M-I SWACO announced the release of the KLA-SHIELD* high-performance water-base drilling fluid system. Designed for use in onshore and offshore fields, the KLA-SHIELD system is made up of products that are formulated to address environmental concerns worldwide.
Onshore, the system can be customized to provide shale inhibition without the use of salts, making cuttings ideally suited for land farming. The system is equally fitted for offshore operations, displaying a low marine toxicity and employing fast biodegradation rates.
The inhibitive drilling fluid system is specifically designed for fields characterized by reactive shales, large-diameter wellbores and extended-reach drilling. The system promotes wellbore stability and effective hole cleaning to reduce rig time costs. Additionally, the system effectively reduces drilling waste management and fluid costs due to the lower dilution needs, waste volume and recycling.
In Bolivia, one operator was able to enhance execution of a well in the Villamontes field with the use of the KLA-SHIELD inhibitive drilling fluid system. The system enabled the operator to achieve excellent results in drilling the 8.5 inch section to total depth of 9,350 feet in an area that is often associated with challenges such as stuck pipe, wellbore instability, bit and BHA balling and significant solids contamination.
“The fluid performed well with the minimum treatment required to maintain property specifications,” said Jorge Moyano, country manager, Bolivia, M-I SWACO. “Good integrity cuttings were observed at the shakers. With the use of the KLA-SHIELD inhibitive drilling fluid system the operator was able to avoid challenges traditionally associated with the Villamontes field, such as wellbore instability, resulting in cost savings associated with reduced rig time.”
Other successful applications have been reported in areas such as Ecuador, Colombia, Indonesia, Alaska, California and Saudi Arabia.
The KLA-SHIELD drilling fluid system is a polyamine-base, inhibitive water-base fluid designed as a mid-tier inhibitive drilling fluids system. The polyamines within the system enhance the thermal stability of both the FLO-VIS* xanthan gum/Duo-VIS biopolymer and modified starches/PAC that are used in the systems.
The broad selection of the KLA-SHIELD polyamine inhibitors include the KLA-GARD*, KLA-GARD B*, KLA GARD DRY*, KLA-CURE* and KLA-STOP* additives, allowing for design flexibility with the choice of inhibitor and an optional choice of encapsulator. With the KLA-SHIELD inhibitive drilling fluids system, the required level of inhibition is matched to the formation type drilled, creating an economical and technical solution to inhibit problems.
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Source: M-I Swaco,October 5, 2010,