Investigating Local Alternative Materials by Using Commercial Water Loss Additives

Abstract

The control of filtration during drilling operation is necessary so that the mud filtrate invasion to formations near the well bore is minimized. The filtration process of drilling fluids is controlled by adding water loss additives such as CMC or Starch polymers to the mud depending on the type of the mud. The cost of CMC or Starch material makes the necessity to search for locally alternative material to be used instead of these commercial water loss additives. The objective of this study is to investigate the possibility of using Corchorus Olitorius, and other materials which is locally produced in variable Libya, as an alternative water loss additive for controlling the filtration process of water base muds. An experimental investigation was conducted in the laboratory to study the possibility of using this new material by adding different weights of materials to water base mud and comparing the mud filtration results with adding the same quantities of CMC to the same water base mud.d The concentrations of CMC as well as the Corchorus Olitorius and other material added to the original mud in are 2 g/L, 3 g/L and 5 g/L. the effect of each concentration on the filtration performance of the mud was investigated at different temperature used which are 70, 100 and 150 F. The experimental results indicated that the increased temperature has attributed to degradation of CMC molecules by the effect of heat added to the mud which is generated at high temperatures. It is recommended that in order to overcome the problem of the deficiency of CMC at elevated temperatures, highest quantities of CMC concentrations should be added to the mud. It was observed that the Corchorus Olitorius and other material gave lower API filtration volume compared those with original mud without additives but the API water loss volume of the Corchorus Olitorius and other material additives was higher than the re sales obtained with CMC additives.