Testing protocol and economic analysis of mud dewatering for closed-loop drilling systems

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

1-1-1994

Abstract

Closed-loop drilling operations in environmentally sensitive areas require integration of conventional solids control system with the chemically-enhanced centrifugation, a continuous dewatering process. The paper presents a design method for continuons dewatering. The method is based on the rigsite mud dewaierability testing and the breakeven cost economics. The protocol for dewaierability test describes instrumentation and stepwise procedure to measure dewatering cake's moisture content and evaluate efficiency of volume reduction. Emphasized is preparation of weighted mud samples through removal of weighting material and correction for residual barite. The presented testing protocol elindnates volumetric measurements and replaces them with weight measurements which improve accuracy by an order of magnitude. The paper explains how to use results from dewaierability tests to analyze cost efficiency of the dewatering component in closed-loop drilling operations. The analysis is based upon an analytical model of breakeven cost. The model combines dewatelability with depth-related quantities representing drilling progress and rales of waste generation, recycling and disposal. The paper shows: I-How to evaluate dewatering performance while drilling: 2-How to set up technical requirements soliciting bids for dewatering services: and. 3-How to predict drilling depth below which the process is not economical.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Annual Technical Meeting 1994

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