Department of Petroleum & Gas

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    Study of the Potential of Sodium Carbonate Extracted from Trona as a Drilling Fluid Additive
    (International Journal of Engineering Research in Africa, 2020-06-30) Petrus Nzerem; Enyo June Adejoh; Oghenerume Ogolo; Ikechukwu Okafor; Abdullahi Gimba; Ternenge Joseph Chior; Precious Ogbeiwi
    Drilling additives play a unique role during drilling operations, from aiding in the control of various drilling challenges to successfully enhancing downhole drilling efficiency. pH enhancers are amongst the plethora of additives imported into Nigeria at exorbitant prices to aid in drilling operations. These additives includes NaOH, Na2CO3, Ca(OH)2 etc. These additives are used to improve the mud pH and mitigates drill string corrosion. The high cost of importation of these additives, has warranted the need for product substitution which should take advantage of the locally available resources. This paper evaluated the suitability of locally-sourced Trona, as a mud additive in drilling mud. Trona is known chemically as Sodium Sesquicarbonate or Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate. A distinguishing factor in this research work was the purification of Trona by extracting the compound of interest (Na2CO3) from it using the monohydrate process. The purification method involved crushing and screening of Trona as well as calcination, filtration and evaporation processes. The analysis of the Trona and the extracted product was performed using quantitative analysis and characterization tools such as FTIR and EDX. Further experimentation was carried out to evaluate the effects of the extracted sodium carbonate on the mud pH, rheology, and density of the water based mud. The results were also compared to the results gotten from the addition of conventional Na2CO to similar mud samples. The extracted Na2CO was observed to increase the pH of the mud samples from 8.73 to 9.52 and the commercial Na2CO increased it from 8.73 to 10 and this value is still in the range of API standard. The pH enhancers from both sources also had effect on the mud rheological properties. This indeed showed that the extracted Na2CO from Trona acted as drilling fluid pH enhancer and hence possess the potential for usage in the industry.
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    STUDY OF THE POTENTIAL OF CALCIUM HYDROXIDE SYNTHESIZED FROM PERIWINKLE SHELL AS A pH ENHANCER IN WATER BASED DRILLING MUD
    (NJEAS, 2023-01-01) Zainab Lamin; Ikechukwu Okafor; Khaleel Jakada; Petrus Nzerem; Abdullahi Gimba; Oghenerume Ogolo; Ayuba Salihu; Khadijah Ibrahim
    Reservoirs that contain acidic gases can lead to the corrosion of the drilling string and casing which could result in incessant down time and also increase the cost of drilling operation. This research work aimed at investigating the potential of using locally sourced materials such as Periwinkle Shell Ash (PSA) that can serve as substitutes to imported chemicals used in the industry, to help raise the mud pH to the API standard (9.5-12.5) whilst reducing the cost of drilling operation. Calcium hydroxide (Ca (OH2)) was extracted from Periwinkle Shell using two different process routes (via the calcination of the PSA and without it). Characterization tools were used to assess the functional groups present and the elemental composition of the periwinkle shell. Various laboratory equipment was used to observe the impact the additives would have on the mud properties (pH, mud weight, filtration characteristics and rheological properties) of the new drilling fluid. Results showed that as the mass of the synthesized Ca (OH2) from the calcined PSA, the uncalcined PSA and the commercial Ca (OH2) was increased, the pH of the mud samples was observed to have increased the pH of the base mud by 20.9%, 15.1% and 10%. Therefore, this research showed that the extracted Ca (OH2) acted primarily as a pH enhancer. However, the addition of Ca (OH2) from all sources exhibited poor filtration characteristics as there was high filtrate loss as the filtration time and the additive concentration increased which could affect the formulation and the performance of the drilling mud.