PE 4210 FLUID LOSS

Author: Kaique Dantas Silva

73558 3F
Abstract

If the fluid loss is excessive, the
following problems can occur:

Formation instability;
Formation damage;
Fractured formation and loss of
drilling fluid.

Analyzing the properties of the mud
and its behavior allows the drilling
engineer to predict the behavior of the
mud and simulate it in the wellbore.
Introduction

In the field, low Pressure/low
Temperature and high Pressure/high
Temperature fluid-loss tests are
performed routinely. In the laboratory,
it is allowed to measure the fluid loss
under dynamic conditions using the
Fann 90 viscometer. The fluid is heated
and pressurized. Fluid loss is measured,
giving a sophisticated simulation of the
drilling fluid circulating in the wellbore.
A fluid loss test determines the capacity
of cement slurry to retain its water or to
lose a portion of its water as a filtrate to
the formation. Insufficient fluid loss
control can result in the cement slurry
dehydrating and bridging off the
annulus, preventing the slurry from
being pumped to its final location and
leaving excess cement in the casing.


Procedure

First of all, the equipment is calibrated
using water, so that the properties of
water are already known by the theory.
After all the equipment has been
calibrated, the following steps are
taken:

1. Mix approximately 500 ml
sample of the following muds:

A - 5% Bentonite
B - 5% Bentonite + 2 ppb
salt
D -Saturated salt mud
(SSM) consisting of 125 ppb
NaCl + 28 ppb attapulgite
E - SSM + 6 ppb starch
G - SSM + 5% bentonite
I - Weighted, high solids
mud consisting of 5%
Bentonite, 5 lb/bbl illite, 5
lb/bbl dolomite and 40
lb/bbl barite
J - Weighted mud (as above)
+ 5 ppb starch
K - 8% Bentonite
L - 4% KwikThik

2. Measure the density of the muds
with the mud balance;
3. Measure the 300 and 600 RPM
reading with the viscometer;
4. Measure the resistivity of the
drilling fluid with the resistivity
meter;
5. Using the filter press, measure
the filtrate loss at the following
time intervals for each sample:
1,2,3,4,5,7.5,10,15,20,25,30
minutes;
6. Measure and record the filter
cake thickness using the Vernier
caliper;
7. Measure and record the
resistivity of the mud cake using
the resistivity meter.

Results
After taking the steps shown in the
procedure session, it is possible to
obtain the followings data:

MUD A:

Density - 8.6 lb/gal
300 rpm 10
600 rpm - 14.5
Mud resistivity - 6 ohm*meter
Mud temperature - 23.4 C
Mud Sodium Chloride 0.9 ppm
Filtrate loss:
1 min - 5.5 mL
2 min - 8 mL
3 min - 9 mL
4 min - 10 mL
5 min - 10.5 mL
7.5 min - 12.5 mL
10 min - 14 mL
15 min - 16 mL
20 min - 18 mL
25 min - 19.5 mL
30 min - 21 mL
Cake thickness - 10 mm
Cake resistivity - 10 ohm*meter
Cake temperature - 22.6 C
Cake Sodium Chloride - 0.5 k ppm

MUD B:

Density - 8.75 ppg
300 RPM - 3.8
600 RPM - 6
Mud Resistivity - 0.4 ohm-meter
Mud Temperature - 24 C
Mud Sodium Chloride - 16 k ppm
Filtrate loss:
1 min - 8 ml
2 min - 11 ml
3 min - 13.5 ml
4 min- 15.5 ml
5 min - 17.5 ml
7.5 min - 21 ml
10 min- 24 ml
15 min - 30.5 ml
20 min -34 ml
25 min - 38 ml
30 min 41 ml
Filter Cake Thickness 3 mm
Cake Resistivity - 0.36 ohm-meter
Cake Temperature 25 C
Cake Sodium Chloride - 17 k ppm

MUD D:

Mud density - 10.25ppg
300 RPM - 5.5
600 RPM 10.5
Mud resistivity 5.2 ohm
Mud temperature - 22.2C
Mud Sodium Chloride 1.25k ppm
Filtrate loss:
1 min - 27 ml
2 min - 40 ml
3 min 47.5 ml
4 min 54.5 ml
5 min 60.5 ml
7.5 min - 74 ml
10 min 84.5 ml
15 min - 102 ml
20 min - 117 ml
25 min 130.5ml
30 min 142mL
Filtrate cake thickness - 6 mm
Cake Resistivity - 0.04 ohm
Cake Temperature - 24.9C
Cake Sodium Chloride - 260 k ppm

MUD E:

Density - 10.1 lb/gal
300 RPM - 17.5
600 RPM- 28
Mud Resistivity - 0.15 ohm-meters
Mud Temperature 23.3 C
Mud Sodium Chloride- 50 k ppm
Filtrate loss:
1 min- 0.5 mL
2 min- 1.0 mL
3 min - 1.5 mL
4 min- 2.0 mL
5 min- 2.5 mL
7.5 min- 3.0 mL
10 min- 3.5mL
15 min- 4.3 mL
20 min- 5.1 mL
25 min - 6.0 mL
30 min- 6.5 mL
Filter cake Thickness- 1.5 mm
Cake resistivity- 1.25 ohm-meters
Cake temperature- 24.4 C
Cake sodium chloride- 2.5 k ppm

MUD G:

Density - 10.5 lb/gal
300 RPM - 8.5 degrees
600 RPM- 15.5 degrees
Mud Resistivity - 0.05 ohm-meters
Mud Temperature 23.2 C
Mud Sodium Chloride- 190 ppm
Filtrate loss:
1 min- 17 mL
2 min- 23 mL
3 min - 30 mL
4 min- 35 mL
5 min- 40 mL
7.5 min- 50 mL
10 min- 58.5 mL
15 min- 72 mL
20 min- 84 mL
25 min - 95 mL
30 min- 102 mL
Filter cake Thickness- 9.0 mm
Cake resistivity- 0.08 ohm-meters
Cake temperature- 28.9 C
Cake sodium chloride- 90 k ppm

MUD I :

Density 9.4 lb/gal
300 RPM 12
600 RPM- 17
Mud Resistivity - 10 ohm-meters
Mud Temperature 24.4 C
Mud Sodium Chloride- 5.5 ppm
Filtrate loss:
1 min- 3.5 mL
2 min- 4.5 mL
3 min - 6 mL
4 min- 7 mL
5 min- 8.5 mL
7.5 min- 10 mL
10 min- 10.5 mL
15 min- 14.5 mL
20 min- 17 mL
25 min - 19 mL
30 min- 20.5 mL
Filter cake Thickness- 2.5 mm
Cake resistivity- 5.0 ohm-meters
Cake temperature- 24.7 C
Cake sodium chloride- 1 k ppm

MUD J :

Density 9.08 lb/gal
300 RPM 14.7
600 RPM- 22.5
Mud Resistivity - 6 ohm-meters
Mud Temperature 23.3 C
Mud Sodium Chloride- 0.7 kppm
Filtrate loss:
1 min- 2.4 mL
2 min- 2.7 mL
3 min - 3 mL
4 min- 3.5 mL
5 min- 3.8 mL
7.5 min- 4.5 mL
10 min- 5 mL
15 min- 6.1 mL
20 min- 7.0 mL
25 min 7.5 mL
30 min- 8.3 mL
Filter cake Thickness- 2.3 mm
Cake resistivity- 4.6 ohm-meters
Cake temperature- 25.3 C
Cake sodium chloride- 1 k ppm

MUD K:

Density 8.7 lb/gal
300 RPM 29.75
600 RPM- 40.5
Mud Resistivity 4.8 ohm-meters
Mud Temperature 25.3 C
Mud Sodium Chloride- 1.3 kppm
Filtrate loss:
1 min- 2.75 mL
2 min- 3.57 mL
3 min 4.5 mL
4 min- 5 mL
5 min- 5.5 mL
7.5 min- 6.25 mL
10 min- 7.5 mL
15 min- 9 mL
20 min- 10.5 mL
25 min 11.5 mL
30 min- 12.5 mL
Filter cake Thickness- 3 mm
Cake resistivity- 10.0 ohm-meters
Cake temperature- 22.9 C
Cake sodium chloride- 0.55 k ppm

MUD L:

Density 8.6 lb/gal
300 RPM 30
600 RPM- 37
Mud Resistivity 7.7 ohm-meters
Mud Temperature 23.8 C
Mud Sodium Chloride- 0.65 kppm
Filtrate loss:
1 min- 8.5 mL
2 min- 11.5 mL
3 min 13.5 mL
4 min- 14.25 mL
5 min- 15.5 mL
7.5 min- 17.5 mL
10 min- 21.5 mL
15 min- 26.0 mL
20 min- 30 mL
25 min 33.25 mL
30 min- 36.25 mL
Filter cake Thickness- 9 mm
Cake resistivity- 1.3 ohm-meters
Cake temperature- 23.9 C
Cake sodium chloride- 50 k ppm

Mud cake thickness is obtained in
millimeters (mm), it is allowed to be
converted to the nearest

inch by
dividing the value by 25.4 e multiplying
by 32. So it is acquired for:

Mud A: 12.6 inches
Mud B: 3.78 inches
Mud D: 7.56 inches
Mud E: 1.89 inch
Mud G: 11.3 inches
Mud I: 3.15 inches
Mud J: 2.90 inches
Mud K: 3.78 inches
Mud L: 11.3 inches

Using the following equation, it is
possible to obtain the fluid loss at 30
minutes and make sure that the theory
(equation) and the experiment (data
above) are approximately equals.

So, it is obtained the followings results
for:
Mud A: 25mL
Mud B: 42mL
Mud D: 146mL
Mud E: 6mL
Mud G: 100mL
Mud I: 20mL
Mud J: 35mL
Mud K: 12.5mL
Mud L: 35mL

Taking the values obtained in the
laboratory, it can graph (attachment)
the fluid loss vs. square root of time and
calculate the spurt loss, so it is possible
to obtain the value of the water loss at
30 minutes, but accounting for spurt
loss (Eq.2). If the Spurt loss is not
significant, the fluid loss will not take
the spurt loss into account (Eq.1).

Spurt Loss Mud A:

Spurt Loss Mud B:

Spurt Loss for Mud D:

Spurt Loss for Mud E is not significant.

Spurt Loss for Mud G:

Spurt Loss for Mud I is not significant.

Spurt Loss for Mud J:

Spurt Loss for Mud K:

Spurt Loss for Mud L:

All graph required by the discussion
of this report can be found attached
to the report itself.

Mud K has a lower fluid loss than Mud
A because its composition has more
Bentonite (solid material) than Mud A,
which causes a stronger filter cake
that is able to have a more effective seal
than the filter cake of Mud A, so the
filtrate will be less.
Depending on what the additive will be
applied, there are two common
additives that can be used. The first one
is starch. Starch is an organic additive
and it is highly water soluble, which is
good for increasing the seal. On the
other hand, it does not support high
temperatures (>93C). For being
organic material, it will ferment over
time, so it is possible to avoid that using
high concentrations of salt. Dissolving
starch in warm water gives wheat paste,
which can be used as a thickening,
stiffening or gluing agent. The second
one is known as CMC (Sodium
Carboxymethyl cellulose), it is anionic
polymer. Its properties allow it to
mixture with the water until all the
water is bound to it. It can be used at
high temperatures (up to 148C), but it
does not support high concentrations of
salt. Therefore, the basics difference
between Starch and CMC are the
temperatures and concentration of salt
that they can be exposed and do not
degrade.
Analyzing the graphs (attachments)
allows reading the properties of the
mud and predicting their behavior when
applied into the well, and of course,
comparing the muds. Except for Mud E
and I, all the others have significant loss
due to its components that have a
weaker power of seal. Having a low
capacity of seal can cause damage to
the drilling, so the filtration loss must
be taken care of, since it can lead to
different problems, as formation
instability, formation damage, fractured
formation and loss of drilling fluid. The
thicker the mud cake becomes the less
will filtrate in the end, it means that in
the beginning of the filtration, there is
not much mud accumulated at the
bottom to filter the fluid, but as long as
the mud accumulates (mud cake
grows), the more fluid is filtrate.


Conclusions
Fluid loss must be controlled to obtain
the right rheological properties for
placing the cement and to ensure a
good cement bond to pipe and
formation. Knowing the fluid and its
properties allows predicting its behavior
and have a draft for what will probably
happen once the drilling fluid is
injected.


References
1. Nygaard, R. 2014. Lab #4 Fluid
Loss

2. Nygaard, R. 2014. Lab Report
Manual.