Bulletin for LGS

8/3/2019 Bulletin for LGS

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Drilling Fluids, Inc.

TECHNICAL SERVICES N EWSLETTER

Volume X, Number 1 February 15, 2006

WHAT DO YOU WANT IT TO BE?

The following are numbers all Mud Engineersshould know.1. What is the density of Barite?2. How many cubic feet in a barrel?3. Mud weight x depth x what number = psi?

4. What is the density of drilled solids?5. What are the constants in the weight up for-

mula which allows volume increase usingBarite as a weight material?

ANSWERS ON PAGE 5

SAFETY GLASSES

A contractor employee at the Kennedy SpaceCenter was edging his lawn wearing sun-glasses (not safety glasses). As he was in the proc-

ess of edging, something brushed his face andknocked the sunglasses off. With both hands busywith the edger, he kept going and didn't stop to in-vestigate the incident. Shortly, he went back to

Safety Glasses(Continued on page 6)

BREAD CAST UPONTHE WATERS

A Nun was sitting at a window in her conventone day when she was handed a letter fromhome. Upon opening it a ten-dollar bill droppedout. She was most pleased at receiving the gift fromher home folks, but as she read the letter her atten-tion was distracted by the actions of a shabbily

dressed stranger who was leaning against a post infront of the convent.She couldnt get him off her mind and, thinking

that he might be in financial difficulties, she tookthe ten-dollar bill and wrapped it in a piece of pa-per, on which she had written, Dont despair, Sis-ter Eulalia, and threw it out of the window to him.He picked it up, read it, looked at her with a puz-zled expression, tipped his hat and went off down

Bread Cast Upon the Waters(Continued on page 2)

" One of t he advant ages of being

di sorderl y i s t hat one i s con-

st an t l y mak ing exci t i ng di scov-

eri es."

A.A. Milne (1882-1956)

Safety ALERTRESPONSE REQUIRED


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TECH N ICAL SERVICES NEWSLETTER VO LUME X N UMBER 1 Febru ary 15, 2006

PAGE 2

Bread Cast Upon the Waters(Continued from page 1)

the street.The next day she was in her cell saying her

beads when she was told that some man was at herdoor who insisted on seeing her. She went down

and found the shabbily dressed stranger waiting forher. Without saying a word he handed her a roll ofbills. When she asked what they were for he re-plied, Thats the sixty bucks you have coming.Dont Despair paid 5-1.

In play there are two pleasures for your choosingThe one is winning, and the other losing.

Don Juan, LORD BYRON, English Poet, 1788-1824

THOMAS JEFFERSONSRULES OF LIVING

NEVER put off till tomorrow what you can dotoday.

NEVER trouble another for what you can doyourself.

NEVER spend your money before you have it.

NEVER buy what you do not want because it ischeap.

PRIDE costs us more than hunger, thirst, andcold.

NOTHING is troublesome that we do willingly.

HOW much pain the evils have cost us thathave never happened!

WHEN angry, count ten before you speak: ifvery angry, a hundred.

TAKE things always by the smooth handle.

A little learning is a dangerous thing

ALEXANDER POPE, English Poet, 1688-1744

Correlation of Relaxation Measurement

to Rheological Properties

GEO ZAN1.5 ppb

HEC 2.5ppb

Funnel Viscosity, sec/qt 35 120

Plastic Viscosity, cp 5 23

Yield Point, lb/100 sq ft 18 44

Viscosity, cp (5.1 sec-1 ) 3 rpm 800 1,500

Viscosity, cp (0.06 sec -1 ) 28,500 4,000

Sand Suspension, min. 140 19

Relaxation Measurement 1.5 min to 2 15 sec to 0

VG METER RELAXATI ON

When a viscometer (VG Meter) is turned offthe dial returns to zero. This can take placenearly instantly or it can take a while. The time it

takes to return to zero is called the Relaxationmeasurement. After the standard viscosity proper-ties have been read, run the meter at a shear rate of5.11 sec-1 (3 rpm). When the instruments motor isturned off the indicator dial or display is then moni-tored as the bob attempts to return to zero. Fluidsthat exhibit an extended relaxation time possesgood low shear rate viscosity and indicate improvedhole cleaning and suspension characteristics.

Viscosity measurements were performed on twodifferent polymer solutions mixed in 2% KC1. Onesolution was hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) at a

concentration of 0.7% by weight (2.5 ppb), and theother solution was clarified xanthan gum (GEOZAN or Clarizan) at a concentration of 0.45% byweight (1.5 ppb). Rheological data were obtainedwith a OFITE Model 900 viscometer and a MarshFunnel.

The HEC solution exhibited a much higher fun-nel viscosity, plastic viscosity, yield point, and 3rpm value than that of the GEO ZAN solution. Af-ter the 3 rpm reading, the machine was turned off toobtain a 10 sec gel strength. The viscometer dial

went to zero rapidly for the HEC solution, but thedial did not reach zero for over 2 minutes for theGEO ZAN solution. This experiment was repeatednumerous times to ensure that this was a reproduci-ble phenomenon.


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PAGE 3

ACCEPTABLE DRILLED SOLIDS

Solids content in drilling mud is one of the mostimportant contributing factors in the control ofrheology. It is also a key factor in optimizing pene-

tration rate (ROP). Minimizing Drilled Solids (DS)is crucial to maintaining good mud properties, butwhat the maximum acceptable level should be isnot a hard and fast rule.

Consideration must be given to the effects ofthe presence of drilled solids and Barite on differenttypes of drilling fluids: water-based (WBF) and oilbased (OBM), unweighted and weighted.

The effects of solids in unweighted fluids, re-gardless of what their base fluid may be, are con-trolled as a function of controlling the mud weight.With WBF, many operators limit drilled-solids con-

tent to 5% by volume. Assuming the presence of

approximately 2% Bentonite, this allows a total of7% low-gravity solids (LGS). Most experts agreethat in water-based fluids, concentrations of LGS inexcess of 10% make hole trouble likely. Therefore,in unweighted WBF, drilled-solids content of 8% ormore by volume can be considered to be excessive.

An unweighted fresh WBF with a density of 9.49.6 ppg contains 910% LGS. Allowing the den-sity to increase beyond 9.6 without the use ofweight material endangers the rheological proper-ties. The acceptable concentration of LGS is alwaysdependant on particle size. The closer to 10% theLGS content is, the more effect ultra-fine solidshave.

OBM can tolerate higher solids concentrations.Drilled-solids concentrations as high as 12% by

Acceptable Solids

(Continued on page 4)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

PercentSolids(%)

8.0 8.5 9.0 9.5 10.0 10.5 11.0 11.5 12.0 12.5 13.0 13.5 14.0 14.5 15.0 15.5 16.0 16.5 17.0 17.5 18.0

Mud Weight (ppg)

Solids Content of Water

Based Drilling Fluids

For water-based mudswith less than 25,000

ppm Cl- or 6% oil.

Solids Content using low gravitysolids (2.55 sp. gr.) and water.

Solids Content using high gravitysolids (4.2 sp. gr.) and water.

Approximate Range of Field Mud inGood Condition.

Drilling Fluids


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PAGE 4

deceptively low. MBT contents of 40-60 ppb in aweighted 12 ppg mud might only have a couple ofpercent DS if the MBT is deducted from the LGS.

On the other hand, if you dont deduct some-thing for the clays you may spend an exorbitantamount of money trying to keep the solids under

this arbitrary limit.

Graphic AnalysisThe graph for acceptable solids in a WBF (page

3) has as the upper limit for mud in good cond i-tion the solids content with pure Barite plus an arbi-trary % LGS to come up with an acceptable % sol-ids for every mud weight.

The graph for OBM (below) varies with oil/water ratio (O/W). The solids content limit in OBMis different from the WBM limits. For one thing,clays dont hydrate, so the MBT (which isnt meas-ured anyway) cant be used in the calculation. Thelimit on allowable percent solids varies signifi-cantly with O/W. The O/W changes the amount ofoil, which is the external phase. Since water as partof the internal phase acts as a solid, the more waterthere is in the mud the less solids can be tolerated.

Acceptable Solids(Continued from page 3)

volume may be acceptable with these fluids whenthey are unweighted. This corresponds to an un-weighted density of about 9.2 ppg.

Rheological problems are much more frequent

and serious in weighted fluids because of theirhigher solids content, their reduced tolerance forultra-fines, and the fact that degradation of largerparticles leads to a progressive increase in the con-centration of fine particles. Excessive concentra-tions of fine and colloidal solids are known to re-duce penetration rates and, by reducing filter cakequality, lead to troublesome hole conditions by in-creasing torque, drag, and the risk of sticking thedrill string. In order to avoid these problems, Bar-iteor an alternative weighting agent should be

used when the desired density is above 9.6 ppgwith WBF, or 9.2 ppg with OBM's.

Cation-Exchange Capacity

The effect of Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)as measured by the Methylene Blue Test (MBT) oncalculating DS content is an important issue whendrilling reactive clays.The formula for DS in-volves calculating thelow gravity solids, as op-posed to high gravity

solids like Barite, andthen subtracting theMBT. This assumes thatthe MBT is all comingfrom commercial Ben-tonite and should not becounted as DS. The pur-pose of this calculation isto allow the addition ofGel to the mud for vis-cosity control after the

drilled solids have beenreduced to an acceptablelevel. In most of Califor-nia and in other areaswith highly bentoniticclays, deducting theMBT from the LGS canleave a DS content that is

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Per

centSolids(%)

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18Mud Weight (ppg)

Solids Content

Oil Base Drilling MudDrilling Fluids, Inc.

Water Phase10.0 ppg

95/5 Oil/Water Ratio




Maximum

Recommended Solids

Water Base Mud


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PAGE 5

USE OF COMPANY VEHICLES

T he following is taken from the GEO DrillingFluids Employee Handbook. Note in particularPart 5 below. Non-employees are not covered byGEOs insurance. The company vehicle is not in-tended to replace your family car. It is not OK to letyour spouse or anyone else drive the vehicle.

It is extremely important that:

1) You must drive safely and defensively.

2) You must obey all traffic laws and regula-tions.

3) You must maintain your license as current at

all times.

4) You must maintain a DMV point count of twoor less. A DMV point count of two may evenget you disqualified. The qualification ordisqualification is entirely up to the insur-ance provider and is irrespective of anyDMV restrictions.

5) You must not allow any person otherthan a GEO employee to drive a GEO ve-hicle.

6) The possession of a company vehicle is aprivilege necessary for commuting pur-poses on a 24-hour seven-day per weekbasis. Fuel and maintenance are providedfor business purposes. The employee mustpay a mileage fee for non-business vehicleuse. The amount charged is calculated us-ing Special Method #3 CommutingValue as detailed in Appendix J. The com-pany may rescind the use of this vehicle foremployees not adhering to company poli-

cies.

ANSWERSTOWHATDOYOUWANTITTOBE?

1.4.2specificgravity2.5.61cubicfeetperbarrel3.MWxDx0.052=psi4.2.55-2.65specificgravity5.1469and35

20 ml Fann style

10 ml Baroid

50 ml Baroid style

MUD RETORT

Mud checking retorts are used to distill drilling mudinto oil, water and solids. They come in at leastthree distinct models. Baroid 10 ml, Baroid 50 ml andFann 20 ml.

The most common model for field use is the Baroid10 ml type. The thermostat on this model can be ad-

justed, but only if a thermometer is available to measurethe proper 950 F maximum temperature. Failure to usea thermometer can result in over-heating which has seri-ous consequences for the equipment. A seized cell canmake further testing impossible. Using big wrenchesposes the risk of bending or deforming the cell ruiningthe equipment. Excessive heat for long periods can actu-ally melt the internal parts and render the equipmentuseless.

The Baroid style in the 50 ml size operates in prettymuch the same way as the 10 ml model. It is more accu-rate because of the larger sample size.

Oil base mud can be retorted in either of these Bar-oid style machines. Use of a 10 ml centrifuge cylinderallows the engineer to spin the sample, more clearlyidentifying the oil water contact. Oil Field InstrumentTesting Equipment, (OFITE) has a variant on the 50 mlmachine which includes an electronic thermostat anddigital temperature readout. This makes it easier to seehow the test is progressing.

The other style retort is the Fann mini-still. This wasdeveloped for use with a self-contained mud kit, de-signed to be used with the 12 volt power supply in a caror pickup. The heating element comes in both 12 voltand 115 volt for use in an environment where regularelectric power is available. The portable mud kit alsoused a 12 volt motor for the VG meter and had a samplemixer for pilot testing which was also 12 volt.

The Fann mini-still should never be used for oilbased mud. The steel wool selected for any retort shouldbe 000 according to the API specifications. This is avail-able in the paint department of hardware stores.


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PAGE 6

Safety Glasses(Continued from page 1)

pick up the glasses, and was shocked to find that ascrew had penetrated the sunglasses. The force ofthis screw hitting the glasses had knocked them off!This man's brother-in-law is an eye doctor, and he

stated that the screw would not have blinded thismanit would have killed him! Behind your eyesocket, there is no bone between the eye and thebrain. Anything that has a lot of force can gothrough the somewhat soft tissue of your eye andinto the brain.

Dont Get Nailed

Surprisingly, this isnt a warning about the dan-gers of nail guns, although that is a likely topic. No,it is an advertisement for goggles.

The perforated firefighter in this picture was ata drill on a roof, working with a chain saw. He hit a

nail that had missed the rafter. The chainsaw shotthe nail upward, hitting the firefighters eye protec-tion and deflecting into the nearest soft tissue,where it embedded itself a half-inch.

Hes smiling in the first photo, but dont let thatfool youthis has gotta hurt. He has every reason

to be happyhe was one precaution away fromwearing an eye patch and seeing things in one di-mension for the rest of his life, or ending his liferight there.

Doctors treated a fractured bone, and he wasback at work the next day.

PPEPPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment.

It varies from job to job and task to task. When indoubt, wear eye protection. Protecting your eyes is

easy to do and the consequences of not doing it canhaunt you the rest of your life. Wear safety glasseswhen required Every single time during the wholejob.

Are you in danger of becoming a statistic?Thousands of people are blinded each year fromwork-related eye injuries that could have been pre-vented with the proper selection and use of eye andface protection. Eye injuries alone cost more than$300 million per year in lost production time, medi-cal expenses, and worker compensation.

OSHA requires the use of personal protective

equipment (PPE) to reduce employee exposure tohazards when engineering and administrative con-

Safety Glasses(Continued on page 7)

PROTECTYOUR EYES

FROM THESE

HAZARDS


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PAGE 7

Remem ber Wear saf e t y g lasses w hen p e r f o r m ing

an y k in d o f y ar d w o r k o r w o r k in g w i t h m ach in er y .

SA FETY COM M UNI CA TI ON I have read the safety bulletin covering Safety Glasses and other Personal Protective Equip-

ment (PPE) in the GEO Technical Newsletter ofFebruary 15, 2006.

Print your name: Eye protection can save your

Signed: PPE should be worn

Date: The use of PPE is required by

Comments:

Please answer the questions, sign, date and return to Andy Philips, Safety Coordinator / Tech-nical Services Manager within one month of publication date. Any comments would be appre-ciated.

Thank You.

GEO Drilling Fluids, Inc. ! P.O. Box 1478 ! Bakersfield, CA 93302Telephone (661) 325-5919 ! FAX (661) 325-5648 ! 1-800-GETSGEO ! [email protected]

Drilling Fluids, Inc.

Safety Glasses(Continued from page 6)

trols are not feasible or effective in reducing theseexposures to acceptable levels.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) for the

eyes and face is designed to prevent or lessen theseverity of injuries to workers.

Safety glasses are available in the lab for allfield employees. A full face shield should be wornwhen using a grinder or cut off saw. Welding re-quires the proper tinted lenses for the type of workbeing done. Dont expect safety glasses to protectyour eyes from welding sparks.

I do a lot of grinding and I had to start wearing

a face shield because my safety glasses were so pit-ted I couldnt see said one employee.

I did some gas torch cutting with just myglasses for protection until I noticed the pieces ofslag embedded in the plastic lenses. said another.

It is the companies responsibility to see that youprotect yourself while at work. It is also in the com-panys best interest that you protect yourself ahome and at play. A severe eye injury edging thelawn or cutting firewood takes you out of the work-force. We are a team and hate to see anyone hurt. Asa business, injuries at home mean increased costs toGEO to provide or train your replacement.

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Bulletin for LGS