Drilling Fluids Processing Handbook P1

Eugene Bouse has a degree in petroleum engineering from LouisianaState University and has worked in drilling fluids for over 40 years,specializing in solids control for the past 15.. He i

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HANDBOOK

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2.1 Drilling Fluid Systems 15

2.1.1 Functions of Drilling Fluids 15

2.1.2 Types of Drilling Fluids 16

2.1.3 Drilling Fluid Selection 17

2.1.4 Separation of Drilled Solids from Drilling Fluids 202.2 Characterization of Solids in Drilling Fluids 25

2.2.1 Nature of Drilled Solids and Solid Additives 252.2.2 Physical Properties of Solids in Drilling Fluids 262.3 Properties of Drilling Fluids 31

2.3.1 Rheology 32

2.4 Hole Cleaning 38

2.4.1 Detection of Hole-Cleaning Problems 38

2.4.2 Drilling Elements That Affect Hole Cleaning 402.4.3 Filtration 45

2.5 Drilling Fluid Products 54

2.5.1 Colloidal and Fine Solids 54

2.6.3 Waste Management and Disposal 62

3.2 Determination of Volume Percentage of Low-Gravity Solids

in Water-Based Drilling Fluid 77

3.3 Rig-Site Determination of Specific Gravity of Drilled

Solids 78

4 Cut Points 81

4.1 How to Determine Cut Point Curves 85

4.2 Cut Point Data: Shale Shaker Example 90

5.1.8 Degasser Suction and Discharge Pit 102

5.1.9 Desander Suction and Discharge Pits 102

5.1.10 Desilter Suction and Discharge Pits (Mud Cleaner/Conditioner) 103

5.1.11 Centrifuge Suction and Discharge Pits 103

5.2 Auxiliary Tank System 104

5.2.1 Trip Tank 104

5.3 Slug Tank 105

5.4 Reserve Tank(s) 105

6 Scalping Shakers and Gumbo Removal 107

7 Shale Shakers 111

7.1 How a Shale Shaker Screens Fluid 113

7.2 Shaker Description 116

7.3 Shale Shaker Limits 118

7.3.1 Fluid Rheological Properties 119

7.3.2 Fluid Surface Tension 120

7.4 Shaker Development Summary 121

7.5 Shale Shaker Design 122

7.6 Selection of Shale Shakers 143

7.6.1 Selection of Shaker Screens 145

7.6.2 Cost of Removing Drilled Solids 145

7.10.1 Common Screen Cloth Weaves 160

7.10.2 Revised API Designation System 167

7.11.4 Hook-Strip Screens 180

7.11.5 Bonded Screens 180

7.11.6 Three-Dimensional Screening Surfaces 180

7.12 Non-Oilfield Drilling Uses of Shale Shakers 181

8.4 Bypassing the Shale Shaker 188

9 Gas Busters, Separators, and Degassers 189

9.1 Introduction: General Comments on Gas Cutting 1899.2 Shale Shakers and Gas Cutting 192

9.3 Desanders, Desilters, and Gas Cutting 192

9.4 Centrifuges and Gas Cutting 193

9.5 Basic Equipment for Handling Gas-Cut Mud 193

9.5.1 Gravity Separation 195

9.5.2 Centrifugal Separation 195

9.5.3 Impact, Baffle, or Spray Separation 195

9.5.4 Parallel-Plate and Thin-Film Separation 196

9.8.1 Commercial Separator/Flare Systems 199

9.8.2 Pressurized, or Closed, Separators: Modified

Production Separators 2009.8.3 Combination System: Separator and Degasser 2029.9 Degassers 202

10 Suspension, Agitation, and Mixing of Drilling Fluids 213

10.1 Basic Principles of Agitation Equipment 213

10.4.1 High-Pressure Mud Guns 233

10.4.2 Low-Pressure Mud Guns 233

10.4.3 Mud Gun Placement 234

10.4.4 Sizing Mud Gun Systems 235

10.5 Pros and Cons of Agitation Equipment 237

10.5.1 Pros of Mechanical Agitators 238

10.5.2 Cons of Mechanical Agitators 238

10.5.3 Pros of Mud Guns 238

10.5.4 Cons of Mud Guns 238

10.7.3 Other Shearing Devices 250

10.8 Bulk Addition Systems 250

11.3 Hydrocyclone Tanks and Arrangements 266

11.3.1 Desanders 267

11.3.2 Desilters 268

11.3.3 Comparative Operation of Desanders and

Desilters 26911.3.4 Hydrocyclone Feed Header Problems 269

11.4 Median (D50) Cut Points 270

12.2 Uses of Mud Cleaners 288

12.3 Non-Oilfield Use of Mud Cleaners 291

12.4 Location of Mud Cleaners in a Drilling-Fluid System 29112.5 Operating Mud Cleaners 292

12.6 Estimating the Ratio of Low-Gravity Solids Volume and BariteVolume in Mud Cleaner Screen Discard 293

12.7 Performance 295

12.8 Mud Cleaner Economics 297

12.9 Accuracy Required for Specific Gravity of Solids 30012.10 Accurate Solids Determination Needed to Properly IdentifyMud Cleaner Performance 300

12.11 Heavy Drilling Fluids 301

13 Centrifuges 303

13.1 Decanting Centrifuges 303

13.1.1 Stokes’ Law and Drilling Fluids 308

13.1.2 Separation Curves and Cut Points 308

Fluids 317

13.3.5 Running Centrifuges in Series 318

13.3.6 Centrifuging Drilling Fluids with Costly Liquid

Phases 32013.3.7 Flocculation Units 320

13.3.8 Centrifuging Hydrocyclone Underflows 321

14 Use of the Capture Equation to Evaluate the Performance

of Mechanical Separation Equipment Used to Process

Drilling Fluids 327

14.1 Procedure 330

14.1.1 Collecting Data for the Capture Analysis 33014.1.2 Laboratory Analysis 330

14.2 Applying the Capture Calculation 331

14.2.1 Case 1: Discarded Solids Report to Underflow 33114.2.2 Case 2: Discarded Solids Report to Overflow 33114.2.3 Characterizing Removed Solids 331

14.3 Use of Test Results 332

15.3 Reasons for Drilled-Solids Removal 339

15.4 Diluting as a Means for Controlling Drilled Solids 34015.5 Effect of Solids Removal System Performance 341

15.6 Four Examples of the Effect of Solids Removal EquipmentEfficiency 342

15.7.1 Equation Derivation 349

15.7.2 Discarded Solids 350

15.8 Optimum Solids Removal Equipment Efficiency (SREE) 35115.9 Solids Removal Equipment Efficiency in an

Unweighted Drilling Fluid from Field Data 354

15.9.1 Excess Drilling Fluid Built 356

15.10 Estimating Solids Removal Equipment Efficiency for a

Weighted Drilling Fluid 357

15.10.1 Solution 358

15.10.2 Inaccuracy in Calculating Discard Volumes 36015.11 Another Method of Calculating the Dilution Quantity 36115.12 Appendix: American Petroleum Institute Method 36115.12.1 Drilled Solids Removal Factor 361

16.2 Nature of Drilling Waste 372

16.3 Minimizing Drilling Waste 374

16.3.1 Total Fluid Management 375

16.3.2 Environmental Impact Reduction 377

16.4 Offshore Disposal Options 377

17 The AC Induction Motor 413

17.1 Introduction to Electrical Theory 413

17.2 Introduction to Electromagnetic Theory 421

17.3 Electric Motors 423

17.3.1 Rotor Circuits 424

17.3.2 Stator Circuits 425

17.4 Transformers 427

17.5 Adjustable Speed Drives 429

17.6 Electric Motor Applications on Oil Rigs 432

17.8 Motor Installation and Troubleshooting 438

17.9 Electric Motor Standards 439

17.10 Enclosure and Frame Designations 441

17.10.1 Protection Classes Relating to

Enclosures 44317.11 Hazardous Locations 444

17.12 Motors for Hazardous Duty 449

17.13 European Community Directive 94/9/EC 451

17.14 Electric Motors for Shale Shakers 454

17.15 Electric Motors for Centrifuges 459

17.16 Electric Motors for Centrifugal Pumps 459

18.3.2 Head Produces Flow 479

18.4 Reading Pump Curves 480

18.5 Centrifugal Pumps Accelerate Fluid 484

18.5.1 Cavitation 485

18.5.2 Entrained Air 486

18.6 Concentric vs Volute Casings 488

18.6.1 Friction Loss Tables 490

18.7 Centrifugal Pumps and Standard Drilling Equipment 49118.7.1 Friction Loss and Elevation Considerations 49118.8 Net Positive Suction Head 503

18.8.1 System Head Requirement (SHR) Worksheet 50618.8.2 Affinity Laws 506

18.8.3 Friction Loss Formulas 507

18.9 Recommended Suction Pipe Configurations 508

18.9.1 Supercharging Mud Pumps 510

18.12.4 Answers to Exercise 4 520

19 Solids Control in Underbalanced Drilling 521

19.1 Underbalanced Drilling Fundamentals 521

19.1.1 Underbalanced Drilling Methods 523

19.2 Air/Gas Drilling 523

19.2.1 Environmental Contamination 524

19.2.2 Drilling with Natural Gas 525

19.2.3 Sample Collection While Drilling with Air or

Gas 52619.2.4 Air or Gas Mist Drilling 527

19.3 Foam Drilling 529

19.3.1 Disposable Foam Systems 529

19.3.2 Recyclable Foam Systems 530

19.3.3 Sample Collection While Drilling with Foam 53219.4 Liquid/Gas (Gaseated) Systems 532

19.5 Oil Systems, Nitrogen/Diesel Oil, Natural Gas/Oil 53519.5.1 Sample Collection with Aerated Systems 53519.6 Underbalanced Drilling with Conventional Drilling Fluids orWeighted Drilling Fluids 536

19.7 General Comments 537

19.7.1 Pressurized Closed Separator System 538

19.8 Possible Underbalanced Drilling Solids-Control Problems 53919.8.1 Shale 539

19.8.2 Hydrogen Sulfide Gas 540

19.8.3 Excess Formation Water 540

19.8.4 Downhole Fires and Explosions 540

19.8.5 Very Small Air- or Gas-Drilled Cuttings 54119.8.6 Gaseated or Aerated Fluid Surges 541

20.2.2 Centrifugal Pumps 572

20.3 Solids Management Checklist 577

20.3.1 Well Parameters/Deepwater Considerations 57720.3.2 Drilling Program 579

Bob Barrett received his BSAS from Miami University and his MBAfrom Northern Kentucky University From 1997 through 2003 heworked as the Screen Manufacturing Engineer for SWECO, developingmanufacturing processes and technologies for industrial vibratoryseparator screens Since 2003 he has served as the Senior DevelopmentEngineer of oilfield screens for MI-Swaco

Eugene Bouse has a degree in petroleum engineering from LouisianaState University and has worked in drilling fluids for over 40 years,specializing in solids control for the past 15 He is a past chairman ofthe American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Drilling WasteManagement Group and is a member of the Society of PetroleumEngineers (SPE) and Mensa

Brian Carr has his BSME from the University of Louisville’s SpeedScientific School From 1993 through 2001 he worked as the NewProduct Development Engineer/Engineering Manager for SWECO-Division of Emerson Electric, developing new technologies for industrialand oilfield screens and vibratory separators Since 2001 he has worked

as the Engineering Manager of Shakers, Screens, Hydrocyclones, andGumbo Removal for M-I SWACO

Bob DeWolfe has extensive field, technical services, and operationalmanagement experience in the energy industry with drilling fluids, solidsmanagement, and refinery waste management He has had specificassignments in Europe, Africa, the former Soviet Union, Southeast Asia,Latin America, and the United States He is presently working in theMiddle East

Fred Growcock has been serving as Product Applications Team Leaderand R&D Advisor for M-I SWACO since early 1999, and, most recently,

as director of a U.S Department of Energy-funded project on thefundamentals of aphron drilling fluids Prior to joining M-I SWACO, he

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worked at Brookhaven (NY) and Oak Ridge (TN.) National Labs oncoal liquefaction and gasification, and problems related to gas-coolednuclear reactors; Dowell Schlumberger (Tulsa) on reservoir stimulation,acid corrosion inhibition, and foamed fracturing; and Amoco (Tulsa),now BP, on drilling-fluid development Fred holds BA/BS degrees inchemistry from the University of Texas at Austin and MS/PhD degrees

in physical chemistry from New Mexico State University

Tim Harvey holds degrees from Oklahoma State University and theUniversity of Florida He has worked in drilling fluids, solids control,and drilling waste management for over 30 years in the USA, MiddleEast, West Africa, and the Far East Tim has served on various APIand Drilling Waste Management Group (DWMG) workgroups and

is currently based in Kuala Lumpur as Manager of Technical Servicesfor Oiltools International He is a member of the Society of PetroleumEngineers and is affiliated with American Association of DrillingEngineers (AADE), API and ASME

Jerry Haston is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with adegree in petroleum geology He has spent his entire career, more than 40years, in oil and gas exploration and production Most of those yearshave been drilling-related Jerry’s experience includes internationaloperations world-wide and industry-wide domestic operations He iscurrently supervising drilling operations for a major international oil andgas company

Michael Kargl is a mechanical engineer from Southern IllinoisUniversity Since 1995, he has been the chief engineer for shale shakerelectric vibrators at Martin Engineering Company Prior to that time, hewas an engineering group leader at Underwriter’s Laboratories Inc for

13 years, working mostly on design reviews and testing of proof motors and generators

explosion-Todd H Lee is the marketing manager for National Oilwell, with

13 years’ experience sizing, training, and troubleshooting centrifugalpumps He has been a business owner and product manager, and hasworked in product design of centrifugal pumps

Bob Line has over 30 years’ experience in the oilfield, with major areas

of expertise in wellhead and valves, pressure control, subsea controls,drilling instrumentation, and solids control He spent 7 years inmechanical engineering design, and sales and marketing For the past

9 years, Bob has been with M-I SWACO and is currently the GlobalCapital Equipment sales manager Bob has a BS degree in mechanicalengineering from the University of Houston

Hemu Mehta is one of the founders and current president ofKEM-TRON Technologies, Inc Previously, he was Manager ofInternational Operations for M/I Drilling Fluids He holds degrees inchemical engineering, petroleum engineering, and international finance.

Mr Mehta’s background in chemical engineering and solids controlequipment allowed him to help develop today’s most advanceddewatering technology Mr Mehta grew up in India and has lived inHouston, Texas since 1972 with his wife and two children

James Merrill has been involved in the design and manufacturing ofshale shakers and shale shaker screens for the past 17 years in thepetroleum, mining, and utilities business sectors His vast knowledge ofwire cloth and shaker screens has allowed him to solve screen problemsaround the world His career has taken him from a roughneck on drillingrigs around the Gulf Coast to Technical Manager of a leading solidscontrol company

Mark C Morgan has been the Technical Services Manager for DerrickEquipment Company since 1994 Prior to this he worked as a drillingfluids engineer and seaplane pilot for NL Baroid Then he worked as adrilling fluids and solids control consultant for 10 years, mainly workingoffshore of Angola for Texaco Mark has a BS in professional aviationfrom Louisiana Tech and a BS from the University of SouthwesternLouisiana in petroleum engineering

Mike Morgenthaler has been involved with the drilling fluids andsolids control equipment since 1980, when he joined IMCO Services as

a mud engineer Mike has a degree in mechanical engineering from theUniversity of Texas Mike is a principal consultant for CUTPOINT, Inc.and specializes in technology for drilling waste management

Nace S Peard has over 23 years experience in the oilfield, initially as adrilling engineer with Gulf Oil/Chevron He later managed explorationand development drilling projects for a large independent oil and gascompany Since early 2000, he has been vice president of sales andmarketing for DF Corporation Nace is a registered PE in Texas, andhas a degree in petroleum engineering from Purdue University

William Piper worked over 20 years with Amoco as a drilling engineerand environmental specialist for the international drilling group Uponhis retirement in 1998, he formed Piper Consulting to continue working

in the specialty niche market of environmental affairs relating to thedrilling industry He is recognized as one of the foremost experts indrilling waste management, as well as other environmental issues

in drilling He has been published extensively on the subject