Page 16: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (May/Jun 2014)

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Opinion

Thought Thought ThoughtStream

Brian Teutsch, Baker Hughes

Ensuring risk mitigation with a drilling ? uid design ith one question, the tone of the nonproductive time. The hydraulics also and ever-increasing.

W room changed from light banter to have wide reaching effects into areas of The industry is also constrained by serious contemplation. rig selection, well and casing design, ? eld drilling ? uids limitations. In terms of “What is the most important thing to development strategies, etc. hydraulic performance alone, lack of def- you in a drilling ? uid,” I asked 74 mud One category of ? uids that tackles these inition has blurred objective performance engineers at a Gulf of Mexico engineering hydraulic challenges is constant rheology. assessments. With a methodical de? ni- meeting held in Louisiana. These systems seek to avoid thickness tion established, performance improve-

Everyone openly acknowledged that associated with cold temperatures (and ment can be measured and applied in if we don’t have an environmentally resulting high ECD), while sustaining an critical applications. This does not just compliant system, we have nothing but adequate viscosity at higher temperatures enable one well; it enables access to one liability. for removing and suspending cuttings. basin, then another. New energy reserves

The next question was about prior- Standards are essential in benchmark- are now within reach.

ity number two for a drilling ? uid. The ing performance and measuring improve- In some areas of the world, increased answer was a modest demand that the ment, yet for a category of ? uids as ef? ciency is associated with instantaneous system and its components perform well important as this, there has been surpris- rates of penetration and how fast casing and consistently. ingly awkward silence when asked how can be jammed in the hole. Though all

The role of the drilling ? uid as a major intentions are to minimize time on the player in operational safety is ever more critical path, nowhere more than offshore

Though all intentions are to prominent. As a well barrier element, areas recognize that the most ef? ciency minimize time on the critical the drilling ? uid must remain stable comes from steady progress and risk aver- and capable of sustaining its density sion. Every area is high risk, with distinc- path, nowhere more than uniformly, even in adverse conditions. tions only by matters of degree. o