Study on the Effect of Lime on Biofuel-based (Palm Fatty Acid Distillate) Drilling Fluid

The rising world energy demand has led to exploration for oil and gas in increasingly difficult environments. The exploration has now gone into sensitive regions combining with deviated wells and horizontal well developments under challenging geological formations. Oil-based drilling fluids are widely used in drilling in all parts of the world for highly technical wells and cases. This is because oil-based drilling fluids perform much better than water-based fluids in borehole stabilization and providing lubricity and subsequently faster rates of penetration and performance. However, they are a cause for environmental concern and with the potential of causing bad damage to the environment through mud spills and improper disposal of oil-contaminated drill cuttings and etc.
The industry therefore needed an urge to find a fluid that satisfies both the environmental and technical criteria by showing excellent technical performance and it would have to behave like a traditional OBM with all the technical advantages obtaining regulatory approval and being cost-effective. Thus, this project focuses on this concern of developing an environmentally safe biofuel-based drilling fluid with use of Palm fatty acid distillate oil as the base fluid. The drilling fluid produced should satisfy all the needed criteria with required rheological readings and mud performance as compared to conventional diesel-based drilling fluid.
Firstly, the main idea behind this project is to study the suitability of palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) to be used as a continuous fluid in drilling fluids replacing the diesel and mineral oils. Next phase is focused on producing a new drilling fluid system using the PFAD as the base oil. Finally, the effect of different concentrations of lime, which is used as fatty acid activator and alkalinity control agent in drilling fluids is analyzed and studied through the regular mud tests for further optimization.