SPE-192248-MS

High Density Drilling Fluids for Managed Pressure Drilling

Vikrant Wagle; Abdullah S. Al-Yami; Mohammad Aljubran; Hussain Al-Bahrani, Saudi Aramco

Copyright 2018, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Annual Technical Symposium and Exhibition held in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, 23–26
April 2018.

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
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Abstract
Drilling with high density water-based muds invariably increases the chances of a stuck pipe. Stuck pipe
significantly increases the cost of drilling and decreases the chances of successfully drilling a well within
the stipulated time. Drilling fluids formulated with a combination of manganese tetroxide and barite as
weighting agents are expected to have the following advantages: a) Better sag resistance b) Lower
equivalent circulating density (ECD) c) Lower fluid cost d) Stuck pipe mitigation due to acid solubility of
manganese tetroxide. This paper describes the formulation of 100pcf, 120pcf and 150pcf drilling fluids
formulated with a combination of barite and Mn3O4 as weighting materials and hot rolled at
270oF/250oF/300oF respectively. The experimental work involves measuring rheological properties,
HTHP filtration and static sagging resistance of the fluid at the specified temperature. The paper also
describes the data obtained from the field trial of 160pcf fluids formulated with barite and Mn3O4 for wells
with a BHST of 300oF. Details are shed on the high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) operations across
naturally fractured formations with 0.5 – 1.0 pcf mud window.
The paper discusses the advantage of using such drilling fluids in mitigating stuck pipe issues and
showcases their benefits in terms of better barite sag resistance and lower equivalent circulating density
as compared to conventional drilling fluids formulated with barite as weighting agent. The 100pcf, 120pcf
and 150pcf fluids showed superior rheology, thin filter-cake and better sag resistance as compared to fluids
formulated with only barite as the weighting agent. The drilling fluids formulated with a combination of
barite and manganese tetroxide showed good rheology, barite-sag resistance and resulted in successful
drilling of wells having a BHST of 300oF. 160pcf fluid formulated with a combination of barite and
manganese tetroxide when field trialed showed good rheology, better sag-resistance thereby resulting in
successful drilling of the well. In fact, managed pressure drilling (MPD) operations became more practical
with such high mud weights as this novel formulation facilitates mud management and treatment when
compared to the conventional recipes. MPD control algorithms are absolutely dependent on the mud
system consistency and durability which is a feature provided by this innovative fluid formulation.

Introduction
Managed pressure drilling (MPD) system provides a closed-loop circulation system in which pore
pressure, formation fracture pressure, and bottomhole pressure are balanced and managed at surface. This
drilling process is preferred over conventional over balanced drilling as well as underbalanced drilling in
areas where pore pressure and fracture gradients are very close or pore pressures are very low. MPD is
indicated in situations where conventional drilling techniques are not feasible or non economical (Santos
2003 and Fossil 2004).
SPE-192248-MS 2

The choice of drilling fluids play an important role for successful drilling during these managed
pressure drilling operations (Carnegie 2013 and Sridharan 2013). The right choice of drilling fluid used
during managed pressure drilling (MPD) operation facilitates correct mud management and treatment.
Thus, this paper describes the results of the lab formulation of a water based drilling fluid containing a
combination of manganese tetroxide and barite as weighting agents. The paper also discusses the field
trial and the advantage of this new fluid used during a managed pressure drilling operation over
conventional 100% barite based drilling fluid. These water based drilling fluids after a series of lab
investigations have been designed to have an optimum concentration of barite and manganese tetroxide
in order to have the following mentioned advantages over conventional drilling fluids formulated with
100% barite.
a) Lower ECD values due to lower plastic viscosity: Manganese tetroxide has a higher specific gravity
of 4.95 as compared to the conventional weighting agent barite that has a specific gravity of 4.2. Drilling
fluids, especially the high-density fluids, formulated with 100% barite would have a higher solids loading
as compared to fluids formulated with a combination of barite and manganese tetroxide. Higher solid
loading in the fluids results in drilling fluids having a higher plastic viscosity (PV) value.
The equivalent circulating density (ECD) depends on the plastic visclosity value of the drilling fluid.
Higher PVs result in higher ECDs due to the increased pump pressures required to pump the fluid (Nicora
2001). The increase in the pump pressure with the higher PV is due to expected increase of the annular
frictional pressure losses. In addition to the influence of PV on the ECD values, PV also affects the rate
of penetration (ROP). Higher PVs decreases the rate of penetration (ROP) thereby resulting in slower
drilling and subsequently higher drilling costs (Beck 1995). An advantage of having a drilling fluid with
a lower PV value is also to maintain a higher YP/PV ratio which improves cutting transport through the
annulus in the laminar flow region at high YP values (Okrajni 1986). Thus, the use of a weighting agent
having a higher density like manganese tetroxide in combination with barite would help to decrease the
solids loading as compared to the conventional fluid formulated with 100% barite. This decreased solids
loading especially in high density fluids would result in a lower PV which subsequently would result in a
lower equivalent circulating density, higher ROPs, higher YP/PV ratio and subsequently faster drilling
and lower drilling costs.
b) Better sag resistance: One of the primary requirements of a good drilling fluid is its ability to
withstand settling of its weighting agent while drilling or when the fluid is kept static for a certain period
of time. API barite owing to its bigger particle size has been estimated to settle 200 times faster than
manganese tetroxide (Steele et al. 2007). This lower settling velocity shown by manganese tetroxide can
be expected to result in a greater sag resistance for the fluid formulated with a combination of manganese
tetroxide and barite as compared to the conventional fluid formulated with 100% barite.
c) Lower fluid cost: It is known that manganese tetroxide is relatively more expensive than barite. Thus,
the use of manganese tetroxide as the only weighting agent for the fluid will result in increased cost of the
fluid. In other words, the use of a combination of barite and manganese tetroxide would not only reduce
the fluid cost but also result in greater sag resistance and lower ECDs as compared to a fluid formulated
with 100% barite.
d) Acid solubility of manganese tetroxide leading to filter-cake breaking: Apart from the higher density
shown by manganese tetroxide, another feature that sets it apart from barite is its ability to solubilize in
any organic or mineral acid. This ability of manganese tetroxide to solubilize in acid presents an
opportunity to formulate a drilling fluid whose filter cake in the wellbore can be easily removed by using
either an organic or a mineral acid. Thus in the event of a stuck pipe, the partial breaking of the filter-
cake
SPE-192248-MS 3

formed by a drilling fluid formulated with barite and manganese tetroxide will result in the sticking force
being reduced thereby releasing the stuck pipe in the wellbore (Montgomery et. al., 2007).
This paper thus describes the formulation of 100pcf, 120pcf and 150pcf drilling fluids with a 60/40
%v/v combination of barite and manganese tetroxide as weighting materials. Previous studies by this
author have also discussed the utility of manganese tetroxide based drilling fluids through lab investigation
(Alabdullatif 2014, Wagle 2015; Wagle 2016, Wagle 2017). These new 100pcf, 120pcf and 150pcf fluids
after hot rolling show good rheological properties, thermal stability, good HTHP filtration and increased
static sag resistance. The paper also describes the results of using different filter-cake breaker fluids for
the partial dissolution of manganese tetroxide based filter cake. The paper also describes the successful
field trial of these new 145pcf water based drilling fluids with no incidences of stuck pipe.

Methods and Materials

The 100pcf, 120pcf and 150pcf water based fluids with a 60/40 %v/v combination of barite and manganese
tetroxide were formulated with commercially available viscosifiers, filtration control agents, dispersants,
weighting agents, bridging agents, shale inhibitors etc.
The experimental procedure for this study is shown below.
(A) Formulation of 100pcf, 120pcf, 150pcf drilling fluids
1. The fluids were mixed in stainless steel (SS) mixing cups using the multimixer.
2. The fluids were then aged in HPHT stainless steel cells in a hot rolling oven at the desired temperature
for 16 hours.
3. The fluids were then mixed using a multimixer for 5 min and their rheology was measured. After
rheology measurement at 120°F, the fluids were subsequently placed in HPHT SS cells. Static aging
of the fluids was performed by placing the cells at 90° and at 45°. An inclined setup was used to simulate
the performance of the fluid as in a 45° angled well (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1: Inclined setup at 45°

4. After static aging, the cells were inspected for top free fluid separation, which was determined in units
of volume by drawing the separated fluid with a syringe.
5. The sag performance of the fluid was assessed by determining the sag factor. The specific gravity of
the top (SGtop) and bottom (SGbottom) portion of the drilling fluid in the aging cell were determined by
drawing 10 ml aliquots and measuring their weights on an analytical balance.

The sag factor, for the static aged fluids was calculated using the formula (Equation 1):
SPE-192248-MS 4

SGbottom
SagFactor 
SGbottom  SGtop
…………………… (Equation 1)
where, SGbottom is the density of the drilling fluid at the bottom of the aging cell
where, SGtop is the density of the drilling fluid at the top of the aging cell

A sag factor greater than 0.53 implies that the fluid has potential to sag (Maxey 2007).

6. After the sag factor determinations, the fluids were mixed using the multimixer for 5 min. Then the
fluid loss was determined using a 175 ml capacity HPHT filter press cell. The rheological and HPHT
fluid loss testing was performed as per API 13B-1 recommendations.

The rheology of the fluid was characterized in terms of plastic viscosity (PV), yield point (YP) and low
shear yield point (LSYP). The YP and PV are parameters from the Bingham plastic (BP) rheology model.
The YP is determined by extrapolating the BP model to a shear rate of zero; it represents the stress required
to move the fluid. The YP is expressed in the units of lb/100 ft2. The YP indicates the cuttings carrying
capacity of the fluid through the annulus, or, in simple terms, the fluid’s hole cleaning ability. A YP of
10-25 is considered good for drilling. The PV represents the viscosity of a fluid when extrapolated to
infinite shear rate, expressed in units of centipoise (cP). The PV indicates the type and concentration of
the solids in the fluid, and a low PV is preferred. Both PV and YP are calculated using 300 revolutions
per minute (rpm) and 600-rpm shear rate readings on a standard oilfield viscometer as given in Equations
2 and 3 below.
The yield stress or Tau0 is a parameter from the Herschel Buckley (HB) rheology model. The Tau0 is
determined by fitting the HB model to the shear stress vs. shear rate curve, which is the dial readings
plotted against the corresponding rpm determined on the standard oilfield viscometer. The Tau0 is
expressed in similar units as the YP. The Tau0 indicates the susceptibility of the fluid to barite sag: a high
Tau0 is expected to deliver a sag resistant drilling fluid. The Tau0 can be estimated reasonably by
calculating the LSYP value from Equation 4.

PV = (600 rpm reading) – (300 rpm reading)……… (Equation 2)

YP = (300 rpm reading) – PV ……………………... (Equation 3)

LSYP = [2×(3 rpm reading)] – (6 rpm reading)……..(Equation 4)

The gels formed in the fluid were characterized by the 10 sec/10 min gel strength, which represents the
highest dial reading at 3 rpm on the viscometer, after keeping the fluid static for an interval of 10 sec/10
min. The gel strengths indicate the suspension ability of the fluid for cut drill solids and barite particles
when drilling stops.

(B) Filter-cake breaking experiments of Manganese tetroxide based drilling fluids

The effectiveness of various acids and acid precursors to remove the filter cake formed by the Mn 3O4
based drilling fluids were examined using HPHT filter press. 120pcf fluid formulated with 60/40 v/v%
barite/ manganese tetroxide was used for the study. A filter cake was first prepared on a 50µ ceramic disk
at 250°F using a 500 ml HPHT cell according to API 13B-1 (Fig. 2). Filter-cake breaking experiments
were performed by contacting this filter-cake with different filter-cake breaker fluids with a soaking time
SPE-192248-MS 5

of 4.5hours at 250°F. The efficiency of the filter-cake breaker fluids in the removal or breaking of the
filter cake is calculated by the following formula

(𝑊𝑓 − 𝑊𝑎 )
% 𝑅𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑎𝑙 𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 = × 100………(Equation 5)
𝑊𝑓

𝑊𝑓 = Weight of the filtercake before treatment with breaker fluid

𝑊𝑎 = Weight of the filtercake after treatment with breaker fluid

Results and Discussion

(A) Formulation of 100pcf, 120pcf and 150pcf fluids with 60/40 v/v% barite/ manganese tetroxide
Water based drilling fluids with three different densities viz. 100pcf, 120pcf and 150pcf were formulated
with a 60/40 v/v% barite/ manganese tetroxide combination as weighting agents.
(I) Formulation of 100pcf fluid:
100 pcf water based drilling fluid was formulated with 60/40 %v/v barite/manganese tetroxide
combination. Varoius fluids having different combinations of barite and manganese tetroxide ranging
from 20/80 v/v% to 80/20 v/v% were formulated for the 100 pcf WBM. Fluid with 60/40 v/v% barite and
manganese tetroxide combination gave the best results in terms of rheology and HTHP fluid loss. Apart
from rheology and HTHP fluid loss, economic considerations, which involved a limited use of the
expensive manganese tetroxide was also taken into account while choosing 60/40 v/v% of barite and
manganese tetroxide as the best combination for the 100 pcf WBM.
Table 1 gives the concentration of the additives and their mixing order used to formulate 100 pcf WBM.
A combination of 3 ppb of prehydrated bentonite and 1 ppb of viscosifier was used in the formulation to
get optimum rheology for the 100 pcf WBM. Since the mud was hot rolled at 270 oF, a 3 ppb of high
temperature fluid loss additive to achieve the lowest possible HTHP fluid loss for the mud.
The 100 pcf fluid was then subsequently hot rolled at 270oF for a period of 16 hours. The rheology and
filtration properties after hot-rolling the 100 pcf fluid at 270°F for 16 hours is shown in Table 2.
The combination of barite and manganese tetroxide gave a 100 pcf fluid with a PV of 33 cp and a
good YP and LSYP of 28 lb/100ft2 and 6 lb/100ft2, respectively. Good YP and LSYP values ensure that
the fluid has the desired sag resistance and good cuttings carrying capacity (Maghrabi 2015). 10 sec and
10 min gel strength values were 6 lb/100ft2 and 14 lb/100ft2, respectively. The HTHP fluid loss measured
at 270°F was only 10 ml. These results showed that the fluid formulated with a combination of barite and
manganese tetroxide was stable with good rheology and filtration properties.

Table 1: Formulation of 100pcf WBM with 60/40 v/v% barite/ manganese tetroxide
Additive Concentration
Water, bbl 0.75
Bentonite, ppb 3.00
Viscosifier, ppb 1.00
Filtration control agent, ppb 4.00
HTHP fluid loss additive, ppb 3.00
NaCl, ppb 58.00
NaOH, ppb 0.50
Bridging agent, ppb 10.00
SPE-192248-MS 6

Lime 0.25
Barite, ppb 121.1
Manganese tetroxide, ppb 95.1
H2S scavenger, ppb 0.35
High temperature stabilizer, ppb 2.00

Table 2: Rheological properties of 100pcf WBM with 60/40 v/v% barite/ manganese tetroxide hot
rolled at 270°F
RPM AHR Dial Reading
(lbf/100ft2)
600 94
300 61
200 48
100 32
6 8
3 7
PV (cP) 33
YP (lb/100ft2) 28
2
LSYP, (lb/100ft ) 6
Gel 10 sec 6
Gel 10 min 14
HPHT Fluid Loss (ml/30min) 14
pH 9.35

(II) Formulation of 120pcf fluid:

The additives and their mixing order for the 120pcf fluid formulated with a ratio of 60/40 v/v% barite/
manganese tetroxide as weighting agents is given in Error! Not a valid bookmark self-reference.3. The
rheology after hot-rolling the fluid at 250°F for 16 hours is shown in
The rheology after hot-rolling the fluid at 300°F for 16 hours is shown in Table 6.. A HPHT fluid loss
additive with a concentration of 4ppb was added to the fluid for better fluid loss control. As the solid
loading is high in a high density mud like 120pcf fluid, a chrome-free lignosulfonate deflocculant with a
concentration of 2.5ppb was also added to the fluid to avoid higher PV and gel strength values.
The 120pcf fluid formulated with a combination of barite and manganese tetroxide gave a PV of
30cp and a good YP and LSYP of 24 lb/100ft2 and 6 lb/100ft2 respectively. Like the 100pcf fluid, the
120pcf fluid too had good YP and LSYP values thereby ensuring that the fluid would have the desired sag
resistance and good cuttings carrying capacity. The HTHP fluid loss measured at 250°F was only 10ml.
These results showed that similar to the 100pcf fluid, the 120pcf fluid formulated with a combination of
barite and manganese tetroxide was stable with good rheology and filtration properties.
SPE-192248-MS 7

Table 3: Formulation of the new 120pcf drilling fluid with 60/40 v/v% barite/ manganese tetroxide
Additives Concentration

Water, bbl 0.71

Bentonite, ppb 2.0
Sodium carbonate, ppb 0.3
Potassium hydroxide, ppb 0.5
Potassium chloride, ppb 10.0
Viscosifier, ppb 0.35
Filtration control agent, ppb 2.0
Polymeric Filtration control agent , ppb 0.75
HPHT fluid loss additive, ppb 4.0
Barite, ppb 224.7
Manganese tetroxide, ppb 176.5
Oxygen scavenger, ppb 0.3
Chrome-free lignosulfonate, ppb 2.5

Table 4: Rheological properties of 120pcf fluid with 60/40 v/v% barite/ manganese tetroxide hot
rolled at 250°F
RPM AHR Dial Reading
(lb/100ft2)
600 84
300 54
200 43
100 28
6 6
3 6
PV (cP) 30
2
YP (lb/100ft ) 24
LSYP, (lb/100ft2) 6
Gel 10 sec 6
Gel 10 min 13
HPHT Fluid Loss (ml/30min) 10
pH 9.4
SPE-192248-MS 8

(III) Formulation of 150pcf fluid:

The additives and their mixing order for the new 150pcf fluid formulated with a ratio of 60/40 v/v% barite/
manganese tetroxide as weighting agent is given in Error! Not a valid bookmark self-reference.5. The
performance of this new 150pcf fluid was also compared with a conventional fluid formulated with 100%
barite. The additives, their concentrations and time of mixing were kept the same for both the fluids to
have a fair comparison of their rheology and filtration properties after hot rolling. Both the fluids were
hot rolled at 300°F for a period of 16 hours.

Table 5: Formulation of the new 150pcf drilling fluid with 60/40 v/v% barite/ manganese tetroxide
Additives 150pcf fluid with 60/40 150pcf fluid with
v/v% barite/manganese 100% barite
tetroxide
Water, bbl 0.53 0.49
Bentonite, ppb 4.00 4.00
Sodium carbonate, ppb 0.30 0.30
Sodium hydroxide, ppb 0.40 0.40
Potassium chloride, ppb 15.00 15.00
Polymer, ppb 0.35 0.35
HPHT fluid loss additive, ppb 6.00 6.00
Barite, ppb 345.00 625.00
Manganese tetroxide, ppb 270.00 -
Oxygen scavenger, ppb 0.30 0.30
Chrome-free lignosulfonates, ppb 4.00 4.00
Lubricant, ppb 7.00 7.00

The rheology after hot-rolling the fluid at 300°F for 16 hours is shown in Table 6. The new 150pcf fluid
formulated with a combination of barite and manganese tetroxide gave a PV of 38cp and a YP and LSYP
of 38 lb/100ft2 and 9 lb/100ft2 repsctively. The conventional 150pcf fluid formulated with 100% barite
gave a PV of 52cp and a YP and LSYP of 22 lb/100ft2 and 4 lb/100ft2 respectively. A good LSYP value
(≥ 5 lb/100ft2) for a fluid signifies that the fluid has good cuttings carry capacity and sag resistance. The
new fluid which has a LSYP of 9 lb/100ft2 thus would show good sag resistance and cuttings carrying
capacity than the conventional fluid which has LSYP of only 4 lb/100ft2.
Also, a 150pcf fluid being a high density fluid requires a large concentration of weighting agent in order
to achieve the desired density. The increased number of solids will lead to a high PV value as well as
excessive heat and dehydration. As the volume of solids in the drilling fluid goes up, the particles become
more closely packed together and it becomes more difficult for them to move freely. This will result in
particle-particle interactions and increase in plastic viscosity.
Moreover, it is well known that the equivalent circulating density (ECD) has to be minimized by
minimizing the PV value especially with high density fluids that require high solid loadings.
Comparison
SPE-192248-MS 9

of the new 150pcf fluid with the conventional fluid formulated with 100% barite shows that the new fluid
has a PV of 38cp while the conventional fluid has a PV of 51cp. This shows that the use of managanese
tetroxide which has a higher specific gravity of 4.95 than barite helps to decrease the solids loading in the
new 150pcf fluid as compared to the conventional fluid formulated with 100% barite. This decreased
solids loading in the new 150pcf results in lesser paprticle-particle interactions thereby resulting in a lower
PV value of 38cp.

Table 6: Rheological properties of 150pcf fluids hot rolled at 300°F

RPM 150pcf fluid with 150pcf fluid with
60/40 v/v% 100% barite
barite/manganese
tetroxide
600 114 126
300 76 74
200 61 56
100 43 35
6 15 8
3 12 6
PV (cP) 38 52
YP (lb/100ft2) 38 22
LSYP (lb/100ft2) 9 4
Gel 10 sec 15.0 20.0
Gel 10 min 41.0 46.1
API Fluid Loss (ml/30 min) 4 4
HPHT Fluid Loss (ml/30min) 18 20
pH 9.8 9.7

(B)Static aging of 60/40 v/v% barite/ manganese tetroxide based fluids

Barite sag is one of the main problems which occur due to inadequate suspension of solids in the system
when the drilling fluid is kept static for certain duration of time in the wellbore. Barite sag can cause
problems such as stuck pipe, lost circulation, mud weight fluctuations, wellbore instability etc. To
understand the suspension behaviour of barite in the drilling fluids under static condition the following
procedure was followed in the laboratory.
120pcf and 150pcf fluids were formulated and hot rolled for 16hrs at 250°F/300°F respectively. These
fluids were then static aged at 250°F/300°F for 24hrs in aging cells kept in both vertical and inclined
position (45°). After exposure of the fluids to static conditions, the top free water separation was measured.
Sag factor (Equation 1) was calculated by measuring the top and bottom densities of the fluid after static
aging. A sag factor greater than 0.53 implies that the fluid has potential to sag (Maxey 2007). Scheme 1
demonstrates the testing protocol for the static aging studies.
SPE-192248-MS 10

Water based fluid

Hot rolled at 250°F / 300°F

16 hour

Hot rolled water based fluid

Static aged at 250°F / 300°F

24 hours

Sag properties measured

Scheme I: Static aging studies of water based fluids formulated with 60/40 v/v% of
barite/manganese tetroxide

Sag Performance Test - 90°

Static sag performance tests were conducted for 120pcf and 150pcf fluids at 250°F and 300°F respectively.
The sag factor and the volume of top free fluid separated from the drilling fluid after 24 hours of static
aging is given in Table 7. 120pcf fluid formulated with 60/40 v/v% barite/manganese tetroxide when
static aged at 250°F gave a sag factor of 0.51 and top free fluid separation of 1ml. The sag performance
of 60/40 v/v% barite/ manganese tetroxide based 150pcf fluid was also compared to the conventional
150pcf fluid formulated with only barite as the weighting agent. The 150pcf fluid formulated with a
combination of barite and manganese tetroxide gave a sag factor of 0.51 and a top free fluid separation of
15ml. However, the conventional fluid with 100% barite gave a sag factor of 0.53 and a top free water
separation of 23 ml. These results showed that the fluids formulated with a combination of barite and
manganese tetroxide gave better sag performance as compared with conventional fluids formulated with
100% barite

Table 7: Sag factor for 120pcf and 150pcf drilling fluids (90°)
120pcf fluid with 150pcf fluid with
150pcf fluid
60/40 v/v% 60/40 v/v%
with 100%
barite/manganese barite/manganese
barite
tetroxide tetroxide

Static aging
250°F 300°F 300°F
temperature

Top free fluid (ml) 1ml 15 23

Sag Factor 0.51 0.51 0.53

SPE-192248-MS 11

Sag Performance Test – Inclined Position (45°)

To test the sag-performance of barite/manganese tetroxide based fluids while drilling deviated wells,
150pcf fluid was static aged at 300°F for 24hours in aging cells held at an angle of 45° as shown in Fig.
1. This was done to simulate conditions of drilling in deviated wells. The sag performance of 60/40 v/v%
barite/ manganese tetroxide based 150pcf fluid was also compared to the conventional 150pcf fluid
formulated with only barite as the weighting agent. The mixing order, concentration and mixing time of
the products used to formulate 150pcf fluid in this study are given in Table 5.
The sag factor and the top free fluid of the static aged fluids are given in Table 8. The 150pcf fluid
formulated with a combination of barite and manganese tetroxide gave a sag factor of 0.51 and a top free
fluid separation of 15ml. However, the conventional fluid with 100% barite gave a sag factor of 0.53 and
a top free water separation of 24 ml. These results therefore show that the 150pcf fluid formulated with a
combination of barite and manganese tetroxide shows better sag performance in inclined static condition
as compared to the conventional drilling fluid formulated with 100% barite.

Table 8: Sag factor for 150pcf drilling fluids static aged in an inclined set up
150pcf fluid with 60/40
150pcf fluid with
v/v% barite/manganese
100% barite
tetroxide
Static aging temperature 300°F 300°F
Top free water (ml) 15 24
Sag Factor 0.51 0.53

(C) Filter-cake breaking of 60/40 v/v% barite/ manganese tetroxide based drilling fluids
Filter-cake breaking experiments were performed with 120pcf fluids formulated with 60/40 v/v% barite/
manganese tetroxide at 250°F. The formulation of the 120pcf fluid is given in Table 3. Filter-cake
breaking experiments were performed with four different filter-cake breaker fluids viz. 10%v/v organic
acid, HCl acid, organic acid precursor and a combination of organic acid precursor with 1% HCl acid. The
results of the filter-cake breaking tests in given in Table 9.
Al Moajil et.al. (2010, 2011, 2013) and Elkatatny et. al. (2013) have done extensive work on the
filter-cake breaking of manganese tetroxide based drilling fluids. They have demonstrated the use of HCl
acid, various organic acids and their combination with HCl acid as filter-cake breakers for manganese
tetroxide based drilling fluids.

Vernon (1891), De Beni (1975) and Depourdeaux (1975) have published the following reactions,
respectively

Mn3O4 + 8HCl 2MnCl2 + MnCl4 + 4H2O …………… Equation 6

3Mn3O4 + 12HCl 6MnCl2 + 3MnCl4 + 6H2O …………… Equation 7

Manganese chlorides which are soluble in water will decompose and give MnCl2 and chlorine gas.
Therefore, Equation 6 becomes:
Mn3O4 + 8HCl 3MnCl2 + Cl2 + 4H2O …………… Equation 8

Also, Moajil et.al. (2013) identified the release of chlorine gas during the reaction of 5%w/w HCl
with manganese tetroxide particles. They recommended using HCl acid with a concentration below
SPE-192248-MS 12

5%w/w to break the manganese tetroxide based filter cake. Thus for our filter-cake breaking experiments
with the 120pcf fluid, the use of concentrated HCl with a concentration greater than 5%w/w was avoided
to prevent any release of chlorine gas. However, the use of 4%w/w HCl as a breaker fluid resulted in only
7.4% breakage of the filter-cake (Fig. 3). This showed that the filter-cake removal efficiency by HCl acid
having a concentration below 5%w/w was low.
The use of 10%w/w organic acid filter-cake breaker solution resulted in 30.4% breakage of the
filter-cake after 4.5hours (Fig. 4). To release the stuck pipe, it was deemed necessary to have partial
breakage of filter-cake so as to get the stuck pipe released from the well-bore. With 30.4% removal
efficiency, the treatment of the filter-cake with organic acid having a concentration of 10%w/w can be
expected to decrease the sticking force and release the stuck pipe in the wellbore.
The use of 15%w/w acid precursor filter-cake breaker solution resulted in 2.3% breakage of the
filter-cake after 4.5hours (Fig. 5). At 250°F, the hydrolysis of the acid precursor was expected to be slow.
Thus after 4.5 hours of the contact of the breaker fluid with the filter-cake, the slow hydrolysis of the acid
prescursor resulted in very low filter-cake removal efficiency.
Thus to overcome this problem of slow hydrolysis of the acid precursor solution at 250°F, a
combination of 15%w/w acid precursor and 1%w/w HCl acid was used to break the filter-cake (Fig. 6).
The HCl acid added was expected to catalyze the hydrolysis of the acid precursor thereby resulting in
faster release of the acid required to break the filter-cake. This combination of HCl acid and acid precursor
resulted in 43.5% breakage of the filter-cake after 4.5 hours. This showed that a low concentration of HCl
acid can be used along with the acid precursor solution to increase the filter-cake removal efficiency.

Table 9: Filter-cake breaking results of 120pcf fluid at 300°F

Breaker solutions % Removal Efficiency

4%w/w HCl solution 7.4

10% w/w organic acid solution 30.4

15% w/w Acid precursor 2.3

15% w/w Acid precursor +

43.5
1%w/w HCl acid

Fig. 2: Filter-cake of 120pcf fluid before any acid/acid percursor treatment

SPE-192248-MS 13

Fig. 3: Filter-cake of 120pcf fluid after treatment with 4%w/w HCl

Fig. 4: Filter-cake of 120pcf fluid after treatment with 10%w/w organic acid

Fig. 5: Filter-cake of 120pcf fluid after treatment with 15%w/w organic acid precursor
SPE-192248-MS 14

Fig. 6: Filter-cake of 120pcf fluid after treatment with a combination of 15%w/w organic acid
precursor and 1% w/w HCl.

(D) Field deployment of manganese tetroxide based high density drilling fluid.
The candidate case of study concerns high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) drilling operations. The
drilling window for this well dictates that the minimum limit of mud weight is upwards of 140 pcf. There
is also the possibility of the salty water capable of severely contaminating and disturbing the mud system,
which deems any small gains during drilling intolerable. In addition, operational works recorded
ultimately narrow mud windows of 0.5 – 1.0 pcf. For instance, one well was drilled conventionally with
155 pcf WBM before experiencing 5 bbl gain across the formation of interest causing mud cut down to
151 pcf with sudden chloride content increase from 13,000 to 25,000 ppm. With only 190 psi SIDPP,
raising MW was not desirable due to high-density mud management complications, especially with high
solid content reaching up to 45-50%. Instead, the flow rate was increased from 420 to 550 gpm to increase
ECD by ±1 pcf to counter influx. However, 20 bph losses were induced afterwards confirming the need
for wellbore strengthening material to drill across this section. Wellbore-strengthening LCM pills were
spotted accordingly to counter these losses. Other wells showed almost no mud window whatsoever
Attempts were established to drill with conventional barite based WBM formulations, yet the outcome
was not promising with cases of over 5,000 psi SIDPP. There were also several mud management issues
including rheology and free-water management, affective contamination by formation fluids, thermal and
pressure stability, differential sticking, barite sagging, and others while drilling with barite based WBM
(Gadalla et al. 2017).
Fully automated MPD was proposed to add several values: accurate ECD management, reduce the
required mud weight, and eliminate the need for continuously altering the mud properties. MPD operations
did add a great value and cut the drilling time of this section almost by half, from 33 days to 18 days as
seen in Fig. 7. The well design was altered accordingly to allow for drilling this section with 12 in. big
hole, seen in Fig. 8, size rather than 8-3/8 in. slim hole which dropped the annular frictional losses
accordingly, allowing for robust hydraulics.
SPE-192248-MS 15

MPD and Manganese tetroxide WBM

Fig. 7— Number of days it takes to complete the highly pressurized section with conventional
drilling, MPD drilling, and Micromax MPD drilling (Alrasheed et al. 2018).

Fig. 8—Well profile illustrates the 12 in. MPD section across the troublesome formation (Aljubran
et al. 2018)
Yet, mud related problems were not fully resolved and rheological properties needed to be enhanced
to further reduce ECD and prevent losses. A new 145pcf WBM formulation was consequently introduced
to drill across this section with the use of manganese tetroxide as a weighing material. A manganese
tetroxide/ barite ratio of 50/50 was adapted as it showed the optimal technical and economical results to
achieve the well objective. The time required to complete this section was reduced accordingly by half
compared to MPD drilling operations with only barite based mud, from 18 to 9 days as seen in Fig. 7.
Across these wells, the practice has become to displace the hole with 145 pcf manganese tetroxide
based mud and perform the required integrity testing and MPD calibration along with mud shearing and
conditioning to ensure having the required mud properties before drilling. Continuous mud treatment
with
SPE-192248-MS 16

water and dilution pills as required. Mud weight and rheological properties were measured and monitored
in real-time at the suction line to ensure correct MPD algorithm input, and thus accurate downhole BHCP
control. Meanwhile, the returning mud density was measured at the MPD equipment. During drilling, the
system was continuously loaded with 15-20 ppb LCM to strengthen the formation and proactively deal
with window-less situation across this troublesome formation. The mud engineer was instructed to
immediately report any chlorides increase or decrease of that exceeds 5,000 ppm. Besides the MPD
Coriolis flow meter, mud loggers were on site to track cuttings and continuously monitor loss/gain and
report any changes immediately.
Manganese tetroxide based mud was useful in dealing with severe workover operations. One example
is a well with over 6,500 psi TCA pressure, requiring mechanical workover to remedy the well and unlock
its production potential. The required kill MW during that mud was up to 160 pcf, and that was only
achievable with the use of Micromax as a weighing material. Despite the multiple static intervals during
workover operations, the high-density Micromax formulation did not show any sagging tendencies
throughout the subject job.

Summary
1. Water based drilling fluids formulated with a combination of manganese tetroxide and barite as
weighting agents showed good rheology and filtration properties
2. Water based drilling fluids formulated with a combination of barite and manganese tetroxide
showed better rheological properties than fluids formulated with 100% barite as weighting agent
3. 150 pcf drilling fluid when formulated with a 60/40 %v/v combination of barite and manganese
tetroxide showed better sag resistance in comparison with conventional fluids formulated with 100%
barite when static aged in both inclined and vertical position.
5. For 120 pcf fluid, treatment with aqueous organic acid and a combination of 15%w/w organic acid
precursor and 1% w/w HCl resulted in good filter-cake removal efficiency
6. Field trial of high density drilling fluid formulated with a combination of barite and manganese
tetroxide was successful.

Nomenclature
YP = yield point
LSYP = low shear yield point
PV = plastic viscosity
ppb = pounds per barrel
ECD = equivalent circulating density
cp = centipoise
HPHT = high pressure, high temperature
pcf = pounds per cubic foot (lbm/ft3)
rpm = revolution per minute
SG = specific gravity
NPT = Nonproductive time
ROP = Rate of penetration
WBM = Water based mud / drilling fluid
SIDPP = Shut-in drill pipe pressure
MPD = Managed pressure drilling
SPE-192248-MS 17

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