Application of nanomaterials in water based mud towards lubricity problem.

Abstract

Formulating a good drilling fluid is the key factor to the success of any drilling operation. There are many problems that occur during drilling operations that reduce the efficiency of the mud such as low lubricity problems. Oil based mud (OBM) can be used to reduce the effects of the mentioned problem compared to water-based mud (WBM). However, due to the environmental and economic factors, the usage of OBM is limited. Hence, this study was conducted to improve the lubricity of WBM using nanomaterials. Two nanomaterials have been used which are graphene nanoparticles (GNP) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) with varying the concentration from 0 – 1.0 g. The rheological properties, API filtration and mud cake thickness at room temperature and after aging at 2500F for 16 hours were tested. It was found that the addition of nanomaterials reduced the coefficient of friction (CoF) of the WBM up to 35%, where the reduction increased with raising the concentration. GNP showed more prospective reduction of CoF of WBM compared to titanium dioxide.