Complexes for continuous monitoring of drilling fluid parameters during drilling

Background. The article provides an overview of existing complexes (units) for continuous monitoring of drilling fluid parameters in automatic mode. Aim. To justify the need to develop a complex (module) that will allow combining existing technologies and making a step forward in the field of process automation in terms of monitoring the parameters of drilling fluids. Materials and methods. In the current realities of well construction, the control of drilling fluid parameters on almost all drilling rigs operating on the territory of Russia (possibly with the exception of a few off shore projects) is carried out by the work of a solution engineer, usually a representative of a service company. The analysis of the parameters, depending on the number of personnel, the speed of penetration, the complexity or importance of the well, can be carried out from 2 to 6 times a day [1, 2]. This means a complete analysis, rather than monitoring the density and conditional viscosity, which can be measured by a representative of the drilling crew, for rapid response, and with greater frequency. Due to such a low measurement discreteness, there is a high probability of a significant deviation of the drilling fluid parameters from the design values. As a result, the probability of various complications, both geological and technological, increase significantly. Results. During the analysis of information from open sources, the most promising complexes (modules) from the point of view of application in the current conditions were identified, their positive and negative sides were evaluated. As a result of the conducted review of open sources, the most promising complexes (modules) in terms of application in the current conditions are identified, the positive and negative sides of the systems under consideration are displayed, and the need to develop a complex (module) that will combine all the best that is available today and make a qualitative step forward in the field of “peopleless” technologies used during drilling wells in terms of monitoring the parameters of drilling fluids is justified. Conclusions. The necessity of developing a complex (module) for automating processes in terms of monitoring the parameters of drilling fluids is justified.

Download Full-text

Efficient Removal of Magnetic Contamination from Drilling Fluids - The Effect on Directional Drilling

Journal of Energy Resources Technology ◽

10.1115/1.4049290 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Arild Saasen ◽

Benny Poedjono ◽

Geir Olav Ånesbug ◽

Nicholas Zachman

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Particles ◽

Barents Sea ◽

Drilling Fluid ◽

Drilling Fluids ◽

Directional Drilling ◽

The North ◽

Uncertainty Calculation ◽

The North Sea ◽

Drilling Rigs ◽

Sea Area

Abstract Magnetic debris in a drilling fluid have a significant influence on the ability of the drilling fluid to maintain its function. Down hole logging can suffer from poor signal to noise ratios. Directional drilling in areas close to the magnetic North Pole, such as in the Barents Sea, Northern Canada or Russia can suffer because of magnetic contamination in the drilling fluid. Magnetic particles in the drilling fluid introduce additional errors to the magnetic surveying compared to those normally included in the ellipsoid of uncertainty calculation. On many offshore drilling rigs, there are mounted ditch magnets to remove metallic swarf from the drilling fluid. These magnets normally only remove the coarser swarf. In this project, we use a combination of strong magnets and flow directors to significantly improve the performance of the ditch magnets. This combination, together with proper routines for cleaning the ditch magnets, significantly helps to clean the drilling fluid. Through the combined use of flow directors and ditch magnets, it was possible to extract more than five times as much magnetic contamination from the drilling fluid as normal compared with other proper ditch magnet systems. This is verified by comparing the ditch magnet efficiencies from two drilling rigs drilling ERD wells in the North Sea area. In the paper, it is discussed how the accuracy of directional drilling and well position effected by various interferences can be improved by the use of a drilling fluid with minimal effect to the MWD measurement.

Download Full-text

Investigation of Changes in the Structure of Clays During Hydrothermal Study of Drilling Fluids

Society of Petroleum Engineers Journal ◽

10.2118/7896-pa ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 20 (05) ◽

pp. 385-390 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Leroy L. Carney ◽

Necip Guven

Keyword(s):

Crystalline Phase ◽

Elevated Temperatures ◽

Drilling Fluid ◽

Fluid Loss ◽

Drilling Fluids ◽

Hydrothermal Conditions ◽

Cell Parameters ◽

Temperature Levels ◽

Almost All ◽

Geothermal Drilling

Abstract The need for a drilling fluid that will exhibit its basic requirements at temperature levels high enough to be used for geothermal drilling has prompted studies of various systems. The temperature range of some of these studies has been between ambient temperature and 700 degrees F (370 degrees C). A system was developed that exhibited the desirable properties of a good drilling fluid system at elevated temperatures and pressures. A fluid that exhibited these desirable properties after being subjected to high temperature and pressure was unusual as compared with presently used fluids. Therefore, investigation into why these fluids were capable of exhibiting good rheology and fluid-loss control was conducted. It was found that certain mineralogical components of the drilling fluid undergo transformation after being subjected to high temperatures and pressures. The conversion is temperature dependent but also is affected by the presence of various salts as well as the presence of silica and calcium.The fluids under investigation contained the mineral sepiolite as the basic ingredient. The changes in the sepiolite are reported in this paper. Introduction A drilling fluid (350 mL) containing sepiolite (15 g), Wyoming bentonite (5 g), NaOH (0.5 g), and organic polymers (2.5 g) was heated at 700 degrees F (370 degrees C) for 16 hours in a cement consistometer. In this system, after the same hydrothermal treatment, almost all the sepiolite was destroyed along with the carbonates and the 12.3- Na-montmorillonite was converted to 13.3- montmorillonite. A new crystalline phase was formed, constituting about 10 to 15% of the solids in the drilling fluid. This new phase occurs as laths elongation along the b axis, with lengths of 2 to 3 microns (2 to 3 m) and widths of 0.1 to 0.7 microns (0.1 to 0.7 m). The laths generally form regular aggregates similar to cordwood. In many of these stacks, individual laths are arranged in a regular manner into single crystals or into polysynthetic twins; some of them exhibit a perfect morphology with 60 degrees interfacial angles. The selected area electron diffraction patterns of the new crystalline phase displays an A-centered lattice with the unit-cell parameters: b = 7.17 0.05, c = 14.6 0.1 and = 90 degrees 10' 10'. These lattice parameters and the morphological features of the new crystalline phase are similar to those of xonotlite, a hydrated cement mineral.After these tests were completed, further studies were conducted using sepiolite alone in water and sepiolite with various salts added under controlled conditions. The usefulness of sepiolite in drilling fluids under extreme conditions of temperature, pressure, and pH during deep-well drilling now is recognized. Commonly, these drilling fluids are contaminated with salts of Na, Ca, and Mg from the formation. Sometimes the salts or hydroxides are added purposely to the drilling fluids. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the effects of these salts and hydroxides on the sepiolite under hydrothermal conditions. SPEJ P. 385＾

Download Full-text

Removal of Magnetic Contamination in Drilling Fluids: Effect on Directional Drilling

Volume 11: Petroleum Technology ◽

10.1115/omae2020-18719 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Arild Saasen ◽

Benny Poedjono ◽

Geir Olav Ånesbug ◽

Nicholas Zachman

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Particles ◽

Barents Sea ◽

Drilling Fluid ◽

Drilling Fluids ◽

Directional Drilling ◽

The North ◽

Uncertainty Calculation ◽

The North Sea ◽

Drilling Rigs ◽

Sea Area

Abstract Magnetic debris in a drilling fluid have a significant influence on the ability of the drilling fluid to maintain its function. Down hole logging can suffer from poor signal to noise ratios. Directional drilling in areas close to the magnetic North Pole, such as in the Barents Sea, Northern Canada or Russia can suffer because of magnetic contamination in the drilling fluid. Magnetic particles in the drilling fluid introduce additional errors to the magnetic surveying compared to those normally included in the ellipsoid of uncertainty calculation. On many offshore drilling rigs, there is mounted ditch magnets to remove metallic swarf from the drilling fluid. These magnets normally only remove the coarser swarf. In this project, we use a combination of strong magnets and flow directors to significantly improve the performance of the ditch magnets. This combination, together with proper routines for cleaning the ditch magnets, significantly helps to clean the drilling fluid. Through the combined use of flow directors and ditch magnets, it was possible to extract more than five times as much magnetic contamination from the drilling fluid as normal compared with other proper ditch magnet systems. This is verified by comparing the ditch magnet efficiencies from two drilling rigs drilling ERD wells in the North Sea area. In the paper, it is discussed how the accuracy of directional drilling and well position effected by various interferences can be improved by the use of a drilling fluid with minimal effect to the MWD measurement.

Download Full-text

Dosimetry and optimization in digital radiography based on the contrast-detail resolution

Brazilian Journal of Radiation Sciences ◽

10.15392/bjrs.v6i3.467 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Wilson Otto Gomes Batista ◽

Alexandre Gomes De Carvalho

Keyword(s):

Image Quality ◽

Inverse Image ◽

Point Of View ◽

Complete Analysis ◽

Portable Devices ◽

Evaluation Tool ◽

Air Kerma ◽

Direct Radiography ◽

Definition Of ◽

Entrance Surface Air Kerma

Contrast-detail (C-D) curves are useful in evaluating the radiographic image quality in a global way. The objective of the present study was to obtain the C-D curves and the inverse image quality figure. Both of these parameters were used as an evaluation tool for abdominal and chest imaging protocols. The C-D curves were obtained with the phantom CDRAD 2.0 in computerized radiography and the direct radiography systems (including portable devices). The protocols were 90 and 102 kV in the range of 2 to 20 mAs for the chest and 80 kV in the range of 10 to 80 mAs for the abdomen. The incident air kerma values were evaluated with a solid state sensor. The analysis of these C-D curves help to identify which technique would allow a lower value of the entrance surface air kerma, Ke, while maintaining the image quality from the point of view of C-D detectability. The results showed that the inverse image quality figure, IQFinv, varied little throughout the range of mAs, while the value of Ke varied linearly directly with the mAs values. Also, the complete analysis of the curves indicated that there was an increase in the definition of the details with increasing mAs. It can be concluded that, in the transition phase for the use of the new receptors, it is necessary to evaluate and adjust the practised protocols to ensure, at a minimum, the same levels of the image quality, taking into account the aspects of the radiation protection of the patient.

Download Full-text

Application of Thermal Resistant Gemini Surfactants in Highly Thixotropic Water-in-oil Drilling Fluid System

Open Chemistry ◽

10.1515/chem-2019-0157 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 1435-1441

Author(s):

Yonggui Liu ◽

Yang Zhang ◽

Jing Yan ◽

Tao Song ◽

Yongjun Xu

Keyword(s):

Gemini Surfactants ◽

Drilling Fluid ◽

Drilling Fluids ◽

Excellent Thermal Stability ◽

Oil Drilling ◽

Low Viscosity ◽

Emulsion Drops ◽

Oil Emulsions ◽

Building Capability ◽

Liquid Precipitation

AbstractTraditional water-in-oil drilling fluids are limited by their shear thinning behavior. In this article, we propose the synthesis of a thermal resistant quaternary ammonium salt gemini surfactant DQGE-I. This surfactant was synthesized using monomers such as N,N-dimethyl-1,3-propanediamine, organic acids and epichlorohydrin, as well as blocking groups such as N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP). The prepared surfactant exhibited various advantages over traditional surfactants, including excellent thermal stability, good emulsifying and wetting capability. The use of these surfactants was shown to improve the compactness of emulsifier molecules at the oil/water interface, as well as the overall emulsificaiton effect. Laboratory studies revealed that water-in-oil emulsions prepared using DQGE-I showed high emulsion breaking voltage, low liquid precipitation and small and uniformly distributed emulsion drops. Highly thixotropic water-in-oil drilling fluids based on DQGE-I showed low viscosity, high shear rate and thermal tolerance up to 260oC. Additionally, the proposed fluid was applied in 16 wells (including WS1-H2, GS3 and XS1-H8) in the Daqing Oilfield. Testing showed that DQGE-1 exhibited excellent rheological behavior and wall-building capability. The emulsion breaking voltage exceeded 1500 V, and the yield point/ plastic viscosity ratio exceeded 0.4. The use of this surfactant can help to solve problems such as high formation temperature and poor well wall stability.

Download Full-text

Wet Drilled Cuttings Bed Rheology

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14061644 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 1644

Author(s):

Camilo Pedrosa ◽

Arild Saasen ◽

Bjørnar Lund ◽

Jan David Ytrehus

Keyword(s):

Drilling Fluid ◽

Drilling Fluids ◽

Parallel Plates ◽

Single Particles ◽

Cuttings Transport ◽

Transport Studies ◽

Water Based ◽

Fluid Properties ◽

External Forces ◽

Cuttings Bed

The cuttings transport efficiency of various drilling fluids has been studied in several approaches. This is an important aspect, since hole cleaning is often a bottleneck in well construction. The studies so far have targeted the drilling fluid cuttings’ transport capability through experiments, simulations or field data. Observed differences in the efficiency due to changes in the drilling fluid properties and compositions have been reported but not always fully understood. In this study, the cuttings bed, wetted with a single drilling fluid, was evaluated. The experiments were performed with parallel plates in an Anton Paar Physica 301 rheometer. The results showed systematic differences in the internal friction behaviors between tests of beds with oil-based and beds with water-based fluids. The observations indicated that cutting beds wetted with a polymeric water-based fluid released clusters of particles when external forces overcame the bonding forces and the beds started to break up. Similarly, it was observed that an oil-based fluid wetted bed allowed particles to break free as single particles. These findings may explain the observed differences in previous cutting transport studies.

Download Full-text

How ethical challenges of covert observations can be met in practice

Research Ethics ◽

10.1177/17470161211008218 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 174701612110082

Author(s):

Nicole Podschuweit

Keyword(s):

Social Research ◽

Role Playing ◽

Great Distance ◽

Point Of View ◽

Ethical Challenges ◽

Research Subjects ◽

Written Information ◽

Ethical Debate ◽

The People ◽

Almost All

This paper aims to bring into the ethical debate on covert research two aspects that are neglected to date: the perspective of the research subjects and the special responsibility of investigators towards their observers. Both aspects are falling behind, especially in quantitative social research. From a methodological point of view, quantitative forms of covert observation involve a great distance between the researcher and the research subjects. When human observers are involved, the focus is usually on the reliable application of the measuring instrument. Therefore, herein, a quantitative study is used as an example to show how the protection needs of both the observed persons and the observers can be met in practice. The study involved 40 student observers who covertly captured everyday conversations in real-world settings (e.g. in cafés or trains) by a highly standardised observation scheme. The study suggests that the anonymity of the research subjects and their trust in the observers are crucial for their subsequent consent. However, many participants showed only little or even no interest in the written information they were provided. Further, this study strongly emphasises how mentally stressful covert observations are to the observers. Almost all observers were worried in advance that the people they were observing would prematurely blow their cover and confront them. Role-playing and in-depth discussions in teams are good strategies to alleviate such and other fears and to prepare student assistants well for their demanding work in the field.

Download Full-text

Development of a Reproducible Method of Formulating and Testing Drilling Fluids

Society of Petroleum Engineers Journal ◽

10.2118/2302-pa ◽

1969 ◽

Vol 9 (04) ◽

pp. 403-411 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

B.K. Sinha ◽

Harvey T. Kennedy

Keyword(s):

Large Scale ◽

Drilling Fluid ◽

Flow Characteristics ◽

Field Testing ◽

Test Methods ◽

Water Evaporation ◽

Fluid Loss ◽

Drilling Fluids ◽

Testing Procedures ◽

Asymptotic Values

Abstract Recommendations are made for obtaining consistent and reproducible test data on drilling fluids having identical composition. Previously, such a procedure has been difficult to accomplish even when the fluids were mixed in similar equipment. A survey of work in this area indicates that previous methods have been unsatisfactory because previous methods have been unsatisfactory because (1) the muds are extremely sensitive to the duration and violence of agitation during a normal mixing routine, and (2) gelling of the muds occurs before the properties can reach constant values. This gelling is caused by water evaporation resulting from the increase in temperature associated with the agitation. The work shows that these problems largely can be overcome by (1) agitating the constituents of the drilling fluid more vigorously, (2) maintaining a fairly constant temperature, and(3) Protecting the fluid from evaporation. When these steps are followed, the fluid properties approach asymptotic values that do not change by prolonged or accelerated agitation or by aging for a month. The time required to reach asymptotic values or a stabilized state is from 2 to 6 hours and is a function of the mud composition. Introduction Preparation of drilling fluids in the laboratory to determine their suitability to meet specific drilling requirements or to serve as a base fluid to evaluate the effectiveness of thinners, dispersants or other additives normally begins with combining measured quantities of the constituents and stirring them for a short time in a low-speed mixer. This is done to obtain a uniform mixture and to hydrate clays. Then the fluid is further agitated in a higher-speed device (Hamilton Beach mixer or Waring blender) to disperse more thoroughly and clay particles The biggest obstacle in the laboratory investigation of drilling fluids has been the lack of a method of producing a mixture by which reproducible results of the measured properties could be obtained. Numerous investigators have encountered this difficulty. Prior to 1929, density was the only property of mud that customarily was measured. The use of Wyoming bentonite on a large scale after 1929 was mainly responsible for the development of more elaborate testing procedures and for the application of the principles of colloid chemistry to the drilling fluids. Ambrose and Loomis in 1931 were among the first to recognize the plastic flow characteristics of drilling fluids, although Bingham in 1916 had observed The same phenomenon with dilute clay suspensions. Marsh introduced the Marsh funnel for field testing in 1931. By this time, non-Newtonian characteristics of drilling fluids were established. The Stormer and MacMichael viscometers were used to study the rheological properties of the fluids. In the 1930's and early 1940's, the work conducted by several investigators contributed toward a better understanding of drilling fluids. In the mid 1930's, fluid-loss and the associated mud-cake-forming properties of drilling fluids were recognized as important to the behavior of these fluids. The other properties of drilling fluids, including gel strength, pH, and sand content soon were recognized. In 1937, API published its first recommended procedure for test methods. Since that time, these procedures have been revised periodically. The latest edition, RP-13B, was published in 1961 However, in spite of the recognized need for a method of mixing that provides drilling fluids with stabilized properties, no such method previously has been described. SPEJ P. 403

Download Full-text

Annular Frictional Pressure Losses During Drilling—Predicting the Effect of Drillstring Rotation

Journal of Energy Resources Technology ◽

10.1115/1.4026205 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 136 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Arild Saasen

Keyword(s):

Rheological Properties ◽

Pressure Loss ◽

Drilling Fluid ◽

Axial Flow ◽

Drilling Fluids ◽

Unstable Flow ◽

Pressure Losses ◽

Shear Dependent Viscosity ◽

Water Based ◽

Dependent Viscosity

Controlling the annular frictional pressure losses is important in order to drill safely with overpressure without fracturing the formation. To predict these pressure losses, however, is not straightforward. First of all, the pressure losses depend on the annulus eccentricity. Moving the drillstring to the wall generates a wider flow channel in part of the annulus which reduces the frictional pressure losses significantly. The drillstring motion itself also affects the pressure loss significantly. The drillstring rotation, even for fairly small rotation rates, creates unstable flow and sometimes turbulence in the annulus even without axial flow. Transversal motion of the drillstring creates vortices that destabilize the flow. Consequently, the annular frictional pressure loss is increased even though the drilling fluid becomes thinner because of added shear rate. Naturally, the rheological properties of the drilling fluid play an important role. These rheological properties include more properties than the viscosity as measured by API procedures. It is impossible to use the same frictional pressure loss model for water based and oil based drilling fluids even if their viscosity profile is equal because of the different ways these fluids build viscosity. Water based drilling fluids are normally constructed as a polymer solution while the oil based are combinations of emulsions and dispersions. Furthermore, within both water based and oil based drilling fluids there are functional differences. These differences may be sufficiently large to require different models for two water based drilling fluids built with different types of polymers. In addition to these phenomena washouts and tool joints will create localised pressure losses. These localised pressure losses will again be coupled with the rheological properties of the drilling fluids. In this paper, all the above mentioned phenomena and their consequences for annular pressure losses will be discussed in detail. North Sea field data is used as an example. It is not straightforward to build general annular pressure loss models. This argument is based on flow stability analysis and the consequences of using drilling fluids with different rheological properties. These different rheological properties include shear dependent viscosity, elongational viscosity and other viscoelastic properties.

Download Full-text

Low ECD High Performance Invert Emulsion Drilling Fluids: Lab Development and Field Deployment

10.2118/202115-ms ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Vikrant Wagle ◽

Abdullah Yami ◽

Michael Onoriode ◽

Jacques Butcher ◽

Nivika Gupta

Keyword(s):

High Performance ◽

Filter Cake ◽

Drilling Fluid ◽

Field Performance ◽

Superior Performance ◽

Core Material ◽

Drilling Fluids ◽

Invert Emulsion ◽

Field Deployment ◽

Permeability Studies

Abstract The present paper describes the results of the formulation of an acid-soluble low ECD organoclay-free invert emulsion drilling fluid formulated with acid soluble manganese tetroxide and a specially designed bridging package. The paper also presents a short summary of field applications to date. The novel, non-damaging fluid has superior rheology resulting in lower ECD, excellent suspension properties for effective hole cleaning and barite-sag resistance while also reducing the risk of stuck pipe in high over balance applications. 95pcf high performance invert emulsion fluid (HPIEF) was formulated using an engineered bridging package comprising of acid-soluble bridging agents and an acid-soluble weighting agent viz. manganese tetroxide. The paper describes the filtration and rheological properties of the HPIEF after hot rolling at 300oF. Different tests such as contamination testing, sag-factor analysis, high temperature-high pressure rheology measurements and filter-cake breaking studies at 300oF were performed on the HPIEF. The 95pcf fluid was also subjected to particle plugging experiments to determine the invasion characteristics and the non-damaging nature of the fluids. The 95pcf HPIEF exhibited optimal filtration properties at high overbalance conditions. The low PV values and rheological profile support low ECDs while drilling. The static aging tests performed on the 95pcf HPIEF resulted in a sag factor of less than 0.53, qualifying the inherent stability for expected downhole conditions. The HPIEF demonstrated resilience to contamination testing with negligible change in properties. Filter-cake breaking experiments performed using a specially designed breaker fluid system gave high filter-cake breaking efficiency. Return permeability studies were performed with the HPIEF against synthetic core material, results of which confirmed the non-damaging design of the fluid. The paper thus demonstrates the superior performance of the HPIEF in achieving the desired lab and field performance.

Download Full-text