Section 9

Oil-Based Muds
Introduction
An oil base fluid can be defined as a drilling fluid which has oil as its continuous or external phase and
the water, if present, is the dispersed or internal phase. The solids in an oil base fluid are oil wet, all
additives are oil dispersible and the filtrate of the mud is oil. The water, if present, is emulsified in the
oil phase.

There are two basic classifications of oil-based fluids; invert emulsions and all-oil muds. The amount of
water present will describe the type of oil base fluid. The oil used in these types of oil base fluids can
range from crude oil, refined oils such as diesel or mineral oils, or the non-petroleum organic fluids that
are currently available. The latter type fluids - variously called inert fluids, pseudo oils, non-aqueous
fluids and synthetic fluids - are now considered more environmentally acceptable than diesel or
mineral oils.

Conventional all-oil muds have oil as the external phase but they are designed to be free of water
when formulated or in use. Since water is not present, asphaltic type materials are required to control
the fluid loss and viscosity. Since there is no water added to this system during the formulation and
water additions are avoided if possible while drilling, there is only a minimum requirement for
emulsifiers. All-oil muds can withstand small quantities of water; however, if the water becomes a
contaminating effect, the mud should be converted to an invert emulsion. If the water is not quickly
emulsified, the solids in the mud can become water wet and will cause stability problems. The water
wet solids will blind the shaker screens and loss of whole mud will occur.

Invert emulsions are oil muds that are formulated to contain moderate to high concentrations of water.
Water is an integral part of the invert emulsion and can contain a salt such as calcium or sodium
chloride. An invert emulsion can contain as much as 60% of the liquid phase as water. Special
emulsifiers are added to tightly emulsify the water as the internal phase and prevent the water from
breaking out and coalescing into larger water droplets. These water droplets, if not tightly emulsified,
can water wet the already oil wet solids and seriously affect the emulsion stability. Special lignite
derivatives or asphaltites are used as the fluid loss control agents, and bentonite derivatives are used
to increase the viscosity and suspension properties of the system. Invert emulsions are usually tightly
emulsified, low fluid loss oil muds. An improvement in drilling rates has been seen when the fluid loss
control of the system is relaxed, thus the name “relaxed” invert emulsion. Also, the relaxed invert
emulsions fluids do not use as much emulsifier as the regular invert emulsion systems.

Detailed information on oil-based muds is available in the “Handbook of Oil-Based Mud Technology,”
published by the Fluid Mechanics and Chemistry Group at Amoco Production Research (Tulsa, OK),
December 1992.

Oil Mud Applications

Oil muds offer many advantages over water based muds. The high initial cost of the oil based mud can
be a factor in not selecting this type of mud system. However, if the overall drilling costs are
considered, the costs accompanying the use of an oil mud are usually less than that for a water mud.
Some of the applications of oil-based muds will be described below.

Shale Stability - Oil muds are most suited for drilling water sensitive shales. Formulated with the
proper salinity, oil muds can prevent water movement from the mud into the shale. In some cases,
water can actually be drawn from the shale and could result in strengthening. However, it is also
possible to draw too much water from the shale (with too high a salinity) and cause a shale to be less
stable. It is desirable to have enough salinity to prevent water migration into the shale but not to allow
dehydration of the shale. This is the “balanced activity” concept. The required salinity is usually
determined through field experience. Shale cores that have not been altered by the oil mud are
necessary to accurately determine the salinity requirements.
Penetration Rates - Oil-mud formulations can usually drill faster than water muds and still provide

CITADEL MUD SCHOOL Training Manual 9.1

excellent shale stability. Relaxed filtrate invert emulsions usually have a high oil to water content and
some of the additives used to control fluid loss are omitted. These systems do not use the primary
emulsifiers, which have been shown to reduce drilling rate, and they do not have the same
temperature stability as conventional invert oil muds. The relaxed type oil muds are especially suited
to drilling with PCD bits.

High Temperatures - Oil muds have the ability to drill formations where bottom hole temperatures
exceed water base mud tolerances, especially in the presence of contaminants. Oil muds have been
used at temperatures approaching 550F. Oil muds can be formulated to withstand high temperatures
over long periods of time, unlike water muds, which can break down and lead to loss of viscosity and
fluid loss control, as well as corrosion.

Drilling Salts - Invert oil muds will provide gauge hole and do not leach out salt. The addition of salt to
the water phase will prevent the salt from dissolving into the emulsified water phase. Water-based
mud, even up to saturation and over saturation does not assure that the salts will not be leached out.

Coring Fluids - Special oil muds provide a native state coring fluid with minimum wettability changes.
These fluids are usually water-free and thus require only a minimal content of emulsifiers. Oil mud
emulsifiers are very strong oil-wetting agents and can cause oil-wetting of the formation. Oil-based
coring fluids will not introduce any water into the core, so determination of water saturation can be
more accurately determined.

Packer Fluids - Oil mud packer fluids are designed to be stable over long periods of time and when
exposed to high temperatures. Oil muds provide long term stable packer fluids under conditions of
high temperature since the additives are extremely temperature stable. Since oil is the continuous
phase, corrosion is almost negligible compared to water muds under the same conditions. Properly
formulated, oil mud packer fluids can suspend weighting material over long periods of time.

Lubricity - The high lubricity offered by oil muds makes them especially suited for highly deviated and
horizontal wells. Along with the higher lubricity, the risk of differential sticking is minimized when using
oil muds. An oil mud has a thin filter cake and the friction between the pipe and the wellbore is
minimized, thus reducing the risk of differential sticking.

Low Pore Pressure Formations -The ability to drill low pore pressure formations is easily
accomplished with oil muds since the mud weight can be maintained at a weight less than that of
water. Mud weights as low as 7.5 lb/gal can be achieved.

Corrosion Control - Corrosion of pipe is controlled since oil is the external phase and coats the pipe.
Oil muds offer exceptional corrosion protection due to the non-conductive nature of the oil, and
corrosion cells cannot develop since the metal surfaces are oil wet. The products used in oil mud are
very thermally stable and do not degrade to produce corrosive products. Also, bacteria do not thrive in
oil muds.

Re-Use - Oil muds are well suited to be used over and over again. The oil mud can be stored for long
periods of time, since bacterial growth is suppressed. The oil mud can be conditioned before being
used again by reducing the drill solids content with mechanical removal equipment instead of relying
on dilution.

Disadvantages of Oil Muds

• The initial cost of oil mud is high, especially formulations based on mineral or synthetic fluids.
The high cost can be offset by oil mud buy-back or leasing from the mud service company.
• Kick detection is reduced when using oil muds (compared to that of water-based muds) due
to high gas solubility in oil muds.
• Oil muds are costly when lost circulation occurs.
• Greater emphasis is placed on environmental concerns when using oil muds as related to
discharge of cuttings, loss of whole mud and disposal of the oil mud.
• Special precautions should be taken to avoid skin contact which may promote allergic
reactions. Inhalation of fumes from oil muds can be irritating.
• Oil muds can be damaging to the rubber parts of the circulating system and preclude the
use of special oil resistant rubber.

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• Oil muds pose potential fire hazards due to low flash points of vapors coming off the oil mud.
Mineral oils and the synthetic fluids have higher flash points than diesel and crude oils. Crude
oils should be “weathered” before using in oil muds.
• Additional rig equipment and modifications are necessary to minimize the loss of oil muds.
• Electric logging must be modified for use in oil-based muds. Oil muds are non-conductive
therefore resistivity measuring logs will not work in oil muds (SP, resistivity, Dipmeters).
• Oil muds require emulsifiers that are very powerful oil-wetting materials, which can also
change the wettability of the rock to an oil-wet condition.
• Oil based muds are more compressible than water muds, and, therefore, the downhole
density may vary considerably from that measured at the surface.

Oil Mud Products Description

Oil muds require special products to ensure that the emulsion is extremely stable and can withstand
conditions of high temperature and contaminants. Oil mud products must be dispersible in the external
oil phase.

Primary Emulsifier - calcium soaps are the primary emulsifier in oil muds. These are made in the
mud by the reaction of lime and long chain (C-16 to C-22) fatty acids. Soap emulsions are very strong
emulsifying agents but take some reaction time before emulsion is actual formed. Wetting agents
prevent solids from becoming water wet while the emulsion is forming. Emulsifiers surround the water
droplets and prevent their coalescence.

Secondary emulsifiers - very powerful oil wetting chemicals. Generally these products do not form
emulsions as well as the primary emulsifiers, but this oil wet solids before the emulsion is formed.
Used to readily emulsify any water intrusions quickly. Typically, these additives are polyamides or
imidazolines.

Organophilic lignites - used as high temperature fluid loss additives. They also will aid in the
emulsification of water especially at high temperatures. A lignite is treated with an amine to make it oil
dispersible. It controls fluid loss by plugging and can be used at high concentrations without causing
excessive viscosities (20 lb/bbl +/-).

Asphaltic fluid loss additives - generally consist of gilsonite or asphalt derivatives. Gilsonite has
high temperature stability (400F) whereas asphalt is not as temperature stable (350F). High
concentrations can cause excessive viscosity and gelation of the mud. Treatment level will not usually
exceed 15 lb/bbl.

Organophilic gellants - viscosity builders that are made from bentonite, hectorite or attapulgite
treated with an amine to make them oil dispersible. Bentonite is most commonly used and is
compatible with diesel and mineral oils up to 350F. For temperatures above 350F, especially in
mineral oil formulations, the hectorite based clay should be used. Organophilic attapulgite is used to
improve the suspension properties of packer fluids without appreciably increasing the viscosity.

Wetting agents - supplemental additives to quickly and effectively oil wet solids that become water
wet. Drill solids and weighting agents will naturally water wet and the wetting agents will strip off the
water and replace it with an oil layer.

Polymeric viscosifiers - additives that increase the viscosity of oil muds in the presence of
organophilic bentonite, especially when the organophilic bentonite performance is reduced by high
temperatures; they work up to 400F. A high molecular weight sulfonated polystyrene becomes
effective only when the temperature exceeds 250F.

Rheological modifiers - low molecular weight fatty acid. Provides increase in viscosity at low shear
rates (3 and 6 rpm). Barite can “sag” or slide down the hole, especially on deviated wells; these
additives will minimize or eliminate this “sag”. Increases in total mud viscosity are avoided when using
these additives.

Weighting Agents - used to increase the density of the oil mud. The most commonly used weighting
agent is barite. A mud weight of around of 21.0 lb/gal is the highest achievable with barite. Hematite,
with a S.G. of 5.0 can also be used to increase the density of the oil mud. A mud weight of around

CITADEL MUD SCHOOL Training Manual 9.3

24.0 lb/gal can be achieved with hematite. For the same mud weight, the solids content of the oil mud
weighted with hematite will have a lower solids content than weighted with barite because of the
higher S.G. of the hematite.

Types of Base Oils Used

In many areas, diesel is used to formulate and maintain oil muds. In remote areas where diesel may
not be plentiful, crude oil can be used instead of diesel. Crude oils should be tested prior to their use,
since they may pose safety problems. Mineral oils and the new synthetic fluids are replacements for
diesel, especially because of their lower toxicity compared to diesel. However these fluids are usually
higher in cost compared to diesel.

There are a wide variety of oils available for use in oil muds. The properties of these oils can have a
significant effect upon the physical properties of the oil mud. The properties of the oil which are tested
are:

• Flash point - a measure of the volatility of the base oil. The higher the flash point of the oil,
the less likely the oil mud will catch fire. The flash point of an oil will change with age as the
more volatile components of the oil vaporize into the atmosphere. Addition of water will
generally cause the flash point of the finished oil mud to be higher than that of the base oil.
The flash point of the oil should be greater than 150F.
• Aniline point - an indication of the relative aromatic content of the base oil. The aromatic
components are particularly detrimental to the rubber parts of the circulation system. The
aniline point should be at least 140F. Certain oil mud products such as the organoclay
viscosifiers are affected by the amount of aromatic components in the base oil. As the
aromatic content is decreased, more viscosifier will generally be required or a different
viscosifier will have to be used.
• Base oil viscosity - a measurement of the viscosity of the base oil and will vary considerably
with the type of oil. Crude oils usually have very high viscosities because of higher asphaltic
components, whereas the refined oils such as diesel and mineral oils have considerably lower
viscosities. Addition of brine and solids to an oil increases its viscosity substantially, but the
viscosity of any mud is generally proportional to the viscosity of the base oil. Lower viscosity
oil muds will generally cause an increase in penetration rates.
• Aromatic content - a measure of the quantity of aromatics or benzene-like compounds in the
oil. These are the compounds that will affect the toxicity of the base oil with the higher content
of aromatics, the more toxic the oil mud will be. Most of the mineral oils now used in oil muds
have a aromatic content less than 1% by weight.

The types of base oils used in oil-based muds are described below:

Crude Oils - crude oil can be used in place of diesel as the base oil in areas where diesel may not be
available in sufficient quantities to formulate and maintain an oil-based mud system. There are some
disadvantages with using crude oil as listed below.
• crude oils have lower flash points and fire points compared to diesel or other refined oils.
• crude oil usually has higher base viscosity compared to diesel and the overall viscosity of
the oil mud will be higher than that offered by diesel or other refined oils.
• crude oil needs to be weathered before use since the crude has low flash points because of
the light ends contained in crude.
• the aniline point of the crude is usually low which can cause the rubber parts of the
circulating system the deteriorate.
• crude oil may contain impurities that may require higher concentration of emulsifiers
therefore pilot testing with the crude oil is required to design the proper formulation.

Refined Oils- the refined oils are those such as diesel or kerosene which is the most commonly
used oil to formulate and maintain oil-based muds.
• check the aniline point of the diesel to determine if it will be damaging to the rubber parts.
• Some diesels may contain additives used to “winterize” the diesel and can have an affect on
the emulsifier used to formulate oil muds.

CITADEL MUD SCHOOL Training Manual 9.4

• Diesels have higher aromatic content than the mineral oils and these components will have
a direct effect on the toxicity of the oil mud.

Mineral Oils - the mineral oils have lower aromatic content than diesel and are considered less toxic
than diesel.
• Mineral oils have higher flash points than diesel and are safer to use especially in high
temperature applications.
• Mineral oils have a low viscosity compared to diesel and crude oils which will affect the overall
viscosity of the oil-based mud.
• Mineral oils have a low aromatic content (<1.0%) compared to diesel, which makes them more
environmentally acceptable than diesel. Also, the lower aromatic content makes mineral oils
more attractive to use and less hazardous to personnel in the event of contact.
Low-toxicity mineral oils, like ESCAID110 (Exxon) have aromatic contents of <0.1%.
• Mineral oils unlike diesel do not contain surfactants that could change wettability of the
formation.

Synthetic Fluids - The base fluids in synthetic muds are non-petroleum organic compounds that act
like petroleum-derived oils in drilling operations but appear to biodegrade readily in the ocean. Like
most OBMs, synthetic muds are invert emulsions, with the synthetic fluid serving as the external, or
continuous, phase and a brine serving as the internal phase. Several base fluids, mainly in the size
range C16-C24, have been introduced in the marketplace during the last few years.

• PETROFREE (Baroid) - an ester made by the reaction of palm kernel fatty acids with a
proprietary alcohol. This was the first commercial synthetic fluids. [PETROFREE may be
considered a synthetic vegetable oil]

• AQUAMUL (Anchor) - a di-acetal (di-ether) made by condensation of alcohols. [Lower

molecular weight diacetals are used as solvents, cosmetics, perfumes and flavoring
agents]

• NOVASOL (M-I) - a straight-chain non-aromatic hydrocarbon made by polymerization of

ethylene. [Also known as a PAO, for Poly-a-Olefin, this product resembles a highly refined
low-toxicity mineral oil not unlike Amoco SUPERLA White Mineral Oil No. 7]. Other
synthetic hydrocarbons similar to NOVASOL, like ISOTECH (Chevron) and ULTIDRILL
(Dowell) have also been introduced recently.

• BIOMUL (Baker-Hughes Inteq) - a detergent alkylate composed of benzene attached to a

saturated hydrocarbon chain. [Detergent alkylates, which are used in the manufacture of
detergents, are also called linear alkylbenzenes and might be considered hybrids of diesel
and low-toxicity mineral oil]

Properties - In the field, synthetic drilling fluids are thought to perform as well as conventional OBM’s.
Some differences in their properties remain, however, which may be desirable attributes (+) or which
may pose some limitations on handling and use (-):

a. Synthetic fluids are several fold more expensive than oils used in conventional OBM’s; (-)

b. Synthetic muds appear to be more biodegradable and disperse in seawater more readily; (+)

c. Synthetic muds are considerably more viscous at ambient temperatures, but they also thin more
readily with increasing temperature; (-)

d. Synthetic muds are not as thermally stable; (-)

e. Synthetic muds do not hydrate or dehydrate shales as rapidly; (-)

CITADEL MUD SCHOOL Training Manual 9.5

Comparative Oil Mud Products by Function

Oil Mud Formulations

Product requirements are listed for each company over the temperature ranges noted. These
formulations are based on lab conditions and will be lower in actual field usage. The field requirement
is lower because of the incorporation of drill solids, particle size of the weighting material, and longer
periods of shear experienced while drilling. The formulations listed can be formulated in diesel or
mineral oils with only small modifications.

CARBO-VIS, an organophilic viscosifier is used at a concentration of 2-3 lb/bbl for O/W ratios of
75/25-80/20. At O/W ratios of 85/15-90/10, CARBO-VIS is used at 3-5 lb/bbl. The concentration of
CARBO-VIS will vary with the mud weight. At lower mud weights, the CARBO-VIS requirements will
be the higher quantity.

CITADEL MUD SCHOOL Training Manual 9.6

VG-69, an organophilic viscosifier is used at a concentration of 3-4 lb/bbl for O/W ratios of 75/25-80/20.
At O/W ratios of 85/15-90/10, VG-69 is used at 4-6 lb/bbl. The concentration of VG-69 will vary with
the mud weight. At lower mud weights, the VG-69 requirements will be the higher quantity.

GELTONE II, an organophilic viscosifier is used at a concentration of 3-5 lb/bbl for O/W ratios of
75/25-80/20. At O/W ratios of 85/15-90/10, GELTONE II is used at 4-6 lb/bbl. The concentration of
GELTONE II will vary with the mud weight. At lower mud weights, the GELTONE II requirements will
be the higher quantity.

TRUVIS, an organophilic viscosifier is used at a concentration of 3-5 lb/bbl for O/W ratios of 75/25-
80/20. At O/W ratios of 85/15-90/10, TRUVIS is used at 5-7 lb/bbl. The concentration of TRUVIS will
vary with the mud weight. At lower mud weights, the TRUVIS requirements will be the higher quantity.

ANCO-MUL GEL B, an organophilic viscosifier is used at a concentration of 3-5 lb/bbl for O/W ratios of
75/25-80/20. At O/W ratios of 85/15-90/10, ANCO-MUL GEL B is used at 5-7 lb/bbl. The concentration
of ANCO-MUL GEL B will vary with the mud weight. At lower mud weights, the ANCO-MUL GEL B
requirements will be the higher quantity.

Mixing Procedures
The addition of components in their proper sequence when initial mixing an oil mud will optimize the
performance of each product. The order of addition as listed below is the most common procedure for
preparation of oil base muds, though each mud system may require some modification of this

CITADEL MUD SCHOOL Training Manual 9.7

procedure. The mixing time may vary depending upon the amount of shear either at the rig or at the
liquid mud plant. Organophilic viscosifiers require considerable quantity of shear to fully develop their
viscosity; therefore, more of this additive may be required on initial mixing. As the oil mud is used over
the first couple of days, improvement in the emulsion stability and fluid loss control will vastly improve
compared to what the mud was when it was initially mixed.

1. Add the required quantity of base oil to the mixing tank.

2. Add the primary emulsifier and secondary emulsifier as required.

3. Add filtration control additives if required.

4. Add lime as required.

5. Add required amount of water to the above mixture. If brine is to be used, then add brine after the
lime additions.

6. Add organophilic viscosifier as required.

7. Add calcium chloride powder if brine is not used. If calcium chloride powder is not available, then
mix the calcium chloride flakes into the water and add as a brine.

8. Mix above for several hours to ensure a good emulsion is formed.

9. Add weighting material as required for the desired density.

The viscosity contributed by the organophilic gellant will be higher if it is added to the mud after the
water is added and before the calcium chloride is added. If brine is used, then the gellant is added
after the brine and the viscosity will generally be lower. The electrical stability of the mud after mixing
will be lower initially if brine is used instead of adding calcium chloride to the mud after the water is
added.

The electrical stability and fluid loss control will improve after use due to the shear generated during
circulation. The above mixing procedure will be suitable for most mud systems. The supplier’s mixing
procedure should first be reviewed to determine if any variations in the above are to be employed.

Oil Mud Properties

Mud weight of oil muds ranges from 7.5 lb/gal to over 22.0 lb/gal. Downhole density is affected by
temperature and pressure more than water base muds. Temperature will decrease the density of oil
muds due to expansion and pressure will increase the density due to compression of the oil phase.

Viscosity is affected by temperature and pressure. As the temperature increases, viscosity decreases.
Conversely, as the pressure increases, the viscosity increases. The funnel viscosity measurement of
an oil mud is greatly affected by temperature. The funnel viscosity of an oil mud is
usually used an indicator and is not normally used for treatment purposes. Rheological properties are
usually made with a rotational viscometer.
The plastic viscosity, yield point and gel strengths measurements (according to the Pseudoplastic
Rheology Model) are made with the rheometer. More accurate descriptions of the rheology of the mud
are made with the Yield-Power Law Model. Suspension of cuttings and weighting material is monitored
with the gel strength (for static settling) and 3 or 6 rpm reading (for dynamic settling). Run the rheology
of oil muds at the same temperature for each test. Plastic viscosity is greatly affected by temperature
at which mud is normally tested. The higher the temperature, the lower the plastic viscosity. Reduce
plastic viscosity by solids control or dilute with base oil.
Yield point is somewhat affected at temperatures where mud is normally tested but may be greatly
affected by temperatures above 350F. Increase yield point by additions of organophilic clay, oil
polymers or water. Decrease with wetting agents or thinners or dilution with base oil. Gel strengths
behaves similar to yield point. Increase with organophilic clay, water or rheological modifiers.
Decrease with wetting agents or thinners or even dilution with base oil.

Electrical stability (E.S.) is the increase in voltage across a probe until the emulsion breaks and a
current is established. The electrical stability will vary with the amount of water - the more water

CITADEL MUD SCHOOL Training Manual 9.8

generally the lower the stability. Presence of conductive solids such as hematite and insoluble salt will
result in low E.S. readings. New sine wave E.S. meters are more reproducible and reliable. The
readings from these meters are about one-half the value of the previous meters. Falling E.S. readings
and the presence of water in the filtrate indicate weakening of the emulsion. Emulsifiers and lime
additions are usually required.

HPHT filtration is run at bottom hole temperatures under static conditions to determine condition of
emulsion, the filtrate volume and filter cake quality. If water is present in the filtrate, this could indicate
emulsion weakening. Thick filter cakes and high fluid loss indicate excessive drill solids content. Lower
the filtration rate with filtration control agents, emulsifiers and lime. Increase the fluid loss by dilution
with base oil.

Salinity determination of calcium and sodium chloride is done on the whole mud. A new method for
this test is now established by the API to determine types of salts present and if any salt is insoluble in
the mud. Insoluble calcium chloride can cause water wetting problems and should be reduced by
adding water or oil mud with no salinity in the water phase. Insoluble sodium chloride can be reduced
in the same manner, but it does not cause water wetting of solids.

Lime analysis determines the amount of excess lime in the oil mud. Lime is essential for the
formation of the emulsion when using fatty acid type emulsifiers. Lime content should always be
checked since emulsifier additions may not be required due to deficiency in the lime content. A
decrease in lime content while drilling may indicate acid gases such as H2S or CO2 or high
temperature deterioration of products.

Water Activity or relative humidity of the oil mud is determined with a hygrometer. The hygrometer
does not determine if any insoluble salt is present.

Oil/Water/Solids ratio in the oil mud is determined with a retort, which is a still that operates at about
650oF. Results need to be accurate, especially for the salinity analysis. Small sources of error in water
content can cause large differences in salinity analysis.

Sulfides in the oil mud are measured with the Garrett gas train. A sample of whole mud is used
instead of filtrate. Zinc oxide is the preferred compound to treat for soluble sulfides. Increased lime
additions are also necessary when H2S is present.

CITADEL MUD SCHOOL Training Manual 9.9

Trouble Shooting Oil Mud

CITADEL MUD SCHOOL Training Manual 9.10

Displacement of Special Equipment
Displacement of Water Mud
• Reduce viscosity and gel strength of water base mud
• Water spacer of at least 500 ft should precede the oil mud
• Use maximum flow rate while rotating the drill pipe
• Highly contaminated mud should be diverted from the active system
• The oil mud/water interface will thicken, so that a gelled spacer will not be needed
Special Equipment
• A mud saver pan installed on top of bell nipple and one installed
• On rig floor where drill pipe is racked on trips.
• A mud box connected by a flexible hose to the flow line or catch pan
• Use a mud saver sub to reduce losses on connections
• Use pipe wipers to remove oil mud from outside of pipe on trips
• Install covers on pits to prevent rain from getting into pits and lined reserve pits
• Keep water hoses off rig floor to minimize water contamination. Use oil spray system to
wash shaker screens.
• Use a rotating head and gas separator for gas entrainment in oil mud
• Disconnect water lines to pits and centrifugal pumps
• Squeegy to clean up oil mud seals and use oil absorbents on rig floor

Oil Mud Calculations

The following set of calculations describe how to either raise or lower the oil/water (O/W) ratio of an
oil-based mud. If water enters an oil mud, the O/W ratio will decrease and if the O/W ratio is to be
raised, then oil will have to be added. The amount of oil required to raise the O/W ratio can be
calculated as follows:

CITADEL MUD SCHOOL Training Manual 9.11

Electric Logging in Oil Muds
Advantages using oil muds
• Oil muds provide gauge to near gauge holes
• Oil muds provide excellent hole stability
• Oil muds generally produce very little invasion
Disadvantages of using oil muds while logging
• Oil muds are non-conductive so resistivity logs will not work
• Empirical rules for water muds cannot be used in oil muds
• Resistivity measurements using induction logs are not that accurate
Resistivity logs
• Laterolog, SFL, short normal, MSFL do not work in oil muds.
• Resistivity is measured using the induction log.
• Dipmeter with scratchers is still affected when using oil muds.

Porosity logs
• Density (FDC, LDT) is able to see into permeable zones, but invasion could exceed depth of
investigation, and response is a combined volume of invaded oil and residual hydrocarbon
in place.
• Pe curve is accurate and needs no correction.
• Neutron (CNL) depth of investigation is deeper than that of density logs and neutron would
respond less to invaded oil and more to original hydrocarbon.
• Sonic (BHC and long spacing) is least affected by presence of oil muds. Oil filtration may
increase transit time close to borehole. If zone is gas bearing, sonic velocity would be lower.

Gas Solubility in Oil Muds

• Gas solubility in oil muds is many times greater than in water muds.
• Gas kick will remain for the most part at the point of entry and will not migrate up the hole
like in a water mud.
• When circulating kick out, gas remains in solution and little if any gain in pit level or casing
pressure is noted.
• When the gas comes out of solution, a rapid increase in pit level and casing pressure will be
Observed.
• Gas solubility is a function in the amount of the oil phase, and, once saturation is reached,
no further gas will go into solution. Further influx of gas after this point will behave like a gas
kick in a water mud.
• Because of the gas solubility in an oil mud, the casing pressure will not be that much higher
than the drill pipe pressure. This will depend somewhat on the density differential of the mud
and the mud containing the gas. Since gas is not very soluble in water, the casing pressure
will be somewhat higher than the drill pipe pressure because of the loss in hydrostatic head
the water mud being displaced out of the hole.
• A reliable pit monitor sensitive to very slight changes in the mud volume is probably the best
indicator of a gas kick. Treat all kicks in an oil mud as gas kicks and do not be confused by
the somewhat low casing pressure.
• A separator designed for large gas volumes along with a rotating head should be provided if
an oil mud is going to be used.

CITADEL MUD SCHOOL Training Manual 9.12