Application of Ilmenite as Weight Material in Water Based and Oil Based Drilling Fluids

Saasen, Arild; Hoset, H.; Rostad, E.J.; Fjogstad, Arild; Aunan, O.; Westgård, E.; Norkyn, P.I.

doi:10.2118/71401-ms

Cited by 33 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…There is a strong connection between drilling fluid viscosity and wear on drill pipes, surface lines and down hole tools 13 . Pulse valves in Measurement While Drilling (MWD) tools are worn out more quickly if a low viscosity drilling fluid is used.…”

Section: Wear On Equipment and Directional Drillingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Successful Water Based Drilling Fluid Design for Optimizing Hole Cleaning and Hole Stability

Kjosnes

Løklingholm

Saasen

et al. 2003

SPE/IADC Middle East Drilling Technology Conference and Exhibition

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fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractWater based drilling fluids have been used in many North Sea drilling operations during the last decades. Traditionally, a high focus has been directed towards creating inhibitive drilling fluids with high low shear rate viscosity for optimising cuttings transport and intact cuttings on the shaker. It has, however, been recognized that there is no direct connection between cuttings quality and hole stability. In the current field it was also found that a low gel/viscosity drilling fluid is effective in transporting cuttings out of the wellbore. Following this, the content of high molecular weight polymers have been reduced and exchanged with low molecular weight polymers to enhance hole cleaning throughout the last years. Fewer cuttings are entrapped in beds down hole and are transported up to the surface. The current paper demonstrates how this low viscous/low gel strength drilling fluid contributed to improved drilling performance, where an improvement in tripping time, casing running speeds and total drilling time was observed.In addition to changes in the viscosity a wide range in NaCl and KCl salt concentrations and mixtures have been tried and field tested. The project is currently using only a moderate concentration of KCl, which has improved hole stability. The frequency of unstable hole occurrences in a particular troublesome formation are today greatly reduced by using lower KCl salt concentration and improved well design.The current paper explains in detail how the drilling fluid design optimizes the chemical performance and the hole cleaning performance during the drilling operation. The drilling performance for this particular field improved significantly during the last three years where the total drilling time was reduced with roughly 50% compared to earlier practice. The reasons for the improvements are mainly the changes in well design combined with the use of an effective WBM system.

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Section: Wear On Equipment and Directional Drillingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pulse valves in Measurement While Drilling (MWD) tools are worn out more quickly if a low viscosity drilling fluid is used. A life time reduction in the range of 50-80% has been suggested 13 .…”

Section: Wear On Equipment and Directional Drillingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Successful Water Based Drilling Fluid Design for Optimizing Hole Cleaning and Hole Stability

Kjosnes

Løklingholm

Saasen

et al. 2003

SPE/IADC Middle East Drilling Technology Conference and Exhibition

Self Cite

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“…However, it is not suitable for all drilling fluid applications. One of the major disadvantages of barite is sag (the tendency to settle upon aging) and high rheology (plastic viscosity), particularly in high-density drilling fluids (Aldea et al 2001;Meeten 2001). Another disadvantage is the low hardness (2.5-3.5), which can, on prolonged shearing, lead to the creation of fine colloidal particles that contribute to an increase in the gel strength of the drilling fluids and may cause formation damage (Guo et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ilmenite (FeTiO 3 ) with a mean particle size of 30 -45 m was first introduced into the oil industry as a weighting material in 1976 (Haaland et al 1976;Fjogstad et al 2000;Saasen et al 2001;Blomberg et al 1984). However, its use was limited mainly because of its abrasiveness to drilling equipment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Removal of Ilmenite Oil-based Filter Cake under HP/HT Conditions Using Hydrochloric Acid

Xiao

Nasr‐El‐Din

Al-Bagoury³

2015

Day 2 Tue, September 15, 2015

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Oil-based drilling fluids using a micronized ilmenite (5 m) as weighting materials are proved to be suitable for HP/HT drilling operations with good rheological properties, low sag tendency, and low filtration volumes, even after heating at 400°F for 16 hours. The objective of this study is to assess the efficiency of hydrochloric acid to remove ilmenite oil-based filter cake, and therefore remediate any damage that might occur during its use in drilling operations.An oil-based drilling fluid containing micronized ilmenite with 1.9 S.G. was used for filter cake formation. A HP/HT filter press was used for the removal process of ilmenite oil-based filter cake. Prior the acid removal, a mutual solvent (10 vol%) was used to break the oil-based filter cake for 2 hours. The purpose of the use of a mutual solvent is to remove the oil-soluble components and change the wettability of oil-based filter cake. Berea sandstone cores with an average porosity of 18 vol% and an average permeability of 50 md were used. CT scan, XRD, SEM, and chemical analysis were used to examine the reaction characteristics of different concentrations of acid with ilmenite oil-based filter cake. Coreflood tests with different concentrations of HCl were also conducted to provide recommendations on how to remove the internal damage caused by oil-based drilling fluid invasion during drilling operations.Results showed that ilmenite oil-based filter cake can be successfully removed at 300°F after soaking with 5 wt% hydrochloric acid for 4 hours, even without causing much damage to the core permeability. The filter press test showed that the retained permeability of Berea sandstone cores was more than 90%. In the core flood tests, with the increment of the HCl concentration from 5 to 15 wt%, more internal damage could be removed. There was even some stimulation effect with 15 wt% HCl. This study will provide a complete evaluation of the efficiency of hydrochloric acid in removing ilmenite oil-based filter cake for HP/HT applications.

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“…The high density of these minerals compared to commercial grade of barite (4.20 SG) helps reduce the solids content of drilling fluids and lower the impact of the weight material on fluid rheology (Saasen et al 2001;Bizanti et al 1988;Scharf and Watts 1984). Additional benefits are reported to be an improved rate of penetration (ROP), better solids tolerance and reduced need for dilution (Rupert et al 1981;Tovar et al 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alternative Drilling Fluid Weighting Agents: A Comprehensive Study on Ilmenite and Hematite

Tehrani

Cliffe

Hodder

et al. 2014

IADC/SPE Drilling Conference and Exhibition

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For many years, barite has been the standard weighting agent in the drilling fluid industry. Its high specific gravity has helped produce mud weights in excess of 19 lb/gal. Its hardness has rendered it easily millable to a particle size that reduces settling and minimizes losses on shaker screens and its adequate inertness has enabled it to be used in a wide range of drilling fluids containing different chemical components. Recently, however, dwindling supplies and increased consumption of premium barite have led to significant price increases across the world and a reduction in specific gravity in most commercial grades. This has led to renewed interest in alternative weight materials.Ilmenite and hematite are two minerals that have been used sporadically in the field. Compared to barite, their higher density impacts both the rheology of the fluids and the settling rate of the weight material. A known issue with these materials is their relatively high hardness, which can give rise to abrasion/erosion in the tubular and surface equipment. Another effect that has not been addressed sufficiently is the magnetic characteristic of these iron oxide-containing minerals which has the potential to affect the operation of direction drilling and some other downhole tools.There have been many studies on the use of ilmenite and hematite as weight agents for drilling fluids. These have dealt with the above issues individually or in a scattered manner. In this paper, we report the results of a comprehensive laboratory study on the application of ilmenite and hematite as weight materials for both water-and oil-based drilling fluids. The study includes the effects of different size grades of the materials on rheology and fluid loss, as well as dynamic and static sag.The paper will present relative abrasiveness of the materials compared to barite as measured by two different methods, and recommend size grades that can minimize the abrasion effects. The paper will also report the results of magnetic property measurements which impact operation of several downhole tools, and compares these with that of barite and several other minerals. To complete the comparative testing of these minerals, the results of heavy metal analysis will also be reported for each test mineral.

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Application of Ilmenite as Weight Material in Water Based and Oil Based Drilling Fluids

Cited by 33 publications

References 5 publications

Successful Water Based Drilling Fluid Design for Optimizing Hole Cleaning and Hole Stability

Successful Water Based Drilling Fluid Design for Optimizing Hole Cleaning and Hole Stability

Removal of Ilmenite Oil-based Filter Cake under HP/HT Conditions Using Hydrochloric Acid

Alternative Drilling Fluid Weighting Agents: A Comprehensive Study on Ilmenite and Hematite

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