Test 15 Composition

and chemistry of
drilling muds
Created by ShiftyCapone
62 terms
why are calcium ions undesirable? hinder fluid loss control and excess gelation
what reduces the impact of anhydrite? small treatments of soda ash, bicarb, or
phosphates
what is best when concentrations of
calcium ions are already present?
use an inhibitive mud capable of handling
the calcium
What happens when you drill anhydrite? the ph of the mud is lowered
what forms lime? calcium ions from anhydrite combine with
hydroxyl ions
What does the reaction of lime cause? lowering of pf
how is gypsum different from anhydrite? water crystilization in the gyp
when is cement introduced to the wellbore? when setting casing
what happens when cement is drilled? Ca and OH ions enter the continuous phase
of the mud
What tests do the Ca and OH ions show up
on?
calcium, pH, pf
What does it mean when the cement is
green?
more ions are relesased than if the cement
has set hard
What is the main difference between
drilling cement and anhydrite?
cement raises the pH where as anhydrite
lowers it
What is not added when drilling cement vs.
anhydrite?
caustic soda because there are already
hydroxyl ions
what suppresses the tendency of cement to
release calcium ions?
the hydroxyl ions already present
What happens if the hydroxyl ions falls
when drilling cement?
calcium will begin to enter the mud
why is soda ash added to the mud? to remove calcium ions
what happens when soda ash enters the
mud?
ionizes as Na and CO3 in the continuous
phase
How is calcium carbonate formed? calcium ions combine with carbonate ions
What is CACO3? inert precipitate
what does excessive treatment of soda ash
produce?
surplus carbontate ions
how is an increase in the carbonate ion
concentration in the mud represented?
increase in the gap between mf and pf
if the mud has a ph of less than 11 what
will soda ash do?
raise it
what is sodium bicarbonate used for? alternative to soda ash for removal of
calcium ions
What happens when soda ash is added into
the mud?
goes into the continuous phase and ionozes
Na and HCO3
What happens if hydroxyl ions are present
when you add soda ash?
1. hydrogen and carbonate dissociate
2. H+ and OH- combine to form water
3. Lowers the pH and pf of the mud
4. CO3 combines with Ca to form inert
calcium carbonate
What if there are insufficient hydroxyl ions
present in the mud when you add soda ash?
1. bicarb additions do not remove calcium
ions
2. hydrogen and carbonate remained tied
together as bicarbonate
3. bicarbonate ions in continuous phase
may be detrimental to mud stability
what is an indication of the carbonate and
bicarbonate build up in the continuous
phase?
gap between mf and pf
Chemical formula for lime (Ca(OH)2)
What is lime similar to when added to
muds?
cement
Chemical formula for hydroxide OH-
When does lime serve as a a potential
source of Ca and OH- ions?
in muds that carry a high concentration of
hydroxyl ions
When are small quantities of lime added to
the mud?
when carbonate or bicarbonate issues are
suspected
What happens is H2S and CO2 (gasses)
are introduced to the mud?
sharply lower the pH of the mud
What might carbon dioxide do? increase the number of carbonates and
bicarbonates in the mud
Why must the type and amount of alkalinity
be controlled closely in water based muds?
1. good flow properties
2. gel strengths
3. corrosion control
4. clay yields
5. filter losses
6. inhibitive properties
What does alkalinity determine? the behavior of the water phase of the mud
Alkalinity defined excess hydroxyl ions in a water solution
What happens when the number of
hydroxyl ions exceeds the number of
hydrogen ions?
the solution will be alkaline
how is the amount of alkalinity measured? by determining the excess hydroxyl ions
What is pH a measurement of? the hydrogen ion concentration
what does an increase in pH values
actually indicate?
a decrease in H+ ions
when might the pH be lower than expected
for a given pf?
when large quantities of
1. sodium
2. sulfate
3. chloride
4. other ions present
What does it mean when the pH is below
7?
the solution is acidic because more h+ ions
are present than OH- ions
What is reduced with a higher pH? corrosion
Additions of what are normally added to
keep the pf value high enough to
corrospond to the desired pH?
caustic soda
What will produce hydroxyl ions through
ionization?
1. drilling cement
2. adding lime
3. silicate mud treatments
4. carbonate ions reacting with water
When is the solution said to be buffered? when an extra amount of acid is used to
react with CO3 and HCO3
what does the extra acid used to neutralize
a buffered solution result in?
higher alkalinity measurement (carbonate
and bicarbonate)
What constitutes another buffering agent? undessolved hydroxyl ions
what determines the amount of a standard
acid solution necessary to neutralize the
alkalinity present?
pf, mf, and pm tests
What do the Pf and Mf tests assume? 1. that alkalinity will be due to carbonates,
bicarbinates, and hydroxide ions
2. there are no buffering agents
what is the amount of acid to reduce the
filtrate to 8.3 Ph?
the amount required to neutralize all the
hydroxide and convert all the carbonates to
bicarbonates
what is the addition of more acid to titrate
from the Pf to the Mf end point?
converting bicarbonates to carbon dioxide
and water, the amount required depends on
how many exist at this Ph level
what can you interprete form the Pf and
Mf tests together?
the source and amount of filtrate alkalinity
what do muds with carbonate and
bicarbonate issues problems often exhibit?
high viscosities and high gel strengths and
do not respond to normal treatments
how does the mud look when fluid loss
increases?
glassy, mealey, or aerated appearance
What do some of the sources of carbonate
and bicarbonate issues inculde?
1. overtreatment with soda ash or
bicarbinate of soda
2. CO2 gas from the formation or air
3. degradation of OH-, lignosulfates, or
starch
What are the inorganic ions that may
contribute to the alkalinity?
1. hydroxyl
2. carbonate
3. bicarbonate
4. borate
5. silicate
6. sulfide
7. phosphate
What are the organic materials that make a
particulary large contribution to the Mf
alkalinity in "highly treated" muds?
1. anionic organic thinners
2. fluid loss addatives
3. degradation products
What does it mean when Pf = 0? only bicarbinate ions can contribute to
alkalinity
What does Pf = Mf mean? all alkalinity is due to the hydroxyl ion
what does 2Pf = Mf mean? all alkalinity comes form carbonate
contribution