INDRILLCO SOUTH LIRIK LTD.

REDESIGN OF WATER BASED MUD BY ADDITIVES TO OVERCOME

LOST CIRCULATION AND SWELLING AT FIELD Y WELL X
Mud Engineer Team of Indrillco Group, Department of Petroleum Engineering, UPN Veteran
Yogyakarta
Abstract
Lost circulation is one of most common problem faced
during drilling operation in oil and gas industry.
Moreover, swelling also a problem that often occur
when met the shale formation. It has major impact on
drilling efficiency and well costs. Redesign of drilling
fluid is a way to eradicate lost circulation and prevent
swelling. The density of drilling fluid was instrumental
in getting the appropriate hydrostatic presssure to
control formation pressure. If hydrostatic pressure is
greater than formation fracture pressure, it can cause
lost circulation. By determining hydrostatic pressure of
drilling fluid , lost circulation can be overcome.
Swelling results the decrease diameter of borehole
which can cause pipe sticking. Two problems above
can be solved by the addition of additives in the
drilling fluid. Spercene can reduce the density of the
drilling fluid so that the hydrostatic pressure can be
reduced to below formation fracture pressure but above
the formation pressure. Besides, it can be a fluid lost
control agent. Pottasium Chloride as shale stabilizer
can prevent the swelling clay. But pottasium chloride
can increase volume filtrate of drilling fluid. So, the
proper combination of spercene and pottasium chloride
are essential for the development of optimum drilling
fluid to eradicate lost circulation and prevent swelling.

Background
The formation structure at field Y well X are limestone
layer, shale layer, and sandstone layer with true vertical
depth is 1882 ft. At a depth of 218 ft, the pump
pressure increased and the flow rate decreased. At
661,9 ft, the volume of drilling fluid at mud pit
decreased up to volume of mud pit. Permeability of
the rock is 1134 mD. At 669,1 ft, formation pressure is
299,5 psi (emw = 8,6 ppg), mud density is 10 ppg,
formation fracture pressure is 341 psi (emw = 9,8 ppg),
yield point of drilling fluid is 11 lb/100 ft 2, and the
plastic viscosity is 10 centipoise.

Purpose and Objectives

The purpose is to redesign drilling fluid to eradicate
lost circulation and prevent the swelling clay at shale
formation. The objectives are decrease the density of
drilling fluid so that hydrostatic pressure of drilling
fluid also reduced between formation pressure and

formation fracture pressure. To overcome swelling clay

by add shale stabilizer so that the borehole is not
narrowed which cause pump pressure rises.

Theoritical Basic
Definition of Drilling Fluid
Drilling fluid can be defined as all kind of fluid
(foamed fluid, pressured gas) which is used to assist
the drilling operation by cleaning the base borehole
from cutting and to carry the cuttings to the surface,
and also to lubricate and cool the drill bit. The drilling
mud, by hydrostatic pressure, also helps prevent the
collapse of unstable strata into the borehole and the
intrusion of water from water-bearing strata that may
be ecountered.
The Functions of Drilling Fluid
1. Transport cutting to surface
2. Prevent well-control issues
3. Preserve wellbore stability
4. Minimize formation damage
5. Cool and lubricate the drillstring
6. Provide information about the wellbore
7. Minimize risk to personel, the environment,
and drilling equipment.
Definition of Lost Circulation
Lost circulation or loss of circulation is the
uncontrolled flow of whole mud into a formation.
Type of Lost Circulation
1. Partial Loss : in partial lost circulation mud
continues to flows to surface with some loss
to the formation
2. Total Lost Circulation : occurs when all the
muds flows into a formation with no return to
surface
3. Cummulative Lost Circulation : the whole
mud that lost by partial lost circulation
Causes of Lost Circulation
Formation that are inherently fractured, cavernous,
or have high permeability
1. Improper drilling condition

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2.

Included fractures caused by excessive

downhole pressures and setting intermediate
casing too high

Preventions of Lost Circulation

1. Maintaining proper mud weight
2. Minimizing annular-friction pressure losses
during drilling and tripping in
3. Adequate hole cleaning
4. Avoiding restriction in the annular space
5. Setting casing to protect upperweaker
formation within a transition zone
6. Updating formation pore pressure and fracture
gradients for better accuracy with log and
drilling data
Formation Damage from Swelling Clay
Swelling clays, although relatively abundant
in shales, do not accur as commonly in producing
intervals. Thus, formation damage problems with
swelling clays are not nearly as commong as those
associated with fines migration.
Causes of Swelling
Convergance between clay and water.
Preventions of Swelling
To prevent clay swelling, various chemical
treatments have been designed. These include polymers
containing quaternary ammonium salts, pottasium
chloride, hydrolyzable metal ions such as zirconium
oxychloride, hydroxy-aluminium, and polymerizable
ultrathin films.

Metodology
Data case collected from the field and the new
data of drilling fluid obtained from doing experiment in
the laboratory. We determine density of drilling fluid
by Mud Balance and rheology of drilling fluid such as,
plastic viscosity, yield point, and gel strength by FANN
VG Meter.
Based on data from the field, we can conclude
that at 218 ft there is swelling clay caused by
interaction between clay and water. It can be shown by
increasing of pump pressure and decresing the flow
rate. To handle this situation, we decide to design our
drilling fluid with using KCl as shale stabilizer.
Moreover at 669,1 ft deep, because the volume of mud
pit decreased a quarter after the circulation, we
conclude that there is a lost circulation at that depth.
Besides the hydrostatic pressure is greater than
formation fracture pressure. To handle this situation,
we decide to decrease the hydrostatic pressure of our
drilling fluid between the formation pressure and
formation fracture pressure. Because of the value of
formation pressure is 8,6 ppg, fracture formation
pressure is 9,8 and considering the safety factor is 0,5,

so we design our drilling fluid into 9,25 ppg. We design

our drilling fluid using Spercene as a thinner to
decrease the hydrostatic pressure from 10 ppg into 9,25
ppg.

Analysis And Discussions

Solution for the problem is redesign the drilling mud
with compositions :
TABLE I.
THE COMPOSITIONS OF DRILLING
FLUID
Constituents
Composition
Bentonite
22,5 gr
Water
350 ml
Barite
32 gr
Spercene
5 gr
KCl
3 gr
The density of new drillling fluid is 9,25 ppg. So the
value of mud density between emw formation pressure
and fracture formation pressure.
TABLE II.
RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF WATER BASED
MUD

Properties
Plastic Viscosity
Yield Point
Initial Gel Strength
10 Min. Gel Strength

Values
4 cp
12 lb/100ft2
12 lb/100ft2
22 lb/100ft2

From the result of density it can be seen that the

drilling fluid can be used to overcome lost circulation
problem. Spercene as a thinner can decrease the
density of drilling fluid. Pottasium Chloride as shale
stabilizer can prevent swelling because KCl polymer
have an ion K+ to support the interfacial of the clay.
But the addition of KCl must be followed by addition
of fluid loss control agent such as Spercene to control
fluid loss. So the filtrate volume can be reduced.

Conclusions
1.
2.
3.

4.
5.

Density of drilling fluid is 9,25 ppg.

The drillling fluid is suitable for use at field Y well
X.
Spercene can be used in drilling fluid to decrease
drilling fluid density, so it can prevent the lost
circulation problem. Futhermore spercene also
used as fluid lost control agent.
Potassium Chloride as clay stabilizer in drilling
fluid serve to prevent swelling problem.
The use of potassium chloride should be combine
by spercene, because potassium chloride can
increase volume of filtrate into the formation.

Therefore it is necessary add spercene to control

volume of filtrate.

Recommendations
Based on analysis and discussions, we recommend that
:
1. To overcome lost circulation, we can add
thinner such as spercene, lignite, or Q-broxin.
Thinner can decrease the density of drilling
fluid so hydrostatic pressure can be arranged
between formation pressure and formation
fracture pressure.
2. Furthermore, treating mud by with loss
control material such as, nut shell, limestone,
and mica can overcome the lost circulation.
3. Swelling can be prevented by adding shale
stabilizer such as pottasium chloride. So the
shale formation does not expand and borehole
size does not reduced.
4. Calcium mud is used for drilling through the
layer of gypsum or limestone. Where the mud
is treated with caustic soda, anhydrite, to
protect the formation that easily expands as it
absorbs water.

Acknowledgments
We acknowledgments the laboratory assistants of
drilling fluid analysis who have helped in the
preparation of this paper.

References
1.

Lumpur dan Hidrolika Lumpur Pengeboran.

Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan
Republik Indonesia. 2013.

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