Drilling fluid processing: preparation, maintenance and continuous conditioning
The following discussion is an overview of the operation of drilling fluids at the rig site, giving an insight to those less versed in the art of drilling oil and gas wells. Fluid processing at the rig site is currently a prime target for higher levels of mechanization and process control, leading towards automation. The drilling fluids' composition influences its properties and dynamic behaviour, and the various drilling fluid components and additives all have specific purposes related to the drilling process. The process of drilling fluid preparation and mixing on the drilling rig is described, and the means of maintaining suitable properties during the drilling process are discussed. Means and requirements are presented for enabling continuous conditioning of the drilling fluid to suit the variations in the wellbore and formation, pointing out current challenges in measurement, instrumentation, mechanization, and control that need to be solved. It is clear that a higher level of automation is required if we wish to achieve this goal.
Towards cleaner and more productive maintenance in petrochemical facilities: Mechanization and an assessment method
Abstract Maintenance in petrochemical plants is often characterized as labor intensive and may give rise to such problems as being costly, diminishing productivity, and emitting pollutant. To mitigate such problems, managers have tried mechanizing the maintenance tasks. This study elaborated the concept of mechanization, proposed a method named Petrochemical Maintenance Mechanization Assessment (PEMMA), which can help assess mechanization levels of the maintenance tasks and provide corresponding improvement recommendations This study presented the development process of the PEMMA method and applied the method in the context of Singapore. Results showed that the mechanization level of the maintenance tasks in Singapore is relatively low. The developed method is arguably the first to be presented and therefore, it contributes to the existing body of knowledge. In addition, the developed method is beneficial to the practice as well, because it can help diagnose and then improve the mechanization levels of petrochemical plants, which would eventually make the petrochemical industry more productive and cleaner.
Rig-site monitoring of the solids content of drilling fluid and discharges from solids control equipment
The nature and content of suspended solids in drilling fluids directly affects its key properties, adversely impacting the drilling process, which in turn lowers overall well quality, augments costs and increases the environmental impact of drilling. To control the impact of the drilled solids on drilling fluid properties, the engineer at rig-site firstly requires an effective monitoring tool, allowing frequent and accurate determination of the solids content at various points in the circulating system. A technique based on X-ray fluorescence (XRF) has been developed which is being utilised at the rig-site to overcome the limitations of the traditionally employed methods. It is the aim of this paper to document the development of the XRF technique and its implementation at the rig-site. XRF spectra from a sample are input into a multivariate calibration model to predict the concentrations of solid phases (barite, low-gravity solids), liquid phase (water or oil and brine), as well as some ion concentrations (potassium and chloride in water based mud, chloride in oil based mud). The accuracies of the predictions for the solid phases are significantly better than the traditional methods. The ease and speed of use of the XRF technique facilitate multiple sampling from various points in the circulating system and effluent discharges. Two case histories are cited which demonstrate the use of the XRF technique for monitoring the deployment of solids control equipment at the rig-site and optimising its configuration.