Experiment No.

: 01

Name of the Experiment: Preparation of Drilling Fluid by Blender.

Objectives:

1. To formulate drilling Fluid.

2. To determine the properties of the additives.

Introduction: In geotechnical engineering, drilling fluid is used to aid the drilling of boreholes
into the earth. Often 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. Liquid drilling fluid
is often called drilling mud. The three main categories of drilling fluids are water-based muds
(which can be dispersed and non-dispersed), non-aqueous muds, usually called oil-based mud, and
gaseous drilling fluid, in which a wide range of gases can be used.

The main functions of drilling fluids include providing hydrostatic pressure to prevent formation
fluids from entering into the well bore, keeping the drill bit cool and clean during drilling, carrying
out drill cuttings, and suspending the drill cuttings while drilling is paused and when the drilling
assembly is brought in and out of the hole. The drilling fluid used for a particular job is selected
to avoid formation damage and to limit corrosion.

Many types of drilling fluids are used on day to day Basis. Two of major drilling fluid types are:

1. Oil Based Mud

2. Water Based Mud

Oil Based Mud: Oil-based mud is a mud where the base fluid is a petroleum product such as diesel
fuel. Oil-based muds are used for many reasons, including increased lubricity, enhanced shale
inhibition, and greater cleaning abilities with less viscosity. Oil-based muds also withstand greater
heat without breaking down. The use of oil-based muds has special considerations, including cost,
environmental considerations such as disposal of cuttings in an appropriate place, and the
exploratory disadvantages of using oil-based mud, especially in wildcat wells. Using an oil-based
mud interferes with the geochemical analysis of cuttings and cores and with the determination of
API gravity because the base fluid cannot be distinguished from oil returned from the formation.

Water Based Mud: Most basic water-based mud systems begin with water, then clays and other
chemicals are incorporated into the water to create a homogeneous blend resembling something
between chocolate milk and a malt (depending on viscosity). The clay is usually a combination of
native clays that are suspended in the fluid while drilling, or specific types of clay that are
processed and sold as additives for the WBM system. The most common of these is bentonite,
frequently referred to in the oilfield as "gel". Gel likely makes reference to the fact that while the
fluid is being pumped, it can be very thin and free-flowing (like chocolate milk), though when
pumping is stopped, the static fluid builds a "gel" structure that resists flow. When an adequate
pumping force is applied to "break the gel", flow resumes and the fluid returns to its previously
free-flowing state. Many other chemicals (e.g. potassium formate) are added to a WBM system to
achieve various effects, including: viscosity control, shale stability, enhance drilling rate of
penetration, cooling and lubricating of equipment.

Theory: Our drilling fluid was basically a water based mud. And we had to maintain the pH above
7. We have used several additives in the correct measurement. Some of the additives are:

Alkalinity Control Agents controls the pH of various drilling muds. This agent help control
the pH in water-based, oil-based, and synthetic-based muds using soda ash, lime, potassium
hydroxide, Ph-6, caustic soda, or bicarbonate of soda.

Borehole, Shale Stabilizers serve as "preventive medicines" that help operators avoid the
difficult and expensive tasks associated with remediating an unstable formation.

Corrosion Control can help avoid the expense of corrosion-induced failures of drillstrings
or casings. This offer proven corrosion-control treatments that mitigate the corrosive qualities of
drilling and completion fluids and other factors affecting the downhole environment.

Degreasers and wetting agents clean everything from casings to surface equipment while
meeting environmental standards. Degreasers penetrate oily film allowing it to be washed away,
while wetting agents effectively displace diesel-, mineral oil-, and synthetic-based drilling fluids.
 Polymer and non-polymer fluids that serve as Filtration Control additives to manage
filtration rates and reduce filter cake permeability. These effective agents control the four basic
mechanisms that affect filtration, including bridging, bonding, deflocculation, and viscosity.

Friction can be controlled with liquid Lubricants that reduce the coefficient of friction
between pipe and wellbore. Lubricants include polymers that effectively adhere to pipe surfaces
and lessen adhesion between pipe and mud solids.

Rate of penetration (ROP) is a key metric of drilling performance. ROP Enhancers

minimize friction and reduce bit bailing, clay sticking and other downhole aggravations that can
quickly turn a good ROP into a potential problem.

Sweeping agents help operators to effectively remove cuttings from the wellbore.
Turbulence associated with low viscosity sweeps stirs the cuttings bed, and high viscosity fluids
"sweep" the solids to the surface.

Weighting agents let operators alter slurry density to restrain high formation pressures and
improve mud displacement. Weighting agents also play important roles in preventing strength
retrogression, decreasing cement-system permeability and helping to control settling and gelation.

Experiment Procedures:

1. While selecting a fluid he have to make sure it is water based fluid and the pH is over
7.
2. Specific gravity and recommended treatment will be given in the data sheet. In the case
of recommended treatment either recommended volume or recommended weight will
be given and we have to calculate other one.
3. We also have to determine whether the additives will increase volume or not.
4. After measuring the every additives we have to calculate the total volume and weight
of the drilling fluid.
Result:

The volume of the fluid is: 1.79E-03 m3.

The weight of the fluid is 2.14 Kg.

The density of the fluid is 1.20E+03 kg/m3.

Conclusion:

Though we prepared a drilling fluid based on calculation but in real life factors like cost and
availability of the additives have to be brought under consideration. The additives must be water-
based and needs to have a pH over 7. All the calculation will be done in MS excel and we have to
set equations so that a change of data will be carried through out the sheet.