Laboratory Manual For CGE558 Geology and Drilling Lab - Semester 20242 Latest
Laboratory Manual For CGE558 Geology and Drilling Lab - Semester 20242 Latest
Laboratory Manual For CGE558 Geology and Drilling Lab - Semester 20242 Latest
LABORATORY MANUAL
__________________________________________
Prepared by;
Ts. Dr. Arina Sauki
Resource Person of CGE558
__________________________________________
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................4
7.3 Objectives.........................................................................................15
9.8 References........................................................................................25
1.0 INTRODUCTION
This laboratory manual is designed with complete reporting format and the series
of laboratory exercises that are being implemented in Geology and Drilling
Laboratory works. The laboratory works are designed so that the students will be
introduced to exploration techniques and tools that geologists and geophysicists
use, such as thin section, petrography and geological mapping. Exercises
throughout the course also provide a practical experience with mud handling to
determine the densities, rheology properties, solid content and emulsion stability
test. An introduction to the drilling simulator is also included to familiarise students
with the basic components of the drilling simulator and kick identification. The
lecturers in charge of this laboratory are Ts. Dr. Arina Sauki and Mr. Nik Khairul Irfan
Nik Ab. Lah, while three (3) lab staff are in charge to assist with the laboratory
works, i.e., Tc. Irwan Zainuddin, En. Mohd Khairi Yusof and Tc. Mohd Rizuan Mohd
Razlan.
LECTURERS-IN CHARGE
Ts. Dr. Arina Sauki Mr. Nik Khairul Irfan b. Nik Ab. Lah
Room: T1-A12-12C Room: T1-A11-12A
Tel: +60 16-338 7678 Tel: +6010-366 6683
Tc. Irwan Zainuddin En. Mohd Khairi Yusof Tc. Mohd Rizuan Razlan
The laboratory works consist of six (6) experiments as shown in Table 1 whereby
they are divided into two categories i.e. open-ended laboratory (OEL) and close-
ended laboratory (CEL). The location and the respective lab staff-in charge for
the experiments are listed here as well.
Table 1: List of experiments, the location and the respective lab staff in charge
1 Mapping and Volume Geology and Drilling Tc. Irwan 019-278 8723
Lab, Level 5, Block 5,
Calculations Zainuddin
School of Chemical
Engineering
(Open Ended Lab)
2 Thin Section and Geology and Drilling Tc. Irwan 019-278 8723/
Lab, Level 5, Block 5,
Petrography Zainuddin/
School of Chemical 011-27245716
Engineering
(Open Ended Lab) En. Mohd
Khairi Yusof
3 Mud Formulation and Geology and Drilling Tc. Irwan 019-278 8723
Lab, Level 5, Block 5,
Density Determination Zainuddin
School of Chemical
Engineering
(Open Ended Lab-CEP)
5 Solid/ Liquid Content Geology and Drilling Tc. Irwan 019-278 8723
Lab, Level 5, Block 5,
and Emulsion Stability Zainuddin
School of Chemical
Test Engineering
The main difference between the OEL and CEL works is in terms of laboratory
instruction materials given to the students as shown in Table 2.
According to Table 2, most of laboratory materials are given to the student for CEL
work before conducting the experiment. These includes introduction, objectives,
theory, apparatus, procedures and results. Therefore, the students should only
produce the laboratory findings with the reporting items that are not given as
stated as ‘Open’. The CEL work report should be written and submitted
individually even though the laboratory work is conducted in group.
In contrast, for OEL lab, most of the laboratory materials are not given and should
be designed by the students themselves. Lab 1 and 2 consist of partially open OEL
(Level 2) whereby merely introduction, objectives and theory are given to the
students. Meanwhile, for CEP lab (Lab 3), the OEL is fully implemented (Level 3)
and the students need to prepare all the items stated in Table 2. The CEP lab will
address and assess the required complex engineering problem (CEP) elements
experienced by the students.
There will be two reporting format to be full-filled by the students. One is a full report
and another one is a summary of lab findings. For fully open-ended laboratory
(Lab 3), the full report according to the reporting format as in Fig.1 will be used for
report submission. Meanwhile, for other laboratory works, submission of laboratory
findings must answer to the instructions of each experiment in this manual.
Figure 1: Reporting format and evaluation marks for OEL-CEP report (Lab 3)
Students must submit to the instructor/lecturer their raw data, graph or drawing at
the end of each experiment for endorsement before leaving the laboratory. Raw
data should be a table containing all the measurements performed according to
instructions, written on an A4 paper/excel sheet. Particulars such as below should
be included:
• Name of experiment
• Name of students
• Date experiment performed
A short comment is expected on whether the results substantiated the theory and
factors which contribute to discrepancies. T he raw d at a shou ld be incl uded
i n th e repo rt in the res ult sec t ion.
3.2 Report
The general order of the various sections of a full laboratory report is set out below:
• Front cover
• Table of content
• Abstract / Summary
• Introduction
• Aims / Objectives
• Theory
• Procedures
• Apparatus
• Results
• Sample Calculations
• Sample of calculation of errors (if necessary)
• Discussions
• Conclusions
• Recommendation
• References
• Appendices
3.3 Abstract/Summary
3.4 Introduction
The introduction is the preview of the important details before you’ll proceed to
the later sections of the report. While the abstract was a very short summary of the
entire report, the introduction will be a longer section with more detail. It could be
around one to two page long, depending on the complexity of the laboratory
works. You may start with a very broad introduction to the topic. For instance, let's
say you are writing a lab report about an experiment where you tested the effect
of temperature on the cement degradation. You should start the introduction by
talking about what cement is and and how it works. Next, narrow down the
introduction to talk more specifically about the topic you are investigating, and
why the study you did was so important. In the cement example, you should now
talk specifically about what the degradation does, where it is found, how it works,
and why it is important to study how temperature affects this cement
degradation. The introduction should also include a literature review that discusses
what is already known about the topic. Make sure you properly cite all of the
sources you used in your research. Finally, state the purpose of the experiment,
the hypothesis you tested in your experiment, and/or the question(s) you were
trying to answer.
3.5 Objectives
3.6 Theory
This section should contain theoretical information of the experiment. The general
explanation of specific keywords used in the experiment and equations should be
provided and cited from either books or journals. Please number all the equations
used in the report.
3.7 Apparatus
In this section, all the materials and apparatus used in the experiment should be
listed and explained. The provided apparatus/equipment should be labelled
properly with a clear figure.
3.8 Procedures
For this section, the procedures should be written in a numbered list with simple
simple sentences that are clear and easy for the reader to follow. Use appropriate
English tenses (past tenses) in passive structure Include assumptions, operating
parameters and best practices applied for that experiment. If there is any
discrepancy, you may still include it but present it appropriately with its mitigation
steps. You are also allowed to support the listed procedure with the flowchart if
any.
3.9 Results
This section should reveal all the results/ raw data obtained from the experiment.
The data can be presented in the form of Table with a proper numbering format.
It is important to show the calculation of errors as the reader will know how efficient
the experiment has been carried out. The experimental error calculation can be
carried out by comparing it with the expected theoretical values.
3.12 Discussion
In this section, the results of the experiments are presented as a fulfillment of the
aim. It is a coordinated analysis of what the data and calculated results mean.
From the analysis, should come the overall impression of the meaning of the
experiment and its significance in the light of published work or established
theory. Discussion can also be further discussed with graphs or bar charts
generated from the results/ raw data to support your statements/reasonings. The
statements/ reasonings should be supported by previous findings/theory with
several citations and also supported by numeric data.
3.13 Conclusions
3.14 Recommendations
3.15 References
Reference provides the reader with sources of information that were used during
the writing of the experimental report. Thus reported data or formulae checked
for validity etc. The references should be provided and cited for at least from ten
(10) different sources. Book and journal references must follow a standard format
that includes the author, title, journal, volume, pages, date and publisher.
Preferable to use APA 7th edition citation style either using Mendeley or Endnote
referencing software.
3.16 Appendices
Appendices contain material that is not an integral part of the report or cannot
be included conveniently in the body of the report. These should include material
such as supporting information, mathematical derivations, answers to question
included on the typed experimental sheet or similar material that would overload
the body of the report without contributing significantly to the immediate line of
thought.
The lab findings must be submitted within one (1) week after the completion of
the experiment except for OEL-CEP lab that is given three (3) weeks for lab report
submission. The lab findings and report should be submitted in a softcopy (.pdf
format) to the CGE558 U-future site as instructed by the respective lecturer. All the
excel sheets used to generate graph/charts should be submitted together with
the report to the U-future site. Marks will be penalized for late submission without
any notice or warning.
5.0 PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is totally not allowed in the lab reports. The student who are caught
cheating or who plagiarize the laboratory reports will be automatically given a
zero mark. All the lab reports will be screened through Ouriginal software for
plagiarism checker and the maximum allowable similarity percentage should be
not more than 30%.
6.0 LABORATORY 1
MAPPING AND VOLUME CALCULATIONS
1. INSTRUCTION
This is a partially OEL experiment that needs to be reported as a group work. You
are required to prepare a group lab report and discuss on the following items:
Thickness, h 560 ft
Porosity, f 30%
2. INTRODUCTION
After the discovery of a reservoir, a petroleum engineer will seek to build a
better picture of the accumulation. If the structural map is available, the
volume or capacity of the reservoir can be determined using a planimeter or
any other method.
3. OBJECTIVES
The objective of this experiment is to construct a procedure to determine the
gross rock volume of the structural map and determine the capacity of oil
reservoir with the provided data.
4. THEORY
Volumetrics is a static measurement based on a geologic model that uses
geometry to describe the volume of hydrocarbons in the reservoir.
Gross Rock Volume (GRV) is the volume of rock between a top and base
reservoir surface and above a known or postulated hydrocarbon-water
contact in a geologic trap.
7.0 LABORATORY 2
THIN SECTION AND PETROGRAPHY
1. INSTRUCTION
This is a partially OEL experiment that needs to be reported as a group work. You
are required to prepare a group lab report and discuss on the following items:
2. There will be two types of rocks given for analysis, compare these
two in terms of their optical mineral properties and texture.
2. INTRODUCTION
There are two types of specimens prepared for petrographic analysis, thin
sections and polished bulk specimens. In this lab, thin section being use as for
the analysis of rocks and minerals. Thin section will be observed with a
transmitted polarized light microscope.
Thin sections are prepared in order to investigate the optical properties of the
minerals in the rock. This work helps to reveal the origin and evolution of the
parent rock. A photograph of a rock in thin section is often referred to as a
photomicrograph.
3. OBJECTIVES
• To construct a procedure for rock cutting, polishing and thin section for
the identification of optical rocks minerals and structures.
4. THEORY
The general preparation sequence for making transparent thin sections is as
follow: sectioning, vacuum impregnation, grinding, cementing to a slide,
resectioning, grinding and polishing. Generally, a thin section must be
prepared to a thickness of approximately 30µm. (Courtesy of Buehler LTD)
8.0 LABORATORY 3
MUD FORMULATION AND DENSITY DETERMINATION
1. EXPERIMENTAL THEME
Select and validate ONE type of waste material that can be used to replace
barite as a weighting agent in the mud and design a mud formulation with that
artificial barite.
2. INSTRUCTION
This is a fully OEL experiment that needs to be reported as group work. The
students need to be creative enough to propose their own artificial barite, mud
formulation, and laboratory procedures for the laboratory work by referring to
the literature search, journals, and API standards. The group members need to
discuss and choose the artificial barite before the laboratory session and bring
the proposed artificial barite to the laboratory during the laboratory session.
Please make sure the quantity of the artificial barite that is going to be prepared
is sufficient for the mud formulation and laboratory work. The selection of
artificial barite must not be the same as the other group members. (Note: Only
barite and bentonite will be provided by the lab staff). The students are required
to prepare a group lab report and discuss the following items:
2. You are also required to summarise the main steps of the procedure with a
well-organized illustration flow diagram and place it in the Methodology
section of your writing.
3. The experimental works can be divided into two parts i.e. Part A: Mud
formulation of water-based mud using merely water, bentonite and barite
and Part B: Mud density determination using various concentrations of barite
and artificial barite.
4. In addition, you may formulate a water-based mud using pilot testing based
on the fact that 1 gm/350cm3 of the sample is equivalent to 1 lb/bbl (42 gal)
of the actual mud system. Also 8.33 cm3 /350 cm3 is equivalent to 1 gal/bbl
(42 gal) of the actual mud system. For example:
5. Then, the experiment can be repeated by replacing barite with the propose
artificial barite. Prepare a table to summarise the amount of artificial barite
required to attain the respective mud density. Provide this table in the
Methodology section.The procedures should include the required
experimental procedures to generate raw data, including the instruments
used to prepare the artificial barite, conduct mud mixing and mud density
determination.
6. Discuss the observed relationship between mud density and the amount of
artificial barite.
10. Provide relevant explanations to describe the trends/findings from the drilling
engineering point of view.
12. Provide relevant citations to support your discussion. Use APA format for the
list of references.
9.0 LABORATORY 4
MUD RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES
1. INSTRUCTION
This is a CEL experiment that needs to be reported as individual work. The
students are required to complete the following tasks for this laboratory work:
• The students need to conduct the experiment in two (2) parts i.e. Part A:
Mud rheological properties determination using a viscometer and Part B:
Mud viscosity determination using Marsh Funnel.
• For Part A, the students are required to prepare a water-based sample
according to the formulation in Table 2 and compare the results with the
required mud specification for X field in Table 3. Justify whether the results
meet the required specification or not. The results can also be compared
with the viscometer’s dial reading data in Table 4 in the result section of
this laboratory.
• Construct a bar chart for the rheological properties such as PV, AV, YP,
GS (10 seconds) and GS (10 minutes) by incorporating the error bars as in
Fig. 2 to support your discussion. Provide the sample of calculation for
determining the PV, AV, YP and GS using the average reading.
2. INTRODUCTION
Mud rheology is measured on a continual basis while drilling and adjusted with
additives or dilution to meet the needs of the operation. In water-base fluids,
water quality plays an important role in how additives perform. Temperature
affects behavior and interactions of the water, clay, polymers and solids in a
mud. Downhole pressure must be taken into account in evaluating the
rheology of oil muds.
Marsh Funnel is used on rig to provide a quick test on the viscosity of the mud.
It has become the standard instrument for the field measurement. The
viscosity given by the Marsh Funnel is not a true viscosity, but serves as a
qualitative measure of how thick the mud sample is. The funnel viscosity is
useful only for relative comparisons. It indicates the changes in viscosity and
cannot be used to quantify the rheological properties such as Yield Point and
Plastic Viscosity.
For field measurements the marsh funnel has become the standard
instrument. The marsh funnel is a simple device for indicating viscosity on a
routine basis. When use with a measuring cup the funnel gives an empirical
value for the consistency of a fluid. The number obtained depends partly
on the effective viscosity at the rate of shear prevailing in the orifice, and
partly on the rate of gelation.
3. OBJECTIVES
4. THEORY
Rheology refers to the deformation and flow behaviour of all forms of matter.
Rheological measurements made on fluids, such as Plastic Viscosity (PV),
Apparent Viscosity (AP), Gel Strength (GS) and Yield Point (YP) help to
determine how this fluid will flow under a variety of different conditions. Such
information is important in the design of circulating systems required to
accomplish certain desired objectives in drilling operations.
A) Viscosity:
Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid which is being deformed by
either shear stress or tensile stress. It is measured as the ratio of the shearing
stress to the rate of shearing strain. It is measured with various types of
rheometers. Close temperature control of the fluid is essential to accurate
measurements, particularly in materials like lubricants, whose viscosity can
double with a change of only 5°C. There are two types of fluid
characterizations:
1. Newtonian (true fluids) where the ratio of shear stress to shear rate
or viscosity is constant, e.g. water,light oils, etc. And
2. Non-Newtonian(plastic fluids) where the viscosity is not constant, e.g.
drilling muds, colloids, etc.. Their viscosity cannot be described by a
LABORATORY MANUAL CGE558 AS/CGE558//2024(REV.5)©
GEOLOGY AND DRILLING LABORATORY (CGE558) 21
B) Gel strength
The Fann Viscometer is also used to determine the gel strength, in lb/100sq.ft
of a mud. The Gel strength is a function of the inter-particle forces. An initial
10-second gel and 10-minute gel strength measurement give an indication of
the amount of gellation that will occur after circulation ceased and the mud
remains static. The more the mud gels during shutdown periods, the more
pump pressure will be required to initiate circulation again.
Most drilling muds are colloids or emulsions which behave as plastic or non-
Newtonian fluids. The flow characteristics of these differ from those of
Newtonian fluids (i.e. water, light oils etc.) in that their viscosity is not
constant but varied with the rate of shear, as shown in Figure 2.1. Therefore,
the viscosity of plastic fluid will depend on the rate of shear at which the
measurements were taken.
C) Yield point
This is the measure of the electro-chemical or attractive forces in the mud
under flow (dynamic) conditions. These forces depend on (1) surface
properties of the mud solids, (2) volume concentrations of the solids and (3)
electrical environment of the solids. The yield point of the mud reflects its ability
to carry drilled cuttings out of the hole.
Apart from viscometer, the mud viscosity can be measured using march
funnel. The Funnel Viscosity is defined as time, in seconds for one quart of mud
to flow through a Marsh funnel which has a capacity of 946 cm3. For
calibration, the funnel viscosity for fresh water at 75ºF is 26 sec/quart. The
dimension for standard funnel is 12” long, 6” diameter at the top and 2” long,
3/16” diameter tube at the bottom.
5. APPARATUS
6. PROCEDURES
PART A: MUD RHEOLOGY DETERMINATION USING VISCOMETER
1. The mud sample was stirred at 600 rpm while the sample was heated to
120°F (48.9 °C). Ensure the dial reading has stabilized at this speed before
noting the result and proceeding to the 300, 200, 100, 6 and 3 RPM speeds.
2. Having taken the 3-RPM reading stirs the sample at 600 RPM for 30 secs
before taking the 10-second gel at 3 rpm.
3. Restir the sample at 600 rpm for 30 seconds and leave it undisturbed for
10 minutes, ensuring the temperature stays at 120 °F (48.9 °C). Take the 10
minutes gel reading at 3 rpm.
4. Repeat the experiment twice.
1. Take the funnel in your hand and stop the orifice using your finger.
2. Pour the mud through the sieve of the funnel until the mud level is flush
with the sieve which corresponds to a volume of 1500 cm3.
3. Hold the funnel by the handle and press the stopwatch and let the mud
flow into the graduated cup.
4. Press the stopwatch again when the 945 cm3 of mud is collected in the
cup.
5. The number of seconds on the stopwatch is the Marsh viscosity of the
mud.
6. Repeat the experiment twice
7. RESULTS
PART A: MUD RHEOLOGY DETERMINATION USING VISCOMETER
The water-based mud was formulated and checked for rheological measurement
using Fann Model 35. The readings were repeated twice and the results are shown
in Table 4.
600 44 44 43
300 32 32 31
200 27 27 27
100 21 21 21
6 9 9 13
3 8 9 8
10s gel@3rpm 8 7 10
10m gel@3rpm 11 12 15
The Marsh viscosity of fresh water is 26 seconds per one quart (946ml) of
fresh water. It is expected that the Marsh viscosity of the mud should be
higher than this value in the range of 35 – 45 sec/qrt.
8. REFERENCES
10.0 LABORATORY 5
SOLID/LIQUID CONTENT AND EMULSION STABILITY TEST
1. INSTRUCTION
This is a CEL experiment that needs to be reported as individual work. The
students are required to complete the following tasks for this laboratory work:
• The students need to conduct the experiment in two (2) parts i.e. Part A:
Emulsion stability Test and Part B: Solid and Liquid Content Test.
• The students are required to conduct both experiments for Part A and B
using Oil-based Mud (OBM) sample that has been prepared by the lab
staff following procedures that have been given in this manual.
• The following information should be discussed in the discussion section of
your report:
o For Part A; Identify the type of emulsion used for the OBM whether
water-in-oil or oil-in-water. Evaluate the emulsion stability of the
prepared OBM. Justify your answer with several references from
previous findings/ API specifications.
o Discuss the effect of adding barite at different concentrations to
the OBM. Please see the sample of results in the results section.
Justify your answer in terms of emulsion stability and evaluate the
importance of having a stable emulsion for oil-based mud.
o For Part B: Determine the the followings from the prepared OBM:
Oil water ratio from the retort analysis.
Density of oil and water mixture.
Volume percent (%) of suspended solids, low gravity solids
(LGS) and the high gravity solid (HGS).
Average specific gravity of solids.
Using the calculated results of the average specific gravity of
solids, determine the solid content of barite and clay (% by
weight) of the mud sample from Table 5 (either directly or by
interpolation, which ever is applicable).
Discuss the situation given in the result section and also justify
the importance of knowing the liquid and solid content in the
mud on drilling operation.
2. INTRODUCTION
Drilling fluid composition consists of liquid (oil and water) and solid. Knowledge
of solids content is fundamental to proper control of mud properties such as
rheology, density and filter cake building properties. The amounts of solids
need to be controlled to avoid drilling problem such as pipe sticking. The Oil
& Water Retort provides a simple, direct field method for directly measuring
the percent by volume of oil and water in samples in drilling mud. The volume
of solids is found by subtraction from 100%.
Knowledge of the liquid and solids content of drilling mud is essential for good
control of the mud properties. Such information will often explain poor
performance of the mud and indicate whether the mud can best be
conditioned by the addition of water or whether treatment with chemical
thinner or the removal of the contaminant is required. Similarly, proper control
of an oil emulsion mud depends upon knowledge of the oil content. For muds
containing only water and solids, the quantity of each can be determined
from the mud density and from the evaporation of a weighed sample of mud.
Oil and water content can also be obtained by measuring the liquid fraction.
The latter method is only applicable to oil emulsion muds.
Electrical Stability (ES) test is a test that applied to oil-base and synthetic-base
muds that indicates the stability of the emulsion and oil-wetting capacity of
the sample. The electrical stability is determined by applying a steadily
increasing sinusoidal alternating voltage across a pair of parallel flat plate
electrodes submerged in the oil base drilling fluid. The maximum voltage that
the mud will sustain across the gap before conducting current is displayed as
the ES voltage. The composition of the oil base drilling fluid controls the
absolute magnitude of (ES). Several conditions influence the Electrical Stability
of a given drilling fluid such as the resistivity of the continuous phase, the
conductivity of the non-continuous phase, properties of suspended solids,
temperature, droplet size, type of emulsifier used, dielectric properties of the
fluids and shear history of the sample. It is advised to take several readings of
the ES of the samples to establish a trend. This series of (ES) measurements will
reflect a more accurate condition of the drilling fluid on which drilling fluid
treatments can be based.
3. OBJECTIVES
1. To determine the emulsion stability of the mud sample (Part A).
4. THEORY
An emulsion tester is used in the evaluation of inverted emulsion drilling fluids,
cement and fracturing fluid. This test indicates the stability and types of
emulsion whether water-in-oil or oil-in-water. Time stability and resistance to
electrolyte contamination of these systems can be predicted from a
measurement of relative emulsion stability.
Retort analysis uses a mud distillation unit to measure the water, oil and solids
content in the drilling fluids (Water Based Mud, Oil Based Mud, Aerated Mud,
Polymer Mud, ….. etc). Three retort sizes are available to the industry, 10 ml, 20
ml and 50 ml. The retort kit working principle is based on heating, vaporization
and condensation. The mud is heated up to 500ºC until all the liquid is
vaporized. The vapour then flows into the condenser and condensed back to
liquid form.
The solid phase of a drilling mud consists of two components, i.e. (i) High
specific gravity solids with a specific gravity of 4.3 and (ii) Low specific gravity
solids with a specific gravity of 2.5. The total solids phase, in volume %, can be
found using the Baroid Oil and Water Retort kit. Then, the information (data)
from the retort test can be used to calculate the average specific gravity of
solids, the % of different types of solids, and the % solids by weight in the mud,
as shown in Table 5 which is based on 10ml retort size.
5. APPARATUS
• Emulstion stability Tester
• Baroid Oil and Water Retort kit unit consists of;
o Sample cup
o Thermostatically controlled heating element
o Liquid condenser
o Pyrex measuring cylinder (50 ml)
o Fine steel wool
o Pipe cleaner
o High temperature silicone grease
o Defoaming agent
o Spatula
6. PROCEDURES
PART A: EMULSION STABILITY TEST
1. Fill the rheometer heating cup with oil-based mud that has been screened
through a Marsh Funnel.
2. Check that the gap between the ES probe electrodes is clean and
dry, and stir the mud with the ES probe until the mud sample temperature
is uniform at 120°F (50°C)
3. Hold the probe steady in the mud sample, and also make sure the probe
does not touch the side or bottom of the heating cup.
4. Start the voltage ramp test until the digital voltage reading becomes
steady, which gives the Electrical Stability (ES) of the mud (in peak volts).
5. Stir the same mud sample with the ES probe and confirm the ES reading by
repeating the measuring procedure in Steps 3 and 4 (both ES readings
should be within 5% of each other). The ES meter and probe may be faulty
if the difference between the two ES readings is greater than 5%.
6. You should always report the average of the three ES measurements.
7. Clean the ES probe and check that the gap between the electrodes is
clean and dry for future use.
NOTE:
1. Nearly 100% recovery of refined oil will be obtained with this retort. If the
mud is made up with crude oil, calibration runs should be made on mud
containing a known percentage ofthe crude used. Recovery on some
crudes may be as low as 60%.
2. If the distillation is being carried on for more than 30 minutes, the retort
should be removed occasionally in the uncontrolled units and observed
for temperature. In any case, the retort should never be heated above a
DULL RED HEAT. The heater will burn out is left on too long.
Care of Equipment
o Before each retorting the following should be done:
1. Use the spatula to scrape the dried mud from the mud chamber and
lid to assure correct volume.
2. Remove and replace any mud-caked steel wool.
3. Clean the retort drain tube and condenser with a pipe cleaner.
LABORATORY MANUAL CGE558 AS/CGE558//2024(REV.5)©
GEOLOGY AND DRILLING LABORATORY (CGE558) 32
7. RESULTS
PART A: EMULSION STABILITY TEST
A sample of OBM was used for the experimental work and the emulsion stability
test was conducted at various concentration of barite as shown in Table 6:
The following OBM samples has been tested for oil, water and solid content as
shown in Table 7. Discuss on which of the samples has the highest clay content?
8. REFERENCES
[1] American Petroleum Institute, “Recommended Practice for Field
Testing Water-based Drilling Fluids,” no. Edition, Fifth, 2017.
[2] https://www.ijert.org/research/effect-of-weighing-agent-on-
rheological-properties-of-drilling-fluid-IJERTV7IS040322.pdf
[3] https://www.drillingformulas.com/calculate-oil-water-ratio-from-
retort-data/
[4] https://www.drillingformulas.com/tag/oil-based-mud-
calculations/
[5] http://www.expotechusa.com/catalogs%5Cofite%5Cinstructions
%5C165-00-165-14-165-80.PDF
[6] Drilling Engineering Laboratory Manual, King Fahd University of
Petroleum & Minerals (April 2003)
http://oilproduction.net/files/Drilling_engineering.pdf
11.0 LABORATORY 6
FAMILIARISATION OF DRILLING SIMULATOR AND KICK IDENTIFICATION
1. INSTRUCTION
This is a CEL experiment that needs to be reported as an individual work. The
students are required to complete the following tasks for this laboratory work:
1. This laboratory work consists of two (2) parts i.e. Part A: Familiarisation of
drilling simulator’s components and line-up procedures and Part B: Kick
Identification and Well Shut-in Procedures
2. You are required to familiarize yourself with all the simulator’s components
and conduct the line-up and operation for major components using the
provided procedures.
3. You are also required to perform drilling and identify kick and shut-in
procedures using the simulator as per the given procedures.
4. After the well has been shut in safely, you are required to fill out the IWCF
kill sheet and submit the kill sheet together with the laboratory report.
5. Discuss the following information for each part of the experiment in your
report:
a. Part A:
i. What are the main functions of the stand-pipe manifold?
ii. To see an increase or decrease in the mud volume, which
component on the driller’s console provides this information?
iii. What is the main function of the following:
1. Blow Out Preventer (BOP)
2. Choke manifold (Land)
3. Remote choke panel
iv. Describe completely in step-wise sequence how to line up
the BOP, stand-up manifold, and choke manifold for normal
drilling operations. Show how each component is opened
and closed.
v. What do the following do on the Remote choke Panel:
1. Stroke counter
2. Air supply valve
3. Choke position valve
4. Choke speed control
b. Part B:
i. Describe the step-wise procedure for circulating mud at the
rate of 75 Strokes per minute (SPM) during a normal drilling
operation
ii. Describe a detailed procedure for taking a slow circulating
rate (SRR) of 25 SPM
iii. Describe briefly how to set the flow alarms on the following
devices:
1. Deviation Mud Volume
2. Return Mud Volume
iv. Name four (4) kick warning signs and indicate which device
on the Drilling Simulator shows these signs
v. Using the drilling data, kick data, and well data from the
drilling simulator, fill out the IWCF kill sheet (Figures 10 and 11)
by referring to the sample of calculations in the Results
section as a guideline.
2. INTRODUCTION
The oil industry and specifically the drilling industry have tapped into a drilling
simulator technology to replicate the drilling process in order to teach
conventional well control and structure a training program around them.
A kick is defined as flow of formation fluids or gas into the wellbore, a blowout
is the uncontrolled release of the fluid or gas, gained through the kick. A
blowout can take place at the surface or into another formation
(underground blowout). Formation fluids that enter the wellbore can be
crude oil or brine, gas entered can be any kind of naturally occurring gas.
During a kick, drilling mud is displaced by the fluid or gas entering the
borehole. To detect a kick, the following warning signs are observed:
Shut-in procedures are specific procedures for closing a well in case of a kick.
When any positive indication of a kick is observed, such as a sudden increase
in flow, or an increase in pit level, then the well should be shut-in immediately.
If a well shut-in is not done promptly, a blowout is likely to happen.
Shut-in procedures are usually developed and practiced for every rig activity,
such as drilling, tripping, logging, running tubular, performing a drill stem test,
and so on. The primary purpose of a specific shut-in procedure is to minimize
LABORATORY MANUAL CGE558 AS/CGE558//2024(REV.5)©
GEOLOGY AND DRILLING LABORATORY (CGE558) 38
kick volume entering into a wellbore when a kick occurs, regardless of what
phase of rig activity is occurring. However, a shut-in procedure is a company-
specific procedure, and the policy of a company will dictate how a well
should be shut-in.
3. OBJECTIVES
1. To familiarize with the drilling simulator’s operational components
4. THEORY
The drilling simulator is capable of simulating a wide range of drilling, well control
and workover problems which include multiple gas, oil and saltwater kicks.
The drillers console contains the analog and digital gauges used to monitor the
key parameters required for efficient drilling and effective well control. The Data
Logger screen displays vital information for the driller. The driller will observe all
data and make strategic decisions while analyzing this data.
The stand pipe manifold is designed with provisions for stand pipe connection
to the rig pumps (1 & 2), the cement pump and the kill line. This enables the
conduction of drilling mud to the bit, and cement to the annulus, during drilling
and cementation, respectively.
The choke manifold is an arrangement of valves, fittings, lines and chokes which
provide several flow routes to control the flow of mud, gas and oil from the
annulus during a kick.
The BOP Panel consists of lever type activators for controlling the Pipe and Blind
rams, the hydril, the Remote Choke and Remote Kill Line valves. It also has
pressure gauges that monitor pressure changes at the Accumulator manifold,
Annular Preventer and the Compressed Air system. In addition, it has a variable
control that allows the Annular Preventer closing pressure to be adjusted.
The remote choke panel resembles the typical Swaco panel used on rigs. It
includes analog and digital gauges that monitor the key parameters required
for efficient well control exercises. The analog gauges monitor drill pipe pressure,
casing pressure, pump stroke rate and choke position. The digital meters show
the total elapsed pump strokes, one position choke control, master air valve,
and a choke adjustment speed control.
The mud system consists of pumps, tanks, pit and flow monitors including alarms,
pressure gauges and drilling fluids. A multiplier switch is installed to enable the
student to complete any exercise in the shortest possible time. Bit parameters,
the type of kick, formation drillability and formation fracture gradients can all
be modified from the computer keyboard at the instructor screen.
5. APPARATUS
The CS-Inc Full Size Drilling Simulator (Figure 12) consists of six panels as follows:
1. Driller’s Console
2. Remote Choke
3. BOP control Panel
4. Standpipe Manifold
5. Choke Manifold
6. Instructor screen and keyboard
6. PROCEDURES
PART A: FAMILIARISATION OF DRILLING SIMULATOR’S COMPONENTS AND LINE UP
PROCEDURES
1. Driller’s Console
The driller’s console contains the analog and digital gauges used to monitor
the key parameters required for efficient drilling and effective well control.
The Data Logger screen displays vital information for the driller. The driller will
observe all data and make strategic decisions while analyzing this data.
Other components on the driller's console are as follows:
• Weight Indicator
o A large-scale face indicator calibrated to 500,00 lbs. The
second dial with expanded sensitivity is utilized to indicate
weight-on-bit. Operator can zero set second dial.
• Weight-On-Bit
o Digital readout of actual weight-on-bit.
• Rotary Torque
• A circular 4" face gauge that measures rotary torque with a scale of
0 to 1,000 amps.
• Tong Torque
o A circular 4" face gauge that measures make up or break out
torque.
• Return Mud Flow
o A circular 6" face gauge that measures the return in the flow
line from the well with a scale of 0 to 100%. It consists of high
and low set controls with 2 visual alarm indicators, a level
adjust and a power on/off switch.
o Note: For return mudflow gauge to become operational, the
on/off switch must be in the "ON" position.
• Rotary Speed (rpm)
o A circular 4" gauge that measures the rotary rpm with a scale
of 0 to 300 rpm.
• Mud Pump 1 (spm)
o A circular 4" gauge that measures the pump stroke per minute
scaled for 0 to 200 spm.
• Mud Pump 2 (spm)
2. Remote Choke
• Drillpipe Pressure
o A circular 6" gauge that measures Drillpipe pressure. The
scaling is psi from 0 to 10,000 in subdivision of 20 psi per
division.
• Stroke Counter
o A digital readout of total elapsed strokes with a reset bottom.
• Stroke Rate
• Accumulator Pressure
o A circular 4" gauge that measures accumulator pressure with
a scale of 0 to 5,000 psi.
• Manifold Pressure
o A circular 4" gauge that measures manifold pressure with a
scale of 0 to 5,000 psi.
• Air Pressure
o A circular 4" gauge that measures air pressure with a scale of
0 to 5,000 psi.
• Annular
o A two-position spring returned joystick control that will allow
the student to open or close the Annular Preventer.
• Annular Pressure Control
o A twelve turn control that will allow the student to set the
maximum annular closing pressure.
• Annular Pressure
o A circular 4" gauge that measures annular closing pressure.
• Master Air Shut Off Valve
o A down activated valve that will allow the student to apply air
pressure to the B.O.P. controls.
• By-Pass Valve
o A left or right control with a center position return that will
allow the student to apply total accumulator pressure to the
rams and hydraulic control valves.
• Pipe or Blind Rams
o A two-position spring returned joystick control that will allow
the student to open or close the rams.
• Kill Line
o A left or right control with a center position return that will
allow the student to open or close the hydraulic control valve.
• Choke Line
o A left or right control with a center position return that will
allow the student to open or close the hydraulic control valve.
• Line up procedure:
o Open Annular Preventer
o Close Choke line
o Close Kill line
4. Standpipe Manifold
Note: Green indicates the valve is open. Red indicates the valve is closed.
5. Choke Manifold
• A Gate Valve
o The gate valves are fully operational valves. They can be fully
opened or fully closed and can also be put into a cracked
LABORATORY MANUAL CGE558 AS/CGE558//2024(REV.5)©
GEOLOGY AND DRILLING LABORATORY (CGE558) 44
position. This will require that the student properly align the
valves. Note: If the valves are not properly aligned, flow
through the manifold will not be achieved.
• Manual Choke
o A fully operational choke that can be used in the well kill
operation.
• Remote Choke
o A remote choke is a replica of a hydraulic-actuated choke
such as a Cameron or Swaco. This choke can also be used in
the well kill operation.
• Kill and Choke Lines
o Fully operational lines that can be used in circulation or well
killing operation.
• Line-up procedure:
o Open all valves between the choke line and the Automatic
Hydraulic Choke (Remote Choke Manifold).
o Keep all other valves closed.
1. On the generator
2. Mud circulation flowline start-up
• Standpipe manifold configuration
• BOP stack and choke manifold configuration
3. Equipment set-up
• Deviation mud volume – identify kick or lost circulation
• Return flow – identify kick or lost circulation
B)DRILLING SET-UP
1. Set-up Drilling parameters:
• Pump Rate, SPM: 90
• Rotary Table, rpm: 100
• Weight on Bit, klb: 20
2. Set-up Slow pump rate (SPP) to obtain killing rate pump pressure.
• SPP = 1�2 , 1�3 , 1�4 from drilling parameter for kick handling
3. Set SPP and ignore the alarm because it is not due to lost circulation
4. Read DPP as killing rate pump pressure
5. Then, increase the pump pressure to 90 SPM as per the drilling parameter
6. Release the handle brake chain and lower down the drill pipe until the
Kelly bushing reaches the top of the rotary table.
7. Rotate the rotary table at 100 rpm as per the drilling parameter
8. Off bottom: When the bit does not reach the bottom of the hole
9. Set WOB to 0 and lower down the drill pipe to reach WOB of 20 klb
10. Monitor pit gain, return flow, and ROP while drilling to detect any sign of kick.
C)SHUT-IN WELL
1. If there is an increase in mud pit volume, an increase in mud rate in the
return line, or a sharp increase in ROP, there is a sign of kick and further
investigation needs to be done.
2. Stop rotary table
3. Raise the drill pipe until the tool joint appears around 3ft above the rotary
table.
4. Stop mud pump and check flow at return line
5. If no flow, can continue drilling. If there is flow, kick might occur, and shut-
in well procedures need to be done.
6. Two methods for Shut-in well: Hard shut-in and Soft shut-in and both differ
in choke configurations.
7. Hard shut-in: Suitable for low-pressure and shallow well. When there is
return flow, the remote choke will be closed 100%
1) Close annular preventer,
2) Open choke line
8. Soft shut-in: Suitable for high pressure and deep well. When there is return
flow, remote choke opening will be set to about 20%
1) Push to operate, open choke line
2) Push to operate, close the annular preventer
3) Close remote choke from 20% opening to null using choke
handle
9. After well has been shut-in with either using hard shut-in or soft shut-in:
1) Wait until the SIDPP and SICP values constant (BHP=FP)
2) Read the SIDPP and SICP and time of kick
3) Prepare kill sheet calculation
7. RESULTS
• Refer to the sample of Kill Sheet Calculation in Page 46-48 in order to
fill out the kill sheet.
8. REFERENCES
[1] CS Inc Drilling Simulator. Instruction Manual
[2] Drilling Engineering Laboratory Manual, King Fahd University of
Petroleum & Minerals (April 2003)
http://oilproduction.net/files/Drilling_engineering.pdf