IADC/SPE 151227

Size Degradation of Granular Lost Circulation Materials

Paul D. Scott, SPE, David H. Beardmore, SPE, Zack D. Wade of ConocoPhillips, Eddie Evans, SPE, and
Krista D. Franks, SPE of Drilling Specialties Co., a Division of Chevron Phillips Chemical Co.

Copyright 2012, IADC/SPE Drilling Conference and Exhibition

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2012 IADC/SPE Drilling Conference and Exhibition held in San Diego, California, USA, 6–8 March 2012.

This paper was selected for presentation by an IADC/SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not
been reviewed by the International Association of Drilling Contractors or the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily
reflect any position of the International Association of Drilling Contractors or the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any
part of this paper without the written consent of the International Association of Drilling Contractors or the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is
restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of IADC/SPE copyright.

Abstract
Lost circulation is a major cause of drilling non-productive time with significant cost implications for many locations
throughout the world. Increased attention on the performance of lost circulation materials and engineered solutions to lost
circulation, such as wellbore strengthening and the recycling lost circulation materials, has brought about the need to use
materials which do not size-degrade rapidly.

Little mechanical property data or shear degradation information is available for most lost circulation materials as they are
normally not highly engineered materials, and standard test methods have not been developed. In addition, lost circulation
materials are often sourced locally to reduce cost, and logistics are such that they may not come from sources with consistent
quality.

Anecdotal information about which materials size-degrade most is common in the industry but little scientific information is
available. Field data has conclusively shown that lost circulation materials degrade in size with time. A laboratory procedure
has been developed and used to study the relative reduction in particle size of the most common granular products.

Laboratory and field data are presented to demonstrate the relative size degradation rates for several common lost circulation
materials. This data on the relative degradation in the particle size distribution of granular lost circulation materials will
provide improved understanding of their performance for more efficient application of the materials. This will lead to
improvements in wellbore strengthening and lost circulation material recycling applications.

Introduction
Specialized lost circulation materials (LCMs) have been used for wellbore strengthening (Fuh, et al., 1992, and Fuh, et al.,
2007). An effective size range for granular wellbore strengthening LCMs is about 250-600 microns (30-60 mesh). A high
survivability of the particle size of these LCMs when circulated with the mud is desirable to minimize the volumes required
to replenish the LCMs and maintain an effective concentration.

As noted by van Oort, et al. (2007), recirculation of LCMs can lead to degradation of the particle size and shape. Calcium
carbonate (calcite) degraded badly when subjected to shear in the lab, when compared to graphitic material, and cellulosic
material.

In an actual drilling well, the size degradation process is probably the result of several processes. High fluid shear itself
probably does not degrade particles significantly. Impact of particles at high velocity is probably a significant cause of size
reduction. Examples of this would be impact of particles on the bottom of the hole as the mud flows through the bit jets, and
impact of particles on the impeller of a centrifugal pump. Grinding of particles between two surfaces undoubtedly causes
size reduction, as well. Examples of this might be grinding between drillpipe and casing, and smashing of particles between
surfaces in a mud pump fluid end. These processes are collectively referred to as shear degradation in this paper.
2 IADC/SPE 151227

To further understand the degradation of granular LCMs in the 250-600 micron size range, several types of LCMs were
chosen and shear tests were conducted. A common spindle-type low-shear mixer (Hamilton Beach®-type) and a high-shear
mixer (Silverson®) were used to apply variable shear. Various shear times were applied at constant shear rate. Ground
marble, nut hulls, and resilient graphitic material (RGM) were chosen as the LCM types, as they have all been used
successfully for wellbore strengthening. It was assumed that shear with these mixers would somehow approximate the shear
degradation that LCMs undergo when they are circulated at a drilling rig through mud pumps, bottom-hole assemblies, bit
nozzles, and centrifugal pumps.

The effect of mud weight on shear degradation of the LCMs was tested, as it was suspected that the presence of a large
amount of barite in the mud might reduce LCM degradation. Unweighted mud at 8.6 lbm/galal (pounds mass per gallon),
and 14.0 lbm/galal mud weighted with API barite were tested.

It was also suspected that the particle size degradation might vary with absolute particle size, so the degradation of 30-60
mesh, 100-140 mesh, and 200-325 mesh particle size ranges was studied. Barite was included as a test material in the 100-
140 mesh and the 200-325 mesh tests, as barite is thought to size-degrade when circulated with the mud in a well.

Note that LCM product descriptions such as “Fine”, “Medium”, and “Coarse” are problematic in that these terms do not
relate to a particular particle size range, only to relative size within a particular product. One product described as “Fine”
could actually be larger than the “Coarse” size of another product.

Procedure
Shear degradation in this paper is defined as the loss of mass of LCM for a certain particle size range. Changes in the particle
size distribution (PSD) within the range were not considered in the tabular results.

Samples of the LCMs were wet sieved to capture the size fraction to be tested. The samples were dried at 150°F for 16 hours
after sieving to establish a dry weight. Photos were taken of the LCMs before the shear tests. Unweighted (8.6 lbm/gal) and
weighted (14.0 lbm/gal) simple, water-based muds (WBMs) were mixed and hot rolled at 150°F for 16 hours. See formulas
and properties in Tables 1 and 2. Weighed amounts (15 grams) of LCM were added to 525 ml (1.5 lab barrels) of the muds
and the muds were sheared in 900 ml stainless steel malt cups for 5 to 15 minutes. This concentration is equivalent to 10
lbm/bbl (pounds mass per barrel).

An OFITE® 2-Speed Laboratory Mixer (Sterling Multi-Products, Inc.® – Hamilton Beach-type) with an SM-22 spinner head
(splits in disk) was used for low-shear effect, and a Silverson L4RT-A Laboratory Mixer with a square hole high-shear screen
mixing head was used for a high-shear effect. Both mixers rotated at 7000 rpm (revolutions per minute). See Figures 1 and
2.

The resulting muds were sieved through the appropriate screen (for example, a 60 mesh screen for the larger LCMs), and the
material captured on the screen was washed with tap water and dried for 16 hours at 150 °F and weighed. Weights were
recorded, photos were taken, and a PSD analysis was done using a Beckman Coulter ∗ LS™ 13 320 SW Laser Diffraction
Particle Size Analyzer.

Results and Discussion

Phase 1.
The first tests done were in unweighted mud on the 30-60 mesh (250-600 micron) size granular LCMs, which have been
used for wellbore strengthening applications. The LCMs tested were black walnut shells, English walnut shells, pecan shells,
RGM, and ground marble. Table 3 shows the degradation for the various LCMs at various shear times with the two types of
mixers.
The best performing LCMs were the black walnut, the English walnut, and the RGM. All had less than 5% degradation
in the low-shear mixer at 5 to 15 minutes. More degradation was seen in the high-shear tests than in the low-shear tests.
Both types of walnut hulls had less than 10% degradation while the RGM had less than 17% degradation. The pecan shells
were of intermediate performance with 15% degradation at low shear and 28% degradation at high shear for 15 minutes.
Ground marble performed very poorly with 12% degradation at low shear for 15 minutes and 99.5% degradation at high
shear after only 5 minutes. So, the walnut shells and RGM both performed well, while the ground marble showed to size-
degrade rapidly.
Photomicrographs showed that the particle shapes changed to some extent after the muds were sheared for 15 minutes on
a Silverson mixer. In Figures 3 and 4, the black walnut hulls and RGM both show slight, but conclusive rounding of the

∗
Beckman Coulter is a trademark of Beckman Coulter, Inc., and is registered with the USPTO
IADC/SPE 151227 3

particles. Figure 5 shows the drastic degradation of the ground marble. The second photo here shows what was retained on a
635 mesh screen, since there was almost no recovery on a 60 mesh screen.

Phase 2.
It was suspected that the severity of shear degradation would decline at smaller particle sizes. So, a second set of shear
tests was done in unweighted mud to examine the degradation of 100 to 140 mesh (150 to 106 micron) black walnut hulls,
RGM, and ground marble. Barite was also added to the test matrix in this size range, as it is known to be relatively soft, and
susceptible to shear degradation. Table 4 shows the degradation for these materials in the 100-140 mesh size range at various
shear times and with the two types of mixers in unweighted mud.
The extent of size degradation of ground marble diminished for the smaller particle size. Low shear degradation of
ground marble was reduced for the smaller 100-140 mesh size range at 5 and 15 minute shear times, as expected. High-shear
degradation of ground marble was also reduced to 21% and 42% for 100-140 mesh at 5 and 15 minute high shear times. This
amount of shear degradation is still significant, whether the CaCO3 is being used for an LCM or as part of a specially
designed Reservoir Drilling Fluid.
The extent of size degradation of RGM was mixed at this smaller particle size. Low shear degradation of RGM actually
increased somewhat. This was unexpected, but it is conceivable that the smaller sized RGM has some different physical
characteristics than the larger sized material. However, at high shear, the smaller RGM showed decreased size degradation,
as expected.
For RGM, the 5 minute degradation value for the low shear mixer was 6.2%, while the degradation value for 5 minutes on
the high shear mixer was 3.8%. This was unexpected, and may reflect experimental error.
Black walnut hulls showed mixed results for shear degradation for the smaller 100-140 mesh particle size compared to the
larger, 30-60 mesh size. Size degradation unexpectedly increased at the smaller size range for low shear at 5 minutes and 15
minutes. It is conceivable that the black walnut material in the smaller size range has somewhat different physical
characteristics than at the larger size range. Results were puzzling at high shear for the 100-140 mesh size. Degradation was
low for black walnut hulls at high shear, but the 5 minute result was an unexpectedly low 4%, while the 15 minute high shear
result was more reasonable at 12%. Overall, though, black walnut hulls showed low shear degradation at the smaller particle
size, comparable to RGM.
Barite at 100-140 mesh was degraded even more than ground marble, showing up to 81% degradation at 15 minutes of
high shear, compared to 42% for ground marble. Barite is apparently even more susceptible to shear degradation than ground
marble.
To compare the materials at this size range, ground marble and barite showed high shear degradation, while RGM and
black walnut hulls showed low size degradation.

Phase 3.
To further explore the effects of shear on smaller particles, 200-325 mesh ground marble and barite were subjected to the
shear tests (see Table 5) in unweighted mud.

As can be seen, shear degradation of ground marble is drastically reduced at the 200-325 mesh size (75-45 micron),
compared to the larger sizes. Even at the 15 minute time on the high-shear Silverson mixer, only 18% of the ground marble
was degraded. This compares to 42% for 100-140 mesh and 99.5% for 30-60 mesh. API barite, however, degraded worse
than ground marble at high shear, losing 35% of the 200-325 mesh size range particles after 15 minutes compared to 18% for
ground marble. Note that ground marble degraded somewhat more than barite at the low-shear conditions.

It should be noted that for most field mud applications, the use of calcium carbonate as a bridging agent in this size range is
generally not beneficial as this size range is covered by both API sized barite and drill solids. The particle size distribution of
drilling fluids in actual operations is controlled primarily by the size of the shale shaker screen openings and the other solids
control equipment being used.

Phase 4.
All of the previous tests were done in unweighted mud systems – bentonite was the only solid in these muds before the
LCMs were added. So, a 14.0 lbm/gal weighted mud was used (see Tables 1 and 2) to determine if a high-solids mud system
would affect the degradation of the LCMs. Two LCMs, 30-60 mesh black walnut hulls and ground marble, were added to the
weighted mud and sheared. These two LCMs were chosen because they were the best and worst performing LCMs from
Phase 1.
Table 6 shows that the presence of a large quantity of barite solids in the mud slightly “protected” the ground marble.
Practically no ground marble degradation occurred at low-shear conditions (<1%). At high-shear conditions, the ground
marble still degraded completely, but it was slower to occur. For 5 minutes of high shear, there was 69% degradation of the
ground marble, compared to 99.5% in the low-weight mud. For 15 minutes of high shear of mud with ground marble LCM,
there was 97% degradation in the weighted mud compared to 99.5% degradation in the unweighted mud – complete
degradation in both cases.
4 IADC/SPE 151227

The results were not so clear for the black walnut hulls, as degradation was about the same for low shear conditions in the
unweighted and weighted muds; all less than 4%. The high-shear conditions for the black walnut hulls showed there may
have been some protection by the barite solids at short shear times as was the case for ground marble, but the results are not
conclusive. In general, the results for black walnut hulls are about the same in unweighted and weighted muds.

Reservoir Drilling Fluids.

Note that the results in Phases 2 and 3 have serious implications for many Reservoir Drilling Fluids, which usually rely
on ground marble for a specific particle size distribution of acid-soluble particles for density and to minimize spurt loss and,
consequently, formation damage by solids invasion. Reservoir Drilling Fluids with ground marble larger than 325 mesh (44
microns) should be analyzed for particle size distribution often, and will require significant and frequent replenishment of the
larger sizes to minimize formation damage.

Field Results.
Field observations have suggested that there is a major difference in the particle size degradation of different LCMs after
circulation. The following are two field examples.
The 12 lbm/gal water-based mud in one well was treated with 30 lbm/bbl of RGM (180-425 microns) and 20 lbm/bbl of
ground marble – ground marble (150-650 microns). Maintenance additions of the LCMs were made daily during 8 days of
drilling and other operations. Screens on the shakers were changed to 10 mesh to maintain the LCM in the mud. A picture of
the material retained on 60 mesh (250 microns) after 8 days of operations in Figure 6 shows that most of the ground marble
was degraded, while much of the RGM was retained. Note that a small number of the particles in Figure 6 are walnut hulls, a
small amount of which was added in maintenance treatments. So, it has been demonstrated in the lab and in the field that
ground marble is not a viable LCM for wellbore strengthening applications at 30-60 mesh where the particles are
recirculated, and that RGM is.
In another water-based application, 40 lbm/bbl of walnut hulls were applied to an 8.8 lbm/gal mud to drill a depleted zone
with 4000 psi overbalance. Daily sieve tests were conducted to ensure the proper concentration of >60 mesh material was
maintained. It was found that over 5 days of drilling and circulating that only 1.6 lbm/bbl of walnut hulls were required per
day as a maintenance treatment to maintain the >60 mesh LCM concentration. This equates to 4% size degradation per
circulating day. It is not known whether the walnut hulls were black walnut or English walnut. This field result is somewhat
less than the degradation seen in walnut hulls in the 5 or 15 minute runs in the high-shear mixer in the lab (8-10%) for the
unweighted mud. This field test demonstrates that walnut hulls are highly resistant to size degradation, which is the same
conclusion that can be drawn from lab tests.

Applicability of lab data to the field.

The above lab procedures do not necessarily match field conditions perfectly. However, they are simple, quick tests that
should provide useful relative results. Field data on PSD degradation seem to correlate with the lab data on a gross scale.

Conclusions

1) Granular LCMs degrade with increasing shear intensity and shear time, both in the field and in the lab.
2) Ground marble
a. Ground marble at 30-60 mesh degrades completely with shear in the lab.
b. Barite in weighted muds affords slight protection from degradation of 30-60 mesh ground marble, but it
appears that ground marble still degrades completely in weighted muds after high shear.
c. Ground marble at 30-60 mesh was shown to shear-degrade rapidly when circulated through a mud system
in the field.
d. Based on lab and field data, ground marble LCM is not useful for circulating wellbore strengthening or lost
circulation applications requiring this size.
e. The smaller the ground marble LCM, the less shear degradation occurs, although some degradation occurs,
even at 200-325 mesh.
3) Walnut hulls (black walnut and English walnut) and resilient graphitic material (RGM) at 30-60 mesh survived very
well when subjected to shear in the lab, but there was still some slight size degradation. So, these are preferred
LCMs for wellbore strengthening or lost circulation control in recirculating applications requiring this size.
4) Pecan hulls at 30-60 mesh showed moderate size degradation at high shear.
5) Barite shear-degrades worse than ground marble at 100-140 mesh, and at 200-325 mesh in low-weight muds.
6) Field results show the same trends and similar absolute results for LCM size degradation when compared to the lab
tests.
7) Reservoir Drilling Fluids requiring ground marble of larger particle sizes (>44 microns) should be analyzed and
treated often to minimize formation damage.
IADC/SPE 151227 5

Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Marshall Bishop of Drilling Specialties and Kevin Bjornen of ConocoPhillips for their
advice and thoughts. The authors would also like to thank ConocoPhillips and Drilling Specialties Co., A Division of
Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, for permission to publish this paper.

References

Fuh, G-.F., Morita, N., Boyd, P.A., and McGoffin, S.J. 1992. A New Approach to Preventing Lost Circulation While
Drilling. Paper SPE 24599 presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Washington, D.C., 4-7
October.

Fuh, G-.F, Beardmore, D., and Morita, N. 2007. Further Development, Field Testing, and Application of the Wellbore
Strengthening Technique for Drilling Operations. Paper SPE/IADC 105809 presented at the SPE/IADC Drilling Conference,
Amsterdam, 20-22 February.

van Oort, E., Browning, T., Butler, F, Lee, J., and Friedheim, J. 2007. Enhanced Lost Circulation Control Through
Continuous Graphite Recovery. Paper AADE-07-NTCE-24 presented at the AADE National Technical Conference and
Exhibition, Houston, April 10-12.

Units
lbm/gal x 1.20 E2 = kg/cubic meter
lbm/bbl x 2.85 E0 = kg/cubic meter
bbl (barrel) x 1.59 E-1 = cubic meter
lbf/100 ft2 x 4.79 E-1 = Pascal
centipoise x 1.00 E-3 = Pascal-second

Tables

Table 1: Mud Formulas

Fluid Units Unweighted Weighted

(Components mixed in order as WBM WBM
listed)
Fluid # 1 2
Volume bbl 1 1

Tap Water bbl 0.978 0.783

Premium Bentonite lbm/bbl 20 11.0
Barite lbm/bbl 304.3
NaOH pH 9.0-9.5 pH 9.0 – 9.5

Table 2: Mud Properties

Sample Units Unweighted WBM Weighted WBM

Fluids Aged Initial Hot Rolled Initial Hot Rolled

Fluids Aged hr - 16 - 16
Temp. Aged, ° F °F - 150 - 150

Density lbm/gal 8.6 8.6 14.0 14.0

Rheology Measured °F 120 120 120 120
600 rpm 22 29 47 40
300 rpm 16 19 34 26
200 rpm 14 15 29 21
100 rpm 11 11 26 15
6 rpm 9 7 25 11
3 rpm 9 7 23 10
2
Gel Strengths, (10s/10m) lbf/100 ft 15/25 13/20 27/30 22/51
Apparent Viscosity cP 11 14.5 23.5 20
Plastic Viscosity cP 6 10 13 14
2
Yield Point lbf/100 ft 10 9 21 12

pH 9.5 9.0 9.1 9.1

API Fluid Loss ml/30 min - 28.0
6 IADC/SPE 151227

Table 3: Phase 1: Shear Degradation of 30-60 Mesh LCM

7000 rpm Shear Hamilton Hamilton Hamilton Silverson Silverson Silverson

Beach Beach Beach 5 min 10 min 15 min
5 min 10 min 15 min

Black Walnut Hulls 1.5 2.0 2.0 9.0 9.3 9.9

Shear Degradation %

English Walnut Hulls 3.3 3.3 4.3 7.7 9.5 9.9

Shear Degradation %

Pecan Hulls 11.7 14.3 15.0 24.2 26.9 28.3

Shear Degradation %

Resilient Graphitic Material 0.5 0.5 1.5 7.6 15.9 16.9

Shear Degradation %

Ground marble 5.2 9.6 12.1 99.5 99.5 99.5

Shear Degradation %

Table 4: Phase 2: Shear Degradation of 100-140 Mesh LCM

7000 rpm Shear Hamilton Hamilton Hamilton Silverson Silverson Silverson

Beach Beach Beach 5 min 10 min 15 min
5 min 10 min 15 min

Coarse Barite 2.2 - 6.8 43.0 - 80.5

Shear Degradation %

Black Walnut Hulls 10.0 - 6.4 4.0 - 12.4

Shear Degradation %

Resilient Graphitic Material 6.2 - 9.6 3.8 - 12.0

Shear Degradation %

Ground marble 3.9 - 3.8 20.7 - 42.1

Shear Degradation %

Table 5: Phase 3: Shear Degradation of 200-325 Mesh LCM

7000 rpm Shear Hamilton Hamilton Hamilton Silverson Silverson Silverson

Beach Beach Beach 5 min 10 min 15 min
5 min 10 min 15 min

Ground marble 11.9 - 12.0 13.2 - 18.2

Shear Degradation %

API Barite 5.7 - 6.1 11.7 - 35.0

Shear Degradation %

Table 6: Phase 4: Shear Degradation of 30-60 Mesh LCM in Weighted Mud

7000 rpm Shear Hamilton Hamilton Hamilton Silverson Silverson Silverson

Beach Beach Beach 5 min 10 min 15 min
5 min 10 min 15 min

Black Walnut Hulls 1.5 3.4 4.4 5.4 7.3 10.2

Shear Degradation %

Ground marble 0.004 0.004 0.007 69.1 95.8 97.1

Shear Degradation %
IADC/SPE 151227 7

Figures

Figure 1: Hamilton Beach-Type Mixer and Split Disk Mixing Head

Figure 2: Silverson High-Shear Mixer and Square-Hole High-Shear Mixing Head

8 IADC/SPE 151227

Figure 3: 30-60 Mesh Black Walnut Hulls Before and After 15 Minutes of Shear on a Silverson Mixer (60x)

Figure 4: 30-60 Mesh Resilient Graphitic Material Before and After 15 Minutes of Shear on a Silverson Mixer (60x)

Figure 5: 30-60 Mesh Ground Marble Before and After (+625 mesh) 15 Minutes of Shear on a Silverson Mixer (60x)
IADC/SPE 151227 9

Figure 6: Field Recovery of 30 lbm/bbl Resilient Graphitic Material and 20 lbm/bbl of Ground Marble After 8 days of Drilling
Operations With Maintenance Treatments