Scholarly record
AUTOMATIC REAL-TIME MEASUREMENT OF DRILLING FLUID PROPERTIES IN OIL AND GAS WELLS
Abstract
Drilling fluids are essential for safe and efficient oil and gas well construction, performing critical functions such as cuttings transport, pressure control, borehole stabilization, and bit lubrication. Traditional manual testing according to API standards provides only intermittent data, often leading to delayed responses and increased risks of kicks, lost circulation, stuck pipe, or formation damage – especially in complex unconventional, deepwater, and high-pressure/high-temperature wells. This paper proposes a conceptual framework and methodology for an automated real-time monitoring system of key drilling fluid properties (density, rheology, temperature, pH, solids content) using integrated inline sensors (Coriolis meter, helical pipe viscometer or torsional resonator, PT100 probes, electrochemical pH sensors). The system delivers continuous, high-frequency data directly from the circulating loop, enabling early anomaly detection, proactive fluid management, and significant reduction of non-productive time. Field-inspired validation demonstrates that automated measurements align closely with API manual results (density ±0.13–0.26 ppg, rheology ±1.5 dial readings) while revealing transient fluctuations missed by periodic sampling. The approach augments rather than replaces specialist oversight, shifting focus to data interpretation and optimization. Results support the hypothesis that real-time automated monitoring markedly improves drilling fluid control, operational efficiency, safety, and cost performance in modern challenging drilling environments.
Publication details
References20
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