Sustainable Development in Drilling Fluids Industry

Drilling fluids are made of the combination of materials with different properties suspended in water or hydrocarbon surroundings. It is a delicate and complex issue to reach appropriate drilling fluids formulation for the implementation of multiple aims, which are sometimes contradictory, together with its rotation in the depth of earth and connecting layers composed of various lithology under pressure and high temperature. Although it is estimated that the costs pertaining to drilling fluids approximately allocate 5 to 10 per cent of the drilling costs of a well, a great percentage of drilling operation problems stem from the negative effects of drilling fluids.

For this reason, engineering, development and execution of drilling fluids is one of the mysterious sciences. Apart from their multiple role, remarkable issues in the engineering of drilling fluids influence drilling economy through ROP increase, prevention of damages to formations for the continuation of proper drilling and more important than that prevention of damage to the reservoir due to large production. To attain these aims, international oil companies the provision of integrated services of drilling fluids ranging from design, engineering, and supply to operational execution are regarded considerable. The cycle that is undoubtedly the result of ten years of experience and optimization in the drilling fluids industry of international companies includes the following stages:

• Design, engineering and planning
• Supply and maintenance of materials
• Development and execution of fluid operations in drilling rigs’ site
• Performance supervision, HSE and QC through reference laboratories
• Continual research in relation with the operations
• Refinery and recycling of drilling fluids

At the present, the integrated position of drilling fluids encompassing design, engineering, operational execution, refinery and recycling is provided as a comprehensive plan (Total Fluids Management-TFM). Undeniably, such coordination among different actions with the same goal under one single management result in various achievements which some of them are mentioned below:

1-Optimal and close relationship between execution and technical-engineering in order to achieve operation supervision and transfer of operational problems to technical-engineering for investigation and study

2-Research on operational problems after technical-engineering investigations in order to achieve methods for productivity enhancement in the form of making formulations or production of required additives

3-Developing high-quality additives proportionate to drilling fluids system through performing QC in the company’s laboratories

4-The improvement of staff capabilities (especially drilling fluids engineers) through progressive trainings

5-The execution of HSE and QC in the departments of the company

6-Making use of technical-engineering and research learnt lessons in drilling fluids design, engineering and planning in new projects in the form of continuous improvement.

7-Ongoing supervision and continuous reports to top management in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the company’s operations

8-Useful and easy company’s access to modern technologies through establishing relationships among companies and international research institutes and employing these technologies in the company’s operational research.

A glance at the manner of providing drilling services in the past years indicates that nearly 60 to 70 percent of our country’s projects are conducted separately. In addition, beside the integrated view of service execution, the client’s supervision share and services provider’s share of ²⁷ execution and quality enhancement are considerable and they require revision.

Meanwhile, parallel to technical and engineering structures QC, operation, research, development and specialized training are notably important and support this complex but seemingly simple industry. International companies consider principled research and relations with universities for industrial research and specialized training for executive-level model for technical and economic optimization. In this regard, the identification of knowledge based structures can result in sustainable development in drilling fluids industry so that it could dynamically lead our present and future  drilling industry needs toward optimal and executive solutions.