ARS | Publication request: STARCH-OIL COMPOSITES IN WATER-BASED DRILLING MUD FORMULATIONS

Submitted to: Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: May 27, 1999
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: In the oil and gas drilling industry, the development and use of water-based mud systems, approaching the performance of (synthetic) oil-based muds in lubricity, rate of penetration, and bore hole stability, is an ongoing effort. This paper shows the studies on the use of starch-oil composites as environmentally safe, non-toxic emulsifiers in water-based drilling muds. These composites are prepared by jet-cooking oil, water, and starch. The product is a stable gel. It can contain up to 50% oil. The oil is encapsulated in droplets of 1-10 micrometers in diameter in these composites and do not coalesce. These gels can be dried to films and reduced to a dry, non-oily powder. This powder can be resuspended in water to produce a stable gel. It is a multipurpose carrying agent. It is cheap and Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS). Jet-cooked starch-oil composites can also act as environmentally friendly emulsifiers for lipid materials which can be blended to form stable emulsions at room temperature. This quality enables us to make stable drilling mud formulations on site.