The oil and gas industry is emphasizing more and more attention to choosing alternative safe aqueous drilling fluid designs as substitutes to environmentally hazardous oil-based drilling fluids as regulations become more restrictive for offshore and land operations, particularly in the United States and Europe.

This paper discusses the research and development of a new polymeric aqueous drilling fluid alternative, incorporating glycol and salt technology with improved performance in stabilizing water-sensitive shales with better environmental acceptance and biodegradability.

Keywords:
application, ppc, shale stabilization, erosion loss, new polymer glycol, seawater, drilling fluid chemistry, drilling fluid formulation, moisture content, glycol
Subjects:
Drilling Fluids and Materials, Drilling fluid selection and formulation (chemistry, properties)
Copyright 1995, Society of Petroleum Engineers
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