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Water-based drilling fluid with palygorskite: cutting carrying and contaminants

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 August 2023

Vanessa Cristina Santanna Open the ORCID record for Vanessa Cristina Santanna [Opens in a new window] ,
Gabriela Carlos Nunes Araújo ,
Maria Thayse Andrade da Silva ,
Tereza Neuma de Castro Dantas  and
Patrícia Mendonça Pimentel Open the ORCID record for Patrícia Mendonça Pimentel [Opens in a new window]
Vanessa Cristina Santanna*
Affiliation:
Department of Petroleum Engineering, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, RN, Brazil
Gabriela Carlos Nunes Araújo
Affiliation:
Department of Petroleum Engineering, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, RN, Brazil
Maria Thayse Andrade da Silva
Affiliation:
Department of Petroleum Engineering, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, RN, Brazil
Tereza Neuma de Castro Dantas
Affiliation:
Department of Petroleum Engineering, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, RN, Brazil
Patrícia Mendonça Pimentel
Affiliation:
Department of Exact Sciences and Information Technology, Federal Rural University of Semi-Arid, RN, Brazil
*
Corresponding author: Vanessa Cristina Santanna; Email: vanessa.santanna@ufrn.br
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Abstract

In the petroleum industry, one of the most important functions fluids must perform is to carry cuttings efficiently. In this context, the contamination of drilling fluids represents a challenge to the industry because it alters the properties of these fluids. This work compares two drilling fluids (one palygorskite-based and the other polymer-based), evaluating the effects of contaminants on these drilling fluids and their ability to carry cuttings. A contaminant is considered to be any material that causes undesirable changes in the properties of the drilling fluid. Contamination of an aqueous drilling fluid by calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) and brine can increase the filtrate volume, decrease the perforation rate and alter the rheological properties of the fluid. This work analyses the effects of contamination by Ca(OH)2 and brine on the properties of salted water-based drilling fluids viscosified with palygorskite. For comparison, tests were performed with a polymeric drilling fluid. The cutting-carrying capacity of these fluids was verified using the empirical correlations of Moore (1974), Chien (1994) and Walker & Mayes (1975). The results show that the drilling fluid with palygorskite is resistant to contamination with Ca(OH)2 and brine, presenting low filtrate volume values. The drilling fluid with palygorskite presented greater slip velocities than the polymeric drilling fluid. Regarding the cutting-carrying capacity, the drilling fluid with palygorskite presented positive transport ratio values (>0), making it suitable for carrying rock cuttings. However, the polymeric drilling fluid showed better performance in terms of cutting-carrying capacity.

Keywords

Contaminantdrilling fluidpalygorskiterock cut
Type
Article
Information
Clay Minerals , Volume 58 , Issue 2 , June 2023 , pp. 95 - 101
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Mineralogical Society of the United Kingdom and Ireland

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Footnotes

Associate Editor: Chun Hui Zhou

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