The Use of Barium Hydroxide in Drilling Muds

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Abstract
Published in Petroleum Transactions, AIME, Volume 207, 1956, pages 252–255. Abstract Laboratory tests showed that at elevated temperatures a reaction takes place between all metal hydroxides and clay muds, which results in a thickening or solidifying of the mud, the extent of which depends on the nature of the ingredients. Calcium hydroxide gave the strongest solidification whereas barium hydroxide only caused a mild thickening, indicating that the use of barium hydroxide muds instead of lime muds would be a good way of preventing high-temperature solidification. It was found possible to prepare barium mud in the laboratory with caustic soda and a thinner in the same manner as lime muds, and these barium muds had the same or better toleration of high solids content, resistance to salt contamination, and low gel strengths as the corresponding lime muds. Three field trials have been made with barium mud. The principal difficulty encountered was in determining the correct proportions of the tourly treatments required to maintain low gel strengths. A satisfactory system was finally developed, and low gels were maintained throughout the third test. The wells on which the trials were made were not carried deep enough to test the resistance to solidification adequately, but oven tests at 350° F were made periodically and no tendency to solidification was noted except immediately after severe cement contamination had introduced excessive amounts of calcium into the system. Although barium hydroxide costs considerably more than lime, the total mud costs were as low, and on the last well significantly lower, than the average cost of lime mud wells drilled in the vicinity. Introduction The advantages of repressing dispersion and hydration of clay cuttings carried in the mud, particularly when drilling through thick clay formations, are well recognized. This repression is generally achieved by the use of lime, and lime muds have in consequence the desirable characteristics of high toleration of solids, low thixotropy, and good resistance to contamination. They have, however, the disadvantage of high-temperature solidification. This phenomenon has been described in detail by Gray et al., who have shown that it is the result of a chemical reaction between the hydroxides and the clay minerals. The work described in this paper was undertaken to find a substitute for lime which would not cause this solidification.

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