Advanced Mud School
Part XI Mud Related Drilling
Problems and Solutions
Presented By:
Jeff Imrie
August 2006
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Stuck Pipe
• The drill string can be stuck for many
reasons including poor hole cleaning due
to inadequate mud carrying capacity,
sloughing shale, key seating and/or
differential pressure sticking.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Stuck Pipe
• Bridges can be caused by poor cleaning or by sloughing of
the walls into the wellbore.
– The key to a muds lifting capacity is indicated by the
appearance of formation solids coming over the shale
shaker.
– An unusually large amount of shale indicates that the
hole is washing out.
– Rounded edges on large cuttings show that these
pieces have been tumbling in the hole for a long time
and are not being lifted out effectively.
– Long splinters or fissured shale may indicate that the
shale is "popping" into the wellbore, indicative of
overpressured shale.
– At times large amounts of material can remain in the
hole without any surface indication that a hole cleaning
problem exists.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Stuck Pipe
• Large pieces of rock, which are not removed from
the hole often, become lodged between
stabilizers or reamers and the hole.
– If this occurs while drilling, the torque required to
rotate the drill string will increase rapidly.
– If pieces of rock become lodged while making a
connection or during a trip, the additional pull of
the hook will appear as a drag.
– A sudden increase in pump pressure can
sometimes be observed, as bridges form and
restrict mud flow up the annulus
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Stuck Pipe
• Prevention of
stuck pipe is
often the best
remedy
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Stuck Pipe
• Methods of preventing stuck pipe due to
sloughing shale or inadequate hole cleaning
may include the following:
– Increase the viscosity and particularly the
Yield Point of the mud.
• There is no exact yield value that can be
specified, as every situation is unique, but
generally an upper Yield Point of ± 30 lb/100ft2
should clean most cuttings or cavings from the
wellbore.
• Again watch the shale shaker closely to
determine the characteristics of cuttings.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Stuck Pipe
– If possible annular hydraulics should be improved,
to provide faster cuttings transport.
• Pump liners may have to be changed or larger bit
nozzles utilized so that more fluid may be circulated
without excessive pump pressure buildup.
• Critical velocities should be calculated to avoid
turbulent flow that could increase shale problems
by tearing up or eroding the hole.
– Use viscous pills to sweep the hole when drilling.
This is a common and effective practice when
drilling
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Stuck Pipe
– Increasing the mud density may be beneficial in some
cases to balance the pore pressure of the shale, and to
help hold formations in place to stabilize the wellbore.
– Reducing the water loss may help to minimize the
hydration of shales and wetting along bedding planes
with could disperse and slough into the wellbore.
– The drill string itself should be evaluated to minimize
flexure of the string against the sides of the wellbore,
which might tend to physically knock shale from the
walls of the borehole.
– Keep the hole full at all times.
• Avoid excessive surge or swab pressures by tripping
slowly, especially if a float is utilized in the string.
– Use invert mud or inhibitive water base mud.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Differential Sticking
• Differential pressure sticking of the drill pipe
can be defined as the force that holds the pipe
against the wall of the borehole due to the
differential pressure between the hydrostatic
pressure of the mud column and the formation
pressure.
• The pressure differential acts in the direction of
the lower pressure in the formation.
• This pressure pushes the pipe toward the
permeable formation.
• As the pressure differential gets larger, the force
exerted on the pipe gets larger.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Differential Sticking
• Differential stuck pipe occurs most often at a
point next to the drill collars.
• This is due to the drill collars being larger; hence
more surface area is in contact with the side of
the wellbore.
• The following are major factors in differential
pressure sticking:
– The pipe becomes stuck opposite a permeable
formation.
– The sticking occurs after an interruption of pipe
movement.
– The pipe comes in contact with a soft, mushy or
non-resilient type wall cake.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Differential Sticking
• If the pipe is differentially stuck, as
opposed to other types of sticking, the
following will occur:
– Circulation, if interrupted, will be restored
and maintained after sticking is noticed.
– The pipe cannot be raised or lowered.
– No large amounts of cuttings are
circulated out
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Differential Sticking
• The force
required to
move
differentially
stuck pipe
could exceed
the strength of
the drill pipe.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Differential Sticking
• Several preventative steps can be taken to
minimize the chances of becoming stuck:
– The mud density should be maintained as
low as practical, taking into consideration
wellbore stability and potential well control
problems.
– Keep the pipe moving or rotating.
• Avoid undue shutdowns and/or slow
connections.
• Use spiral drill collars to reduce the contact
area against the wellbore.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Differential Sticking
– Maintain a low fluid loss and pay particular
attention to the filter cake; i.e.: it should be
thin, tough and resilient.
• In areas where differential sticking is prevalent,
the high temperature / high pressure fluid loss
should be maintained below 20 ml.
• Adding 2-8% lubricant to the mud system gives
preferential oil wetting to the drill string,
thereby allowing better lubricity and minimizing
the possibility of stuck pipe.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Differential Sticking
• When the drill string become stuck, it is
imperative to act quickly as the sticking
coefficient increases with time.
• To avoid costly and time consuming
wash over operations, a couple of
methods are generally used to free the
pipe.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Differential Sticking - Spotting Fluid
• Spotting crude oil or diesel oil with a surfactant
around the drill collars has gained wide
acceptance.
– There are many surfactants available are are
commonly called spotting fluids.
– If a surfactant is not available on location, a
straight diesel oil pill should be spotted across the
collars as quick as possible.
– If differential sticking is suspected in an area,
always keep a supply of a differential sticking
surfactant on location in the event it may be
required.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Differential Sticking - Spotting Fluid
• Generally enough pill is mixed up to
cover the entire length of the drill collars,
plus an excess of 1.5 m3 (10 bbls) to be left
on top of the collars, and another 3.0 m3
(20 bbls) to be left inside the drill collars.
• Normally 20-25 litres of surfactant is
recommended per cubic metre of diesel oil
(1-2 gal/bbl).
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Differential Sticking - Spotting Fluid
• The pill should be spotted leaving 3 m3 (20 bbls)
inside the drill string.
– The pipe should then be worked by pulling up to a
predetermined over pull weight, applying torque
and releasing the weight at regular intervals.
– The pill across the collars has a tendency to
migrate up the hole; therefore approximately 0.1
m3 (1/2 - 1 bbl) of excess fluid in the pipe should
be pumped every half hour.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Differential Sticking - Spotting Fluid
• An average waiting period is generally 10-12
hours.
– If the pipe does not come free in a reasonable
period of time (maximum of 2 pills), mechanical
methods may be required to free the pipe.
– If the spotting pill has to be weighted due to an
abnormally pressure zone, or to increase the pill
density to that of the mud weight to minimize
migration, the spotting procedure would be the
same although some of the products may be
different.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Differential Sticking – Reduce Hydrostatic
• Reducing the hydrostatic pressure and therefore
the differential pressure with the use of nitrogen
has been tried as another alternative.
– Considerations regarding wellbore stability and
potential well control problems must be evaluated
prior to implementing this method.
– The well is displaced partially or completely with
nitrogen
– The method will normally have some hole
sloughing issues related with it
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Differential Sticking
• Differentially
stuck pipe
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Key Seating
• Keyseating is a situation frequently
encountered in deviated or crooked holes
when the drillpipe wears into the wall.
The normal drilling rotation of the
drillstring cuts into the formation wall in
deviated areas where the drillpipe tension
creates pressure against the sides of the
hole.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Key Seating
• Keyseating is diagnosed when the
drillpipe can be reciprocated within the
range of tool joint distances or until
collar reaches the keyseat, while pipe
rotation and circulation remain normal
– May not be able to rotate when the tool
joint is jammed into the keyseat
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Key Seating
•The friction generated by
drillpipe rotation against the
bore wall cuts a narrow
channel, or keyseat, into the
formation.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Key Seating
• A preventive measure is to carefully control
upper hole deviation and dogleg severity
throughout the well path.
– This action will eliminate the force that leads to
keyseat creation.
– Once a keyseat is formed, the best solution is to
ream out the small-diameter portions of the hole
with reaming tools.
– This action will solve the immediate stuck-pipe
problem, but the keyseat can be formed again
unless preventive steps are taken.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Key Seating
• Attach a reamer
to the drill
assembly to
widen the
keyseat.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Packing Off
• Drilling-fluid systems with poor
suspension characteristics exhibit strong
packing-off tendencies
• Factors that can lead to caving of the
formation include:
– Pressure imbalance
– Shale hydration
– Bottom hole assembly striking the wall
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Packing Off
• Massive particle
caving sticks the
drill bit.
• The Solution is to
increase the
suspension
characteristics of
the mud
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Undergauge Hole
• Undergauge hole is a condition where the
borehole is smaller than the bit diameter
used to drill the section.
• Undergauge hole can result from any of
the following causes:
– Plastic flowing formations
– Wall-cake buildup in a permeable
formation
– Swelling shales
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Undergauge Hole
• A plastic flowing formation is a formation that
is plastic (easily deformable when stressed) and
can flow into the borehole.
– When these types of formations are penetrated by
the bit, the hole is at gauge.
– However, when the hydrostatic pressure exerted
by the column of drilling fluid is less than the
hydrostatic pressure of the formation,
underbalance results, the formation flows, and
hole diameter decreases.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Undergauge Hole
• Undergauge hole is a common problem
when drilling a thick salt section with an
oil mud.
– The salt can flow into the borehole and
make the section undergauge.
– When plastic salt formations exist, they
are usually below 5,000 feet.
– Spotting fresh water is the best way to
free the pipe from a plastic salt formation.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Undergauge Hole
• Wall-cake buildup occurs when the
drilling fluid has poor filtration control
across a permeable zone.
• Excessive wall-cake buildup can also be
caused by:
– High percentage of low-gravity solids
– High differential pressures (excessive mud
weights)
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Stuck in the Hole
Cause... •Steps to free...
Differential sticking •Reduce mud weight.
•Use spotting fluid.
Packing Off •Increase YP
•Increase mud weight
•Back off and wash over
Undergauge hole •Increase mud weight
•Ream and clean
Keyseating •Ream the keyseat.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Lost Circulation
• Lost circulation or loss of returns describes the complete
or partial loss of fluid to the formation as a result of
excessive hydrostatic and annular pressure drop.
• Lost circulation is characterized by a reduction in the rate
of mud returns from the well compared to the rate at
which it is pumped downhole (flow out < flow in).
– This leads to a decrease in pit volumes.
– Loss of circulation may be detected by a sensor
monitoring return flow rate or by pit volume indicators.
– Depending on the severity of the rate of mud loss,
drilling operations may be significantly impaired
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Lost Circulation
• If the annulus of the well will not remain full
even when circulation of the fluid has ceased, the
hydrostatic pressure will reduce until the
differential pressure between the mud column
and the loss zone is zero.
– This may induce formation fluids from other
zones, previously controlled by the mud
hydrostatic pressure, to flow into the wellbore
resulting in a kick, blowout, or underground
blowout.
– It may also cause previously stable formations to
collapse into the wellbore.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Lost Circulation
• Lost circulation can occur in the following
formations:
Type of formation … Type of loss …
Cavernous/vugular Complete or partial
Highly permeable or Complete or partial
fractured
Permeable Seepage loss
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Lost Circulation – Fractured
• Permeable or fractured formations can result in
partial or complete loss of circulation.
• Formation fractures can be natural or caused by
excessive drilling fluid pressure on a structurally
weak formation.
• Once a fracture has been induced, the fracture
will widen and take more mud at a lower
pressure.
• To avoid inducing formation fractures:
– Maintain the minimum equivalent-circulating
density (ECD) and mud weight.
– Avoid pressure surges.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Lost Circulation – Fractured
• Indication:
– Lost circulation of this type is indicated by a
complete or partial loss of returns and a decrease
in pit volume.
• Treatment
– If a induced fracture is suspected, the hole can be
allowed to heal by pulling into the casing and
waiting 6 to 12 hours.
– After the waiting period, stage back to bottom and
check for full returns.
– If full returns have not been established, treat the
losses as if they were cavernous/vugular losses.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Lost Circulation – Permeable
• Permeable and porous formations
include:
– Loose, noncompacted gravel beds
– Shell beds
– Reef deposits
– Depleted reservoirs
• These types of formations cause seepage
loss to complete loss of returns.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Lost Circulation – Permeable
• Indication
– Seepage into permeable formations is
indicated by partial to full loss of returns
and a decrease in pit volume.
• Treatment
– Reduce mud weight as much as possible.
– Treat the system with a combination of
fine- to medium-grade lost-circulation
products
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Lost Circulation –Corrective Measures
• Conventional Lost Circulation pill
– Consider using a combination of LCM material
with varying sizes to provide for an optimum
bridging agent with this type of pill.
– Small amounts of Lime may be used to slightly
flocculate the Bentonite, to increase the viscosity
preventing the LCM material from settling out and
plugging the bit.
– It is cheaper to obtain the viscosity using small
amounts of Lime.
– The Lime addition will also provide a higher fluid
loss than the Gel slurry thereby increasing the
sealing rate.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Lost Circulation –Corrective Measures
• The actual concentration of LCM in the
pill may vary; the formulation listed
below assumes no jet or very large
nozzles in the bit.
• Once the approximate point of loss is
established, a 15 -30 m3 (100-300 bbl) pill
should be mixed
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Lost Circulation –Corrective Measures
• Fresh Water 15-50 m3 (94 – 310 bbl)
• Soda Ash 0.50-0.75 kg/m3 (0.15-0.25ppb)
• Caustic Soda 0.50-0.75 kg/m3 (0.15-0.25ppb)
• Bentonite 70-75 kg/m3 (25-26 ppb)
• Sawdust 15 kg/m3 (5 ppb)
• Fibre Seal 15 kg/m3 (5 ppb)
• WalnutShells/Mica 15 kg/m3 (5 ppb)
• Lime 1.0-1.5 kg/m3 (0.35 – 0.5 ppb)
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Lost Circulation –Corrective Measures
• Once the pill has been mixed, spot just above the
loss zone by pumping slowly; 160-320 litres/min.
(1-2 bbl./min.) until the hole is full and
circulation is regained.
• If the hole remains full, close the hydril and
squeeze the annulus with 300-500 kPa (50-75 psi)
for 30 minutes.
• If this procedure fails, repeat once.
• A second failure may indicate that another
technique may be in order.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Lost Circulation –Corrective Measures
• Effective control of
lost circulation into
a permeable zone
may require a broad
range of particles
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Lost Circulation –Corrective Measures
• Gunk Squeeze
– When you are faced with a lost circulation
problem and you are using an oil/synthetic
mud, mix the gunk squeeze with water
and Organofilic Clay instead of
oil/synthetic and bentonite.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Lost Circulation –Corrective Measures
• Gunk Formulation for water based muds
(Concentrations per barrel)
Type Bentonite, lb (kg) Cement, lb (kg)
Diesel- 400 (181) 0 (0)
oil/synthetic
bentonite
Diesel- 200 (91) 200 (91)
oil/synthetic
bentonite cement
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Lost Circulation –Corrective Measures
• Gunk Formulation for oil based muds
(Concentrations per barrel)
Material 10.5 lb/gal 13 lb/gal 16 lb/gal
(1.26 sg) (1.56 sg) (1.92 sg)
Water, bbl (m3) 0.660 0.628 0.582
Desco, lb (kg) 3.5 (10) 3.5 (10) 3.5 (10)
Caustic soda, lb 1.5 (4) 1.5 (4) 1.5 (4)
(kg)
Organofilic Clay, 220 (627) 150 (428) 100 (285)
lb (kg)
Barite, lb (kg) 175 (499) 370 (1,055)
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Lost Circulation –Corrective Measures
• To mix a gunk squeeze, follow these steps:
– Drain and clean the mixing tank
thoroughly.
• Prepare a gunk slurry
– Pump the following in this order:
• Spacer to cover approx. 500' of drillstring
• Squeeze to cover approx. 2 times open hole
volume
• Spacer to cover approx. 500' of drillstring
– The spacer fluid should have the same base fluid as the
squeeze.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Lost Circulation –Corrective Measures
– Displace the squeeze to the bit.
– Close blowout preventers (BOPs).
– Pump down the drillpipe and annulus in
equal volumes until the squeeze and
spacer are displaced from the drillpipe.
– Maintain equal pressure on drillpipe and
casing.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Formation Damage
• Formation Damage:
– Damage to the productivity of a well
resulting from invasion into the formation
by mud particles or mud filtrates.
– Asphalt from crude oil will also damage
some formations.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Formation Damage
• Common mechanisms for formation damage are:
– Mud or drill solids invading the formation matrix,
plugging pores.
– Swelling of formation clays within the reservoir,
reducing permeability.
– Precipitation of solids as a result of mud filtrate
and formation fluids being incompatible.
– Precipitation of solids from the mud filtrate with
other fluids, such as brines or acids, during
completion or stimulation procedures.
– Mud filtrate and formation fluids forming an
emulsion, restricting permeability.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Formation Damage
• Prevention
– Formation damage can be minimized by
using a Drill In fluid
• Drill In Fluids should contain non-damaging
polymers, bridging agent
• Should have superior regain permeability
• May have shale or clay inhibitors
• Should be easy to clean up
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Corrosion
• Corrosion is the destruction of metal
through electrochemical action between
metal and its environment.
• Corrosion can be costly in terms of
damage to pipe and well parts and can
even result in the loss of an entire well.
• About 75 to 85 percent of drillpipe loss
can be attributed to corrosion.
• Other areas affected by corrosion include
pump parts, bits, and casing.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Corrosion
• Factors affecting corrosion include:
– Temperature. Generally, corrosion rates double
with every 55°F (31°C) increase in temperature.
– Velocity. The higher the mud velocity, the higher
the rate of corrosion due to film erosion (oxide,
oil, amine, etc.).
– Solids. Abrasive solids remove protective films
and cause increased corrosive attack.
– Metallurgical factors. Mill scale and heat
treatment of pipe can cause localized corrosion.
– Corrosive agents. Corrosive agents such as
oxygen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide can
increase corrosion and lead to pipe failure.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Corrosion
• Types of Corrosion
– Uniform corrosion
• Even corrosion pattern over surfaces
– Localized corrosion
• like corrosion pattern over surfaces
– Pitting
• Highly localized corrosion that results in the
deep penetration of surfaces
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Corrosion
• Corrosive agents found in drilling fluids
include:
– Oxygen
– Hydrogen sulfide
– Carbon dioxide
– Bacteria
– Dissolved salts
– Mineral scale
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Corrosion - Oxygen
• Oxygen causes a major portion of corrosion
damage to drilling equipment.
• Oxygen acts by removing protective films; this
action causes accelerated corrosion and
increased pitting under deposits.
• The four primary sources of oxygen are:
– Water additions
– Actions of mixing and solids-control equipment
– Aerated drilling fluids
– The atmosphere
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Corrosion - Oxygen
• If oxygen corrosion is suspected
treatment would include adding an
oxygen scavengers
– Many types of oxygen scavengers exist
– Manufactures recommended treatment
should be followed in this case
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Corrosion - Hydrogen sulfide
• Hydrogen sulfide can enter the mud
system from:
– Formation fluids containing hydrogen
sulfide
– Bacterial action on sulfur-containing
compounds in drilling mud
– Thermal degradation of sulfur-containing
drilling fluid additives
– Chemical reactions with tool-joint thread
lubricants containing sulfur
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Corrosion - Hydrogen sulfide
• Hydrogen sulfide is soluble in water.
• Dissolved hydrogen sulfide behaves as a weak
acid and causes pitting.
• Hydrogen ions at the cathodic areas may enter
the steel instead of evolving from the surface as
a gas.
• This process can result in hydrogen blistering in
low-strength steels or hydrogen embrittlement
in high-strength steels.
• Both the hydrogen and sulfide components of
hydrogen sulfide can contribute to drillstring
failures.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Corrosion - Hydrogen sulfide
• Hydrogen sulfide corrosion is mitigated
by increasing the pH to above 9.5 and by
using sulfide scavengers and film-forming
inhibitors.
– Sulfide scavengers include Zinc
Carbonate, Zinc Oxide and other specialty
chemical products
– Most film forming inhibitors are amine
inhibitors, many are available
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Corrosion – Carbon Dioxide
• Carbon dioxide is found in natural gas in
varying quantities.
• When combined with water, carbon dioxide
forms carbonic acid and decreases the water's
pH, which increases the water's corrosivity.
• While carbon dioxide is not as corrosive as
oxygen, it can cause pitting.
• Maintaining the correct pH is the primary
treatment for carbon dioxide contamination.
• Either lime or caustic soda can be used to
maintain pH.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Corrosion – Bacteria
• Microorganisms can cause fermentation
of organic mud additives, changing
viscosity and lowering pH.
• A sour odor and gas are other indicators
that bacteria are present.
• Degradation of mud additives can result
in increased maintenance cost
• Microbiocides are used to control
bacteria in drilling environments
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Corrosion – Dissolved Salts
• Dissolved salts increase corrosion by
decreasing the electrical resistance of
drilling fluids and increasing the
solubility of corrosion by-products.
• Some of these byproducts can cause a
scale or film to form on the surface of the
metal.
• Amine filming agents added to the metal
will aid in reducing corrosion due to
dissolved salts
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Corrosion – Mineral Scale
• Mineral scale deposits set up conditions
for local corrosion-cell activity.
• The continuous addition of a scale
inhibitor can control the formation of
scale deposits.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Foaming
• A small amount of foaming occurs in most
drilling muds.
• Foaming occurs due to high interfacial surface
tension phenomena or mechanical air
entrapment.
• Most foaming occurs on the surface and
normally does not adversely affect the mud.
• If the foam or air bubbles become dispersed
throughout the mud, the pump may stroke in an
erratic manner, which could cause serious
mechanical damages
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Foaming - Causes
• Air leak in mud pump
• The discharges of the desilter/desander or
mud hopper can whip air into the mud.
• High chloride content in mud.
– Salt water muds have an inherent
tendency to foam.
• Lignosulfonates have a tendency to foam,
especially in high concentrations.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Foaming - Causes
• Over treatment of mud detergents.
• Air entrapped in drill pipe after tripping.
• High pressure-low volume formations or
swabbing when tripping may cause the
mud to become gas cut.
• Thick mud containing a large amount of
drilled solids are particularly susceptible
to foaming.
• Bacteria fermentation of the mud.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Foaming - Treatment
• The mud has to be thinned in order to permit
effective removal and prevent a build-up of
foam.
– Lower the viscosity, YP and in particular the Gel
Strengths with dispersants (Desco) or Lignite as
required to allow the foam to dissipate.
• Alcohol base defoamers or Aluminum Sterate
(oil soluble only; mix with diesel oil) may be
added directly into the suction tank.
• Avoid air leaks in pumps and suctions.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
Foaming - Treatment
• Prevent whipping air into mud.
– Submerge all surface guns, hopper and
solids control equipment discharges.
• "Roll" the tanks with the submerged guns
to allow the air or gas bubbles to escape
into the atmosphere.
• If a wash gun is available, spray the
surface of the mud with a fine spray of
diesel or water.
PFM
Mud Related Drilling Problems
• End
