SPE 140720

Development of Environmentally Friendly Oil Based Mud using Palm- Oil

and Groundnut-Oil
Prof. Adewale Dosunmu, SPE and Ogunrinde Joshua.O, SPE; University of PortHarcourt Nigeria

Copyright 2010, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 34th Annual SPE International Conference and Exhibition held in Tinapa – Calabar, Nigeria, 31 July–7 August 2010.

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
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Abstract also functionally as efficient as the ones formulated with

The development of an oil-based mud from palm oil and diesel and conventional synthetic oils.
ground-nut oil was carried out in this work. It also
compares the eco-toxicological properties of conventional Introduction
base oil of diesel and vegetable oils derived from palm oil Drilling fluid is a circulating fluid used in rotary drilling to
and groundnut oil. perform the various functions required in drilling
A drilling mud was formulated with both palm oil and operations. In designing a drilling fluid, the factors
groundnut oil and standard additives were added. considered include; the well design, anticipated formation
Complete mud check was conducted on the mud in order to pressures and rock mechanics, formation chemistry,
determine the rheological properties. Toxicity of diesel, temperature, environmental regulations logistics and
palm oil and groundnut oil were compared by exposing economics. The rheology of the fluid determines its
corns planted on humus soil beds prepared with palm. effectiveness in a drilling hole.
Also, groundnut oil-based mud with an oil/water ratio of Oil-based drilling fluids are widely used in drilling,
90/10 was formulated successfully. When the humus beds especially in highly technical and challenging wells
planted with corn were exposed to diesel, palm oil and because it performs better than water-based mud. Oil-
groundnut oil, the corn exposed to diesel lost its greenness based drilling mud provides good wellbore stability, good
and died while that exposed to palm oil and groundnut oil lubrication that leads to faster rate of penetration,
retain its greenness. Palm oil-based mud having 90/10 temperature stability, reduced risk of differential sticking
oil/water ratio and groundnut oil-based mud exhibited a and low formation damage. However, the disposal of oil-
20% and 12% average rate of growth without losing all its contaminated drill cuttings causes’ environmental hazard.
greenness. The industry has been replacing highly aromatic oils (e.g.
Palm oil based mud formulated with different oil/water diesel) with low aromatic mineral oils as well as synthetic
ratios congealed during the course of formulation. They oils. However, as environmental legislation and controls
exhibited high viscosity and progressive gel become more stringent, even the newer and less polluting
characteristics. mineral and synthetic oils in vogue now may be adjudged
In conclusion, oil based mud developed using Palm oil and unsuitable because of their non-biodegradability. Indeed,
groundnut oil should be encouraged since its highly today, in many parts of the world, like the USA, United
biodegradable, have better eco-toxicological properties Kingdom, Holland, Norway, Nigeria and Australia, the use
and the cost of treatment of the cuttings are lower of diesel and mineral oil-based drilling fluids in offshore
compared to Oil-based drilling mud formulated with operations is already either severely restricted or banned
diesel, mineral and conventional synthetic oil. They can because of their toxicity, persistency and bioaccumulation.
also be a source of income to the farmers producing the A typical well may generate between 1000 and 1500tonnes
palm oil in large quantity and help in the growth of the of cuttings. With average oil retention of 15%, around 150
Nigerian economy since we can supply the palm oil to oil - 225tonnes of oil from the drilling fluid is discharged into
and gas companies that need it to produce their mud for the sea for each well that is drilled, thereby causing a large
drilling operations. In addition to these benefits, the oil area around the drilling site being affected. The disposal of
based mud formulated with palm oil and groundnut oil is
2 SPE 140720

the cuttings raises a concern over the ecological impact on fluids and synthetic fluids - are now considered more
marine life. environmentally acceptable than diesel or mineral oils.
In summary, mineral oils and most petrochemical synthetic Invert emulsions are oil muds that are formulated to
fluids can pollute the marine environment by dumping the contain moderate to high concentrations of water (Amoco
cutting piles overboard or accidental spillage because of production company drilling fluid manual 1994). Oil-based
its; drilling mud and synthetic-based drilling mud have many
1. Low biodegradability, particularly in anaerobic inherent advantages over water-based drilling fluids
conditions including temperature stability, tolerance to contamination
2. High toxicity from the presence of aromatic and corrosion protection (Dye et.al. 2006) and according to
compounds the Norwegian Oil Industry Association Working Group
3. Severe impact on the seafloor sediments and food (1996).
chain. Oil mud offers many advantages over water-based mud.
The high initial cost of the oil-based mud can be a factor in
Shale and clay-rich geological formations remain a not selecting this type of mud system. However, if the
constant challenge in drilling due to their instability and overall drilling costs are considered, the costs
water sensitivity. Compared to oil-based mud, water-based accompanying the use of an oil mud are usually less than
mud are more environmentally friendly and less toxic. that for a water mud.
In order to create a fluid that satisfies both the technical
and environmental criteria, the industry is recognizing the WATER-BASED DRILLING FLUID
potential of vegetable oil-based mud. Water-based drilling fluids or muds (WBMs) use water or
The first trial of the conventional C12-C14 ester based brine as the continous or external phase with the critical
drilling fluid, derived from palm oil, took place in 1990 in functions (density, viscosity, filtration, lubricity, etc)
Norwegian waters. The trial was technically and achieved by the addition of various materials. Water based
economically successful. Since then over 300 wells fluids are the most extensively used drilling fluids. They
covering Nigeria and other countries in the world have are easy to build and inexpensive to maintain. Three major
been drilled with vegetable oil-based mud. With good sub-classifications of water-based drilling fluid include:
additive chemistry, the viscosity and other rheological
properties of natural and refined vegetable oil could be Non-Inhibitive Fluids: These types of fluids do not
modified to produce an efficient oil-based drilling fluid. suppress clay swelling.
Both aerobically and anaerobically, vegetable oil-based
mud is readily degradable. They contain no aromatics or Inhibitive Fluids: These fluid types appreciably retard clay
any other toxic hydrocarbon derivatives and thus pose a swelling and, achieve inhibition in the presence of cations;
smaller health risk to humans. Seabed surveys have typically, Sodium (Na+), Calcium (Ca++) and Potassium
documented short-term recoveries after the disposal of drill (K+).
cuttings generated by vegetable oil-based mud. Compared
to diesel or mineral oil based mud, they are less toxic to Polymer Fluids: fluids that rely on macromolecules, either
benthic (bottom) fauna and do not taint fish or other with or without clay interactions to provide mud
commercially exploitable marine resources. properties, and are applied in diverse forms.
These fluids can be inhibitive or non-inhibitive depending
on the type of cation used. (Amoco Production Company
Review of literature Drilling Fluid Manual 1994).
Drilling fluid can be classified into two categories which
Montilva et.al. (2007). Lists some of the problems created
include;
by water-based mud which include: hole enlargement, bit
balling, accretion, low rates of penetration, and insufficient
ƒ The oil based mud
hole cleaning.
ƒ The water based mud

Oil-based mud
The solids in an oil base fluid are oil wet, all additives are Methodology
oil dispersible and the filtrate of the mud is oil. The water, It is a standard practice in the oil industry to conduct tests
if present, is emulsified in the oil phase. There are two on a freshly formulated mud in order to ascertain their
basic classifications of oil-based fluids; invert emulsions rheological and other relevant properties. These tests are
and all-oil mud. The amount of water present will describe simulations of down-hole conditions and it enables the
the type of oil base fluid. The oil used in these types of oil mud Engineer to predict the behaviour of the mud during
base fluids can range from crude oil, refined oils such as drilling operation.
diesel or mineral oils, or the non-petroleum organic fluids The equipment used in this research include; Weighing
that are currently available. The latter type fluids - balance, Hamilton beach mixer, Mud cup, Spatula,
variously called inert fluids, pseudo oils, non-aqueous
SPE 140720 3

Measuring cylinder, Chemical balance, Retort kit, HP/HT very low because the mud was sagging i.e. the barite was
Filtration unit, Mud balance, pipette, beaker, Rheometer. settling. The OWR was high compared to the quantity of
Mud formulation viscosifier added. Since groundnut oil is denser than
Mud calculator software was used to get the output values PARADRIL, using the same formulation with PARADRIL
in the table 2 by inputting the values in table 1 did not give a favourable result. A fresh mud with an
OWR of 85/15 was prepared with PARADRIL.
Experimental procedure Considering the density of PARADRIL, an equivalent
quantity of additives was used in the preparation of the
1) The palm oil was heated in the oven for sometime to mud. Desirable rheological readings and mud properties
bleach it and cooled afterwards to room temperature. were obtained.
2) The required quantity of base fluid (bleached palm oil, This mud, exhibited a low-end rheological readings
groundnut oil and Paradril) was measured out into a compared to that of groundnut oil-based mud. This does
cup with the weighing balance and was placed under not rule out the fact that the groundnut oil-based mud
the mixer. displayed rheological readings desirable for a virgin mud
3) Organophilic clay was then added to the palm oil with before heating.
OWR (75/25) and Paradril with (90/10 & 85/15). When the humus beds planted with corns were exposed to
4) To the other fluid with OWR 90/10, primary diesel, palm oil and groundnut oil respectively,
emulsifier, secondary emulsifier and lime was added earthworms migrated to the surface of the bed those with
in this sequence almost immediately using a spatula. diesel in a distressed manner and perished shortly
The mud was left to mix for about 20mins. afterwards. This phenomenon was not encountered in the
5) The already mixed brine (water +Cacl2) was added to beds exposed to palm oil and groundnut oil. This clearly
the mixture after the time has elapsed. shows that diesel is highly toxic to earthworms, which are
6) After five minutes, the fluid loss additive was added beneficial soil organisms
and finally the weighting material (barite) was added. Earthworms create channels that aid root proliferation and
7) The whole mixture was allowed to stir for some water infiltration in the soil. Their cast (excreta) is rich in
minutes before switching off the Hamilton beach plant nutrients.
mixer. Under observation, the corn exposed to diesel lost its
greenness the following day and died. The corns exposed
Results and Discussion to palm oil and groundnut oil exhibited a 20% and 12%
average rate of growth respectively and slumped after 14
In preparing the palm oil-based mud (75/25 oil/water ratio) days without losing all their greenness.
with palm oil bleached for about 45minutes at 250ºF, the
mud congealed after the addition of the emulsifiers. The the support of build-up analysis. On the other hand, the last
formulation was discontinued because there was no need two PI data points show a stable performance. However, a
to add the barite, which is a weighting material. The continuous computation provides a better understanding of
oil/water ratio was increased to 90/10 and the mud still the well performance.
congealed. Also, the oil was bleached for 3 hours. The
mud was completely formulated but it failed to produce
any dial reading because of its excessive viscosity. Conclusions
To prepare the groundnut oil-based mud, we adopted an The eco-friendly nature of palm oil and ground-nut oil
oil/water ratio of 90/10 without adding organophilic clay. based mud makes them very attractive in the present times,
The formulation of the mud was successfully completed. where government, corporate and civil groups are
In the process of preparation, the presence of air bubbles campaigning for green consciousness. The preliminary
was noticed and a defoamer was added. A full mud check tests indicate that additive chemistry must be employed in
was conducted thereafter and it was successful. the formulation of the vegetable oil-based mud in order to
The mud resembled sludge because of significant thermal make them very functional in a drilling operation. In
degradation. Also, organophilic clay was not included as conclusion,
part of the additives because of the high viscosity of the 1. Palm oil and experimental oil based mud are very
ground-nut oil. The primary and secondary emulsifiers, viscous, with the palm oil based mud demonstrating strong
progressive gel characteristics before hot rolling
2. Before hot rolling, the experimental oil based mud
VERSAMUL (calcium chloride) and VERSACOAT passed all the mud checks. It presented rheological
(barite) were effective in the mud formulation. readings acceptable for a virgin mud before hot rolling.
An oil-based mud was formulated with PARADRIL with 3. After hot rolling for 16 hours at 250OF, the
an OWR of 90/10 in order to compare its properties with experimental oil based mud became highly viscous and
the groundnut oil-based mud. Organophilic clay was added failed to give any reading on the rheometer. It exhibited
because of the thinness of the base fluid. After running a significant thermal degradation. It also shows that the fatty
full mud check, the yield point (YP) was discovered to be acids components of the oil broke down.
4 SPE 140720

4. The fluid-loss control additive, VG+ is not effective in ADR = Above dial reading
controlling the filtration properties of natural vegetable oil- AHR = After hot rolling
based mud. BHR = Before hot rolling
5. Palm oil and groundnut oil are highly biodegradable and AR = Above reading
have better eco-toxicological properties compared to RPM = Rotation per minute
diesel. IPO = Isopropanol
6. Most environmental protection regulations are OWR = Oil-water ratio
favourably disposed to vegetable oil-based mud because of
their high biodegradability and minimal impact on the eco- References
system and its organisms. Because of this, logistics, cost of 1. Amanullah, Md.(2005): “Physio-chemical
transportation and treatment of cuttings are lower Characterisation of Vegetable Oils and Preliminary
compared to conventional oil-based and synthetic mud. Test Results of Vegetable Oil-Based Muds,” paper
This situation reduces drilling cost and enhances the SPE/IADC 97008 presented at the Middle East
overall profitability of a drilling operation in the long run. Drilling Technology Conference and Exhibition,
7. Demonstrating good technical performance and Dubai, UAE, September 12-14, pp1-9.
economics, low viscosity esters, derived from vegetable
oil, have been used all over the world to drill wells at 2. Annis, M.R. and M.V. Smith (1996): Drilling Fluids
temperatures not exceeding 300O F. Technology Revised Edition Exxon Company USA,
Section III.

Recommendation 3. Ayers Jr., R.C., J.M. Neff and S. Mckelvie (2000):

Esterification process of heating vegetable oil with alcohol “Environmental Impacts of Synthetic- Based
could be used to reduce the viscosity of vegetable oils. Drilling Fluids”, U.S. Department of the Interior
Also, with good additive chemistry, natural vegetable oil- Minerals Management Science Publishers, Gulf of
based mud could be modified and used in down-hole Mexico pp11-50
conditions not exceeding 300OF.
Extra investigative studies to determine environmentally 4. Aalarcon, C., M.A Callahan, A.J. Stewart, and S.J.
friendly viscosity reducers and sound fluid-loss control Mcmillen (2002): “Effects of Earthworm (Eiseni
additives are in order. Addition of some materials like Fetida) and Wheat (Triticum Aestivum)”, Straw
Carboxylmethylcellulose (CMC) to the fluid loss control additions on selected properties of Petroleum-
additive can help to boost the control. Further research is contaminated Soils, Environmental Toxicology and
also required in the area of determining an effective Chemistry Vol. 21, No. 8, pp1658-1663
thermal inhibitor that will enhance the thermal stability of
the mud. The oleic acid percentage of the vegetable oils 5. Boesch, D.F., J.M. Neff and N.N. Rabalais (1987):
could be increased with genetic modification or chemical “Offshore Oil and Gas Development Activities
processing. This will improve the thermal and oxidative Potentially Causing Long Term Environmental
stability without adversely affecting their thermo-physical Effect”, pp149-160\ In: Boesch, D.F. and N.N.
(flash point) properties. Rabalais, eds. Long Term Effects of Offshore Oil
and Gas Development. Elsevier Applied Science
Publishers, London.
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank the Department of Petroleum 6. Billy, D. E, Van Oort, M. Mcdonald, J. Trenery, J.
and Gas Engineering, University of PortHarcourt for Pablo Luzardo, L. Quintero, R. Brahim, J. Montilva
helping them accomplish this work. and S.A. Filial (2007): “Improved Drilling
Performance in Lake Maracaibo Using a Low
Nomenclature Salinity, High Performance Water-Based Drilling
Fluids”, paper SPE 110366 presented at the SPE
θ =dial reading
Annual Technical conference and Exhibition,
Ibf = pounds force
Anaheim, California, USA, November 11-14 p.1
Ft = feet
Cm = centimeter
7. Burrows, K., J. Evans, J. Hall and J. Kirsner (2001):
S/qt = seconds per quart
“New Low Viscosity Ester is suitable For Drilling
Psi = pounds per square inch
Fluids in Deep Water Applications”, paper
Gal = gallon
SPE/EPA/DOE 66553 presented at the 2001 SPE
ºF= Fahrenheit
Exploration and Production Environmental
HTS = High Temperature Stability
Conference, San Antonio, Texas, February 26-28
ALAP = As low as possible
pp.1-14
AHAP = As high as possible
SPE 140720 5

8. Chien, S. F. (1970): “Laminar Flow Pressure Loss 19. Oomen, T.V. (2002): “Vegetable Oils for Liquid
and Flow Pattern Transition of Bingham Plastics in Filled Transformers”, IEEE Electrical Insulation
Pipes and Annuli”, International Journal of Rock Magazine, Vol. 18 No.1 pp.6-11
Mechanics and Mining Sciences, Vol. 7, No. 4,
pp.339-356. 20. “Proposal for a Definition of Synthetic Drilling
Fluids and Experiences on the Norwegian
9. “Criteria for Selection and Approval of Drilling Continental Shelf SEBA 97/5/5-E”, presented by
Fluids with respect to the effect on human workers Norway at the 1997 Osho and Paris Convention
and marine ecological systems”, Norwegian Oil for the Prevention of Marine Pollution Working
industry Association Group (1996) Group on Sea-Based Activities (SEBA) Biarritz,
France, February 17-21.
10. “Drilling Fluid”, Amoco Production Company
Drilling Fluid Manual (1994) pp.3-49

11. “Drilling Engineering”, Bakers Hughes INTEQ

Drilling Engineering Workbook (1995) pp.1-34

12. Dye, W., K. d’Augereau, N. Hansen, M. Otto, L.

Shoults, R. Leaper, D. Clapper and T. Xiang
(2006): “New Water-based Mud balances high
Performance Drilling and Environmental
Compliance”, paper SPE 92367 presented at the
SPE/IADC Drilling Conference, Amsterdam,
February 23-24, p.1

13. Egbe, N.O., A.O. Obembe, S.O. Inyang and N.

Egbe (2008): “Palm Oil Deterioration Induced by
Ionizing Radiation,” paper, University of Calabar,
Nigeria.

14. Growcock, F. and T. Harvey (2005): “Drilling

Fluids,” Drilling Fluids Handbook, Gulf
Professional Publishing Company, Burlington,
MA. USA, pp.31-50.

15. Lang, M., M. Smith, Manning (1999): “Research

on the Re-use of Drill Cuttings Onshore,
November 11.

16. Mellot, J. (2008): “Technical Improvements in

Wells Drilled with a Pneumatic Fluid” paper SPE
99162 presented at the SPE/IADC Drilling
Conference, Miami, Florida, USA, February 21-23,
p.2

17. Mohd, K.S. and S. Von Tapavicza (2004): “Palm

Oil Derived Esters-An Environmentally Safe
Drilling Fluid”, COGNIS Deutschland GmbH
Duesseldorf Germany pp.1-14.

18. “Oil and Gas Extraction Point Source Category”,

Final effluent limitations guidelines and standards
for the coastal subcategory; Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) Final rule part III, 40
CFR Part 435, Federal Register 61(242): pp.
66086, 66120-66122.
6 SPE 140720

NPUT
Description Palm Palm Palm Gnut oil Paradril Paradril
oil oil oil

Mud weight 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 17

Weight material SG 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.1
Oil/water ratio(0-100) 75 90 90 90 90 85
SG base(oil) fluid 0.902 0.902 0.91 0.912 0.87 0.87
Salt Cacl2 Cacl2 Cacl2 Cacl2 Cacl2 Cacl2
Salt % weight 25 25 25 25 25 25
Salt % purity 95 95 95 95 95 95

Table 1: mud calculation input

SPE 140720 7

OUTPUT – 1 bbl
Groundnut oil Paradril Paradrill Palm oil Palm oil Palm oil
Products (90/10) (85/15) (75/25) (90/10) (90/10)
UNITS
base oil Bbl 0.774 0.774 0.5127 0.644 0.769 0.772
Cacl2 Ppb 10.56 10.56 11.28 26.35 10.50 10.53
Lime Ppb 6.00 6.00 3.00 6.00 6.00 6.00
Primul Ppb 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00
Secmul Ppb 2.00 2.00 6.00 2.00 2.00 2.00
Fluid loss Ppb 2.00 2.00 3.00 2.00 2.00 2.00
Water Bbl 0.084 0.084 0.0927 0.211 0.084 0.084
Barite Ppb 137.80 137.80 507.41 119.65 140.26 141.31
Organophili Ppb _ 6.00 5.00 2.00 2.00 _
c clay

Table.2: mud calculation output

8 SPE 140720

Experiment Paradril Paradril(85/15) Palm oil

Properties BHR AHR BHR AH BHR AHR bleached 90/10
R
MW(ppg) 10.4 ADR 10.5 _ 17 17 _ _
7
600rpm 139 ADR 21 _ 95 66 ADR _
300rpm 75 ADR 11 _ 56 41 ADR _
200rpm 52 ADR 9 _ 42 32 ADR _
100rpm 31 ADR 6 _ 28 22 ADR _

6rpm 6 228 3 _ 9 11 ADR _

3rpm 5 220 2 _ 8 10 ADR _
10secs 6 ADR 3 _ 9 13 ADR _
10mins 7 ADR 9 _ 13 15 ADR _
PV (cp) 62 ADR 10 _ 39 25 ADR _
YP(Ib/100ft2) 13 ADR 1 _ 17 16 ADR _
AV (cp) 69.5 ADR 10.5 _ 47.5 33 ADR _
ES (volts) 1202 AR 623 _ 613 778 AR _
Chloride(mls) 1.75 _ 1.7 _ 2.3 2.0 _ _
Alkalinity mls 2.3 _ 2.3 _ 0.2 0.3 _ _
FL (mls) 8.6 150 40 _ 5 4.5 _ _
% Oil _ _ 80 _ 60 53 _ _
% Water _ _ 10 _ 11 9 _ _
% Solid _ _ 10 _ 29 38 _ _
O/W ML ML 89/1 _ 85/15 85/15 _ _
1

Table.3: The test results

SPE 140720 9

Comparison of the Rheological Behaviour of oil- paradril (85/15) AHR

based mud AFTER HOT ROLLING THE MUD Judith 011(90/10)

paradril(90/10)
240 Before hot 35
rolling Judith
011

PV,YP, AV and Gel strength

210 30
After hot
Dial reading

180 rolling Judith

011 25
150 Before hot
rolling 20
120 Paradril
(90/10)
15
90 Before hot
rolling
Paradil (85/15)
60 10
After hot
30 rolling 5
Paradril
(85/15)
0 0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 10-second 10-minute gel Plastic Yield point Apparent
Rotational speed (rpm) gel vicosity (PV) (YP) viscosity(AV)
Mud parameters

Figure 4: Viscosity and gel strength change of selected

mud before hot rolling
Figure 1: Comparison of the rheological behaviour of
selected oil muds COMPARISON OF THE RATE OF GROWTH OF
CORN EXPOSED TO OIL TYPES
10

RATE OF GROWTH (cm)

before hot rolling
9
FLUID LOSS COMPARISON after hot rolling 8 PALM OIL 1

160 7 PALM OIL 2

6 GNUT OIL 1
140
Fluid loss(mls)

5 GNUT OIL 2

120 4 DIESEL OIL

1
3 DIESEL OIL
100 2 2

80 1
0
60
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
40
TIME (days)
20
0 Figure 5: Comparison of the rate of growth of corn of
Judith011 Paradril(90/10) Paradril(85/15) oil types
Oil-based mud
TOXICITY OF OIL TYPES
16
Figure 2: Comparison of the fluid loss characteristics of
14
Duration of survival

selected oil mud 12

10
(days)

Judith011 (90/10) BHR

8
BEFORE HOT ROLLING THE MUD paradril (90/10)
paradril (85/15) BHR 6
80
4
PV, YP, AV and gel strength

70 2
60 0
PALM OIL GNUT OIL DIESEL OIL
50

40 Corn exposed to 70mls 0f selected oils

30 Figure 6: Comparison of the rate of growth of corn and
20 toxicity of oil types
10

0
10-second gel 10-minute gel Plastic Yield point Apparent
vicosity (PV) (YP) viscosity(AV)
Mud parameters

Figure 3: Viscosity and gel strength change of selected

mud after hot rolling at 250ºF