Mud Weight in Drilling Operation

Mud weight is a term used to express the amount of drilling fluids used in sinking wells, especially in the exploration and extraction of crude oil industry. The weight of the mud of a drilling fluid is generally expressed in pounds per gallon (ppg), even if more than one unit of measurement is used, including kilograms per cubic meter (kg / m 3). The drilling fluids are used to cool the tips, to remove drilling debris from the shaft, and to avoid collision wrap. A mud scale, consisting of a level sliding scale, is generally used to determine the weight of the mud.

Considering the rugged environment that generally surrounds pit drilling, the process is even more complex and delicate. Tips work at great depths and are subject to extreme conditions, like the other components involved in the process. One of the elements used to reduce the voltage on these components is the drilling fluid within which the tip operates. These sludges, as are commonly known, cool the tip, and help in the removal of drilling debris. They also suspend cuts during breaks in the drilling process and hydrostatic pressure control inside the well.

Several means are used as drilling sludges, including water, oil, and gas-based fluids. The type of drilling mud used in a particular drilling site is carefully formulated to meet specific environmental conditions with different wells, rarely using the same mixture of mud. One of the most important variables in formulating drilling fluids is mud or fluid density. Wrong mud weight values ​​can cause several serious problems, such as circulation leakage. The density of these fluids is controlled by the addition of barites or, less frequently, halite and calcium carbonate.

A specially designed sliding scale known as a mud equilibrium is used to calculate the weight of mud drilling fluids. This instrument consists of a cursor equilibrium beam equipped with a type bubble leveling system. A sealed container is attached to one end of the beam where the sample of the drilling fluid is placed. The slider is moved along the bar to determine the density of the fluid.

Mud weight values ​​are generally expressed in pounds per gallon or ppg. Other units are used if, including kg per cubic meter (kg / m 3) and grams per cubic centimeter (g / cm 3). The weighing and test procedures used to measure sludge weight values ​​are set out in a set of globally recognized standards published by the American Petroleum Institute.