Development Of Drilling Fluid From Biomaterials

ABSTRACT 

New Biodegradable drilling fluids were developed using Brachystegia eurycoma (achi), Detarium microcarpum (ofo) and Pleurotus (osu). The drilling properties such as yield point, apparent viscosity, low shear rate yield point and fluid loss were determined.The field polymer muds that are currently in use namely; PAC-R and PAC-L were formulated and used as control samples to the new proposed product. Herschel –Buckley model was used to obtain the yield stress. Cutting transport ratio, cutting transport efficiency and cuttings concentration volume% of  both the proposed mud and the existing PAC Polymer mud were calculated for low flow rates, high flow rates, large hole diameters and small hole diameters. Economic evaluation was carried out using Incremental Discounted Cash Flow Rate of  Return to determine the viability of the proposed materials. The proposed mud was compared with the existing mud and results show that yield stress for un-weighted, low solids, and weighted muds are 18lbs/100ft2, 36lbs/100ft2, 30lb/100ft2 for proposed muds respectively. The results of unweighted, low solids and weighted muds of existing also show the yield stress of 14lbs/100ft2, 34lbs/100ft2, 26lbs/100ft2 and  8lbs/100ft2, 10lbs/100ft2, 10lbs/100ft2 for regression line. Both the proposed mud and the existing mud gave good hole cleaning results of cuttings concentration 1.64 volume% and cutting transport ratio 0.997 at high flow rates and small diameter holes. In terms of economic analysis, Detarium microcapum, Brachystegia eurycoma, Pleurotus muds additives gave the better result in cost reduction than the alternative. The proposed materials are not commercially available to be used in preparing drilling fluids but they are environmentally friendly. 

Key words: Materials,  Hole cleaning, Economic Evaluation, Biodegradable Drilling Fluids, Brachystegia eurycoma, Detarium microcarpum, Pleurotus.