Abstract

Selection of chemicals for the modification of Nigerian Ubalaka clay toward formulating a new water-based drilling fluid is very essential. This study investigated the use of NaOH, NaHCO₃, KOH and NaCO₃ for the modification of Ubakala clay to improve its suitability for water-based drilling fluid. The treated clay was characterized for particle size distribution, crystallinity, morphology, elemental composition and functional group using particle size analyzer, XRD, SEM, XRF and FTIR, respectively. Locally sourced additives namely: cassava starch (CS), breadfruit starch (BFS), bush mango seed (BMS) and corn fiber (CF), were used to improve the rheological properties of developed drilling fluid. Rheological properties were determined as viscosities obtained at 300 and 600 rpm using rheometer. Clay characterization reveal that the quality of montmorillonite was improved via treatment with NaHCO₃. Rheological properties were significantly improved by the addition of the four additives. The highest viscosity recorded was 22.30 cp at 600 rpm. However, further optimization of additives is required to achieve properties comparable to those of API standard.

摘要

选择用于改性尼日利亚乌巴拉卡粘土以配制新型水基钻井液的化学品非常重要。本研究调查了 NaOH、NaHCO ₃、KOH 和 NaCO _{3 的使用}用于对 Ubakala 粘土进行改性以提高其对水基钻井液的适用性。分别使用粒度分析仪、XRD、SEM、XRF 和 FTIR 对处理后的粘土的粒度分布、结晶度、形貌、元素组成和官能团进行表征。当地采购的添加剂，即：木薯淀粉 (CS)、面包果淀粉 (BFS)、灌木芒果种子 (BMS) 和玉米纤维 (CF)，用于改善开发的钻井液的流变特性。流变特性被确定为使用流变仪在 300 和 600 rpm 下获得的粘度。粘土表征表明，NaHCO ₃处理提高了蒙脱石的质量. 四种添加剂的加入显着改善了流变性能。在 600 rpm 下记录的最高粘度为 22.30 cp。然而，需要进一步优化添加剂以实现与 API 标准相当的性能。