation pressure and prevent formation fluid influx. The
higher the resistivity, the better the mud's ability to lubricate and cool the bit. Drilling
mud resistivity can be affected by many factors, including solid type, solid volume,
water volume, and mud temperature. Drilling mud resistivity can also be affected by the
presence of additives such as polymers, surfactants and emulsifiers. Regular monitoring
of the mud resistivity is important to ensure that the drilling mud resistivity is adequate.
This can be done by measuring the resistivity of the mud with an ohmmeter. Mud
resistivity should be monitored throughout the drilling process to ensure that the mud is
performing as expected. If the mud resistivity is too low, you may need to add solids or
water to the mud to increase the resistivity. If the resistivity of the mud is too high, it
may be necessary to reduce the amount of solids or water in the mud to lower the
resistivity.
The resistivity (Wm) of drilling muds is influenced by the dissolved salts (ppm) or (gpg,
particles per gallon) contained in the water portion and the insoluble solids contained in
the water portion. The higher the dissolved salt concentration, the lower the resistivity
of the solution. Unlike metals, the resistivity of solutions decreases with increasing
temperature. The resistivity of sludge, sludge cake and sludge filtrate should be
measured as it strongly influences the electrical protocol sampled on that sludge. Mud
resistivity varies significantly from actual resistivity values due to various factors
encountered in actual operation.
Mud resistivity can be measured using a variety of instruments and methods. This
includes devices such as ohmmeters, four-point probes, or two-electrode devices. An
ohmmeter measures the difference in voltage and current flow between two points to
determine the resistivity of a material. A four-point probe is a device that measures the
resistivity of a material by passing a current through four electrodes connected to the
material. Finally, two-electrode devices measure the resistivity of materials by passing
a current through two electrodes inserted into the material. All mentioned devices are
used to measure the resistivity of mud samples and determine their ability to resist flow
material. All of the mentioned devices measure the resistivity of a mud sample and are
used to determine its ability to resist the flow of electric currents.
The OFITE Digital Resistivity Meter accurately measures the resistivity of fluids,
slurries, and semisolids having resistivities from 0.01 to 400 ohm-meters. The digital

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display shows both resistivity (in ohm-meters) and concentration of NaCl (in ppm,
kppm, and gr/gal), as well as temperature (in °C or °F).

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 2.0 AIMS AND OBJECTIVE

AIMS:
To determine the mud filtrate resistivity of a given mud sample using a resistivity meter

OBJECTIVES
l To prepare water-based drilling fluid.
l To utilize a resistivity meter.
l To understand why we test mud resistivity.

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 3.0 EXPERIMENTAL APARATUS

Equipment and Instruments

l Water
l Mud mixer
l Weighing balance
l OFITE Digital resistivity meter
l Bentonite clay
l Mineral Oil

Fig. 3.1: Water Fig. 3.2: Mud mixer and a mixer cup

Fig. 3.3: Weigh balance Fig. 3.4:OFITE Digital resistivity meter

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Fig. 3.5: Bentonite clay Fig. 3.6: Mineral Oil

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 4.0 EXPERIMENT PROCEDURES

l Prepare a water based drilling mud.

l Fill cell with mud and remove excess mud from the top of the cell surfaces).
l Connect cell to the resistivity meter.
l Press black button and adjust for full scale reading on the meter.
l While keeping the black button depressed, press the red button.
l The reading on the meter is the resistivity of the mud (when testing mud, it may be
necessary to allow 3-5 minutes after putting mud in the cell before taking a reading
to allow cell and the mud filtrate to reach temperature equilibrium).
l Record the resistivity reading and the temperature of the cell.
l Repeat the experiment with 2g and 3g of salt, and mineral oil.
l Remove the cell and clean with distilled water. (Pipe cleaner can be used to remove
particles of mud filtrate that cannot be flushed out with water).

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 5.0 RESULTS

Table 5.1: Results of resistivity test

Fluid Resistivity (ohm-m)
Water 0.116
Drilling mud with no additives 0.115
Drilling mud with 2g of salt 0.114
Drilling mud with 3g of salt 0.115
Mineral oil 0.166

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 6.0 DISCUSSION

The drilling mud resistance is assumed to be 0.18 Ωm. This diagram shows how similar
our drilling muds, especially oil drilling muds, are. It was found that the more salt the
drilling mud contained, the thicker the mud.
The resistivity of sludge, sludge cake and sludge filtrate should be measured as it
strongly influences the electrical protocol sampled on that sludge. Mud resistivity varies
significantly from actual resistivity values due to various factors encountered in actual
operation. Material resistivity is important to ensure that the right materials are used in
the right places in electrical and electronic components. Materials used as conductors,
such as electrical wiring and general interconnect wiring, must be able to exhibit low
resistance values.
Mud resistivity is an important measure of formation properties in evaluating subsurface
conditions and prospects in the oil and gas exploration industry. It is a measure of the
electrical resistivity of mud systems and is usually a combination of naturally formed
water and various additives such as barite, soda ash, polymers and biocides. By
measuring the resistivity of the mud system, geologists can determine how well drilling
fluids are preventing formations from penetrating the borehole, how much gas the
formations may contain, and how much gas is being drilled. You can determine the type
of strata you are in. Mud resistivity is also used to avoid costly problems such as well
stability issues and circulation losses due to gas leakage that can occur when drilling
into gas-bearing reservoirs. will be
The resistivity of drilling muds is influenced by the dissolved salts (ppm) or (gpg,
particles per gallon) content in the water portion and the insoluble solids content in the
water portion. The higher the dissolved salt concentration, the lower the resistivity of
the solution.
In summary, the resistivity (Rm) of a drilling mud is a key factor in determining the
mud's effectiveness in controlling formation pressure and preventing formation fluids
from entering the wellbore. It is also a key factor in determining the mud's ability to
lubricate and cool the drill bit. Drilling mud resistivity is determined by the amount of
solids, the type of solids, and the amount of water in the mud. Drilling mud resistivity
should be monitored throughout the drilling process to ensure that the mud is performing
as expected.

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 7.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

CONCLUSION
The experiment was deemed a success because the following objectives were met:
l Understanding the resistivity test.
l Understanding the emulsion characteristics of the mud.

RECCOMENDATION

l The weigh balance should be zeroed before measuring the bentonite clay.
l Check that the mixer cup is properly secured before using the mud mixer.
l The digital resistivity meter should be checked before the next experiment as the
readings gotten in this experiment suggest it might be faulty.
l The cell should be rinsed with the drilling mud at least once or twice before the
reading is taken.

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 8.0 REFERENCES

l Hezhu Yin, “Application of Resistivity-Tool-Response Modeling for Formation

l Evaluation”, American Association of Petroleum Geologists (August 2011)
l Sengel E.W., “Handbook on Well Logging” Institute for Energy Development,
(January 1981)
l Dr. Paul M. Bommer, "A Primer of Oilwell Drilling", Petroleum Extension Service
(October 2008)
l Factors Influencing Electrical Resistivity of Drilling Fluids. April 2013, John E.
Sherborne & William M. Newton
l Oilfield Glossary
l Digital Resistivity Meter - OFITE (abi-asa.ir)
l Introduction to Drilling fluids, petrowiki.org

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