SPE 98391 Taking Non-Damaging Fluids to New Extremes Formate-Based Drilling Fluids for High-Temperature Reservoirs in Pakistan

Reinhard J. Oswald, OMV; David Knox, M-I Gulf Services; and Mohammed R. Monem, M-I SWACO Copyright 2006, Society of Petroleum Engineers additives used to develop viscosity and control fluid loss in This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2006 SPE International Symposium and water-based drilling fluids - such as xanthan gum, starch, poly Exhibition on Formation Damage Control held in Lafayette, L.A., 1517 February 2006. anionic cellulose (PAC), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) are This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Program Committee following review of widely recognized as being unstable from prolonged exposure to information contained in a proposal submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper, as presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to elevated temperatures. correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any position A number of the wells on both the Sawan and Miano fields of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Papers presented at SPE meetings are subject to publication review by Editorial Committees of the Society of Petroleum require some form of sand control in order to prevent premature Engineers. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper for commercial purposes without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. sandout of the wells. Expandable sand screens have been Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to a proposal of not more than 300 words; selected as the preferred method of sand control. As openhole illustrations may not be copied. The proposal must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper was presented. Write Librarian, SPE, P.O. Box 833836, completions are preferred, it is essential that the drilling fluid Richardson, TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. used to drill the reservoir section does not damage the formation and that the filter cake generated can either be removed Abstract chemically or can be back-produced with acceptably low The use of low-solids, water-based reservoir drilling fluids has drawdown pressure after the well is completed. As expandable generally been restricted to fields with temperatures of less than sand screens are deployed, it is also considered desirable that the 300F, primarily due to the limitations of fluids in more reservoir drilling fluid (RDF) can pass easily through the sand aggressive environments. The Miano and Sawan fields in screen in the event that the well (or at least the openhole section) Pakistan are both classified as high temperature (up to 340F is filled with conditioned drilling fluid to control fluid loss while BHST), and some wells have been recognised as requiring sand running and opening the sand screens. Additional complications control for optimal production. The operator of this field is are expected because of the high permeability of the reservoir dedicated to the application of water-based muds in all activities sand (500 3000 mD) and the depleted nature of the reservoir to reduce the environmental impact of operations. (6.8-lb/gal reservoir gradient). Based on these criteria and extensive laboratory testing for thermal stability and expandable screen (filter cake quality) Drilling Fluid Selection compatibility, a formate-based, low-solids, reservoir drilling The use of an openhole completion and sand screens marked a fluid was selected. The laboratory performance of the fluid will change in completion philosophy, where wells are typically be confirmed by the performance in the worlds first field completed by cementing liner and perforating underbalance. application of high-temperature formate drilling fluid run with Water-based drilling fluids have been used to drill the well from expandable screens. surface to total depth, with high-temperature synthetic polymers used to provide fluid-loss control and viscosity in the lower Introduction zones where the bottomhole static temperature (BHST) exceeds Oil companies have been drilling for oil & gas in Pakistan for 300F (150C). The drilling fluids for the reservoir section have many years. Primarily land wells, the variable geology and traditionally been weighted using barite. variable well conditions have made exploration for and The application of expandable sand screens for these development of hydrocarbon deposits a challenge for the openhole completions required a change in philosophy towards Operators that have been active within Pakistan. This operator the design and engineering of the reservoir drilling fluid. has been actively drilling in the area for 12 years, with some Expandable sand screens have a limited tolerance for the size notable successes in particular the discovery of the Miano and and concentration of solids that pass through the filter medium. Sawan fields in the Middle Indus Basin of Pakistan. With This can cause the screen to plug during screen running bottomhole static temperatures (BHST) in excess of 340F, operations or when production is initiated. both fields are considered high-temperature developments. Expandable sand screens are becoming increasingly used and Temperatures in excess of 300F present specific challenges to accepted as a good method of providing sand control. Expanding the drilling fluids used in the lower sections of these wells, as the sand screen to fit the diameter of the drilled wellbore many of the additives used are not thermally stable under longachieves a higher surface area of production and prevents term or repeated exposure to temperatures in excess of 300F. In wellbore collapse onto the filter medium. Experience gained addition to this, the operator is dedicated to using only waterwhile providing reservoir drilling fluids for wells completed based drilling fluids as part of their commitment to reducing the with expandable sand screens (ESS) on developments in various environmental impact of their drilling operations. Many of the

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parts of the world, including China, Malaysia, Australia, UK, Holland, Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon, Indonesia, and Oman have led to a greater understanding of the issues involved in designing the fluids for the reservoir in particular the fluids in the well when running the screen and completing the well. To better understand the issues related specifically to the Miano and Sawan completions, it is important to understand the fluid options when running ESS in the well. Option 1 Drilling Fluid in the Well. In this case, the fluid used to drill the well is left in the hole and the screens run and opened in this fluid. The drilling fluid can be conditioned to remove coarse particles that could plug the screen prior to picking up and running screens. This method is commonly used when low density (<11 lb/gal) drilling fluids are used to drill the well. It has the advantages of reducing the time, logistics, and cost involved with displacing to a solids-free fluid. It also greatly reduces the potential for fluid losses during the completion operation. However, it is important to ensure the drilling fluid can pass freely through the screens once the screen opening operation is under way. This requires stringent quality control checks to be performed at the wellsite. A portable fluid flowthrough tester is recommended to ensure the fluid in the well is fit for purpose.1 However, even with stringent quality checks, it may not be possible to open the screens in a fluid that contains large quantities of bridging/weighting solids, which have a tendency to jam into the aperture and plug the screen, even when the particle is of a diameter that theortically should pass through the screen easily. The exact cutoff point of solids concentration varies depending on the particle size distribution of the solids, the size of the screen mesh, and other factors and is not yet well understood. However, it is clear that barite-weighted fluids have more potential to plug the screen than fluid containing a similar concentration of calcium carbonate which has been selected with a finer particle size distribution than that of API-grade barite. In addition to this, the filter cake generated by high-solids water-based drilling fluids can be appreciably thicker than that generated at lower temperatures and densities. Even well designed fluids can generate filter cakes of 10-mm (12/32-inch) thickness or greater. Filter cake can create problems when the sand screen is opened to the full diameter of the well. Option 2 - Displace the Well to Solids-Free Brine. In this case, the well is displaced from the drilling fluid to solids-free, kill-weight completion brine. This method has a distinct advantage because the fluid in the well should pass easily through the screen, regardless of the type and nature of the fluid used to drill the well. There are, however, some disadvantages to this approach. Firstly, the displacement process is time consuming and must be designed carefully to ensure that the displacement train and following completion brine will not strip the filter cake from the open hole and lead to excessive fluid losses. Achieving a successful displacement, where the brine left in the well contains a very low concentration of solids (<0.05% v/v) is impractical, as the displacement tends to pick up solids from the open hole that string out through the brine. Secondly, the high affinity of certain types of completion brine for water (more specifically high-density bromide and formate brines as well as near saturated chloride brines), can cause the

filter cake to dehydrate on prolonged exposure. This hard, tough filtercake residue is less amenable to disintegration and dispersion on flowback. In addition to this, solids-free completion brine does not provide adequate fluid-loss control in the event of a break down in the filter cake during the time between pulling out of the hole with the drill string and completing the well. Option 3 Solids-Free Fluid Loss Pill in the Well. The third option is to displace the well to a solids-free fluid essentially completion brine treated with polymers to provide viscosity and fluid-loss control. This method has the advantage of providing fluid loss and a solids-free environment; however, it is rarely used due to the time, cost, and minimal advantage over using a conditioned drilling fluid in all but the higher density applications. Using a conventional, high-temperature water-based drilling fluid for the Miano and Sawan completions would have been an unacceptable approach, as the potential for generating a thick filter cake could have had severe implications for the success of the wells. A drilling fluid weighted with acid soluble calcium carbonate was proposed to address this possibility. A formate salt was suggested as a temperature stabilizer to reduce the concentration of high-temperature synthetic polymers to be added to the fluid, thereby reducing the potential for polymer-related formation damage. Formates as Temperature Stabilizers The use of monovalent formate salts (sodium, potassium, caesium) as high-temperature stabilizers for conventional oilfield polymers, such as xanthan and succinoglycan was first recognized in the late 1980s and first applied in the field in the early 1990s.2, Since then, formate brines have been used as the basis of drilling fluids in high-temperature applications in a number of applications across the world. Some examples are summarized below: Onshore Germany. A mixture of sodium and potassium formate was used as the basis of drilling and frac fluids for hightemperature wells in the Walsrode and Soehlingen area of Germany, where bottom hole temperatures can be as high as 325F.3 Offshore Indonesia. A sodium formate-based low-solids reservoir drilling fluid (RDF) was used to drill six wells on the Belanak field in the Natuna Sea, off the coast of Sumatra. Bottomhole temperatures were typically 310F.4 Offshore Abu Dhabi. A potassium formate-based drilling fluid was used to drill the Hair-Delma 8 well. The drilling fluid was designed to be stable at anticipated bottomhole temperatures close to 400F; actual BHST was 340F. The fluid displayed excellent thermal stability throughout the operation. Offshore Norway. A five-well horizontal well oil development used a blend of caesium and potassium formate as the basis of the low-solids RDF. Bottomhole temperature was 300F. The wells were characterized by a narrow equivalent circulating density (ECD) window. Real-time software hydraulics

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prediction modeling was used in conjuction with the low-solids drilling fluid to drill all four wells successfully. Offshore UAE. The reservoir section of these wells is typically drilled with a sodium chloride-based, low-solids reservoir drilling fluid. The bottomhole temperature on these wells typically ranges from 300 to 320F. Problems associated with using the low-solids, polymer RDF include high maintenance additions of xanthan and starch fluid-loss-control agent and total loss of fluid properties (including solids separation and settling). The use of chemical stabilizers, including triethanolamine, was applied with minimal success. Adding a small concentration (20 lb/bbl, 57 kg/m3) of sodium formate prevented fluid degradation even with prolonged exposure to high bottomhole temperatures (during bit trips and logging) and reduced the consumption of fluid additives by up to 66% (see Fig. 1). Laboratory and field data from fluids based on formate salts including the field examples above indicate that the base fluid must be at or near saturation to the formate salt to achieve acceptable thermal stability at temperatures above 300F (150C),. Some improvement in thermal stability is observed in fluids treated with lower concentrations of formate salt (ref. the examples above from Indonesia and UAE), but these benefits are not apparent at temperatures in excess of 320F unless high concentrations of formate ion are present in the fluid. Most apparent is the loss of properties of conventional fluid-losscontrol agents, such as starch, PACs, and CMCs. This artifact presents challenges when designing low-density drilling fluids for high-temperature wells, where the concentration of formate salt that can be added without creating a fluid with a prohibitively high density can be limited. Saturated sodium formate brine has a density of 10.5-11.0 lb/gal (1.261.32 sg), depending on the environment in which it is used. Above this density, blends of sodium and potassium formate can be used to ensure a saturated base fluid. At required fluid densities of less than 10 lb/gal (1.20 sg), additional thermal stabilizers and/or additives for high-temperature wells can be required to ensure good fluid properties. Reservoir Drilling Fluid Selection and Testing The drilling fluid for the high-temperature reservoir sections of the Miano and Sawan fields had to meet certain conditions before being considered acceptable for use: - the fluid must exhibit acceptable drilling properties (viscosity, fluid loss control, etc) both initially and after exposure to an anticipated bottomhole temperature of 350F (171C) - return permeability as measured in laboratory core flood tests should indicate that the fluid does not cause appreciable levels of formation damage - The candidate fluid should then be submitted to fluid flow-through testing to confirm that the screen can be run and opened in drilling fluid. This type of testing is frequently provided by the expandable scrren supplier. The fluid design and product selection process required extensive laboratory work to identify suitable additives to provide the required properties with respect to drilling performance and formation damage potential. A summary of the formulations tested and the properties of the fluids is given in Tables 1 and 2. In order to ensure good

hole-cleaning properties, it was decided that the fluid should be viscosified with xanthan polymer, with formate salts added to the fluid to help prevent polymer degradation at high temperature. A high-temperature starch and a PAC were tested as potential fluid-loss-control agents, as well as a number of synthetic fluid-loss-control polymers, primarily based on AMPS chemistry. By using formate salt as the primary thermal stabilizer, it was hoped that the overall concentration of synthetic polymers used would be kept to a minimum. Triethanolamine was also added as a thermal stabilizer. After the fluids were dynamically aged (hot-rolled) at 350F for 16 hours, the fluid properties were tested. Initial screening tests (Table 1 and Table 2) focused on determining the effects of each of the potential fluid-loss-control additives separately. Fluids were treated with 2 lb./bbl (5.7 g/L) and 4 lb/bbl (11.4 g/L) of each additive tested, then heat aged and re-tested. Most of the fluids tested showed an appreciable drop in viscosity after heat aging, although the fluids treated with 4.0 lb/bbl of the additives displayed a higher degree of stability. The HTHP fluid loss on each of the fluids tested was unacceptably high, with the exception of the fluid treated with 4.0-lb/bbl PAC Regular (Formulation 6). However, this fluid was extremely viscous before heat aging. The second suite of tests evaluated the performance of combinations of the most promising fluid-loss polymers identified by the initial testing. In addition, a low-visocity PAC was included in the test matrix, and the concentrations of xanthan and high-temperature starch were adjusted. The formulations and results are summarized in Tables 3 and 4. The results from these tests showed great improvement over the first suite of tests. All fluids showed excellent hightemperature fluid-loss control after heat aging. Although most of the test fluids exhibited unacceptably high viscosity both pre and post heat aging, the fluid containing reduced ultra-low viscosity PAC and reduced concentrations of high-temperature starch and xanthan (formulation 11) gave acceptable rheology and fluidloss control after heat aging. This fluid formulation was submitted for formation damage testing. In the absence of core from offset wells, the fluid was tested against Berea and Clashach sandstones, outcrop rocks commonly used for laboratory testing in the absence of native core. Test Procedure 1. Saturate core with 10% NaCl brine by vacuum. 2. Mount core in Hassler cell, place core in oven, raise net confining stress to 500 psi, system pressure to 500 psi, and temperature to 340F. 3. Establish initial permeability by flowing LVT 200 mineral oil from the formation face to the wellbore face at increasing flow rates. Monitor pressure and permeability. 4. Expose core dynamically with treatment fluid (formate) for three hours at 500-psi overbalance. Monitor dynamic filtration while circulating fluid. 5. Establish final return permeability as in Step 3. The results of the tests are summarized in Table 5. The results indicate a degree of stimulation of both cores during the test.

SPE 98391

The cause of this is unknown, but is most likely because neither core has been exposed to such temperatures in nature. The volume of filtrate lost to the core during the mud off stage is relatively low, and the rate of fluid loss is consistent with the formation of a well-packed, external filter cake. The flow initiation pressure measured on the Berea is consistent with values recorded with water-based drilling fluids in similar tests. The pressure recorded in the test on Clashach core is considered low for a test with a water-based drilling fluid. Formulating a Low-Density, High-Temperature Fluid. Subsequent to completing the formation damage tests, it was determined that a lower density drilling fluid would be required on the Miano field, where the anticipated formation gradients are lower than 6.8 lb/gal. Reducing the desired mud weight to 9.0 lb/gal (1.08 sg) required the concentration of formate salt to be reduced to around 20 lb/bbl. This concentration would keep the drilling fluid at a higher density than desired, yet would retain some of the preserving properties of the salt. Reducing the stabilizing properties of the base fluid to this degree, however, meant that the additives used in the 11.5-lb/gal formulation would not give acceptable properties after heat aging. Further laboratory testing was initiated to determine an optimum formulation for a low-density water-based reservoir drilling fluid suitable for this high-temperature application. The formulations and results are summarized in Tables 6 and 7. In addition to conventional HPHT fluid loss, fluid-loss tests were run on a Permeability Plugging Tester (PPT) fitted with a 35micron Aloxite disk. The best formulation treated with different blends of sized calcium carbonate was tested on the PPT. The test was run for 30 minutes at 340F, 1000-psi overbalance to simulate the high overbalance pressure expected on the underpressured zones. A more conventional high-temperature water-based drilling fluid also was formulated and tested to the same parameters. The purpose of this test was to determine whether a more conventional fluid albeit one heavily treated with synthetic polymers would perform as well, or better, than the low solids reservoir drilling fluid. The formulation and properties are included in Tables 8 and 9. The best performing low solids drilling fluid formulation and the high-temperature water-based drilling fuid were forwarded for formation damage testing as per the previous procedure. The results are summarized in Table 10 below. Although all of the laboratory results were within the same range, the condition of the filter cakes left on the core was markedly different (Fig 1). As a result, the low-solids RDF was recommended for testing on the expandable screen. Laboratory Testing on Expandable Screen. Once the formulation of the drilling fluid had been agreed to, the fluid was sent for additional core flood tests to determine the effect on return permeability of the placement of an expandable screen on the filter cake. The core flood test exposes the core face to the drilling fluid under dynamic conditions at reservoir temperature. Initial and return permeabilities are measured with purified mineral oil, after the core has been conditioned to residual brine. In most cases, two tests are run, the first with the core and drilling fluid only. On the second test, a section of expandable screen shroud and weave are pressed on to the filter cake prior to

measuring the return permeability. This procedure helps to determine the effect of screen placement on the ability of the filter cake to flow back. In this case, the test was done on a 1.5 x 2-in. section of Clashach core. The testing was performed at 140C, the maximum safe operating temperature of the test equipment, with 800-psi overbalance applied to the drilling fluid. A 150-micron weave was placed on the filter cake on the second test. The results of this test (Table 11) indicate that placing the screen on the filter cake had no appreciable effect on the return permeability of the core. Further to these tests, it was decided that it may be necessary to spot an acid breaker to remove the filter cake in the event that the results from the field were not as good as those observed in the laboratory. The test procedure used previously was repeated, but in this case, a formic acid-based breaker fluid (Table 12) was spotted on the filter cake. Mud was displaced with the breaker solution at 500-psi overbalance, then 300 mL of breaker solution was allowed to leak off through the core before return permeability was measured. The results (Table 13) indicate that the presence of the weave reduces the return permeability of the core. The higher liftoff pressure required to remove the filter cake on the test without the screen present seems unusual based on the final result. The condition of the cores after the test (Fig 2) also seems to indicate better cleanup with the screen in place. Without additional testing, it is difficult to determine conclusively what causes this result. The likely reason is that the expandable screen helps to more evenly distribute the acid across the core face, while the core without the screen in place is more likely to see breakthrough, leading to exceptional cleanup in the area that provides an unrestricted path for oil flow. Conclusions Extensive laboratory testing carried out by the fluids supplier and operator has identified a low-density, low-solids, formatebased reservoir drilling fluid that is capable of performing at bottomhole temperatures in the range of 340F. The low density of the fluid greatly reduces the ability to stabilize drilling fluid additives with the use of formate salts. However, there is some improvement in performance even with low concentrations of formate present in the fluid. The high temperature of the wells, the high overbalance applied, and the relatively tight operational tolerances of expandable screens make the development of a water-based drilling fluid for this project a serious technical challenge. Through close collaboration among the fluids supplier, operator, and completions hardware provider, a technically viable solution has been determined through laboratory testing and is ready to be applied in the field. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank OMV and M-I SWACO for their permission to publish this paper. Special thanks also to Steve Beare of Weatherford for his assistance and to Mary Dimataris and Judy Maksoud for their editorial assistance. References
1 .Sorgaard E, Alteras, E. Svanes, G. and Dzialowski, A.: New Apparatus Allows To Test Drill-In Fluid Flowback Through Production Screen at Wellsite, paper presented at the Offshore Mediterranean Conference, Ravenna, Italy, 28-30 March 2001.

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2. Howard, S.K.: "Formate Brines for Drilling and Completion: State of the Art," SPE 30498, presented at the 1995 SPE Annual Technical Conference, Dallas, 22-25 October 1995. 3. Bungert, D., Maikranz, S., Sundermann, R., Downs, J., Benton, W. and Dick, M.: The Evolution and Application of Formate Brines in High-Temperature/High-Pressure Operations, paper SPE 59191, presented at the 2000 SPE/IADC Drilling Conference, New Orleans, 23-25 February 2000.

4.

Bradshaw R., Hodge R., Wolf N., Hudson C., Knox D. and Svoboda C.: Reservoir Drilling Fluids - Designing for Challenging Wells in a Remote Location, paper SPE 96828, presented at the 2005 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Dallas, 9 12 October 2005.

Fig. 1 Additive consumption per 1000 ft of hole drilled in high-temperature area, United Arab Emirates. Water-based RDF based on sodium chloride (Well 4) has a high rate of additions of starch and xanthan polymer to maintain fluid properties. Adding TEA as a thermal stabilizer (Well 1, Well 3) showed a marginal improvement in one well, no discernible improvement in the other. Using a combination of TEA and low concentration of sodium formate (20 lb/bbl) reduced xanthan consumption by 50%, starch by 67%.

Table 1 HT Drilling Fluid Formulations First Suite of Tests

Test No. Additive
Water (bbl) Na Formate (lb) K Formate (lb) Synthetic Polymer 1 (lb) Synthetic Polymer 2 (lb) PAC Reg (lb) Xanthan Polymer (lb) HT Starch (lb) TEA (lb) K Carbonate (lb) CaCO3 fine (lb)

1
0.520 53.0 0.343 2.0 1.5 6.0 2.0 5.0 30

2
0.520 53.0 0.343 2.0 1.5 6.0 2.0 5.0 30

3
0.520 53.0 0.343 2.0 1.5 6.0 2.0 5.0 30

4
0.520 53.0 0.343 4.0 1.5 6.0 2.0 5.0 30

5
0.520 53.0 0.343 4.0 1.5 6.0 2.0 5.0 30

6
0.520 53.0 0.343 4.0 1.5 6.0 2.0 5.0 30

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Table 2 HT Drilling Fluid Properties Before and After Dynamic Heat Aging at 340F for 16 hr*
1 Base Post H/R Base
34 46 19 18 22 1.6 11.0 11.5 PV (cP) 29 22 YP (lb/100 ft2) 59 1 6 rpm 18 1 10-sec Gel 15 1 10-min Gel 17 1 API Fluid Loss (mL) 2.0 7.0 HPHT Fluid Loss (mL) 52 pH 11.0 9.0 Density (lb/gal) 11.5 11.5 * HPHT fluid loss was measured at 340F.

2 Post H/R
14 5 1 1 1 4.0 60 9.7 11.5

3 Base
36 73 29 26 34 2.0 11.0 11.5

4 Post H/R
24 8 1 1 1 3.4 56 9.9 11.5

5 Post H/R
36 33 4 3 4 3.5 64 10.7 11.5

6 Post H/R
28 25 3 2 2 2.4 50 10.7 11.5

Base
42 79 25 19 21 1.8 11.3 11.5

Base
39 48 18 17 23 1.2 11.4 11.5

Base
o/s 87 73 77 1.2 11.3 11.5

Post H/R
62 38 5 3 4 2.8 32 10.8 11.5

Table 3 HT Drilling Fluid Formulations Second Suite of Tests

Test No. Additive
Water (bbl) Na Formate (lb) K Formate (lb) Synthetic Polymer 2 (lb) PAC Reg (lb) PAC UL (lb) Xanthan Polymer (lb) HT Starch (lb) TEA (lb) K Carbonate (lb) CaCO3 fine (lb)

7
0.520 53.0 0.343 4.0 2.0 1.5 6.0 2.0 5.0 30

8
0.520 53.0 0.343 4.0 3.0 1.5 6.0 2.0 5.0 30

9
0.520 53.0 0.343 4.0 4.0 1.5 6.0 2.0 5.0 30

10
0.520 53.0 0.343 4.0 2.0 2.0 6.0 2.0 5.0 30

11
0.520 53.0 0.343 4.0 2.0 2.0 4.0 2.0 5.0 30

12
0.520 53.0 0.343 4.0 4.0 1.0 4.0 1.0 5.0 30

Table 4 HT Drilling Fluid Properties Before and After Dynamic Heat Aging at 340F for 16 hr
7 Base
PV (cP) YP (lb/100 ft2) 6 rpm 10-sec Gel 10-min Gel API Fluid Loss (mL) HPHT Fluid Loss (mL) pH Density (lb/gal) 73 117 39 32 42 1.9 11.0 11.5

8 Post H/R
66 51 7 4 5 2.2 15 10.0 11.5

9 Post H/R
o/s 15 9 10 1.8 8.0 10.0 11.5

10 Post H/R
61 44 6 4 5 2.0 10.0 10.0 11.5

11 Post H/R
49 63 10 6 7 2.0 10.4 10.8 11.5

12 Post H/R
40 34 4 3 3 2.7 14.8 10.7 11.5

Base
o/s 54 44 58 1.6 11.0 11.5

Base
85 118 36 30 38 1.8 11.0 11.5

Base
55 80 28 23 28 1.9 11.3 11.5

Base
45 69 24 20 26 2.2 11.3 11.5

Base
48 45 13 11 13 2.0 11.2 11.5

Post H/R
34 18 3 2 2 2.0 30.8 10.6 11.5

Table 5 Return Permeability Tests Formulation 11

Core Initial Perm (mD)
159.4 670

Filtrate (3 hours @ 500 psi o/b)

3.42 4.03

Return Perm (mD)

168.4 1080.5

% Return
105.6 161

Flow Initiation Pressure (psi)

18.3 2.1

Berea Clashach

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Table 6 Low-Density HT Drilling Fluid Formulations First Suite of Tests

Test No. Additive
Water (bbl) Na Formate (lb) Synthetic Polymer 1 (lb) Synthetic Polymer 2 (lb) Synthetic Polymer 3 (lb) Synthetic Polymer 4 (lb) Xanthan Polymer (lb) CaCO3 fine (lb) CaCO3 med (lb) CaCO3 coarse (lb) Organoclay (lb) API Bentonite (lb)

13
0.943 13.8 6.0 5.0 6.0 0.75 20 5 -

14
0.943 13.8 6.0 4.0 4.0 0.75 20 5 -

15
0.943 13.8 6.0 5.0 6.0 0.75 20 5 10

15 a
0.943 13.8 6.0 5.0 6.0 0.75 20 5 10

15 b
0.943 13.8 6.0 5.0 6.0 0.75 20 5 10

15 c
0.943 13.8 6.0 5.0 6.0 0.75 4 10 6 5 10

Table 7 Low-Density HT Drilling Fluid Properties Before and After Dynamic Heat Aging at 340F for 16 hr
13 Base
PV (cP) YP (lb/100 ft2) 6 rpm 10-sec Gel 10-min Gel API Fluid Loss (mL) HPHT Fluid Loss (mL) PPT Spurt @1000-psi overbalanced Fluid Loss pH Density (lb/gal) 36 47 10 7 8 10 10.4 9.0

14 Post H/R
34 26 4 3 4 18.2 9.2 9.1 9.0

15 Post H/R
46 60 10 6 7 24.8 36.8 9.1 9.0

Base
48 67 16 12 14 13 10.3 9.0

Base
36 41 8 5 6 10 10.1 9.0

Post H/R
35 31 5 4 5 4.6 14.4 23.5 135.5 9.0 9.0

15a Base Post H/R

444 67 16 11 12 5.0 10.3 9.0 40 37 14 4 5 4.8 12.4 10.4 145.5 9.0 9.0

15b Base Post H/R

45 64 14 10 13 5.0 10.2 9.0 40 38 5 3 5 4.6 27.0 12.0 222.5 9.1 9.0

Base
47 64 13 10 12 4.4 10.2 9.0

15c Post H/R

38 33 5 4 5 4.8 11.6 17.2 202.2 9.0 9.0

Table 8 Conventional HT WBM Formulation

Additive
Water (bbl) Bentonite (g) Soda Ash (g) KOH (g) Fluid Loss Additive 1 (g) Fluid Loss Additive 2 (g) Thinning agent (g) Xanthan Polymer (g) K Chloride (g) Calcium carbonate fine (g) Calcium carbonate med (g) Organoclay (g)

Concentration
0.911 5.0 0.75 1.0 7.0 4.0 3.0 0.75 17.0 10.0 10.0 5.0

Table 9 Conventional HT WBM Properties Before and After Heat Aging

Base
PV (cP) YP (lb/100 ft2) 6 rpm 10-sec Gel 10-min Gel API Fluid Loss (mL) HPHT Fluid Loss (mL) PPT Spurt @ 1000-psi o/b Fluid Loss pH Density (lb/gal) 6 9 4 4 6 7.8 22.4

Post H/R
2 2 1 1 1 25.5 75.6 43 122 7.8 9.5

10.1 9.5

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Table 10 Return Permeability Tests, Low Solids RDF and Conventional HT Water Based Mud
Core Initial Perm (mD)
423.6 361.5

Filtrate (3 hours @ 500 psi o/b)

11.24 7.39

Return Perm (mD)

441.8 314.7

% Return

Flow Initiation Pressure (psi)

5.2 22 7.0 3.4

Low Solids RDF

Berea Clashach 104.3 87.2 79.8* 135.7

Conventional HT Water Based Mud

Berea 342 6.39 273 Clashach 319.1 5.23 432.9 * Permeability declined during flowback.

Fig. 2 - Low-solids reservoir drilling fluid and conventional drilling fluid filter cakes on Berea and Clashach sandstone cores post formation damage testing.

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Table 11 - Return Permeability Results on Clashach Sandstone with and without Expandable Screen
Test
With 150 Screen No Screen

Initial Perm (mD)

213 332

Leak off during mud placement (Pore Vol)

5.5 7.0

Filtercake lift off Pressure (psi)

2.2 2.6

Return Perm (mD)

103 142

% Return
48 43

% Return at high flow rate

70 69

Table 12 Acid Breaker Treatment

Additive
Water (bbl/bbl) Formic Acid (gal/1000 gal) Corrosion Inhibitor (gal/1000 gal) Iron Control Agent 1 (lb/gal) Iron Control Agent 2 (gal 1000 gal) Surfactant (gal/1000 gal)

Concentration
0.92 60 10 5 10 2

Table 13: Return Permeability Results on Clashach Sandstone with and without Expandable Screen, Post Acid Treatment
Test Initial Perm (mD)
101 146

Leak off during mud placement (Pore Vol)

7.6 5.9

Leak off during acid treatment (Pore Vol)

6.3 14.4

Filtercake lift off Pressure (psi)

8.9 4.5

Return Perm (mD)

48 54

% Return
48 37

% Return at high flow rate

54 84

With 150 Screen No Screen

Fig. 3 Cores after acid breaker tests. The core on the left had the screen fitted, core on the right had no screen.