APPLICATION OF VEGETABLE OILS IN

PETROLEUM EXPLORATION OPERATIONS

Student Name: Ch.G.S.S.Sandeep
Roll No: 13007570
Department: Petroleum Engineering

DRILLING FLUID

Functions Drilling Fluid

Got to Select an environmental friendly drilling fluid.......!

ABSTRACT
The drilling fluids commonly known as drilling muds are known to cover major cost of
drilling operations carried out to bring out petroleum form earths crust. They are the chemical compounds mixed in
appropriate proportions to counter balance the hydro-static pressure during drilling operation. The commonly used
Oil Based drilling Muds (OBM) make use of diesel/mineral oils as base oil that are known consist of aromatic and
non-bio-degradable hydro-carbons. Such drillings muds have been proven toxic for aquatic organisms in marine
environment and agricultural and ground waters in on-shore environment. In this context an attempt has been made
to replace the toxic mineral based OBMs with environmental friendly oil based drilling fluids. The present work
describes the use of vegetable oils as a replacement to diesel oils in petroleum drilling operations in the form of
drilling fluids. A detailed analysis has been carried out on technical aspects such as aromaticity, rheological
properties and economical feasibility of various vegetable oils as a replacement to diesel based muds. The analysis
has shown that the vegetable based oils eco-friendly owing to their zero-aromatic compositions and biodegradable
nature. Moreover the cost of treatment of cutting for vegetable oil based oils has been observed low in comparison
with diesel based oils. However, the present study can help increase the source of income to the farmers and help in
the growth of the country's economy in an eco-friendly manner.

Coutesy-Ahmed Bakri.991.,2011
Drilling Fluid Discharge In To Seas
Average price (US Dollars) per barrel of vegetable oils in the last six years
Year Canola oil ($/bbl) Diesel ($/bbl)
2009 131.29 81.48
2010 148.12 92.22
2011 200.08 126.63
2012 181.35 130.76
2013 158.22 126.66
2014 136.27 124.46

World Supply and Distribution of Rapeseed oil vegetable oil

in million metric tons (www.index mundi.com)
Production (million metric tons)
2012/1 Sep Oct
2010/11 2011/12 2013/14
3 2014/15 2014/15
Canola oil 23.47
Cuttings 24.12
Carrying 24.98
Indices (CCIs)26.05 26.46 et al.,
(Adssina Fadaria 26.47
2012)

Diesel Canola

CCI 15.901 17.846

(Christina Kellogg 2011)

Comparison of Rheological Property DIESEL OIL BASED

Non-Bio Degradable EDIBLE OIL BASED
Aromatics Bio Degradable
Better Rheology No Aromatics
Unstable at High Improved Rheology
Temperature and High Stable at High
Pressure Temperature and High
Pressure

Comparison of Temporal variation of Density Conclusion

Temperature Diesel Canola
30OC 10 10 A techno-economical evaluation has been carried in designing an eco-friendly
vegetable oil based drilling fluid.
40OC 10.1 10.05 The fate analysis of organisms confirms the non-toxic nature of canola based drilling
50OC 10.17 10.05 fluid
The rheological properties together with the filter cake thickness of canola based
60 C
O
10.2 10.1 drilling fluids confirms its effective usage in petroleum drilling operations.
70OC 10.2 10.15 The economic evaluation supplements the canola based drilling fluids as a better
replacement to the conventional diesel based drilling fluids.
80OC 10.25 10.17
Comparison of Filter Cake Property of Various Oil based Muds