The Use of Coconut Fibre as Standard pH Enhancer for Drilling Mud Formulation
Chapter One
Objectives of the Study
The objectives of this research project are as follows;
- To obtain local materials (Coconut fiber) from indigenous markets for analysis.
- To perform the formulation of the drilling mud samples for the experiment.
- To investigate the effectiveness of coconut fiber (burnt coconut fibre) in pH control in drilling mud.
- To determine the pH and rheological properties of the formulated drilling mud
- To compare results with values of imported chemicals (such as Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) used as pH controller in drilling mud.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Drilling engineering is one of the challenging disciplines in the petroleum industry. Significant advancements have been made in past decades which have allowed the petroleum industry worldwide to economically and successfully exploit underground reverse that were not been possible. Considerable research studies have been done in drilling fluid technology to understand drilling fluid properties for successful and economic completion of an oil well. The cost of drilling fluid itself is relatively small. But the maintenance of the right properties while drilling profoundly influence total well cost. America Petroleum Institute (API) has a recommended practice for testing liquid drilling fluid properties; regular interval testing of drilling fluid properties helps mud engineers determine proper functioning of drilling fluid. According to Bourgoyne Jr. (1986), drilling fluid is related directly or indirectly to most of drilling problems. Diagnostic testing of drilling mud is not limited to type of drilling mud for each hole interval but also to properties of such mud; density, rheology ( flow properties), filtration and solid content, as well as chemical properties of such as pH, mud properties are field controlled and properly maintained at their pre-selected values to avoid drilling problems.
Rheology is defined as physics of the flow and the deformation of matter. Rheology and the associated annular hydraulics relate directly to borehole stability and how effectively the borehole is cleaned. An understanding of rheology is essential if well site engineering of the drilling fluid is to be cost effectively complement the objective of drilling the well. Rheology and hydraulics of drilling fluids are not exact sciences, but are based upon mathematical models that closely describe the rheology and hydraulics of the fluid and do not conform exactly to any of the models.
Viscosity
This refers to the drilling mud internal resistance to flow. It is a measure of the thickness or thinness of the mud. It is measured with a marsh funnel in quarts/sec, or with a viscometer in centipoise. This property enhances the cutting removal function of the mud. Excessive viscosity is undesirable because of the pressure that can be generated by higher viscosity in the borehole when pumping horizontally.
Newtonian fluids: are those whose flow behaviour can be fully described by a single term called the Newtonian viscosity, µ. For these fluids, examples of which include water and light oil, the shear stress (, force per unit area) is directly proportional to the shear rate γ in sec-1, see fig. 2.1. This implies that if the shear stress is doubled, the shear rate is also doubled and vice versa. The rheological equation is given by:
τ=μγ (2.1)
The equation shows that fluid begin to flow as soon as shearing force is applied. The fraction μ= is a constant at temperature and pressure and is called the dynamic viscosity of the fluid expressed in poise or centipoise (CP) (Bourgoyne et al., 1986).
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
Experimental Procedure
The purpose of this research project is to investigate the effectiveness of coconut fiber as pH control material in drilling mud.
The laboratory experimentation was carried out in the drilling fluid laboratory of the department of Petroleum and Natural Gas, college of technology, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, (FUPRE).
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Results
PH of blank mud = 9.5
PH of Burnt coconut fiber (BCF) filtrate = 13.0
Mud Temperature = 27 oC
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
CONCLUSION
From the result analysis of the experiment conducted on water base mud using local additives as pH control agent, it was established that the local additives (coconut fiber) had great effect on the mud pH significantly. The burnt coconut fiber imparted pH of 13.0
These imparted pH values are comparable to standard imported foreign pH additives like Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) that imparted 13.8 respectively. It can be concluded that the foreign additives such as Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) imparted 0.05 pH unit more than the local burnt coconut fiber.
From the economic justification, the use of these local additives would save a minimum of $ 0.975 per barrel of drilling mud formulated.
RECOMMENDATION
From the conclusion of this research project, it is recommended that since the local additives imparted almost the same as the foreign additives, it can therefore be used in place of the foreign additives as pH control agent in drilling mud. Also, since it saves a minimum cost of $ 0.975 per barrel of drilling mud formulated, it is recommended to be used in the oil and gas industry for its cost effectiveness. Hence, this result will go a long way to promote the prospect for local materials in the oil and gas industry thereby promoting local content development.
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