Abstract
North Sea area environmental practice and focus on reduction of drilling costs have limited the discharges of drilling fluid and drilling fluid chemicals to the sea the last years. A method for efficiently recycling water based drilling fluids has been developed. This recycling is conducted in a way beneficial both for the drilling fluid supplier and the operator. Contaminated fluid (slop) is brought back onshore for treatment and reusable fluids from the slop treatment are brought back into the drilling fluids.
The current paper show the total fluid management system operates for offshore drilling. This includes the compensation format being beneficial both for the drilling fluid supplier and for the operator. Furthermore, the paper describes the different actions taken to reuse water based drilling fluids, and how these actions generally reduce total drilling costs. The paper also describes the different systems implemented to minimize loss of drilling fluids and recycling of drilling waste streams. Also addressed are the challenges in establishing sound targets for optimum reuse depending on fluid systems, balancing economy and environment.
