Gilsonite FLC
Gilsonite FLC – Natural Asphalt Fluid Loss Control Additive
GILSONITE IMPROVES DRILLING EFFICIENCIES, WELLBORE STABILITY, FILTER CAKE DEVELOPMENT AND MORE.
Fluid loss additive has been added to drilling fluids to give better stability of well walls, to lubricate the drill string in a well, to seal microfractures and thus prevent the formation of larger fractures and to decrease the loss of filtrate to formations at high temperatures.
The use of Gilsonite FLC in drilling fluids dispersions or muds, to coat the walls of well holes, is an old and well-established procedure. The purpose of the fluid is to stabilize the walls of the hole by forming a relatively thin but strongly adherent coating or cake on the walls. The coating must be able to withstand relatively high temperatures and it should be resistant to the passage of moisture or fluid therethrough.
Uintaite, Natural Asphalt actively improves drilling efficiencies while reducing costs and minimizing the HSE impact associated with most drilling fluid additives.
Gilsonite prevents formation damage
Gilsonite FLC forms a physical and chemical bond with permeable formations, creating an effective seal to prevent the passage of drilling fluid. By uniquely functioning as both a malleable and solid plugging agent, Gilsonite® controls fluid loss and seepage, prevents lost circulation and protects reactive and low-reactive shale surfaces, even at elevated bottomhole temperatures.
Proven to strengthen the wellbore
HP/HT wells, shales and underpressured zones require specialized drilling fluids and wellbore-strengthening techniques. Adding Gilsonite, Natural Bitumen to an OBM, SBM or WBM strengthens the well by:
- Reducing pore pressure transmission and sealing micro-fractures in shale and low-porosity sands
- Keeping interbedding formations intact
- Developing effective filter cake
- Providing a “smear effect” that creates a continuous protective sealant along the wellbore wall
The most effective additive to prevent differential sticking
Gilsonite FLC minimizes the occurrence of stuck pipe and stuck logging tools by thoroughly sealing permeable formations – even in zones with a highly overbalanced pressure differential – and improving filter cake lubricity.
Gilsonite FLC- Gilsonite is high temperature high pressure filtrated loss additive
Combination of these compounds as a HPHT fluid loss control aid, reduces HPHT filtrate loss has good stability at elevated temperatures such as at about 300 °F and sometimes as high as 400 °F, stabilizes troublesome shales and decreases bore hole erosion, helps seal depleted sands, reduces torque and drag, causes no adverse effects on the flow properties of the drilling fluid properly conditioned and lowers total well costs.
HPHT Gilsonite FLC additive aid stable to the high temperature such as 400°F. The composition comprises a mixture of a uintaite such as natural asphalt in combination with solubilized lignite such as a causticized lignite and carbon black. The HPHT fluid loss control aid also comprises a product made by the process of combining the uintaite such as natural bitumen solubilized lignite such as causticized lignite and carbon black with one another since in some instances the natural asphalt and lignite might interact with one another and change the nature of the starting compounds. Additionally, the introduction of the composition of matter of the present invention into a drilling fluid could also alter the foregoing compounds used in the composition, and for this reason the invention also comprises a product produced by the process of combining the various compounds for the manufacture of the composition as well as a product produced by introducing the composition into a drilling fluid.
There are basically three types of drilling muds:
1– Oil-Based-Muds – OBM: Base material is Oil product, such as diesel oil
2– Water_Based_Muds – WBM: Base material is water
3– Synthetic_Based_Muds – SBM: Base materials is polymers
Gilsonite is vastly used in all drilling muds but in different aspects and manners.
In oil-based muds, Gilsonite acts as a Fluid Loss Control agent or FLC. While as a hydrocarbon, it reacts well with the base material of the mud and increases the drilling efficiency significantly. Also since Gilsonite has a high softening point, applying Gilsonite will significantly reduce the loss of fluids.
In stricter environmental drilling, where Synthetics Muds are used, applying Gilsonite may decrease the costs by 80% compared to the substitute material UHT-Co Polymers.
Gilsonite in drilling application has several market myths and complications. One issue is that the natural bitumen from Iran has increasingly replaced the American Gilsonite among the mud makers, especially in Asia. This is because the price of Iranian Gilsonite is nearly 30% of the AmericanGilsonite, while the quality of Iranian Gilsonite responds well to the international standards of Drilling Mud, defined by the Oil companies.
SIGNIFICANT COST ADVANTAGES
Compared to alternative products, Gilsonite FLC offers comparable or superior performance at a much lower cost. In water-based mud (WBM) applications, the performance of Gilsonite compares favorably with sulfonated asphalts while costing 25-50% less.
In HP/HT environments using synthetic-based mud (SBM), Gilsonite FLC provides a cost reduction of more than 80% compared to premium co-polymer, while the high softening point of Gilsonite also results in a 45% reduction in fluid loss.
Gilsonite will Decrease Fluid loss control additive Consumption about 62%
In difficult Drilling fluids conditions like highly deviated offshore wells, the Drilling operation will face technical challenges. In Gulfs big Drilling Fluids companies normally operate on highly deviated offshore wells these wells total average depth is about 5000 meters and normally in these wells observed some difficulty like salt domes and hardness in Drilling because of Coal extrusions.
So it would be important to have tight control in fluid loss properties and in this case require more fluid loss control additives. Normally these companies were using diesel based fluids additives those are called OBM and follow of attempting to reduce the cost, they started to use an alternative asphaltite product for fluid loss control but this new alternative additive required a concentration of 35 to 40 kg per m3 too and it was again problem but when they used Gilsonite FLC grade for the Drilling Fluids operation they determined that it can achieve the necessary fluid loss control and also with concentrations as low as 25 kg per m3
So this was exactly the best Drilling Fluids additives that they were searching for it, this Grade of our Gilsonite is working extremely well with our FLC formulation. We tested other Asphaltite formulations too but we saw that the consumption increased till 70% and again the results showed us the best alternative would be only Asian Gilsonite FLC grade and in this way, the drilling fluids company are buying a lower quantity of Gilsonite FLC as an additive and with the lower price too. In addition, the clients can buy more Gilsonite FLC as an additive at a lower price in comparison with other kinds of Fluid loss additives.
Application of Gilsonite Fluid Loss Control Additive
An important characteristic of gilsonite is its softening-point temperature. In oil-base muds, it is used as a fluid-loss control agent. Being a hydrocarbon, it is naturally wetted by the oil. In water-base muds, it is used as a shale-stabilizing additive and is difficult to evaluate unless tested at or above its softening point. As a hydrocarbon, the powder must be coupled to water by using a glycol or similar water-wetter.
Gilsonite provides all of these benefits:
Provides wellbore strengthening matrix
Controls fluid loss and seepage
superior shale stabilization
Prevents lost circulation
Strengthens the wellbore to increase wellbore stability
Minimizes differential sticking
Reduces or eliminates lost circulation
Promotes effective filter cake development
Performs in oil- and water-based drilling muds
Performs in HP/HT environments
Minimizes HSE risks
Proven to strengthen the wellbore HP/HT wells, shales and underpressured zones require specialized drilling fluids and wellbore-strengthening techniques.
HEALTH, SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANTAGES
Naturally occurring Gilsonite FLC has significant health advantages over synthetic products. Natural Asphalt is:
- Non-toxic (unlike coal or fly ash)
- Non-carcinogenic
- Non-mutagenic
Natural Bitumen is safe to handle, use and store, and passes discharge requirements for deepwater operations.
