Light-density drilling fluids with hollow glass beads (HGBs) are being used increasingly in applications for drilling depleted formations with minimal losses and increasing rates of penetration. Studies about how best to use typical solids-control equipment are lacking, however, because current practices and procedures based on barite-weighted muds are inefficient. In the complete paper, the authors report a systematic full-scale test program to study and optimize solids-control efficiency with such fluids using centrifuges, hydrocyclones, and shale shakers.
HGB Fluid Formulation
The fluid formulation developed for the field test had a target design density of 7.2 lbm/gal. Significant effort was put into developing an HGB fluid that matched or exceeded all design requirements for the existing drilling fluid used to drill a production hole interval in a depleted field.
