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Understanding Drilled Solids

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The Rock Cycle The rock cycle illustrates the relationship between igneous, metamorphic,
and sedimentary rocks and their transformation. The fragmentation of a
host rock results in a new rock which has porosity and permeability, which
contributes to the storage and potential production of fluids.
Millions of years of shifting
tectonic plates have
trapped hydrocarbons
beneath the surface
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Halite Crust

Anhydrite

Gypsum Sand

Microbial Mat
Carbonate Sand

Well Lithified Hardground

Mixed Carbonate & Silicate Sand

Shale
▪ Shale is usually sedimentary rock that
was deposited in marine basins. Shale is
composed of compacted beds of mud,
silt, and clay.

Forms of Shale:
• Soft or unconsolidated: mud or clay
• Consolidated: shale
• Metamorphic: slate, mica, phyllite
Types of Shale

Arenaceous Shale:
contains sand, quartz

Calcereous Shale:
contains calcium carbonate
(lime) very chalky
Types of Shale

Ferruginous Shale:
contains iron

Carbonaceous Shale:
contains organic material
such as kerogen
© Derrick Corporation
Solids Sizing
Confining Pressure & Differential Stress In a depositional environment,
rocks decrease in volume due
to the increase in confining
pressure

Undeformed
Strata
Undeformed
Strata

Deformed
Strata
Deformed
Strata
Increasing Confining
Pressure

High Confining
Pressure

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Confining Pressure & Differential Stress

Undeformed
Strata Deformed
Strata

During shifts in differential stress,

rocks are shorted and lengthened in
the direction of minimum and
maximum stress

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 Rock is 10 x stronger
in compression than in
tension.
Shale At greater depths, shale does not hydrate as well due to destruction of the internal lattice
structure by overburden weight.
Drilled Solids

Drilled particle size is dependent on:

- Formation hardness
- Type of bit used
- Chip hold down
- Effectiveness of hydraulic cleaning action
Particle size can be affected by:
– Natural grain size
– Mechanical degradation
– Chemical action
The “Size” of downhole particles can be estimated to be twice the size
observed at the shaker.

Wellbore Bottom Surface

 Micron

A MICROMETER IS 1 MILLIONTH PART

OF A METER
 50µm human hair

6µm carbon filament

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Micron Sizing
500 micron
Diameter of pea gravel
(.210”)
Solids Sizing Activity
API SOLIDS CLASSIFICATION
API CLASSIFICATION SIZE RANGE (MICRONS) COMMON TERM API SCREEN

Coarse >2000 Gravel 10

Intermediate 250 - 2000 Dirt 60 - 10

Medium 73 - 250 Sand 200 – 60

Fine 44 - 73 Silt 325 - 200

Ultra Fine 2 - 44 Clay NA – 325

Colloidal 0-2 Clay NA

Additional System Solids
Bentonite Clay Platelets
Drilling Fluid Clay

+¯+¯¯+¯¯¯
¯¯¯¯
¯ ¯++
Dispersion ¯
Water enters between platelets
and causes them to separate
+ +¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ + ¯ ¯ ¯¯¯¯+
¯ + ¯ ¯++ ¯+¯+¯¯¯ ¯+
+ +¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
¯ + ¯ ¯++
+ +¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
¯ + ¯++
Continuous Phase
Flocculation

Non Dispersed
Mud While floating free,
the negative and positive

+ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯¯
¯+¯+¯¯¯ ¯¯++
charges attract forming
a structure

+ ¯ ¯ ¯ ¯¯
¯+¯+¯¯¯ ¯¯++
Continuous Phase
Water + Gel = Thick, viscous fluid
Solids Classification
API Bentonite Specification
Bentonite Dispersed in Water
W
e 12
i
g 10
h
t 8

6
P
e
4
r
c
2
e
n
0
t 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 50 60 74 80 90

Micron Size Range

D-50 OF MAXIMUM 4%
6.0 MICRONS LARGER THEN
74 MICRONS
Functions of Drilling Fluids
Hydrostatic Pressure – The pressure exerted by a fluid at equilibrium and at Rest due
to the force of gravity

1. Control formation and

maintain well-bore stability

8,550 ft. – Mud Weight required to

prevent gas (pressure)
intrusion

5,200 PSI ÷ (8,550 FT. × 0.052)

= 11.69 PPG

5,200 PSI
Weight Materials
Barium Sulfate
• Most commonly used, cheapest

• Relatively Inert

• Non-Abrasive

• Soft, Degrades to Small Particles

• 80+% Barium Sulfate

API Specification – 4.1
< 250 mg/L Total Hardness
> 5% on a 325-mesh screen
< 3% on a 200-mesh screen (74 micron)
Solids Classification
API BARITE SPECIFICATION
12
W
e 10
i D-50 of 25 Microns
g
h 8
t
6
P
e Max 5% > 44u
r 4
c Max 30% < 6u
e 2
n Max 3% > 74u
t
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 44 50 60 74 80 90
Micron Size Range
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 Lost Circulation
or lost returns is the partial
or total loss of circulating
fluid from the
wellbore to the formation.
It is the loss of whole
fluid, not simply filtrate, to
the
formation.
Solids Control Equipment
Drill Solids
Particle Size Range Bentonite, Barite, Drill Solids & CaCO3

Micron Size Range

Specific Gravity of Liquids

Specific Gravity Range of Liquids

• Water -------------------- 1.00
• Sea Water -------------- 1.02
• Diesel Oil --------------- 0.85
• Mineral Oil -------------- 0.79
• Synthetic Oil ------------ 0.69
Specific Gravity of Solids

Specific Gravity Range of Solids

High Gravity
• Barite -------------------- 4.0 to 4.3
Solids
• Hematite ---------------- 4.5 to 5.0
• Galena ------------------- 6.95
• Calcium Carbonate --- 2.8
• Bentonite ---------------- 2.3 to 2.7
• Sodium Chloride ------ 2.2 Low Gravity
• Calcium Chloride ----- 1.95 Solids
• Sand --------------------- 2.1 to 2.7
• Clay ---------------------- 2.5 to 2.7
• Shale -------------------- 2.2 to 2.9
 Volume Percent Low Gravity Solids
During Drilling
25%

10%
20%

15%

8-10%
10% 7-8%
4-6%
3-4%
5%

0%
Starting Mud Recommended Range Typical Rig Target Out of Range Danger Zone
LGS% Low LGS% High

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Damage Caused by Drilled Solids

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Settling and Hydrostatic Pressure

The entire column of mud,

including the cuttings and
Mud Weight
sloughings, compose the
hydrostatic pressure. True Vertical
Depth ( TVD)
Decreased removal of the
solids increases the
possibility of wellbore Formation
Pressure
damage.
Hydrostatic Pressure
Pore Pressure and Fracture Gradient
Plastic Viscosity
Adsorb Absorb
 Particles

Liquid Boundary Layer

Surface Area Resulting From Disintegration

Surface Area
Volume = 1” 3 = 6” 2

1”
Volume = 1” 3 Surface Area = 6” 2
1”

Divide Into Eight 1/2” Cubes

Surface Area = 12” 2

Volume 1” 3
 Divide Into Eight 1/4” Cubes
Volume 1” 3 Surface Area = 24” 2
Plastic Viscosity

Plastic Viscosity is the mechanical friction between

solids in the drilling fluid resulting in increased
resistance to flow.

PV is affected by 4 things
– liquid phase viscosity
– size of particles
– shape of particles
– number of particles in the drilling fluid
 © 2015 Derrick Corporation

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 © 2015 Derrick Corporation

59
Plastic Viscosity increases as the solid’s content increases .

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PV=Plastic viscosity (physical resistance)
Size, shape, number of particles, and base fluid viscosity

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 Drill Bit ROP:
Rate Of Penetration
Drill Cuttings

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Clean fluid enters Using a dirty fluid,
the formation solids enter the
cracks, causing cracks ahead of the
the rock to fluid, preventing the
soften and split.
hydraulic micro-frac.

Hydraulic Micro-Frac ROP Decrease

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Filter Cake
 © 2015 Derrick Corporation

66
Filter
Cake
Stuck Pipe
Filter Cake

Poor, thick filter cake has a larger contact area, increasing torque
and causing more down hole issues.
Surge & Swab

Thick filter cakes make

good seals around a
drill bit. As the bit is
moved passes the
thick filter cake, it acts
like a piston.
Surge Swab
Yield Point
Where does solids control start?

Good solids control starts at

the bit! Cuttings need to be
removed before they are
reground.

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Hole cleaning
• Refers to the process of bringing drill cuttings
to the surface as quickly as possible.

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 Yield Point measures the
electrochemical or attractive forces in a
mud.
It is the resistance to flow due to the
attraction between solids.
Static Electricity

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Yield Point (Intermolecular Forces - electrical charges)

Forces between
molecules are
intermolecular forces.

A bond is an
intramolecular force.
 © 2015 Derrick Corporation

78
Yield Point

Good Yield Point

helps carry
cuttings up the
annulus

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Yield Point
Poor Yield Point
can cause
viscosity problems
right at bit

Bit Balling
Abrasion
Sand
75um
Part Wear
Dilution
Balancing Waste & Solids Removal
 Option#1 – DUMP IT ALL

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90
 Option#2 – KEEP ALL & DILUTE

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91
 Option#3 – SOLIDS CONTROL

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92
Mud lost to
cuttings Dilution
Adverse Effects of Drilled Solids That Remain in
Drilling Fluid
– Higher chemical and dilution
costs
– Higher Disposal Costs
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