A New Insight into Formulation Approach for Water Based Drilling Fluids

Abstract

The objective of this study is to develop a water-based drilling fluid with enhanced rheological and filtation characteristics by using a coal combustion by product which is known as fly ash (CCA). To this end, initially, bentonite drilling fluids were designed by CCA in various concentrations considering American Petroleum Institute (API) standards. Secondly, drilling fluid systems containing different concentration of bentonite and Xanthan Gum (XG) were prepared to analyze the effectiveness of CCA in different drilling mud compositions. In addition, the drilling fluid samples containing bentonite in the presence and absence of CCA were aged under different periods for a better analyzing the performance of CCA. Experimental outcomes showed that improvement in the drillling fluid depends on concentration of CCA introduced and developed drilling fluid systems containg increasing bentonite and XG concentration in presence of CCA had better rheological behaviour. In addition, aging time also enhanced the rheological behaviour of the developed drilling fluid containing CCA. Through the study, a cost effective water based drilling fluid possessing superior characteristics was developed by CCA, thereby decrasing possibility of serious drilling problems and cost of drilling operatio