Novel Weight Material Provides Various Fluid Solutions

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Novel Weight Material Provides Various Fluid
Solutions
AADE Fluids Management Group Meeting

• Jim Friedheim

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WARP Technology

• WARP (Weighting Agent Research Project) fluids
  are drilling and completion fluids formulated
  with a high-density, extremely stable, liquid
  suspension of micron-sized barite.
• Barite
• Hematite
• Ilmenite
• Calcium Carbonate
• Supplied as oil-based or water-based suspensions
• Contrary to popular belief, the micron-sized WARP
  materials give low viscosity and enhanced fluid
  properties.

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WARP what is it?

• WARP fluids are micron sized, polymer coated
  weighting agents, prepared by grinding Barite (or
  other minerals) in water or oil to 1/50th of its
  original size, and added to water based drilling
  and completion fluids as a high density slurry.

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WARP - Typical Particle Size Distribution
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Just how fine is that?
1 micron WARP particle shown alongside against
human blood cells
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Particle Settlement using Stokes Law
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WARP Perceived Benefits

• Sag potential of weighting material drastically
  reduced
• Safer and more secure well control
• The ability to design fluids with low, flat
  viscosity profiles
• Reduced Equivalent Circulating Density (ECD)
• Reduced surge/swab pressures / increased tripping
  speeds
• Lower pump pressure, increased pump rate, better
  hole cleaning
• Improved lubricity
• Up to 50 reduction in Cf. in lab tests and 28
  in the field
• Increased Solids Control Efficiency
• Reduced waste and improved recycling
• Overall less mud-related downtime

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Oil-Based WARP Applications

• ERD wells
• Reduced pump pressures and ECD will alllow longer
  reach to be attained
• Slim hole
• Increased lubricity and low viscosity should
  increase ROP and horizontal reach in CTD and TTRD
  applications
• HTHP Drilling
• Reduced sag and ECD will help with pressure
  control and reduce downtime
• Specialist applications (oil- and water-based)
• Remediation of wells with casing pressure build
  up
• Low-sag packer fluids
• Reduced failure with pressure-activated
  completion tools

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Oil-based WARP - FIRST FIELD TRIAL

• Background Information
• 8 ½ reservoir section from 2766 to 4053m MD
  (9075 13297)
• Hole angle approx. 60 degrees
• Density 1.58 sg (13.17 ppg)
• 160 Bar (2321 psi) overbalance in lower part of
  the reservoir
• Pre-determined Success Criteria
• Drill well to TD
• Controllable rheological properties while
  drilling, running liner and cementing.
• No losses to the formation
• Acceptable working conditions / no reported HSE
  incidents.
• Similar or improved cement job

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Fluid Properties

• Section Properties
• Density (sg / ppg) 1.58 / 13.17
• O/W ratio 72/28 84/16
• HTHP F. Loss 1.2 6.4
• 100 rpm 15 19
• 3 rpm 3 4
• 10 Second Gel 4 6
• Activity 0.89 0.82
• LGS ( by vol) 0.7 6.8
• ES (v) 675 706
• XS Lime (kg/m³) 8.5 11.5

Typical Rheology _at_ 500 C
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Observations I

• Logistics
• Pumped 1.99 sg OB WARP concentrate without
  problems to a total height of 38 39 meters at
  1000 L/min with 17.2 bar
• ROP
• No noticeable difference, 392 m/day average
• Pump Rate and Pump Pressure
• Generally higher pump rate possible with OB WARP
• Average SPP of 258 bar at 1986 L/min
• Torque
• Noticeable improvement
• Liner torque was 24-25 kNM vs. simulated 27 kNM

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Observations II reduced ECD
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Observations III

• Hole cleaning
• No pack-offs or uneven pump pressures
• Product Consumption
• Similar to previous wells
• Mud consumption
• 2.44 m3 mud / m3 open hole vs. 4.1 m3 mud / m3
  (ave. over 19 sections)
• Screen configuration
• 4 shakers fitted with 3250 mesh and 1200 mesh
  screens _at_ 2100 lpm
• Running and rotating liner at TD
• No problems RIH Full rotation of liner during
  cementing
• Cementing
• No losses to formation. Casing cemented per plan
• HSE
• No reported incidents but needs more attention
  (liquid weight material vs. dry powder)

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Oil-based WARP - SECOND FIELD TRIAL

• Background
• 5? TTRD section from 3301 to 4270m MD (10830
  14009).
• Hole angle KO at 60, drop to 35 then build
  back up to 75.
• MW 1.56 sg (13.0 ppg).
• 130 Bar (1885 psi) overbalance in lower part of
  reservoir
• Evaluation Criteria
• Stress test the WARP system
• Fluid parameters
• Sag stability
• Product consumption
• Verify drillability with the system
• ROP and ECD
• Torque
• Pumprate /Pump pressure

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Fluid Properties

• Section Properties
• Density (sg) 1.54 1.56
• Density (ppg) 12.8 13.0
• O/W ratio 79/21 84/16
• HTHP F. Loss 1.6 2.8
• 100 rpm 13 15
• 3 rpm 2 3
• 10 Second Gel, 3 4
• Activity 0.93 0.85
• LGS ( by vol) 1.4 7.0
• ES (v) 660 725

Typical Rheology _at_ 500 C
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Observations I

• The fluid parameters remained stable over time
  with low rheological profile and no sag.
• No increase in product additions necessary
• Decreased overall consumption (6.8 vs 8.6)
• ECD as expected from simulations
• Increased pump rate / reduced pressure cf. OBM
• ROP similar or improved over comparable well
• Hole cleaning Good no sign of cuttings bed
• No ECD variations or increased pump pressure
• No pack-offs, constant low torque

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Observations II

• Torque
• Noticable improvement over conventional OBM
• Confirms values from Field Trial 1
• Measured Friction Factors
• 0.155 in casing vs. typically 0.17
• 0.14 in open hole vs. typically 0.19

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Conclusions

• Oil-based WARP technology allows us to construct
  fluids with low rheological profiles. This in
  turn makes it possible to reduce the ECD
• Oil-based WARP fluids are much more stable
  towards sag than conventional OBM.
• The combination of low viscosity combined with
  small particle sizes give room for efficient
  solids separation at surface with reduced fluid
  dilution and fluid consumption as a result.
• Downhole lubricity expressed as torque was 10
  28 improved over similar wells drilled with
  conventional OBM.

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Conclusions

• WARP technology also provides novel solution to
  fluid problems suchs as
• ERD Drilling which has ECD lubricity
  constraints
• Sustained casing pressure remediation
• Brine applications limited by environmentral or
  cost considerations
• Non-Sagging High Density/Low Viscosity drilling
  fluids options
• CT
• TTRD
• HTHP Applications for mittigating sag tendencies