The experience of using drilling mud for unstable rocks in red-colored stratum in Turkmenistan

UDK: 622.244.442.063.2

DOI: 10.24887/0028-2448-2025-7-88-93

Key words: peptization, dispersion, hydrotation, drilling mud, swelling, high mineralization, rheological properties

Authors: A.R. Deryaev (Scientific Research Institute of Natural Gas of the State Concern Turkmengas, Turkmenistan, Ashgabat); S.A. Deryaev (Business Company Nebitgazondebaryzhi Tilsimat Services, Turkmenistan, Ashgabat); M.B. Babaev (Business Company Nebitgazondebaryzhi Tilsimat Services, Turkmenistan, Ashgabat)

The ability of clay rocks to spontaneously disperse and swell complicates the entire drilling process. Inhibited solutions are used where the use of conventional clay solutions causes complications when drilling wells. The following complications may occur: scree and landslides, narrowing of boreholes, cavern formation caused by the swelling of clay rocks and their transition into solution. Clay sludge undergoes peptization and dispersion, which leads to thickening of the solution and deterioration of its parameters. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the inhibited drilling mud (oil-based, thermally stabilized potassium chloride (OBTSPC)) when drilling unstable rocks in sediments of the red-colored stratum in a certain range of occurrence at a specific well. Conducting controlled experiments enabled to evaluate its ability to prevent complications during the drilling process, as well as the success of launching and cementing the production column. The effectiveness of the inhibited drilling mud OBTSPC was confirmed in the conditions of drilling unstable rocks in red-colored sediments in the range of 2000-2600 m at well Y1 of the Nebitdag licence area. The ability of the inhibited drilling mud OBTSPC was revealed which enables to maintain its structural and mechanical properties under conditions of high mineralization, penetrate into the interplane space of clays, preventing their hydration and swelling, and bind all the water in the solution into stable hydrates, which contributes to the stability and safety of the drilling process.

References

1. Pereira L.B., Sad C.M.S., Castro E.V.R. et al., Environmental impacts related to drilling fluid waste and treatment methods: A critical review, Fuel, 2020, V. 310, no. 1,

pp. 249–256, DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2021.122301

2. Gautam S., Guria C., Rajak V.K., A state of the art review on the performance of high-pressure and high-temperature drilling fluids: Towards understanding the structure-property relationship of drilling fluid additives, Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 2022, V. 213, pp. 110–126, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2022.110318

3. Abdelmjeed M., Saeed S., Ramadan A., Significance and complications of drilling fluid rheology in geothermal drilling: A review, Geothermics, 2021, V. 93, pp. 102–115, DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2021.102066

4. Karakosta K., Mitropoulos A.C., Kyzas G.Z., A review in nanopolymers for drilling fluids applications, Journal of Molecular Structure, 2021, no. 5, pp. 128–141,

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molstruc.2020.129702

5. Deryaev A.R., Regulation of rheological properties of weighted grouting solutions during cementing of deep wells under conditions of abnormally high reservoir pressure (In Russ.), Neftyanoe khozyaystvo = Oil Industry, 2024, no. 5, pp. 86–90, DOI: https://doi.org/10.24887/0028-2448-2024-5-86-90

6. Xiangyang Zhao, Daqi Li, Heming Zhu et al., Advanced developments in environmentally friendly lubricants for water-based drilling fluid: a review, RSC Advances, 2022, no. 12, pp. 22853–22868, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d2ra03888a

7. Saleh T.A., Advanced trends of shale inhibitors for enhanced properties of water-based drilling fluid, Upstream Oil and Gas Technology, 2022, no. 8, pp. 456–478,

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.upstre.2022.100069

8. Ali M., Jarni H.H., Aftab A. et al., Nanomaterial-based drilling fluids for exploitation of unconventional reservoirs: A review, Energies, 2020, no. 13, pp. 398–417,

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en13133417

9. Kapitonov V.A., Salikhov A.R., Evdokimov D.V. et al., Designing a procedure to assess the effect of process fluids on mudstone stability (In Russ.), Neft’, gaz, novatsii, 2023, no. 10, pp. 51–55.

10. Oseh J.O., Mohd N.M.N.A., Polymer nanocomposites application in drilling fluids: A review, Geoenergy Science and Engineering, 2023, V. 222, no. 3, pp. 211–416,

DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoen.2023.211416

11. Qiang Li, Fuling Wang, Yanling Wang et al., Effect of reservoir characteristics and chemicals on filtration property of water-based drilling fluid in unconventional reservoir and mechanism disclosure, Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2023, V. 30, pp. 55034–55043, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-26279-9

12. Mahmoud H., Hamza A., Nasser M.S., Hole cleaning and drilling fluid sweeps in horizontal and deviated wells: Comprehensive review, Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 2020, V. 186, pp. 106–121, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2019.106748

13. Wiśniowski R, Skrzypaszek K, Małachowski T., Selection of a suitable rheological model for drilling fluid using applied numerical methods, Energies, 2020, V. 13,

pp. 31–42, DOI: http://doi.org/10.3390/en13123192

14. Nasiru S.M., Teslim O., Insights into the application of surfactants and nanomaterials as shale inhibitors for water-based drilling fluid: A review, Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 2022, V. 92, pp. 44–49, DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jngse.2021.103987

15. Xiangru Jia, Xionghu Zhao, Bin Chen et al., Polyanionic cellulose/hydrophilic monomer copolymer grafted silica nanocomposites as HTHP drilling fluid-loss control agent for water-based drilling fluids, Applied Surface Science, 2022, V. 578, pp. 152–159, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2021.152089

16. Ikram R., Mohamed J.B., Sidek A. et al., Utilization of eco-friendly waste generated nanomaterials in water-based drilling fluids; State of the art review, Materials, 2021, V. 14, pp. 41–71, DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14154171

17. Deryaev A.R., Features of the construction of directed deep wells in Turkmenistan, Italian Journal of Engineering geology and environment, 2024, no. 1, pp. 35–47, DOI: https://10.4808/IJEGE.2024-01.O-03

18. Deryaev A.R., Drilling of directional wells in the fields of Western Turkmenistan, Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 2024, V. 7(2), pp. 347–369,

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853/070218

19. Deryaev A.R., Borehole fastening during the plastic flow of salts using the active resistant method (In Russ.), Neftyanoe khozyaystvo = Oil Industry, 2024, no. 7,

pp. 89–93, DOI: https://doi.org/10.24887/0028-2448-2024-7-89-93