You are on page 1of 3

Pneumatic Fluids

Pneumatic (air/gas based) fluids are used for drilling depleted zones or areas w
here abnormally low
formation pressures may be encountered. An advantage of pneumatic fluids over li
quid mud systems
can be seen in increased penetration rates. Cuttings are literally blown off the
cutting surface ahead of
the bit as a result of the considerable pressure differential. The high pressure
differential also allows
formation fluids from permeable zones to flow into the wellbore.
Air/gas based fluids are ineffective in areas where large volumes of formation f
luids are encountered.
A large influx of formation fluids requires converting the pneumatic fluid to a
liquid-based system. As a
result, the chances of losing circulation or damaging a productive zone are grea
tly increased. Another
consideration when selecting pneumatic fluids is well depth. They are not recomm
ended for wells
below about 10,000 ft because the volume of air required to lift cuttings from t
he bottom of the hole can
become greater than the surface equipment can deliver.
Oil-Based Fluids
A primary use of oil-based fluids is to drill troublesome shales and to improve
hole stability. They are
also applicable in drilling highly deviated holes because of their high degree o
f lubricity and ability to
prevent hydration of clays. They may also be selected for special applications s
uch as high temperature/
high pressure wells, minimizing formation damage, and native-state coring. Anoth
er reason for
choosing oil-based fluids is that they are resistant to contaminants such as anh
ydrite, salt, and CO2
and H2S acid gases.
Cost is a major concern when selecting oil-based muds. Initially, the cost per b
arrel of an oil-based
mud is very high compared to a conventional water-based mud system. However, bec
ause oil muds
can be reconditioned and reused, the costs on a multi-well program may be compar
able to using
water-based fluids. Also, buy-back policies for used oil-based muds can make the
m an attractive alternative
in situations where the use of water-based muds prohibit the successful drilling
and/or completion
of a well.
Today, with increasing environmental concerns, the use of oil-based muds is eith
er prohibited or
severely restricted in many areas. In some areas, drilling with oil-based fluids
requires mud and cuttings
to be contained and hauled to an approved disposal site. The costs of containmen
t, hauling, and
disposal can greatly increase the cost of using oil-based fluids.
Water-Based Fluids
Water based fluids are the most extensively used drilling fluids. They are gener
ally easy to build, inexpensive
to maintain, and can be formulated to overcome most drilling problems. In order
to better
understand the broad spectrum of water-based fluids, they are divided into three
major subclassifications:
Inhibitive
Non-inhibitive
Polymer
Non-Inhibitive Fluids
Those which do not significantly suppress clay swelling, are generally comprised
of native clays or
commercial bentonites with some caustic soda or lime. They may also contain defl
occulants and/or
dispersants such as: lignites, lignosulfonates, or phosphates. Non-inhibitive fl
uids are generally used
as spud muds. Native solids are allowed to disperse into the system until rheolo
gical properties can no
longer be controlled by water dilution.
Inhibitive Fluids
Those which appreciably retard clay swelling and, achieve inhibition through the
presence of cations;
typically, Sodium (Na+), Calcium (Ca++) and Potassium (K+). Generally, K+ or Ca+
+, or a combination
of the two, provide the greatest inhibition to clay dispersion. These systems ar
e generally used for drilling
hydratable clays and sands containing hydratable clays. Because the source of th
e cation is generally
a salt, disposal can become a major portion of the cost of using an inhibitive f
luid.
Polymer Fluids
Those which rely on macromolecules, either with or without clay interactions to
provide mud properties,
and are very diversified in their application. These fluids can be inhibitive or
non-inhibitive
depending upon whether an inhibitive cation is used. Polymers can be used to vis
cosify fluids, control
filtration properties, deflocculate solids, or encapsulate solids. The thermal s
tability of polymer systems
can range upwards to 400F. In spite of their diversity, polymer fluids have limit
ations. Solids are a
major threat to successfully running a cost-effective polymer mud system.
Functions of Drilling Fluids
Results of extensive research at both Amoco Production Research, Tulsa, and in t
he field show that
penetration rate and its response to weight on bit and rotary speed is highly de
pendent on the hydraulic
horsepower reaching the formation at the bit. Since the drilling fluid flow rate
sets the system pressure
losses, and these pressure losses set the hydraulic horsepower across the bit, i
t can be
concluded that the drilling fluid is as important in determining drilling costs
as all other man-controllable
variables combined. Considering these factors, an optimum drilling fluid is a flu
id properly formulated
so that the flow rate necessary to clean the hole results in the proper hydrauli
c horsepower to
clean the bit for the weight and rotary speed imposed to give the lowest cost, p
rovided that this combination
of variables results in a stable borehole which penetrates the desired target.
A properly designed drilling fluid will enable an operator to reach the desired
geologic objective at the
lowest overall cost. A fluid should enhance penetration rates, reduce hole probl
ems and minimize formation
damage.
Major Functions
Drilling fluids are designed and formulated to perform three major functions:
Control Subsurface Pressure
Transport Cuttings
Support and Stabilize the Wellbore
Control Subsurface Pressure
A drilling fluid controls the subsurface pressure by its hydrostatic pressure. H
ydrostatic pressure is the
force exerted by a fluid column and depends on the mud density and true vertical
depth (TVD).
Borehole instability is a natural function of the unequal mechanical stresses an
d physico-chemical
interactions and pressures created when support in material and surfaces are exp
osed in the process
of drilling a well. The drilling fluid must overcome both the tendency for the h
ole to collapse from
mechanical failure and/or from chemical interaction of the formation with the dr
illing fluid. The Earths
pressure gradient is 0.465 psi/ft. This is equivalent to the height of a column
of fluid with a density of
8.94 ppg, which is approximately the density of seawater.
In most drilling areas, a fresh water fluid which includes the solids incorporat
ed into the water from
drilling subsurface formations is sufficient to balance formation pressures. How
ever, abnormally pressured
formations may be encountered requiring higher density drilling fluids to contro
l the formation
pressures. Failure to control downhole pressures may result in an influx of form
ation fluids, resulting in
a kick, or blowout.

You might also like