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Evaluation of Rice Husk as Fluid Loss Control

Additive in Water-Based Drilling Mud

Article · August 2014

DOI: 10.2118/172379-MS

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SPE-172379-MS

Evaluation of Rice Husk as Fluid Loss Control Additive in Water-Based

Drilling Mud
Anietie N. Okon, Francis D. Udoh, and Perpetua G. Bassey, Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering,
University of Uyo, Uyo-AKS, Nigeria

Copyright 2014, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Nigeria Annual International Conference and Exhibition held in Lagos, Nigeria, 05– 07 August 2014.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents
of the paper have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect
any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the written
consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may
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Abstract
Organic polymers are commonly used to control filtrate loss in water-based drilling fluids both in
circulating and non-circulating periods during drilling operations. In Nigeria, the over dependence on
these polymers to achieve this function of drilling fluid is worrisome on the overall well drilling cost.
Therefore, a substitute for these polymers with locally available materials is indispensable. In lieu of this
fact, an agro by-product, rice husk was evaluated as a possible filtration loss control additive in
water-based drilling mud and the results compared with sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and
polyanionic cellulose (PAC) using static fluid loss measurement approach. The results obtained depict that
with a concentration of 20g content of rice husk to 350mL mud (about 20lb/bbl) there was a decrease of
64.89% in fluid loss compared to 62.77% and 59.57% for CMC and PAC respectively at a content of 10g
per 350mL mud. Additionally, filter cake thickness measurement from the husk showed a decrease of
3.03% and 8.57% respectively when compared to CMC and PAC. Thus, exploitation of rice husk as fluid
loss control additive in water-based mud would be a welcome development in the oil and gas industry
since its characteristics of high resistance to water penetration and thermal stability would be applicable
to deep wells where high temperature is anticipated since CMC and PAC temperatures degrade at this
condition.
Keyword: Fluid loss · Water-based drilling fluid · Rice husk · Sodium Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) · Polyanionic
cellulose (PAC)

Introduction
Rice husk in developing countries like Nigeria and underdeveloped countries is seen as agro-waste since
the farmers in these countries lack the technological knowhow to utilize its potentials. In some countries,
this agro by-product is used in the field of civil engineering as concrete fiber and in electrical engineering
field as insulating materials (Akoko et al., 2012; Kumar et al., 2012). In addition, recent research has
evaluated its substitute for fossil fuel to generate electricity from biomass process as a renewable energy
source. The term rice husk is used interchangeably with rice hull in the literature. Rice husk contains
approximately 20% opaline silica in combination with a large amount of the phenyl propanoid structural
polymer called lignin (Olivier, 2004; Ugheoke and Mamat, 2012). The presence of these blend silica and
2 SPE-172379-MS

Figure 1—Rice Husk profile (a) Fine particles 125 microns (b) Ground particles (c) Dried recipe

lignin compound makes the rice husk to have high resistance to water penetration, thermal and fungal
decomposition (Oliveira et al., 2012). These properties of rice husk are of great significance and can be
exploited as potential filtration (fluid) loss control additive in the formulation of drilling fluid for drilling
operations in the petroleum industry.
Drilling fluid is sine qua non in rotary drilling in the oil and gas sector, as its functions include among
others: transport of cuttings to the surface, cool and/or clean the drill bit and hole, and maintain the
stability of the borehole, etc. Among the various functions of the drilling mud, one of desired properties
for muds is the minimum fluid loss volume which can be achieved by formation of a low permeability
filter cake on the wellbore (Feng et al., 2009). Hence, fluid loss control is a property of drilling mud that
plays various important roles in the well construction process (Aston et al., 2002). It is a well known fact
that fluid invasion into porous formations can damage reservoirs and reduce productivity by blocking
hydrocarbon exit flow paths or causing formation collapse (Kosynkin et al., 2011). In addition, Aston et
al. (2002) opined that fluid loss and filter cake behavior can influence aspects such as wellbore stability,
differential sticking, core recovery processes, downhole mud losses and formation damage. As such,
filtration control is important for both drilling performance and well productivity (Herzhaft et al., 2001;
Oleas et al., 2008).
Drilling activities in the shores of Niger Delta in Nigeria dates back to the early 1950s when the first
exploratory oil well was drilled in Oloibiri in the present day Bayelsa State in 1956 (Okon, 2010). These
drilling activities in the shores have increased prolifically as more discoveries are made. Udoh and Okon
(2012) maintain that drilling companies operating in the shores of the Niger Delta import most of the
drilling materials to execute their respective operations. This involves foreign exchange and results in high
cost of drilling fluid materials; thus, constituting an undue financial burden for the petroleum industry. To
cushion this phenomenal challenge, the federal government of Nigeria has established the local content
initiative in the petroleum sector under the auspices of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)
to make use of locally available resources. So far, some work has been done to seek-after locally available
materials as substitutes for foreign drilling fluid materials and associated fluids in the petroleum industry.
This paper, along the line of local content initiative, therefore, evaluates rice husk as potential filtration
(fluid loss) control additive in water-based drilling mud.
Materials and Methods
Mud Sample Preparation
The rice husk was obtained from a local rice mill in Ini Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State.
It was placed in the vacuum oven for about 3 – 4 hours to dry the moisture content at a temperature of
about 45°C. The dried recipe was ground into small size with blender and sieved to 125 microns to obtain
fine particles as presented in Figure 1.
Later, a fresh water bentonite mud was prepared based on the American Petroleum Institute (API)
standard of 25g of non-treated bentonite per 350mL of water and kept for 24 hours to age. The drilling
mud’s pH value was measured and beneficiated with 5g of Na2CO3 (soda ash) to enhance its clay content
SPE-172379-MS 3

swelling and solubility. Thereafter, the rheological Table 1—Mud Rheological and Fluid Loss Properties

and fluid loss properties of the formulated mud Mud Properties Value
without any control additive were measured and the Plastic Viscosity, Pa.s 0.008
results are presented in Table 1. Apparent Viscosity, Pa.s 0.018
The mud’s rheological properties: yield point Yield Point, Pa 9.560
(YP), plastic viscosity (PV) and apparent viscosity Gel Strength (10 sec.), Pa 2.151
Gel Strength (10 min.), Pa 4.780
(AV) were evaluated from two (2) data point mea- pH Value 10.60
surement of 300 and 600 revolutions per minute Mud Density, lb/gal 8.80
(rpm) dial readings based on the expanded equa- LT-LP Fluid Loss, mL 47.00
tions; Filter Cake Thickness, mm 1.00

(1)
Table 2—SET-1 Rice Husk Filtration Test

(2) Additive Fluid Loss Filter Cake

Content (g) Volume (mL) Thickness (mm)

(3) 5.0 42.5 1.0

10.0 35.0 1.5
15.0 24.5 2.4
20.0 16.5 3.2
Afterwards, twelve (12) mud samples were pre-
pared based on the aforementioned API standard
(i.e., 25g bentonite per 350mL water). These mud
samples were grouped into three (3) sets: SET-1, SET-2 and SET-3, with each set comprising of four (4)
mud samples. In SET-1, 5.0g, 10.0g, 15.0g and 20.0g of ground rice husk were added to the mud samples
and mixed thoroughly to obtain homogenous mixture of bentonite mud with ground rice husk. Thereafter,
low temperature-low pressure (LT-LP) filtration test was carried out on the set (SET-1) based on API
standard. The fluid loss volume and mud cake thickness of this set was measured and the results are
presented in Table 2.
In SET-2 and SET-3, 2.5g, 5.0g, 7.5g and 10.0g of polyanionic cellulose (PAC) and sodium
carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) respectively were added to each set of the mud samples. The reduction
in the filtration control additive in these sets is due to the fact that PAC and CMC are enhanced products
(polymers) for controlling fluid loss in drilling fluid. Thus, it is assumed that the ground rice husk, as
non-synthetic product content in the mud sample must be higher than PAC and CMC content. These mud
samples were mixed thoroughly to have a uniform mixture of the bentonite mud with the polymer. The
LT-LP filtration test was performed for thirty minutes and the results for SET-2 and SET-3 are presented
in Tables 3 and 4 respectively.

Laboratory Measurement Procedure

pH Value pH test is the measurement of the concentration of hydrogen ions in aqueous solution (Omole
et al., 2013). Therefore, this measurement establishes the acidity and/or alkalinity of the drilling mud. The
pH meter was standardized using deionized water and the mud sample to be measured was poured into
a glass beaker. The pH meter probe was immersed in the mud sample and at steady pH value indicated
on the meter. This was recorded as the pH value of the bentonite mud sample.
Density The mud balance was standardized using distilled water. The balance cup was cleaned, dried and
filled to the brim with the bentonite mud sample to be measured. The lid was placed on the cup as some
mud flowed out of the hole on the lid to ensure that there was no trapped air in the cup. The cup and lid
were wiped to dry off any mud on the surface in order to obtain accurate measurement as the knife edge
was placed on the fulcrum and the rider adjusted until the cup content and the rider were at equilibrium
4 SPE-172379-MS

(balance). Later, the density of the bentonite mud Table 3—SET-2 PAC Filtration Test

sample was read on the calibrated arm of the mud Additive Fluid Loss Filter Cake
Content (g) Volume (mL) Thickness (mm)
balance.
2.5 40.5 1.3
Rheological Properties The rotational viscometer 5.0 31.0 1.8
provides a more meaningful measurement of the 7.5 27.5 2.6
rheological characteristics of the drilling mud com- 10.0 19.0 3.5
pared to marsh funnel (Bourgoyne et al., 2003). The
bentonite mud sample was poured into the viscom- Table 4 —SET-3 CMC Filtration Test
eter cup to the scribed mark and placed on the stand Additive Fluid Loss Filter Cake
of the viscometer as it was lifted to immerse the Content (g) Volume (mL) Thickness (mm)
rotating sleeve. With rotor speed at 300 and 600 2.5 38.5 1.0
revolutions per minute (i.e., two point data ap- 5.0 29.5 1.8
proach), their respective dial readings were recorded 7.5 24.0 2.5
at steady values and used to evaluate the bentonite 10.0 17.5 3.3

mud’s apparent and plastic viscosity as well as its

yield point. Gel strength determination is an exten-
sion of mud rheological properties (Okon, 2010). The 10 seconds and 10 minutes gel strength of the
bentonite mud were determined. Thus, the rotary sleeve speed was set at 600 rpm position to stir the mud
sample for 10 seconds, then, the knob was set to 3 rpm and the viscometer switched off to enable the mud
sample to stand undisturbed for 10 seconds. Thereafter, the flip toggle was switched to low (rear) position
and the maximum dial reading was recorded as the 10 seconds or initial gel strength. In addition, the same
procedure was repeated as the mud sample was allowed to stand undisturbed for 10 minutes. With flip
toggle switched to rear position, the maximum deflection (dial reading) was recorded as the 10 minutes
gel strength.
Filtration Properties The API standard LT-LP filtration test was carried out at surface (room) temper-
ature and 700 kPa (100 psi) pressure for thirty (30) minutes. The LT-LP filter press consisting of
cylindrical cell 3-inches in internal diameter (ID) and 5-inches high to contain the drilling mud was used.
The bottom of the cell was fitted with a sheet of Whatman No. 50 filter paper and filled with the bentonite
mud sample to be measured. In this study, the filter press used consisted of six (6) filter cells mounted on
a common frame (Figure 2). After the necessary connections, a pressure of 100 psi from air compressor
pump was supplied to the top of the cells. With a measuring cylinder placed beneath the cell, the filtrate
through the filter paper was collected over a period of 30 minutes and recorded in milliliters (mL)
equivalent cubic centimeter (cm3) as the API filtrate of the bentonite mud sample. Later, the residual
(cake) thickness of the mud sample on the filter paper was measured using digital caliper and recorded
in millimeters (mm) as the mud cake thickness of the bentonite mud sample.

Results and Discussion

The filtration and wall building characteristic of a drilling mud are important in providing a comparative
measure of the amount of mud filtrate invasion into a porous and permeable zone (formation) and the
amount of filter cake that will be deposited on the wall of the wellbore wherever filtration occurs.
Therefore, the crux of this paper centered on drilling mud filtration control using rice husk. Thus, the
rheological properties of the drilling mud as a result of the addition of filtration control additive are not
considered, even though the filtration control is also contingent upon the viscosity of the drilling fluid. The
formulated drilling mud filtration properties (as presented in Table 1) depict that without any fluid loss
control additives, the fluid loss volume was 47mL and about 1.0mm (0.1cm) filter cake thickness at API
standard test. This observed result is due to the weak flocculating nature of bentonite (Skalle, 2010). In
other words, the edge-to-edge and edge-to-face attractive force among the bentonite’s particles are not
SPE-172379-MS 5

Figure 2—(a) Filtration test setup (b) Air compressor pump

Figure 3—Comparison of Fluid Loss Volume

Figure 4 —Comparison of Mud Filter Cake Thickness

6 SPE-172379-MS

Figure 5—Fluid Loss vs Rice Husk content

Figure 6 —Fluid Loss vs Polyanionic cellulose content

strong enough to form a cross link that reduces mud filtrate (fluid loss). Thus, the cross linking
flocculation tendency (attraction among bentonite particles) in the bentonite mud is provided by external
agent (additive) to control filtration loss. Meaning, rice husk and inorganic polymers: PAC and CMC were
used as cross link agents among the bentonite particles in the drilling mud sample. The results as presented
in Table 2 depict that there was a reduction of about 64.89% (i.e., from 47mL to 16.5mL) in the fluid loss
(filtration) volume at rice husk content of 20g to 350mL of drilling mud sample. This development is
attributed to the cross link between mud particles as the rice husk particles reduced the permeable state
of the bentonite particles by strengthening the edge-to-edge and edge-to-face bond (force) between the
particles.
In addition to this, the cross link among the particles resulted in increased mud cake thickness of about
3.5 mm (0.35 cm). This observation is as a result of the trapped mud particles (bentonite and rice husk)
on the filter paper as most mud particles were cross linked. In order to establish the effectiveness and/or
SPE-172379-MS 7

Figure 7—Fluid loss vs Carboxymethyl cellulose content

Figure 8 —Filter Cake Thickness vs Rice Husk content

potentials of using rice husk as fluid loss control additive, PAC and CMC were evaluated as standard
control agents in the bentonite mud. The results as depicted in Tables 3 and 4 indicate that the filtration
(fluid loss) volume was reduced by about 59.57% (from 47mL to 19.0mL) and 62.77% (from 47mL to
17.5mL) from PAC and CMC respectively at 10g content to 350mL mud sample. Additionally, the filter
cake thickness obtained with these control agents (PAC and CMC) were 3.5mm (0.35cm) and 3.3mm
(0.33cm) respectively. However, a comparison of rice husk and the standard polymers (PAC and CMC)
fluid loss (filtration) volume results as presented in Tables 2 through 4 and Figure 3 indicate that the fluid
loss volume from rice husk compare favourably with PAC and CMC at 20g content (double content of
the standard polymers) per 350mL mud sample. This is as a result of the binding potential of lignin
(phenyl propanoid polymer) present in the rice husk, as the organic polymer bound the bentonite particles
and increased its flocculating tendency. Therefore, the bentonite and rice husk particles formed an
effective seal when they were compressed by pressure during the filtration test and resulted in the
8 SPE-172379-MS

Figure 9 —Filter Cake Thickness vs Polyanionic cellulose content

Figure 10 —Filter Cake Thickness vs Carboxymethyl cellulose content

comparable results with PAC and CMC fluid loss volume. Consequently, the binding between the
bentonite and rice husk particles increased the shape of the mud particles and its size distribution as was
also the case with PAC and CMC. As presented in Figure 4, the filter cake thickness from rice husk at
20g per 350mL was comparable with PAC and CMC. The figure depicts that rice husk has less filter cake
thickness than PAC and CMC, an indication that the bound mud particles from rice husk are more
compressible than PAC and CMC mud particles. In addition, Figures 5 through 10 in the Appendix depict
the trend (profile) of the fluid loss and filter cake thickness of the bentonite mud as the filtration (fluid
loss) control additive content are increased in the mud sample.
In summary, the fluid loss volume and filter cake thickness obtained from rice husk as filtration control
additive in water-based drilling mud is comparable to the inorganic polymers (PAC and CMC) used for
fluid loss control additive in the petroleum industry in drilling operations. In addition to this, the high rice
husk content in drilling mud is not detrimental to the mud cake formation as its particles are compressible
SPE-172379-MS 9

at high pressure; thus, averting any anticipated pipe sticking (stuck pipe) due to increased mud cake
thickness during drilling operations.
Conclusion
Filtration behaviour and wall cake-building characteristics of a drilling fluid are fundamental in the
control and treatment of drilling fluids since the fluid is an integral part of the drilling process. However,
the filtration (fluid loss) from drilling mud is affected by the types and quantities of the solids in the mud
as well as their physical and chemical interactions, which in turn, are affected by changing temperature
and pressure. Thus, rice husk was evaluated as fluid loss control additive in water-based drilling mud. The
results obtained show that there was about 64.89% reduction in fluid loss at rice husk content of 20g per
350mL mud. However, standard polymers such as polyanionic cellulose (PAC) and carboxymethyl
cellulose (CMC) of 10g per 350mL mud resulted in fluid loss reduction of about 59.57% and 62.77%
respectively. Interestingly, the filter cake (mud cake) thickness obtained from the control additives (i.e.,
rice husk, PAC and CMC) was about the same, that is, 3.2mm, 3.5mm and 3.3mm for rice husk, PAC and
CMC respectively. Thus, rice husk and CMC compare favourably. In this connection, it can be concluded
that, at considerable content (concentration), rice husk can be used as fluid loss control additive in
water-based drilling mud as it exhibits good filtration loss control potentials.
Further work is recommended to establish the thermal stability of rice husk as filtration (fluid loss)
control additive using dynamic conditions and high temperature-high pressure (HT-HP) test in both
water-based and oil-based drilling fluids.

Nomenclature
API American Petroleum Institute
AV Apparent viscosity
CMC Carboxymethyl cellulose
g gram
lb/bbl Pounds per barrel
lb/gal Pounds per gallon
ID Internal diameter
LT-LP Low Temparature-Low Pressure
mL Millilitre
mm Millimeter
Na2CO3 Soda ash
°C Degree Celsius
Pa Pascal
Pa.s Pascal second
PAC Polyanionic cellulose
psi Pounds square inch
PV Plastic viscosity
rpm Revolution per minute
YP Yield Point

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