Section

drilling fluid functions

Stable Mud Weight Window

STABLE WINDOW

Pore pressure gradient

+/- 200 psi (1379 kPa)

to 500 psi (3449 kPa)
overbalance

Fracture gradient

Wellbore stability is greatest when the hole maintains its original size and cylindrical shape. Once
the hole is eroded or enlarged in any way, it becomes weaker and more difficult to stabilise. Hole
enlargement leads to a number of problems, including low annular velocity, poor hole cleaning,
increased solids loading, fill, increased treating costs, poor formation evaluation, higher cementing
costs and inadequate cementing.
Borehole stability is also maintained or enhanced by controlling the loss of filtrate to permeable
formations and by careful control of the chemical composition of the drilling fluid. Most permeable
formations have pore space openings too small to allow the passage of whole mud into the formation;
however, filtrate from the drilling fluid can enter the pore spaces. The rate at which the filtrate enters
the formation is dependent on the pressure differential between the formation and the column of
drilling fluid, and the quality of the filter cake deposited on the formation face.
Large volumes of drilling fluid filtrate, and filtrates that are incompatible with the formation or
formation fluids, may de-stabilise the formation through hydration of shale and/or chemical interactions
between components of the drilling fluid and the wellbore. Drilling fluids, which produce low quality
or thick filter cakes, may also cause tight hole conditions including stuck pipe, difficulty in running
casing and poor cement jobs.
Chemical wellbore instability is due to chemical interaction between the formation being drilled
and the drilling fluid. This occurs primarily in shales and salt formations. In both cases, it is an
interaction with water that causes instability. Thus, chemical instability is always minimised by using
oil-base muds.
In shales, if the mud weight is sufficient to balance formation stresses, wells are usually stable - at first.
With water-base muds, chemical differences cause interactions between the drilling fluid and shale,
and these can lead (over time) to swelling or softening. This causes other problems, such as sloughing
and tight hole conditions. Highly fractured, dry, brittle shales, with high dip angles, can be extremely
unstable when drilled. The failure of these dry, brittle formations is mostly mechanical and not normally
related to water or chemical forces.
When shales react with water, they can soften, disperse, swell, and crack. These effects can cause a wide
range of operational problems, as shown in the table below.