University of Karbala Petroleum Engineering Dept.

College of Engineering

Drilling Engineering Lab.

Rheological Properties Measuring

Introduction
 The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to gradual deformation by shear stress
or tensile stress
Viscosity divided into Dynamic & Kinematic , and we'll talking about the dynamic viscosity
in this report ..

Rheology is defined as the study of the deformation and flow of matter.

 In drilling operations, the term rheology refers to the use of the shear stress/shear rate/time
relationships of drilling fluids. Rheological properties are used to design and evaluate the
hydraulics and to assess the functionality of the mud system
Introduction
 Regular rheological measurements on drilling rigs are made by
coaxial cylinder viscometer at two different speeds of 300 and
600 rpm. These represent the high shear rate region. Since
drilling fluids are submitted to very different shear rates, from
very low values in the mud pits to very high values through bit
nozzles, the rheological parameters estimated based only on two
measurements will lead to significant discrepancies such as yield
point overestimation.
 Bingham model


Objectives
Study the behavior of drilling mud at dynamic conditions ..
And compute (apparent , plastic & yield viscosity & gel strength)
Test Equipment
Test Procedure
Mix a (600 ml) of water with (20 gm) of Bentonite to make the drilling mud
 Put the drilling mud in the cup of concentric cylindrical viscometer & down the rotor into the
mud
 Rotate the handle for (15 sec) because the fluid in stagnation state

Then put the pointer on ᴓ 600 and start rotating until get a suitable reading , it'll represent the
shear rate @ (600 rpm)

 Then put the pointer on ᴓ 300 and start rotating until get a suitable reading , it'll represent
the shear rate @ (300 rpm)

Using the shear rate in some relationship to compute the μa , μp ,Yp and gel strength
 Calculation
 ᴓ 600
 ᴓ 300
 μa = (ᴓ 600 /2)

 μp = (ᴓ 600 - ᴓ 300 )

 Yp =(ᴓ 300 – μp)

Gel strength
 Gel strength it is the shear rate necessary to initiate the fluid in motion from the
static station

 Fast – strong
 Progressive
 Fast – weak
 Slow – weak

time (sec) gel strength (lb/100ft)