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Drilling fluid
In geotechnical engineering, drilling fluid, also known as drilling mud or drilling slurry, is used to aid the drilling of boreholes into the earth. Used while drilling oil and natural gas wells and on exploration drilling rigs, drilling fluids are also used for much simpler boreholes, such as water wells.
The two main categories of drilling fluids are water-based muds (WBs), which can be dispersed and non-dispersed, and non-aqueous muds, usually called oil-based muds (OBs). Along with their formatives, these are used along with appropriate polymer and clay additives for drilling various oil and gas formations. Gaseous drilling fluids, typically utilizing air or natural gas, sometimes with the addition of foaming agents, can be used when downhole conditions permit.
The main functions of liquid drilling fluids are to exert hydrostatic pressure to prevent formation fluids from entering into the well bore, and carrying out drill cuttings as well as suspending the drill cuttings while drilling is paused such as when the drilling assembly is brought in and out of the hole. The drilling fluid also keeps the drill bit cool and clears out cuttings beneath it during drilling. The drilling fluid used for a particular job is selected to avoid formation damage and to limit corrosion.
Liquid fluids are composed of natural and synthetic material in a mixed state, which can be of two types:
Water-based drilling mud most commonly consists of bentonite clay (gel) with additives such as barium sulfate (baryte) to increase density, and calcium carbonate (chalk) or hematite. Various thickeners are used to influence the viscosity of the fluid, e.g. xanthan gum, guar gum, glycol, carboxymethyl cellulose(CMC), polyanionic cellulose (PAC), or starch. In turn, deflocculants are used to reduce viscosity of clay-based muds; anionic polyelectrolytes (e.g. acrylates, polyphosphates, lignosulfonates (Lig) or tannic acid derivates such as Quebracho) are frequently used. Red mud was the name for a Quebracho-based mixture, named after the color of the red tannic acid salts; it was commonly used in the 1940s to 1950s but was made obsolete when lignosulfonates became available. Some other common additives include lubricants, shale inhibitors, fluid loss additives(CMC and PAC) (to control loss of drilling fluids into permeable formations). A weighting agent such as baryte is added to increase the overall density of the drilling fluid so that sufficient bottom hole pressure can be maintained thereby preventing an unwanted (and often dangerous) influx of formation fluids.
Source:
Many types of drilling fluids are used on a day-to-day basis. Some wells require different types to be used in different parts of the hole, or that some types be used in combination with others. The various types of fluid generally fall into broad categories:
On a drilling rig, mud is pumped from the mud pits through the drill string, where it jets out of nozzles on the drill bit, thus clearing away cuttings and cooling the drill bit in the process. The mud then carries the crushed or cut rock ("cuttings") up the annular space ("annulus") between the drill string and the sides of the hole being drilled, up through the surface casing, where it emerges from the top. Cuttings are then filtered out with either a shale shaker or the newer shale conveyor technology, and the mud returns to the mud pits. The mud pits allow the drilled "fines" to settle and the mud to be treated by adding chemicals and other substances.
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Drilling fluid
In geotechnical engineering, drilling fluid, also known as drilling mud or drilling slurry, is used to aid the drilling of boreholes into the earth. Used while drilling oil and natural gas wells and on exploration drilling rigs, drilling fluids are also used for much simpler boreholes, such as water wells.
The two main categories of drilling fluids are water-based muds (WBs), which can be dispersed and non-dispersed, and non-aqueous muds, usually called oil-based muds (OBs). Along with their formatives, these are used along with appropriate polymer and clay additives for drilling various oil and gas formations. Gaseous drilling fluids, typically utilizing air or natural gas, sometimes with the addition of foaming agents, can be used when downhole conditions permit.
The main functions of liquid drilling fluids are to exert hydrostatic pressure to prevent formation fluids from entering into the well bore, and carrying out drill cuttings as well as suspending the drill cuttings while drilling is paused such as when the drilling assembly is brought in and out of the hole. The drilling fluid also keeps the drill bit cool and clears out cuttings beneath it during drilling. The drilling fluid used for a particular job is selected to avoid formation damage and to limit corrosion.
Liquid fluids are composed of natural and synthetic material in a mixed state, which can be of two types:
Water-based drilling mud most commonly consists of bentonite clay (gel) with additives such as barium sulfate (baryte) to increase density, and calcium carbonate (chalk) or hematite. Various thickeners are used to influence the viscosity of the fluid, e.g. xanthan gum, guar gum, glycol, carboxymethyl cellulose(CMC), polyanionic cellulose (PAC), or starch. In turn, deflocculants are used to reduce viscosity of clay-based muds; anionic polyelectrolytes (e.g. acrylates, polyphosphates, lignosulfonates (Lig) or tannic acid derivates such as Quebracho) are frequently used. Red mud was the name for a Quebracho-based mixture, named after the color of the red tannic acid salts; it was commonly used in the 1940s to 1950s but was made obsolete when lignosulfonates became available. Some other common additives include lubricants, shale inhibitors, fluid loss additives(CMC and PAC) (to control loss of drilling fluids into permeable formations). A weighting agent such as baryte is added to increase the overall density of the drilling fluid so that sufficient bottom hole pressure can be maintained thereby preventing an unwanted (and often dangerous) influx of formation fluids.
Source:
Many types of drilling fluids are used on a day-to-day basis. Some wells require different types to be used in different parts of the hole, or that some types be used in combination with others. The various types of fluid generally fall into broad categories:
On a drilling rig, mud is pumped from the mud pits through the drill string, where it jets out of nozzles on the drill bit, thus clearing away cuttings and cooling the drill bit in the process. The mud then carries the crushed or cut rock ("cuttings") up the annular space ("annulus") between the drill string and the sides of the hole being drilled, up through the surface casing, where it emerges from the top. Cuttings are then filtered out with either a shale shaker or the newer shale conveyor technology, and the mud returns to the mud pits. The mud pits allow the drilled "fines" to settle and the mud to be treated by adding chemicals and other substances.