Mud Properties and Measurements Revised 02

•
MUD PROPERTIES
AND
MEASUREMENTS
MUD PROPERTIES AND MEASUREMENTS
Basic Properties and Measurements
The main properties of a drilling fluid are:

• Density
• Rheology
• Fluid loss
• Inhibition
• Solids Content
• These must be achieved in an environmentally friendly,

safe and cost effective way.
Density
CALIBRATE
KEEP HOLE BY ADDING/
• By convention the density is called FREE TO EXPEL
REMOVING
the mud weight MUD
LEAD SHOT
– The units are ppg or g/cc
SIGHT GLASS
– Occasionally lbs/ft3 or psi/ft are used
• Correct and frequent measurement
is essential SCALE BAR
– Keep balance clean
– Check calibration daily
• There are two types of balance

– Pressurized SLIDING WEIGHT
– Non Pressurized
• Derrickman will record density every

half hour
Mud Balance
Mud weight – bore hole pressure support
Bore hole pressure support
 When we drill the wellbore we

replace a cylinder of rock with a
cylinder of mud.
 The first critical step towards

designing a drilling fluid is to
establish the mud weight
required to provide the correct
level of bore hole pressure
support.
Pm > Pf
Pm - mud pressure
Pf - formation pressure
Mud weight – bore hole pressure support
 Pore pressure prediction involves the full cooperation of

several different engineering disciplines, ie Petrophysical,
Geology, Reservoir & Geomechanics.
 It is crucial that rigorous seismic and / or geolog well data

interpretation is done to determine the anticipated pore
pressure regimes in order to identify any pressure reversals
and therefore facilitate appropriate casing design.
 Mud weight planning is based on the predicted pore

pressure gradient plus 300 to 500 psi
One of the key elements to successfully drilling a stable, close to

gauge well bore depends upon planning the correct mud weight
overbalance.
Density - Balancing Formation Pressures
• Zones of differing pressures will be

drilled between casing points
• The ECD must be taken into account to
avoid fracturing the formation
P OR
– Should have at least 0.5 ppg EMW between
EC
FRA
EP
D
ECD and Fracture Pressure (kick tolerance)
RES
C
TUR
depth
• The differential pressure should be kept
SUR
E PR
low to improve ROP’s
ESS
Safe drilling
– A differential pressure equivalent to 0.2-0.5
ppg should be kept as a safety margin
URE
Unsafe drilling
– A negative differential (mud, air or foam) is (Mud weight
will fracture
sometimes used to drill : formation)
• Hard formations
• Lost circulation zones EQUIVALENT MUD WEIGHT
Signs of Excessive Density
 Lost Circulation
 Differential Sticking
 Slow ROP’s
 Ballooning
PUMPS OFF PUMPS ON
Ballooning
Signs of Insufficient Mud Weight
Background gas
• Hole not filling correctly on trips

– Formation fluid being swabbed into the
hole Trip gas seen
on bottoms
up after a trip
• Increased drag experienced on
Connection gas
connections and trips
Time
– Salt or plastic formations squeezing into
the well bore Connection gas
• Gain in fluid Increase in background gas,

could be due to increased pore
– Formation fluid entering the well bore. space in cuttings or increased
(Well flowing or kicking) formation pressure.
Circulate bottoms up to tell the
difference
• Unexplained increase in gas recording
– Some gas may be released from ground Gas level % or units
cuttings
Viscosity - Hole Cleaning
• Viscosity is the resistance of the fluid to flow

• Viscosity is required in addition to flow rate to clean the hole
• Several models have been developed to help understand the
behaviour of different fluids in laminar flow
– Newtonian model - e.g. Water, glycerine, oil
– Bingham Plastic Model - Cement, Flocculated fluids : high solids muds
– Power Law Model - Low solids polymer muds, Oil based muds
shear stress (flow pressure)

• Viscosity =
shear rate (flow rate)
The units can be dynes/cm2, Pascal S, Centipoise or lbs/100ft2

Instruments Used to Measure Viscosity
Fill mud to mark
• Marsh Funnel
– Results are very temperature
dependent Measure time required
– Used to give trends to fill one quart in
second
– Derrick man records results
every 1/2 hour Torsion Spring
• Fann Viscometer
– Can measure different shear
stresses for different shear rates Bob
– Should be used with a heated
Variable speed
cup to give readings at a set rotation sleeve
temperature
– Also used to measure gel
strengths
Marsh Funnel
Viscometer
Thermocup
6-speed FANN viscometer
Bingham Plastic Model
• PV = 600 - 300  (cps)

– The plastic viscosity is due to the physical size
and presence of any solids or emulsified
droplets in the fluid.
– The PV should be as low as possible yPV
– To reduce the PV reduce the solids
Shear stress 

• Yield Point = 300  - PV (lbs/100ft2) 
– The yield point is the viscosity due to the
chemical attraction between the particles.  PV
– To increase the YP add products with attractive
forces. y
– To reduce add products which reduce
attractive forces
Shear rate (
Power Law Model
• n = 3.32 log 600  (no dimensions)

300 

– n is the power law index and indicates the
degree of non Newtonian behaviour
– n should be as low as possible, the effective = kn
viscosity decreases with shear rate
– low n values give flat flow profiles
– Additives with attractive forces reduce n Shear rate (
• K = 300  (lbs/100ft2)

511n
– k is the consistency index and indicates the
viscosity of the liquid phase and solids content n
K
– anything which increases the low shear
viscosity will increase k.
Log Shear rate (
“n” power law exponent definition
“n” power law exponent = 3.32 log/ 600 ÷ 300 viscometer reading
High shear Describes the shear thinning properties of a fluid, i.e.

environment
degree of non-newtonian behavior.
“A shear thinning fluid is one that thins in a high shear

environment, i.e. in the drill pipe & at the bit, and thickens in
a low shear environment, i.e. in the annulus”.
Low shear The “n” value defines the velocity profile in the annulus.
environment
Note: PV:YP ratio also defines the velocity profile in the
annulus, i.e. PV equal to or < YP results in a flat velocity profile
– PV > YP will sharpen the velocity profile incrementally.
Annulus
“n” power law exponent definition
Velocity Profile in the annulus

Fluid velocity diminishes to almost
drill pipe borehole wall zero at the face of the borehole and
the drill pipe due to frictional drag .
n = 0.7
n = 0.5 Vertical well bore

n = 0.3
Horizontal well bore
Maximum velocity
Shear Rates in the Circulating System
Shear rate (sec-1) 120V

Dh - Dp
D is in mm, and V = velocity in cm/sec.
SHEAR
• Monitor the shear stress of the fluid at RATE (S-1)
EQUIVALENT
SECTION FANN RPM
the shear rates in the annulus
Drill String 170-10k
100+
• Pump Hi Vis pills regularly, if hole is not Bit 10k-100k

None
being cleaned increase shear stress for Annulus 5-17-=0
3-100
corresponding shear rate
Pits 0-3
0-3
• Many operators request 3 and 6 RPM SCE* 170-1000

100-600
readings * Solids Control Equipment
Gel Strengths
The Gel strengths refers to the increase in viscosity at

zero shear rate
It is the measure of the attractive forces under static

conditions
Maximum shear stress at 3 RPM

ths
ive g el streng
Progress
Initial and then subsequent
3 rpm viscometer dial readings,
i.e. 10sec, 10min, 30min Flat gel strengths
= gel strengths
Time at zero shear rate
Primary factors that impact gel strength values
 The electro-chemical attractive

 Gels can be:
forces between solids under
static conditions. Fragile: A 10 min gel strength
that increases but breaks back
 Closely related to yield point, rapidly after initiating viscometer
i.e. electro-chemical interactions shear.
and the measure of Flat: An initial gel strength that
aggregation, flocculation or only increases marginally over
dispersion of the in situ solids. 10 mins.
 Initial gel strengths are a good Progressive: An initial gel
indicator of low shear rheology strength that increases
(i.e. 3 rpm viscometer dial significantly over 10 mins and
reading). beyond.
Effects of Excessive Viscosity

• Increased pump pressure
• Increased risk of swabbing / surging the hole
• Loss of mud at the shakers
• Poor efficiency of the solids control equipment
• Increased risk of fracturing the formation, especially with high gel

strengths
• Poor mud removal for cementing operations

Effects of Insufficient Viscosities

• Poor hole cleaning
– Cuttings bed
– Hole fill
– Stuck pipe
– Cuttings degradation
• Overloading of the annulus increasing the hydrostatic
• Increased erosion if the fluid is in turbulent flow
• Barite sag or settlement

Filtration
• The passage of filtrate into the formation due to the differential

pressure
• If the solids cannot block the pores and/or fractures then mud will flow
into the formation (lost circulation)
• The solids in the mud usually forms as a filter cake which prevents
excessive fluid loss, the filter cake should :
– Be thin
– Have a low permeability - correct solids distribution
– Have a low friction coefficient
Filtration
• Dynamic Filtration
– cake builds until rate of erosion equals rate of
deposition
– when filter cake reaches equilibrium thickness
fluid loss is constant
• Static Filtration
– cake growth with time
– rate of filtration continues to decrease
– static cake is thicker than dynamic cake
– static rate of filtration is less
Dynamic Filtration
• Occurs while circulating

– The rate of erosion = rate of build up of the cake
– The cake stays the same thickness
• Darcy’s equation governs the filtration rate
dq K x ²P x A
=
dt txµ
q = volume of filtrate (c.c.)

k = permeability of cake (darcies)
A = area (cm2)
µ = liquid phase viscosity (cps)
t = thickness of cake (cm)
P = differential pressure (atm)
Static Filtration
• Occurs during no flow situations

– The cake thickness increases with time
– The rate of filtration decreases with time
• A simplified equation is:

q = k  t  e
Fluid loss (cc)

k = constant
t = time (sec) } spurt loss
e = spurt loss t (mins)
• The spurt loss is the volume of fluid that gets through the filter
paper before the filter cake forms
Temperature and Pressure Effects
• For static filtration

q  k P
P = differential pressure
This approximation assumes P has no effect on the permeability or
filtrate viscosity, usually increasing P will decrease the permeability.
• Increasing the temperature will increase the filtration rate
– It reduces the viscosity of the filtrate
– It changes the flocculation and aggregation equilibria
– Polymeric fluid loss additives may degrade
– Lignite/Gilsonite type derivatives will become more malleable
API Filter Press

HPHT
PPA
Incorrect Filter Rates
WHAT
HAPPENS IF I
• Rate too low will result in : GET THE
– Excessive cost FLUID LOSS
WRONG ?
– Slight reduction in ROP
• Rate too high will result in :
– Formation damage, clays and
reservoir
– Thick filter cakes which cause :
• Differential sticking
• Excess drag
• The filtration rate must be adjusted to

deal with all the formations
encountered in the interval
High Pressure Examples
35 Cake Thickness
Fluid Loss (30 min)
30 Cake Thickess
Fluid Loss (30 min)
25
20
15
10
0
500 1500 3000
Solids
•Almost all muds contain solids

•Weighting agents
•Bridging agents
•Clays
•Polymers
•Drilled cuttings create drilled solids in the mud – these have a

NEGATIVE effect on the mud system
•Oil Base Muds (NAF) contain Oil and Brine and Solids
•Important to be able to measure and quantify solids, water/brine

and oil in all fluids
Effects of Drilled Solids
• Rheological Changes to the Fluid

• Fluid Filtration Problems
• Wall Sticking
• Increased ECDs resulting in Pressure Changes on the Formation
• Reduced Solids Control Efficiency
• Pollution Problems
• Increased Mud Costs
• Increased Rig Costs
• Reduced Rates of Penetration
• Logistical Supply Problems
• Bit Balling
• Bit, Tubular & Pump Wear
• Hole Problems
Solids Measurement
• Use a retort
• High Temperature used to boil off water / oil and
leave solids in the retort – fluids collected in cylinder
and recorded.
• This information used with mud density and salt
concentration to calculate type of solids in the mud –
i.e. drilled solids or added solids
Retort
Sand Content
Chemical Properties
• Alkalinity – pH (pH strip or pH meter)

• Alkalinity - Pm, Pf, Mf (titration)
• Total Hardness (titration)
• Hardness as Calcium (titration)
• Chloride Level (titration)
• Cation Exchange Capacity (Methylene Blue Test)
Alkalinity Tests
• Pf
– cc's of 0.02N H2SO4 required to reduce the pH of 1 cc of filtrate
to 8.3 .
– Phenolphthalein endpoint.
• Mf
– cc's of 0.02N H2SO4 required to reduce the pH of 1 cc of filtrate
to 4.3. It is the sum of the Pf and the second titration where the
pH is reduced from 8.3 to 4.3.
– Methyl orange endpoint.
Chloride Test
• Add 10 drops of standard potassium chromate solution to a 1 ml

sample of filtrate. A yellow colour develops.
• Stir continuously while adding 0.0282 N or 0.282 N silver nitrate
(depending on expected range – below 5000 mg/l use 0.0282 N
and above use 0.282 N) on a drop by drop basis,
• The end point is reached when a reddish tinge appears and
persists for 30 seconds. Do not titrate to “brick red” as this is too
far past the end point.
• Note the amount of silver nitrate required to reach the end point
• Calculations
• Total Chlorides in mg/l = m/l of 0.0282N x 1000
• Total Chlorides in mg/l = m/l of 0.282N x 10000
Importance of chemical tests
• The presence of ions will affect mud properties such as:

– Viscosity
– Yield point
– Gel strength
– Fluid loss (and filter cake)
Mud Property Guidelines
Property Top Hole* 17 1/2” - 16” 12 1/4” 8 1/2” 6”

Flow rate (gpm) A.F.A.P. 900+ 500-700 300-400 200-300
YP (lbs/100 ft2) 30+ 25+ 15-20 12-15 12-15
3 RPM Fann 25 15 10 5 5
Fluid Loss (c.c.)** n/c 15-20 10-15 5-10 3-5
10 min gels 35 max 35 max 35 max 35 max 35 max
• Mud Weight : as required

• LGS : Preferably below 6% for a water based mud
• PV : as low as possible
• Mf : below 1 c.c. Pf/Mf ratio : below 2 unless Pf is below 1 c.c.
• Pf > 0 for water based muds
• Potassium / Chloride ratio : above 0.6 for KCl muds
• AV : should be above 80 ft/min
* 36” or 26” hole

** Fluid loss for water based muds

Mud Properties and Measurements Revised 02

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Mud Properties and Measurements Revised 02

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•

Basic Properties and Measurements

The main properties of a drilling fluid are:

• These must be achieved in an environmentally friendly,

• There are two types of balance

• Derrickman will record density every

Bore hole pressure support

 When we drill the wellbore we

 The first critical step towards

 Pore pressure prediction involves the full cooperation of

 It is crucial that rigorous seismic and / or geolog well data

 Mud weight planning is based on the predicted pore

One of the key elements to successfully drilling a stable, close to

Density - Balancing Formation Pressures

• Zones of differing pressures will be

Signs of Excessive Density

PUMPS OFF PUMPS ON

Signs of Insufficient Mud Weight

• Hole not filling correctly on trips

• Gain in fluid Increase in background gas,

Viscosity - Hole Cleaning

• Viscosity is the resistance of the fluid to flow

shear stress (flow pressure)

The units can be dynes/cm2, Pascal S, Centipoise or lbs/100ft2

Fill mud to mark

Bingham Plastic Model

• PV = 600 - 300  (cps)

Shear stress 

Power Law Model

• n = 3.32 log 600  (no dimensions)

Shear stress 

Shear stress 

“n” power law exponent definition

High shear Describes the shear thinning properties of a fluid, i.e.

“A shear thinning fluid is one that thins in a high shear

“n” power law exponent definition

Velocity Profile in the annulus

n = 0.5 Vertical well bore

Horizontal well bore

Shear rate (sec-1) 120V

D is in mm, and V = velocity in cm/sec.

• Pump Hi Vis pills regularly, if hole is not Bit 10k-100k

• Many operators request 3 and 6 RPM SCE* 170-1000

The Gel strengths refers to the increase in viscosity at

It is the measure of the attractive forces under static

Maximum shear stress at 3 RPM

Primary factors that impact gel strength values

 The electro-chemical attractive

Effects of Excessive Viscosity

• Increased risk of swabbing / surging the hole

• Loss of mud at the shakers

• Poor efficiency of the solids control equipment

• Increased risk of fracturing the formation, especially with high gel

• Poor mud removal for cementing operations

Effects of Insufficient Viscosities

• Overloading of the annulus increasing the hydrostatic

• Increased erosion if the fluid is in turbulent flow

• Barite sag or settlement

• The passage of filtrate into the formation due to the differential

• Occurs while circulating

• Darcy’s equation governs the filtration rate

q = volume of filtrate (c.c.)

• Occurs during no flow situations