Developing Green Lost Circulation Material (LCM) Derived from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB)

This report concerns on investigation on lost circulation materials (LCM) derived
from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB). This project mainly aims to study the
effectiveness of using oil palm EFB as LCM additives to prevent the lost circulation
problem.
The paper discusses the literature review of the lost circulation problems, the lost
circulation materials and the characterization of the parameters of drilling fluid. It
also confers the methodologies for LCM to resolve severe lost circulation problems
and designing the mud samples, the mud densities, the rheological tests and the
filtration performance volume tests. Tests have been conducted in accordance with
the API 13 B and the related equipments were mixer, mud balance, viscometer and
low pressure low temperature (LPL T) filter press. Properties measured through this
experiment are density, plastic viscosity, yield point, 10-second and 1 0-minute gel
strength and filtration rate.
Considering the fact that lost circulation is one of the most serious and expensive
problems facing the drilling industry, lost circulation materials should be low-cost
waste products, and in this case it is the oil palm EFB. Since the oil palm EFB is high
in fiber, it has a very good potential to be a good fibrous LCM.
Overall, addition of 5 lb/bbl of any of the LCM additives generally improved the
filtration properties; however the extent of the improvement depended on the
additive material and size distribution of the additive. Nevertheless, increasing the
LCM additives concentration from 5 lb/bbl and 10 lb/bbl had adversely affected and
increased the amount of total filtrate volume. The optimum concentration of LCM
for minimum fluid loss was found to be at 8 lb/bbl.