International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) Volume: 10 Issue: 04 | Apr 2023
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e-ISSN: 2395-0056 p-ISSN: 2395-0072
STATISTICAL INVESTIGATION OF LOCALLY SOURCED OILFIELD CHEMICALS FOR DRILLING FLUID DESIGN *Ndubuisi, E.C, Nwachukwu., C.C., Emeka Iloke and Amadi F. N. The University of Port Harcourt, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Petroleum and Gas Engineering, East-West Road, Choba, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, P M B 5323, Choba. ------------------------------------------------------------------------***----------------------------------------------------------------------fluid viscosity, flow rate, pipe rotation, slip velocity, and Abstract - Over the year, imported polymers have been in
cutting transport efficiency3. As the drilling fluid is being pumped downhole during the drilling process, contaminants could greatly change the properties of the fluid downhole.
use to modify rheological properties and reduce fluid loss in drilling fluid performance hence, these imported polymers tend to make the cost of drilling fluid design significantly more expensive, and this imperatively affects the cost of the drilling operation generally. Experimental studies were conducted on locally sourced polymers such as Brachystegia eurycoma (achi), Detarium microcarpum (ofor) to ascertain its ability to enhance viscosity and minimize fluid loss within the temperature regimes of 80150degree Fahrenheit. The rheological and fluid loss properties of the local polymers were compared with the imported polymers, Pac-R (polyanionic cellulose regular, and Pac-L. The results gotten from the experiments showed that the local polymers are good candidates for the rheological modifiers and fluid loss reducers at investigated temperatures. Furthermore, investigation statistical analysis was carried out and the results indicate that Detarium microcarpum can be used as a replacement for PAC R. The results from ANOVA showed that there was no significant difference between detarium microcarpum and PAC R. No doubt, results have shown that locally sourced polymers could be substitute to imported polymers.
OVERVIEW OF DRILLING FLUID Drilling is the process whereby a hole is bored into the earth's surface with the use of a drill bit, to generate a well for the production of hydrocarbon. It involves the penetration of the earth's crust to several thousand feet where the hydrocarbon is accumulated in the reservoir using a rotary drilling process. In the oil and gas industry, these drilling fluids are needed to enhance drilling operations and it executes several functions in the drilling operation, thereby drilling fluid is considered one of the key factors in the success of a drilling operation. Drilling fluid is a mixture of chemical additives, water or oil, and clay, pumped down the wellbore from the surface, to cool and lubricate the bit, control formation pressures, remove drilled cuttings from the wellbore to the surface, and generally help increase the drilling efficiency. A qualitatively formulated drilling fluid is required to avoid drilled cuttings from getting accumulated in the wellbore annulus and to defray stuck pipe situations from occurring. Poor hole cleaning and inefficient cutting transport may lead to other unwanted drilling problems such as excessive equivalent circulating density ECD, high torque and drag, lost circulation, and formation fracture, all of these could lead to an increase in non-productive time and drilling cost of the well The functions of drilling fluid which is crucial to drilling operations4 which include: transport drilled cuttings to the surface; control subsurface pressure.; support the walls of the wellbore.; cool and lubricate the drill bit and drill string and soften the earth, to allow easier penetration with the bit.
Keywords:
Brachystegia eurycoma, Detarium microcarpum, polymer, fluid loss, viscosity Drilling fluid technology has always been in constant development, and this is due to certain factors which include, the speedy increase in needs due to more crucial conditions such as high temperatures and high pressures of the well, etc. The convolution of problems encountered during drilling operations has brought about constant research and development of new techniques and additives for the formulation of appropriate drilling fluids’. The performance of a drilling fluid is a result of the quality of the fluid, and this plays a very vital role in the success of the entire drilling operation thus, an improper drilling fluid design will have a negative economic impact on the cost of drilling the well 1,.2. To evaluate the efficiency of any drilling fluid, in terms of cutting removal, certain measurable parameters are required, such as the drilling
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However, in drilling operations, because cuttings and carvings are heavier than the drilling fluid, they tend to fall toward the bottom of the wellbore while they are being lifted by the drilling fluid during the drilling and
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