IADC/SPE 87139

Reformulating An Oil-Based Drilling Fluid With Especially Selected Chemicals Lead To

Development Of A Low-Viscosity High-Sag Stability Drilling Fluid
Knut Taugbøl, MI Norge AS , Gerd Marit Sandberg, MI Norge AS, Daryl Cullum, MI Norge AS, Erik Dyrkolbotn, Statoil
ASA, Hans Jacob Kvaal Grevstad, MI Norge AS

Copyright 2004, IADC/SPE Drilling Conference

wells targeted additional reserves frequently must be reached
This paper was prepared for presentation at the IADC/SPE Drilling Conference held in Dallas, from side-tracks in excisting wells. Doing so means drilling in
Texas, U.S.A., 2–4 March 2004.
very narrow annuli, such as through production tubing.
This paper was selected for presentation by an IADC/SPE Program Committee following
review of information contained in a proposal submitted by the author(s). Contents of the
Drilling in narrow annuli also restricts mud flow since the
paper, as presented, have not been reviewed by the International Association of Drilling equivalent circulating density (ECD) will be much higher
Contractors or Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s).
The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any position of the International when flowing in these annuli. Also, tripping speeds must be
Association of Drilling Contractors or Society of Petroleum Engineers, their officers, or
members. Papers presented at IADC/SPE meetings are subject to publication review by
kept low to reduce the surge and swab effects when running in
Editorial Committees of the International Association of Drilling Contractors and Society of or out of the hole with drilling assemblies or liners.
Petroleum Engineers. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper
for commercial purposes without the written consent of the International Association of Drilling Accordingly, improvements in the rheolgical and sag
Contractors and Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print stability properties of drilling fluids employed in these
is restricted to a proposal of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The
proposal must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper was technically demanding environments are mandated. Because
presented. Write Librarian, SPE, P.O. Box 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-3836, U.S.A.,
fax 01-972-952-9435. of the very limited operational window, the ECD contribution
from the rheological properties of the drilling fluid must be
minimized significantly. At the same time, sag stability must
Abstract
be optimised to reduce the risk of influx or hole instability.
A conventional oil-based drilling fluid was determined not
Operations in narrow annuli often result in very low flow
to be applicable for drilling narrow hole annuli in a mature
rates. Anytime the gel structure formed to keep weight
field offshore Norway. Drilling these wells with a very narrow
materials suspended are broken while at the same time the
hydraulic window required an oil-based drilling fluid with
flow rate is too low to re-suspend sagging particles, it creates a
reduced viscosity and improved sag stability.
perfect environment for the initiation of dynamic sag of
A totally reformulated drilling fluid system was developed.
weight material. Consequently, the fluid to be used in these
The combination of base oil and selected products produced a
wells must be engineered to ensure the weight material
fluid with a flatter rheological profile, resulting in reduced
effectively is suspended even at low flow rates.
plastic viscosity (PV) and increased low shear rate viscosity
Controlling the sag of weight materials in drilling fluids has
(LSRV). This rheological profile reduced equivalent
always been one of the highest priorities. Sag stability in oil
circulating density (ECD) and improved sag stability. This
based drilling fluids is an especially complicated process as
rheological profile also directly impacted pump pressure and
these systems include an emulsified water phase in a continous
hole cleaning capabilities, delivering lower pump pressure and
oil phase with oil-wetted weight materials suspended in the
allowing for higher pump rates and improved hole cleaning.
continuous phase. To control the sag and rheological behavior,
This paper presents the experimental work performed when
organophilic clays are added. Interactions between the
developing the system for this specific application. The
different phases in the fluid deliver the rheology and gel
authors also will present field data and compare the
structure of the drilling fluid; although, the precise
performance of the new drilling fluid system with that of
mechanisms are not fully understood. Some of these
conventional systems.
mechanisms, however, have been discussed in the litterature.2
In order to minimize the sag potential of an oil-base drilling
Introduction
fluid several routes have be investigated. Albertsen, et al.3
Owing to the depletion of pressure from production, mature
showed that changing the internal phase from the traditional
fields pose a number of drilling-related challenges. In these
CaCl2-brine can positively impact sag stability. On the other
wells, the fracture gradient is often reduced1, while at the same
hand, Fimreite, et al.4 has demonstrated that new technology
time heavier mud weight must be maintained to counteract the
in which the weight materials are ground down to micron size
effects of drilling into pockets of virgin pressure, or to
is a viable alternative. A new option to be discussed here is the
maintain hole stability to prevent wellbore collapse.
development of an oil-based drilling fluid that while
Consequently, a very limited operational window exists
possessing reduced rheological properties, has shown
between the mud weight necessary to control pore- and
improved sag stability when compared to conventional oil-
collapse pressures, and the fracture pressure. Furthermore, old
based systems. Though the new system is based on traditional
fields often have a limited number of slots available, thus new
fluid composition, the selection of special base oil, emulsifier

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2 IADC/SPE 87139
package and organophilic clay have combined to dramatically
improve fluid properties.
Fluid description and testing:
The new system employs linear paraffin as the base oil as
opposed to conventional systems using mineral oil. Initially,
the linear paraffin system was developed as an oil- based
HTHP drilling fluid. Generally, HTHP drilling fluids contain
more than 30 % by volume of weight materials. In order to
obtain good fluid rheologies with this high solids loading, a
low-viscosity base oil was selected. Further into the
development process, this drilling fluid was engineered as a
rheologically optimized system to be used at lower
temperatures and densities. A linear paraffin with low
viscosity (1.4 centipose at 40 oC) was found to be the most
suitable base oil. The base oil, being the continuous phase
where all other products disperse, is the main contributor to
the overall rheological properties of the fluid. Generally,
choosing a base oil with low viscosity, which is beneficial
technically, can be disadvantageous for other resons, such as
HSE. Typically, mineral oils with broad distillation fractions
are used as base oils. Less viscous base oils are more volatile
and can cause HSE problems because of increased vapors.
Furthermore, the reduced flash point can pose safety risks in
the offshore environment. Linear paraffin has been shown to
be an acceptable compromise, providing a very low viscosity
oil with an acceptable flash point. Table 1 compares the
properties of the linear paraffin chose with those of a standard
mineral oil.
The following components have been incorporated into the
new system:
The primary emulsifier is less dispersive than the primary
emulsifier used in the conventional invert emulsion system,
and provides a lower PV. In addition, it will provide HTHP
fluid loss control, and preferential oil wetting of solids.
The secondary emulsifier/wetting agent can be used in
increasing concentrations to reduce HTHP fluid loss and / or
increase electrical stability. It requires excess alkalinity to
provide maximum effectiveness. The initial product mix of the
primary and secondary emulsifiers should contain
approximately 80% by volume of primary emulsifier and 20%
by volume of the secondary emulsifier. However, the ratio can
be altered during drilling to maximize fluid properties.
The modified organophilic clay is self-activating, easy-
dispersing, provides moderate temperature performance and
offers exceptionally rapid and high rheology development at
low shear rates. These features make it the ideal additive for
mud plants having low shear mixing equipment. It will
prevent weighting agent settling in storage and in transit to the
well site, prior to full down hole rheology development.
Further, it is the optimal choice when the amount of shear
available for the drilling fluid also is limited in the field, as it
rapidly increases rheology once added to the fluid.
Fluid-loss control additives also had to be optimized for this
system. Gilsonite, which is the most commonly used fluid-
loss control additive in the North Sea, also was incorporated in
this new formulation as the primary contributor to controlling
fluid loss.
A polymeric fluid-loss control additive was incorporated
into the system for secondary fluid-loss control. Besides
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reducing fluid loss the polymeric additive in tandem with the
faster yielding organophilic clay also helped minimize the sag
potential of the new system by increasing the
low-end rheology.
Laboratory evaluation: The new system was evaluated as a
possible candidate for drilling a technically demanding section
on one of Statoil's main fields offshore Norway. The new fluid
was compared to the conventional mineral oil-based system
typically used on this field. The drilling fluid system to be
used was programmed to be 1.76 sg, which was used as the
basis for this study. The new linear paraffin and the
conventional oil-based systems both were mixed with an
oil/water ratio of 80/20, with similar salt content in the brine
phase as well as barite for weight control. The rheology of the
fluids after dynamic aging at reservoir temperature of 75 oC is
given in Fig. 1. As illustrated, the rheology of the linear
paraffin-based system is substantially lower regardless of
whether or not Ocma clay is added as a drill solids
contaminant. Nevertheless, the sag stability of the linear
paraffin-based system is comparable with that for the mineral-
oil based system (Fig. 2).
The effect of temperature on rheology also was tested.
Table 2 shows that the new linear paraffin system varies less
in rheology with temperature than the mineral oil-based
system. This is important especially when operating in the
Norwegian North Sea where the variation in temperature from
bottom hole to seabed can be substantial. Fig. 3 shows the
Fann 70 rheology measurement where both temperature and
pressure is increased, as will be the case with the subject well.
This test demonstrates that the linear paraffin-based system
also maintains low-end rheology at down hole conditions,
thereby providing good sag stability and hole cleaning
capabilities in all parts of the well. Fig. 4 shows that high
temperature fluid loss control also was very good for this new
system when compared to the conventional oil based
drilling fluid.
The Drilling Challenge
Operator Statoil planned to re-enter an old production well
at a mature field by drilling a sidetrack through the Shetland-
formation and into the reservoir. Details of pore and fracture
pressures in the actual area of drilling the well are presented in
Fig. 6. Since the Shetland formation is a Claystone formation
it is impermeable and, hence, poses no initial risk of a kick.
However, over the years since this field was developed, large
amounts of fluid have been injected, which has lead to high
pressure in some reservoirs, which has migrated through
fractures in the Shetland formation. In the top part of the
Shetland there are strings of limestone that stops the
migration, which creates pockets of higher-pressure zones in
the top part of the formation. Fractures can connect these
pockets to high-pressure zones in the nearby reservoir, thus
making it difficult to bleed off any pressure increase
experienced during drilling.
Accordingly, Statoil decided to mill out approximately 70 m
of the top of the 7-in. liner in the existing production well and
set a whipstock before drilling deeper into the mother well.
This was designed to avoid drilling through the top part of the
Shetland formation with possible high-pressure regimes.
IADC/SPE 87139
Because of the possibility of elevated pressures, Statoil
decided the risk of entering the top part of the formation was
too high.
Since the kick-off point was set deeper than originally
planned, the well path was less favourable with a higher angle
of dogleg. The higher angle was necessary to avoid drilling
into depleted zones, such as the Cook formation, which most
likely would cause total mud losses. If the kick-off point was
not set sufficiently deep or the dogleg was not high enough the
well could not be drilled as planned. By building the angle as
programmed it would give a clearance to the Cook reservoir of
about 5-10 mTVD, while simultaneously avoiding high
pressures at the window.
To enable Statoil to drill this fairly advanced sidetrack, a
drilling fluid that would contribute to low ECD values, yet
maintain better sag stability, similar drilling capacity and well
bore integrity than conventional invert emulsion systems
was necessary.
The first drilling programme was to drill through the top
part of the Shetland group where the ECD margins were very
narrow. Fraction pressure was estimated at 1.87 sg at the
shoe/window and 1,91 sg at TD. Planned mud weight was
1.76 sg to control gas influxes. To be able to drill the section
in this formation, Statoil was looking for other alternatives
than the conventional mineral oil-base system usually used on
other wells on this field.
In order to evaluate the fluid choices for this well software
for calculating hydraulic properties were utilized. Two
proprietary software packages were used in the evaluation.
Table 3 shows the results from the simulations, while Table 4
presents the rheology of the three different systems used for
the calculations. In addition to the previously discussed oil-
based fluids a brine-based system was evaluated for
comparison. However, due to hole stability concerns a water-
based drilling fluid was not an option for this field.
The new linear paraffin system was chosen as the best
alternative, as it had the lowest ECD, the best rheological
profile, and sag stability. The flatter rheological profile of this
fluid reduces plastic viscosity while increasing low shear rate
viscosity. This rheological profile directly impacts pump
pressure and hole cleaning capabilities, providing lower pump
pressure, higher pump rates and improved hole cleaning.
For the first field application, all initial testing and
simulations were performed on 1.76 sg fluid. Later in the
process, the programmed weight was lowered to 1.68 sg,
because new geological estimates. Although the new
calculations gave a larger operating window, the linear
paraffin system was still selected since the sidetrack was fairly
advanced with a high-angle dogleg of 9o/30 m and an almost
2000 m horizontal section through the difficult
Shetland formation.
Simulations and laboratory work showed that:
Table 3 present estimates of ECD values from the
two hydraulic software packages. As shown, the
linear paraffin system lowers the ECD by 3 and 5
points, respectively.
The linear paraffin-based system can be formulated
with significantly lower rheology than the
conventional mineral oil-base system, but with
similar sag stability, as shown in Fig. 1 and 2.
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3
The contamination tolerance against drill solids is
better for linear paraffin system than that for the
conventional system, because of a lower increase in
viscosity with the same percent of clay contamination
(Fig. 1).
In the case of high rate losses during drilling the
conventional and the linear paraffin system can be
blended together without creating compatibility
problems (Fig. 5).
Fann 70 data showed a stable fluid up to 90oC and
8000 psi, which are relevant temperature and
pressure for the first field application (Fig. 3).
Table 5 shows the final chemical concentrations of the linear
paraffin system.
The Field Trial
Well information:
Location: Norwegian Sector, offshore
Total Depth: 4139 m MD (1778 TVD)
Interval: 8 ½-in. x 9 7/8-in. and 6-in. x 7-in. section
Density: 1.68-1.72 sg
Hole angle: 49o - 94o
Challenges for this well:
Deep kick-off-point (KOP) compared to target to avoid
pressure in Shetland group
High angle of dogleg early in the open hole
8 ½-in. section
Long horizontal well path in Shetland group (1734 m)
Avoid drilling into Cook formation – most likely total
mud losses if Cook is entered.
Geosteering in reservoir sections.
Statoil objectives:
Drill the well in one section, with smooth doglegs and
no stuck pipe incidents
Operation Factor of 85% (actual operating time)
Average ROP of 100 m/d (Rushmore index).
Initial mixing of lineral paraffin system:
Prior to the commencement of the 9 5/8-in. section, the
chemicals needed to mix 275 m3 linear paraffin system drilling
fluid was delivered to a warehouse at the base. All of the
unweighted premix was sheared using approximately 100 bar
before weighting to 1.68 sg with barite. After weighting, the
fluid was sheared twice more, before being transferred to the
boat. Modified Organophilic clay was selected because of its
good yielding under low shear and low temperature
conditions. It was proven possible to achieve the same good
initial yield in the large batches (40 m3 batches) mixed in the
warehouse as was achieved mixing the smaller laboratory
batches (Table 6).
HSE Preparations and Considerations:
From an HSE perspective, one concern was the higher
volatility of the low-viscosity base oil. More volatile fluids
have higher concentration of vapors (measured in mg
Hydrocarbons/m3 air) than less volatile fluids. Consequently,
vapor tests were initiated for comparison with other base oils
used for Statoil.
4 IADC/SPE 87139
The results of the vapor tests and also the skin irritation testing
were not finished prior to the field trial. To make sure proper
measurements were taken when handling these products and
this system, HSE guidelines were formulated specifying the
type of personal protection equipment (PPE) to be used when
in contact with the linear paraffin system. Recommendations
were given as to what type and when to use the different PPE
(coveralls, goggles, gloves, filter masks, etc.). While these
recommendations are no different than those for working with
regular oil-based fluids, special attention was placed on this
operation because low viscosity fluids have a greater tendency
to soak coveralls, the rim of gloves and other garmets.
Because of the low BHT (< 75oC), it was not expected to be
high temperatures in flow line or over the shakers. Therefore,
the vapor-risk was evaluated to be minimal during
this operation.
Operational experience
The 8 ½-in x 9 7/8-in. interval was unstable with unexpected
gas and water influxes. When starting the mud pumps to
circulate the well clean at 2405 m MD at the end of the PDM
run, the pumps were started too rapidly and the formation
fractured. A small influx from the well was seen, which set the
operating rules for the rest of the operation. Gas had to be
circulated out at every connection. Between each connection
minor losses were seen. Approximately the same volume was
gained when pumps were shut off for connection. Due to these
signs of unstable well conditions, it was decided to set a 7-in.
liner at section TD (3401 mMD) to stabilize the well before
entering the top of the reservoir. Table 7 shows the typical
rheology profile while drilling the 8 ½-in x 9 7/8-in. section.
While running the 7-in. liner, light mud weights were
detected. A retort analysis of the return fluid indicated a 4-7%
water influx. Yet, throughout this rather acute and large
contamination, the fluid performed satisfactory and the liner
was set successfully (Table 8).
The 6-in. x 7-in. interval also was drilled with no fluid-
related problems to TD at 4139m MD. The properties at TD
are listed in Table 9, while Table 10 show that the chemical
concentrations actually used while drilling the sections were
similar to the programmed concentrations.
Although difficult operational limits were encountered, the
well was drilled and completed 21.8 days ahead of budget.
During the field trial a variation of both weight and oil-
water ratio (OWR) was experienced. Table 11 shows that the
fluid performs equally well with altering weight, low gravity
solids (LGS) content and OWR.
General experience
Since the first field trial, the system has been used in several
applications in the North Sea. The fluid has proven through
drilling several challenging reservoir sections ranging in hole
size from 5 7/8-in. to 8 ½-in. At this writing, the system had
been applied on nearly 20 wells with various applications,
including ERD, narrow hydraulic margins and narrow hole
size annuli.
Narrow hole size annuli with limited hydraulic windows,
such as Through Tubing Reservoir Drilling, TTRD, have a
higher potential for barite sag. This is due to the fact that the
low pump rates and slow tripping speed are necessary for
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these types of wells to control down hole pressures. For
applications like these, the system has proven to give a much
more sag stable fluid than conventional oil base systems even
though the rheological properties have been
substantially reduced.
A complete extended reach well (7200 mMD) has also been
drilled using this fluid, from the 16 ¾-in. section to the 8 ½-in.
section. Drilling the 16 ¾-in. section enabled the operator to
increase its pump rates, and the well set a new drilling record
for this hole size on this North Sea field. For the 12,92-in. and
8 ½-in. sections, the fluid proved to be stable and enabled the
operator to drill without fracturing the formation, even though
this was a well with limited hydraulic margins.
Conclusions
A new linear paraffin-based drilling fluid system has been
developed and tested in the field. The system is based on
linear paraffin as base oil, and the fluid additives, such as
emulsifiers and organophilic clay, are specially selected to fit
the system.
In the field, the new system:
• Exhibited reduced sag potential at lower rheology
compared to conventional oil-based
drilling fluids.
• Demonstrated high tolerance to contaminations.
• Showed a rheological profile that was very stable
with temperature.
• Proved its performance through several
challenging wells and has evolved to the preferred
drilling fluid system for drilling challenging wells
in mature fields for Statoil.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank M-I Norge AS and Statoil ASA for
permission to publish this work.
References
1. Aadnøy, B.S. “Effects of reservoir depletion on borehole
stability” J.Pet.Sci. & Eng., 6 (1991) 57-61.
2. Saasen, A., “Sag of weight materials in oil based drilling
fluids” Paper IADC/SPE 77190 presented at IADC/SPE
Asia Pacific Drilling Technology, Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept
9-11, 2002.
3. Albertsen, T., Omland T.H., Taugbøl, K, Saasen, A.,
Svanes, K. ” The effect of the oil based drilling fluid’s
internal water phase composition on barite sag” Paper
IADC/SPE 87153 presented at the IADC/SPE Drilling
Conference, Dallas, March 2-4 2004.
4. Fimreite, G., Massam, J., Askø, A., Taugbøl, K., Omland,
T.H., Svanes, K., Kroken, W., Andreassen, E., Saasen,
A.”Advanced Invert Emulsion Fluids for Drilling Through
Narrow Hydraulic Window.” Paper IADC/SPE 87128
presented at the IADC/SPE Drilling Conference, Dallas,
March 2-4 2004.
IADC/SPE 87139 5

Table 1: Base oil properties.

PROPERTY LINEAR MINERAL

PARAFFIN BASE OIL
Viscosity @ 00C, centipoise 4.3 8.1
0
Viscosity @ 25 C, centipoise 2.2 4.1
Viscosity @ 400C, centipoise 1.4 2.8
Flash Point, 0C 94 118
Aniline Point, oC 88 91
Pour Point, 0C -8 -27
Density @ 150C, s.g. 0.765 0.814
Total Aromate-conc, % < 0.1 <0.1

Table2: Rheology at varying temperature. Initial Laboratory testing.

Linear Paraffin Mineral Oil Based

System System
RPM 20oC 50oC 65oC 20oC 50oC 65oC
600 90 66 57 298 110 85
300 53 41 36 174 66 54
200 40 32 29 128 52 43
100 26 23 21 80 35 31
6 11 10 10 27 14 14
3 10 9 9 23 13 12

Table 3: Comparisons of ECD at TD from calculations using proprietary software packages. All based on MW of 1.76 sg and 1700 lpm
pump rate.
System Depth for Simulated ECD @ Simulated ECD @ Estimated Fraction
Simulations TD using Software 1 TD using Software 2 Pressure @ TD (SG)
mMD/mTVD (SG) (SG)
Linear Paraffin 4152 / 1838 1.85 1.857 1.91
System
Mineral Oil Based 4152 / 1838 1.88 1.905 1.91
System
Heavy Brine Water 4152 / 1838 1.89 1.887 1.91
Based System

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6 IADC/SPE 87139

o
Table 4: Comparisons of Fann 35 rheologies at 50 C.
Fann 35 Rheology Linear Paraffin Conventional Mineral Heavy Brine Water
@ 50oC System Oil Base System Based System
(1.76 SG) (1.76 SG) (1.76 SG)
600 73 124 65
300 45 74 42
200 35 55 34
100 23 35 23
6 10 11 5
3 9 10 3
PV / YP (Pa) 28 / 8.5 50 / 12 23 / 9.5
Sag factor 0.512 0.509 N/A*

Table 5: Typical chemical concentrations for the Linear Paraffin System system
Chemicals kg/m3
Linear Paraffin As needed for OWR
Primary Emulsifier 28
Secondary Emulsifier 8
Modified Organophilic clay 12
Lime 30
Polymeric Fluid Loss Control Additive 3
Gilsonite Fluid Loss Control Additive 15
CaCl2 35
Freshwater As needed for OWR
Barite As needed for weight

Table 6: Comparison of fluids mixed in laboratory and in the warehouse.

Laboratory Final mixed & sheared

fluid in warehouse
(with 12 kg/m3 Modified (with 12 kg/m3
Organophilic clay) Modified Organophilic clay)
SG 1.68 1.68
Rheology @ 50oC @ 50oC
600 rpm 66 71
300 rpm 41 44
200 rpm 32 35
100 rpm 23 25
6 rpm 10 11
3 rpm 9 10
10s gel 10 10
10 m gel 15 13
ES 834 1010

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IADC/SPE 87139 7

Table 7: Typical rheology during drilling of 8 ½” x 9 7/8” section

600 300 200 100 60 30 6 3 10’ gel 10” gel 30” gel
rpm rpm rpm rpm rpm rpm rpm rpm (Pa) (Pa) (Pa)
76 46 36 25 20 14 9 8 6 8 8

Table 8: Rheological properties before and after water influx

600 300 200 100 60 30 6 3 10’ 10” PV/ ES Oil/ MW
rpm rpm rpm rpm rpm rpm rpm rpm gel gel YP Water
(Pa) (Pa) Ratio
Before 88 54 43 29 23 18 11 10 6 9 34/20 749 79/21 1.7
influx
After 105 65 50 34 27 20 13 11 7 10 40/25 612 74/26 1.7
water
influx

Table 9: Typical rheological properties while drilling 6x7” section

600 300 200 100 60 30 6 3 10’ gel 10” gel 30” gel
rpm rpm rpm rpm rpm rpm rpm rpm (Pa) (Pa) (Pa)
76 47 36 25 20 15 10 9 6 8 8

Table 10: Chemical usage throughout drilling 9 7/8” and 6x7section

Chemicals Program Actual kg/m3 Actual kg/m3
kg/m3 9 7/8” section 6x7” section
Primary Emulsifier 28 27.4 – 40.9 32.9-37.7
Secondary Emulsifier 8 7.8 – 12.7 10.9-12.6
Modified Organophilic clay 12 8.8 – 14.6 8.9-13.0
Lime 30 28.5 – 32.4 28.4-30.4
Polymeric Fluid Loss Control Additive 3 3.0 – 4.3 4.0-4.8
Gilsonite Fluid Loss Control Additive 15 13.6 – 18.9 14.6-18.1
CaCl2 35 16.5 – 25.6 21.9-23.6

Table 11: Typical rheological profile for the different mud weights used during the operation
Density, sg. 1.68 1.70 1.72
Test Temperature, 0C 28 50 80 29 50 80 28 50 80
600 rpm 106 76 56 112 76 57 110 81 65
300 rpm 65 47 36 68 46 37 67 51 43
200 rpm 49 36 29 50 36 28 50 40 35
100 rpm 32 25 20 33 25 20 33 28 25
6 rpm 11 10 8 11 9 8 12 12 12
3 rpm 10 9 7 10 8 7 11 11 11
Plastic Viscosity, cps 41 29 20 44 30 20 43 30 22
Yield Point, lbs/100 ft2 24 18 16 24 16 17 24 21 21
10 Second Gel 13 12 10 12 10 8 13 14 13
10 Minute Gel 18 16 13 16 14 10 24 20 20
Oil:Water Ratio 78/22 80/20 75/25
HTHP Filtrate @ 1250C, ml 1.8 3.0 2.6
Electrical Stability 768 661 900
LGS (kg/m3) 190 208 123

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8 IADC/SPE 87139

14 0

Lin. Paraffin Base

12 0
Lin. Paraffin 50 kg/m3 OCMA
Mineral Oil Base Base
10 0
Mineral Oil Base 50 kg/m3 OCMA

80

60

40

20

0
0 10 0 200 300 400 500 600

RP M

o o
Fig.1: Rheology at 50 C after aging at 75 C. Comparison of Linear paraffin based system and mineral oil based system at density 1.76 sg
with and without 50 kg/m3 Ocma clay for contamination testing.

Lin.Paraffin Base

Lin.Paraffin 50 kg/m3 Ocma

1.86
Mineral Oil Base

Mineral Oil Base 50 kg/m3

1.82 Ocma

1.78

1.74

1.7
1 2 3 4

o
Fig.2 Comparison of sag stability after static aging at reservoir temperature of 75 C. Comparison of Linear paraffin based system and mineral
oil based system at density 1.76 sg with and without 50 kg/m3 Ocma clay for contamination testing. The figure shows the mud weight
variations after aging from top (1) to bottom (4) in the aging cell.

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IADC/SPE 87139 9

80

70

60

50

40

30 14 ,7 ps i/ 5 0 o C
8 0 0 0 ps i/ 9 0 o C
20

10

0
0 10 0 200 300 400 50 0 600
rpm

Fig. 3:Fann 70 measurement of Linear Paraffin System.

HTHP (ml)

0
Lin.Paraffin Base Lin.Paraffin 50 Mineral Oil Base Mineral Oil Base
kg/m3 Ocma 50 kg/m3 Ocma

o
Fig. 4. HTHP fluid loss measured after aging the drilling fluid at 75 C

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10 IADC/SPE 87139

120

Lin. Paraffin
100
Mineral Oil
50/50 blend
80
dial reading

60

40

20

0
600 300 200 100 6 3
rpm

Fig. 5:Effect of blending the Conventional Mineral Oil Based system 50/50 withthe Linear Paraffin System in case of great losses during
drilling Operations

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IADC/SPE 87139 11

PL 050-Gullfaks
Pore Pressure
RKB - Sea: 80,75 m Pore pressure
Gradients
Water Depth: 142,5 m MSL 34/10-B-7 A Made by: JOEG Date:24.01.03

Stratigraphy Comments to the gradient plot :

Abnormal pressures were not seen in the Shetland Group. Uncertain pressure in Rannoch Fm.
due to injection. The pore pressure uncertainties in the reservoir is illustrated with a PPmin and a
Formation

Lithology PPmax curve. SigH and Frac curves are adjusted for reservoir depletion. Wellbore inclination is
System

Group

taken in account when calculating the collapse gradient. The loss/gain situation in the 8 1/2’”
section is described in an individual report.
M MD RKB

2000,00

Casing Mud weight

2100,00

1770 2200,00 2208 KOP 1770m TVD RT/2208m MD

2300,00

Loss/gain from fracture at 1824m

2400,00 TVD RT/2400m MD

2500,00

2600,00

2700,00

2800,00

2900,00

3000,00
CRETACEOUS

3100,00
Shetland

3200,00

3300,00
7” liner
3400/1806
3400,00

3500,00

3600,00

3700,00

1822 3800,00
3854
Brent Rannoch
JURASSIC

3900,00
1826
3948
Dunlin Drake
4000,00 3981
Brent Broom 1824 Impermeable
shales
4070
Shet- 1806 4100,00
CR.

land
4139
1780
4200,00
PP Coll SigH
Frac OB PPmin
4300,00 PPmax FIT B-7 A Fracturing in B-7 A
Dynamic loss in B-7 A FracRes FracResMin
PPres FracResMax
4400,00
SG EMW 0,90 1,00 1,10 1,20 1,30 1,40 1,50 1,60 1,70 1,80 1,90 2,00 2,10

Figure 6: Summarized Pore pressure and Fracture Gradients.

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