Drilling in Highly Permeable Reservoirs of Eastern Siberia: Oil-in-Water Emulsion

摘要

As formations get depleted, the flow drives change, and the conventional mud technologies (muds creating excessive overbalance) can become less appropriate. Oil-in-water emulsion technologies have reached well beyond conventional limits, now being a transition point in our industry. Ensuring safe, not abnormal overbalance, the oil-in-water technology still allows the use of the standard drilling equipment with maximum performance. The oil-in-mud emulsion technology in highly depleted formations reduces the risk of differential sticking, thus significantly decreasing the risks of losses leading to usage of expensive special tools, such as: LWD, MWD and APWD. The purpose of the oil-in-mud emulsion technology is not to eliminate conventional muds. The latter are still applicable in formations with high and normal pressures and even in partially depleted formations. In cases when the formation pressure conditions make application of conventional muds impossible, the oil-in-water emulsions are the option to consider.