General Questions

1- How do you run the MBT test?

1 ml Mud + 10 ml distilled water + 15 ml Hydrogen peroxide 3% + 0.5 ml 5N H2So4

Boil it gently for 10 min’s, add 50 ml distilled water + 0.5 ml Methylene blue

Use a filter paper to drop on it, the end point is a Greenish-blue dyed ring.

Methylene blue capacity of mud = (ml of methylene blue * 5) / ml of mud

2- At what temperature do you measure pH?

75 F

3- What is the relation between pH and temperature?

Reverse relationship

4- What is the API ( not the test)?

API = American Petroleum Institute.

5- At salinity 50000 how do you measure pH?

By PH Meter

6- What is the types of shale geologically?

Based on their clay minerals:

A- Needle Shaped Non-swelling clays: Attapulgite/sepiolite.

B- Plate like, Non-swelling clays: illite, chlorite, kaolinite.

C- Plate like, Swelling: Montmorillonites/smectite.

7- Why potassium make inhibition?

The small size of the potassium that fits between the clay sheets with its positive charge

attracts the sheets closer together decreasing the interlayer spaces decreasing the

tendency of swelling.

8- Does the potassium always works as a shale inhibition?

 No, some shales contain clay minerals like illite that already contain the potassium ion.

9- Why don't you use sodium in OBM?

Because of Sodium’s Water activity, salinity.

10- Why calcium is better in OBM?

Water activity of Cacl2 = 0.4, Nacl = 0.75

Salinity of Cacl2 = 355k mg/l, Nacl= 188k mg/l

Ca++ helps to form the calcium soap.

11- What is the hardness?

Dissolved ions in water such as Calcium and Magnesium.

12- What is the value we get from EDTA in hardness test?

Amount of participated Ca++ in the muds water phase.

13- Why do you add caustic soda in hardness test?

To participate the Mg++ ion.

14- What is the worst contamination in WBM from your point of view?

Solid Contamination.

15- What is Pf?

Phenolphthalein of Filtrate.

16- How to mix OBM?

A- Base fluid (Diesel, Safra oil)

B- Primary Emulsifier

C- Lime

D- Brine

E- Organophilic clay

F- Secondary emulsifier
 G- Filtration control additive

H- Weighting agent

17- What is the wetting agent?

It’s the secondary emulsifier it’s a surfactant liquid additive main function used to wet the solid

and coat it with the oil and also improves thermal stability and HTHP filtration control, reduces

effects of water contamination.

18- What happen if solids get wet?

If it’s wetted with water it will show an increase in viscosity and PV, high gel, low E.S and free

water in HTHP filtrate, Barite (weighting agent) will separate off on the shakers.

19- Do you need wetting agent if the OBM is solid free?

Yes, the wetting agent not only wet the solid but also the water it is treated as a solid.

20- What is the formate mud?

It’s a organic salt contains C and Hydrogen strengthens polymers c and H bonds such as

Viscosifier’s and starch, its used as a solid free drill in reservoir fluid, spotting fluid for logging,

packer fluid and completion fluid.

Used to drill sections with high over balance, solid free, slim slick sections, high lubricity for its

low solid.

Formate muds such as: K (98 pcf), Cs (143 pcf), Na (83 pcf).

21- Why we use formate not KCL solid free mud?

Na and Potassium formate have higher densities than KCL.

Kcl = 72 pcf

Na Formate= 83 pcf

K Formate= 98 pcf.

22- What is the most important test in formate mud?

 The Brine Content.

23- What is the starch?

Naturally occurring polymers with complex structures they have higher molecular weights than

synthetic polymers and they are less temperature stable and have a low tolerance to

Bio-degradation, they are composed of a class of compounds called Polysaccharides (sugar).

When temperatures exceed 225 F they start to break down.

Examples: Potato and corn starch, polysal, (the starches are non-ionic)

24- What is modified starch?

They are natural starch but modified to be polyelectrolytes, most of them are negatively

Charged, when increasing of the ionized sites on the polymer it elongates and uncoils.

Examples: CMC, PAC, Polypac, HEC, Flo-trol.

25- What is the hole cleaning in both vertical and horizontal wells?

In Vertical wells the YP,

Horizontal wells the LSYP, 6 reading = 1.2-1.5 * hole size, hole size < 3 reading < 1.5 * hole size

Lsyp >= hole size

26- What types of sweeps do you use in each?

Vertical wells Hi-Vis sweep YP > 35- 40

Horizontal wells Tandem pill = low-vis (base fluid) + high weight (15-30 pcf+)

27- What is the LSYP? And why at flow rate 300 or 400 gpm we need it?

It’s the carrying capacity of the fluid exerted at the low side of the wellbore, expressed as the low

end or the lowest speed.

@ flow rate 300 or 400 gpm at the deep sections such as 5 7/8” or 6 1/8” with the long depth of the

section and the longer residual time of the cutting its slip velocity might be higher to utilize this

by using the LSYP to remove the cutting from the sides of the well during its lowest speed.

28- What are the other parameters control hole cleaning?

RPM, Controlled ROP, Flow rate, Well bore geometry.

29- Does the annular velocity change with hole size?

Annular velocity is controlled by GPM for each section,

optimum Annular velocity = 130-150 ft/min

30- What is the RPM and its counted by bit or drill pipe rotation?

RPM = Rotation per minute, its counted by the drill pipe rotation.

31- Why RPM helps in hole cleaning?

It helps the pipe to move and turbinate (form a turbulence motion) the cutting beds on the low

side.

32- Who to displace oil base mud to water base mud and vise-versa?

OBM to WBM:

Hi-vis OBM -> Surfactant Pill -> Hi-vis WBM -> WBM (some mud specialist doesn’t want to hear

pump diesel, so this a political answer)

WBM to OBM

Hi-vis WBM -> Hi-vis OBM -> OBM.

Dump contaminated phase.

33- Talk about pipe stuck and which one is the easiest from your point of view?

None of them are easy, slightly easy is differential stuck, there are a lot of stuck pills to use to

free the pipe, in the comparison to most mechanical stuck’s which have a lower possibility to

become free.

34- What is the PHPA?

 Partially Hydrolyzed polyacrylamide.

35- How to perform salinity test in OBM and what the ml of silver nitrate means?

1 ml of mud + 25 ml of Xylene + 25 ml of Isopropyl + 50 ml distilled water

10 drops of potassium chromate, Titrate w/ Silver nitrate (0.282 N) 10,000.

The ml of silver nitrate of the test represents the salinity of the whole mud.

36- How to calibrate retort?

For WBM, calibrate with water, fill up the cell heat up and collect the water in the 10/50 ml

Tube.

For OBM, calibrate with diesel/safra oil, fill up the cell heat up and collect the base fluid in the

10/50 ml Tube.

37- What is the limitation of PHPA?

Are Cationic surfaces and ions such as: Ca++

Definition of PHPA is Partially Hydrolyzed polysaccharides insoluble in water but its co-polymer is

sodium polyacrylate which makes it water soluble, it also has the AMP’s it’s anionic polymer

which it is effected by cationic ions.

38- What will happen if the pH of formate drops?

To avoid the forming of formic acid cause it is extremely corrosive.

39- What do you prefer high or low salinity in WBM and why?

In my opinion High salinity WBM, much easier to weight it up to its required density and its

solid free.

40- Why you use OBM?

Troublesome section with swelling shale.

Drill section on gauge.

 High lubricity, reduced torque.

Drill horizontal and ERD section with no problems.

Easy to control its solids by solid control equipment.

With stand high bottom hole temperatures.

41- Why water doesn’t contact shale in OBM?

Because its water activity, salinity, emulsified in oil as the inner phase.

42- Because the water is emulsified in oil, becoming the inner phase?

The salinity of the inner phase preventing the water to go towards the shale by the osmosis

pressure.

43- What is the emulsified water?

It’s the inner phase of the OBM (invert emulsion)

44- What is the LSND mud?

Low Solid Non-Dispersed Mud: it’s a polymer mud does not contain any dispersants (clay

particles are dispersed in its aqua phase in a equilibrium) , depends on low MBT content by

maintaining dilution rates of water, the weighting agent are HGS to minimize the % of the LGS.

45- How to calculate CaCO3 content in formate mud and what if you drill in carbonate formation?

1 ml formate mud + 9 ml 5N HCL, shake well to dissolved all the CaC03, add 90 ml of distilled

water, shake well, take 10 ml sample + 0.5 ml of 8N NaOH + caliver 2 indicator.

Titrate with EDTA.

% CaCo3 = Amount of EDTA by ml / 0.27

If drilling in carbonate formation will increase the % CaCo3, while drilling with formate mud
 the amount of CaCo3 used in premix is usually 50 ppb any other increase will represent the

amount of carbonate drilled.

46- What is Pom?

Phenolphthalein of Oil Base Mud.

47- What is max weight of kcl and potassium formate?

KCL = 72 pcf

K Formate= 98 pcf

48- What is the pilot test? And 1 pound equal what?

Is to know the right amount of dose to be used while at premix of the fluid or the dose of a

product for treatment purpose to identify the products behavior and concentration on the

fluid by further tests, also to reduce the cost of treatment to use the right doses and

concentration.

49- Who to treat co2 gas?

Treat W/ Lime.

HCO3 mg/l * 0.00021 = Ca(OH)2

CO3 mg/l * 0.00043 = Ca(OH)2

50- How to treat calcium from cement and from formation?

Cement treat w/ Sodium Bicarbonate or Citric acid.

Formation such as Anhydrite or gypsum treat w/ Soda ash.

51- Which one is better to deal with swelled or sloughed shale?

Sloughed Shale, it is just the matter of increasing mud weight but for swelling shale have a high

possibility to cause stuck pipe.

52- Why brine content in formate mud is important?

 To determine the amount of carbonate and % drilled solids in the mud.

It’s very important to maintain the brine concentration and content of the formate.

53- Why pH is important in formate mud?

To avoid the forming of formic acid cause it is extremely corrosive.

54- How to prove that you have a good hole cleaning?

Good mud rheology readings either yp or lsyp depending on well geometry.

Mud weight not increasing, % drilled solids is less than 5%, pv not high or have excessive or

progressive gels.

Decent amount of cuttings on shakers, not too much increase in cuttings after the sweeps.

The torque is steady not fluctuating, while tripping no drags or overpull.

55- What is the water activity Aw?

is the partial vapor pressure of water in a substance divided by the standard state partial vapor

pressure of water.

Its effected by the amount and content of the dissolved ions and cations in the water, common

tests to give an idea about the water activity hardness test and salinity.

56- What is the value of Aw of calcium and sodium chloride at saturation?

Cacl2 = 0.4 and Nacl = 0.75

57- Why Aw is important in shale inhibtion?

When the water activity is low it will help to hydrate and swell the shale.

The higher the water activity the less the tendency the shale will absorb the water between its

interlayer spaces between its sheets.

58- What sweep will you use if you are drilling with 66 degree?

The Tandem pill low-vis + high weight.