Wellbore integrity focuses on the pressure limits found in the upper and lower wellbore as well as the optimum mud weight window. Without the proper drilling fluid, the wellbore integrity can be comprised. Drilling fluids often referred to as mud is essential and it performs various functions to ensure all works properly. The fluid aids in helping maintain the pressure in the borehole, allows the ability to stop drilling with causing damage to the tricones, and aids in drill cuttings. Drilling muds offer various functions according to the chemicals that were used in the creation of the mud.
To ensure wellbore integrity you must choose the correct mud. The most common drilling products that will help with wellbore integrity include MultiSqueeze, ASFiber, ShaleBlock, and BiCenter Beads.
MultiSqueeze is a safe, acid-soluble pill product that was designed to seal off depleted zones, fractures, faults, and perforations that forms a solid fault seal in the loss zone which will eliminate further fluid loss and reduce the risk of dry drilling. Benefits of this product include it is soluble in acid, is activated by water, can be weighted by adding barite additives, is effective at temperatures to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, works with oil, synthetic, and water based drilling muds, and will not contaminate drilling fluids.
ASFiber uses a combination of cellulose fibers in different sizes and shapes to form a seal close to the wellbore to minimize fluid invasion, eliminate filtrate loss, and reduce cake buildup. Benefits of using this product include that it is eco-friendly, comes in both fine and medium grades, based on celloslose fiber, soluble in acid, is non-toxic, improves the formation of the wellbore integrity during drilling, prevents as well as repairs circulation loss and is easy to remove during production.
ShaleBlock is an asphalt based blended product that reduces water loss and borehole stability especially in sand and shale formations. When drilling is being performed in shale formations, 75% of these activities results in wellbore integrity issues from washouts to the collapse of the borehole. Benefits of using this product include asphalt based, custom blended, is compatible with both water and oil based muds, can withstand high temperatures and high pressure, and encourages borehole stability in sand and shale formations.
BiCenter Beads are made to minimize torque and drag forces as well as provide lubrication to ensure proper directional drilling activities. This product is eco-friendly additive to be used with drilling fluids, which contains a variety of different sized gravity beads for lubrication at the upper and lower points of contact for horizontal drilling applications. Benefits of this product include eco-friendly, reduce drag, reduce torque, easy to mix into any mud system, slicks doglegs, and prevent wear and sticking of pipes.
When wellbore integrity is of the utmost importance it is always important to use the proper equipment, drilling fluids, and drilling additives to ensure the drilling project is safe and can be completed without any problems. Check the web for more information about wellbore integrity.