LESSON 3 QUESTIONS

The area, of drilling fluids is a large and complex one, and studying it can require knowledge of
chemistry, physies, and math. This lesson has given an introduction to the basics of drillings. The
following questions should help in studying the material in this lesson. Review the on sections
Introduction and Drilling Fluid Composition and Properties. Then answer first set of questions.
1. When added to water, a good drilling clay will
A- Hydrate.
B- React with the inert fraction.
C- Thin the mud.
D. Increase viscosity.
2. The reactive portion of the drilling mud is sometimes called the
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liquid phase.
Colloidal fraction.
Inert fraction
Emulsion.

3. The plastic viscosity of a drilling mud depends on.

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The strength of the electric charges on the solid paricles in the mud.
Mechanical friction in the mud.
High yield point
The concentration, size, and shape'sh<rpe ( I t * solids in the mud.

4. According to the clay-yield curve shown in figure 3.6, roughly how

many pounds of common drilling clay are needed to produce I barrel of
l5-centipoise mud
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100
20
10
200

5. Water-base mud can be deflocculated by.

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Increasing the viscosity.

Adding chemical thinners.
Neutralizing attractive charges in the mud.
Increasing the yield point.

6. The gel strength of a mud concerns its ability to.

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Temporarily thicken when mud flew stops.

Produce a good filter cake.
flow after circulation is restarted.
Increase as yield point decreases.

7. Filtration rate is
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The amount of clay solids lost to a formation.

Increased by adding inert solids to the mud.
Increased by adding bentonite to the mud.
he amount of liquid in the mud lost to a formation.

8.

Bentonite, a clay often used in drilling mils, will hydrate greatly when added to the mud,
regardless of what the continuous liquid phase is made up of. (T/F)

9.

Filter cake is
Amade up of solids in the drilling mud.
Banother name for cuttings.
Charmful to the hole wall and should be removed with deflocculants.
Dnone of the above.

10.

Inert solids in the drilling mud.

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11.

The colloidal fraction of a drilling mud can contain

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12.

dissolve when they are added to the drilling mud.

hydrate when wetted.
Are smaller than clay particles in the mud.
have none of the above characteristics

low-yield commercial clays.

drilled solids.
weight materials.
All of the above.

An un weighted mud will

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not contain barite or other weight materials.

often contain drilled solids.
generally have a density higher than ,10.5 ppg.
Do all of the above.

The properties and fulictions of a drilling mud are '11)sely related. For example, tile mud
must be dense enough to control formation pressures 'but not so heavy that lost circulation
becomes a problem. Take another look at the lesson section called Functions of Drilling
Fluids, and then answer the following questions.
13.

One function of drilling mud is to

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14.

Another function of the drilling mud is to

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15.

fill new formations with bentonite.

help enlarge the wellbore.
deposit a wall cake on the wellbore.
maintain high turbulent flow in the annulus.

dissolve limestone layers so that drilling through them is easier.

cool and lubricate the bit and drill string
impose back-pressure on the bit.
allow larger cuttings to settle to the bottom of the hole rather than clog up the
annulus.

The density of a drilling fluid is important for

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cleaning used drill pipe.

supporting some of the suspended weight of drill pipe or casing.
increasing the weight of the drill string in the hole.
controlling formation pressure.

16. Which of the following factors will cause inaccurate results in an electric log?
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The use of an oil-base mud as the drilling fluid

Excessive water filtrate, in the formation
The use of seawater as the makeup water for the mud
None of the above

Water-base muds are the most widely used type of drilling fluid. They are also the group of _drilling
muds that are most varied. A large portion of this lesson discusses water-base muds. he next set of
questions is on "Treatment of Water-Base Muds" in the lesson section called ater-Base Muds. Review
this portion of the lesson and answer the following questions.
17. Mud-up operations may involve adding
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premium clays.
PAC.
phosphates.
all of the above.

18. An additive that can be used to improve filtration in muds with salt contamina tion higher than
20,000 ppm is
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barite.
PAC.
asbestos.
CMC.

19. Water-back is an operation that

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increases the fluid-to-solids ratio.

increases the solids-to-fluid ratio.
increases viscosity.
lowers the rate of water loss.

20. Bentonite is added to freshwater rnuds to

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decrease mud weight.

increase viscosity
inhibit corrosion.
lower water loss.

21. Thinning a mud may involve

A.
B.
C.
D.

adding CMC.
deflocculation.
flocculation.
increasing water loss.

22. Filtration control agents are added to a mud to.

A- increase the filtrate.
B- decrease formation permeability.
C- Reduce water loss.
D- Lower cement contaminants.

23. Adding barite to mud will

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increase the mud weight.

increase the inert solids content.
increase the mud volume of the system.
Do all of the above.

24. High viscosity, yield point, and gel strength can be caused by
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a low concentration of drilled solids.

insufficient deflocculation of clay solids.
contamination from gypsum, cement, or salt.
all of the above.

25. Water loss from the mud can be lowered by adding

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A drilling; mud with a pH of 9.5 is considered

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27.

Lignite
Quehracho
CMC
Lignosulfonate

With salt contamination, the best way to remove salt from the mild is by
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29.

acidic.
neutral.
alkaline.
None of the above.

Which of the following; additives could be used to reduce viscosity and gstrength in a mud with a
pH of 10?
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28.

PAC.
gums.
starch.
shale.

a commercial flocculating agent.

treating the mud returns with a large amount of barite at the shale shake
adding a small amount of CMC.
none of the above.

The best procedure for drilling in thick salt beds or dome salt ` is to convert clear water for the
drilling fluid until the salt formation has been penetrate (T/F)

The next group of questions is on "Types of Water-Base Muds" and "Safety Precautions the lesson section
Water-Base Muds. Take another look at this section and then answer these questions.
30.

Adding lime to a spud mud will

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make it unusable for drilling through surface casing.

Require less clay for building viscosity.
require more barite to increase density.
increase the mud's viscosity.

31.

The viscosity of a good natural mud can be lowered by

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32.

A phosphate-treated mud can be effectively used.

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33.

CMC to increase filtration.

Lignosulfonate as a thinner
Bentonite as the primary additive for the colloidal fraction.
Pin oil to reduce, the effects of foaming.

To function effectively as drilling fluids, clear fresh water and salt water fre quently require.
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38.

Phosphate treated mud

Calcium hydroxide or lime mud
Lignosulfonate mud
All of' they above.

Which of the following additive-effect combinations is correct when used in a saltwater mud?
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37.

controlling sloughing shale.

reducing viscosity caused by drilled solids.
controlling hole enlargement.
all of the above.

Which of the following mud would be most effective in a drilling operation that encounters
bottomhole temperatures of 300F?
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36.

they actively interact with formation clays.

they are effective with normal calcium and salt concentration.
they can maintain low -viscosity in heavily weighted muds.
all of the above are true.

A calcium-treated mud can Age effectively used.

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35.

A. with calcium contamination.

for reducing viscosity, gel strength, and filtration rate.
In shallow wells with freshwater formations.
with saturated salt water as the makeup water.

A characteristic of lignosulfonate muds is that

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34.

treating it with phosphates.

adding premium drilling clay.
adding large amounts -of-water.
all of the above.

additives for decreasing viscosity.

additives for reducing flocculation.
mechanical equipment for solids control.
additives for controlling filtration rate.

Advantages of polymer muds include the following:

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They can be effectively used with salt water without additional chemical treatment.
They allow the high viscosity in the annulus necessary for cutting removal.
They. have low viscosity at the bottom of the hole for rapid drilling.
They require less bentonite to maintain proper viscosity.

39.

When calibrating a mud balance, fill the cup with pure water and set the movable weight to read
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40.

Zero.
8.1 ppg.
8.33 ppg.
10 ppg.

In a field test, the mud man would measure apparent viscosity of the mud.
A- In pounds per 100 square feet.

B- in terms of specific gravity.

C- with a Marsh funnel.
D- in seconds per quart (946 cc).
41.

The filtration test measures.

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plastic viscosity over time.

water loss under pressure.
thickness of wall cake in 1/32-inch increments.
specific gravity of the solids.

42.

Procedures for testing oil-base and water-base muds are basically the same except that the funnel
viscosity of a water-base mud varies greatly with temperature changes, while the apparent viscosity
of an oil mud is not affected by temperature. (T/F).

43.

The sand content determin.1tion test measures.

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sand content by weight.

precipitation rate of sand in solution.
percent of sand by volume.
none of the above.