- Industry: Oil & gas
- Number of terms: 8814
- Number of blossaries: 0
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A process of exchanging one ion for another ion on a charged, solid substrate, such as a natural clay, zeolite or resin. Cation exchange on clay minerals occurs in muds and during mud testing. In muds, various positive ions (for example, Ca<sup>+2</sup>) on clay surfaces can be replaced by other positive ions (for example, Na<sup>+</sup>) that occur in higher concentration or have a higher affinity for the substrate. In water muds, cation exchange is an ongoing and dynamic process. In mud testing, the methylene blue dye is a cationic dye that goes onto clays in the mud sample being tested to show the extent of cation-exchange capacity. Ion exchange is the basis for clay peptization, which can improve a poorly performing clay.
Industry:Oil & gas
A process in which dirty water is stripped of its solids and made suitable for recycling into a mud system or disposal into sewer systems or other places. In closed mud systems, water containing colloidal matter can be cleaned and recycled. Efficient agglomeration of colloidal solids is achieved by pH adjustment, small additions of alum or a high-molecular-weight polymer. Agglomerated solids are then filtered or centrifuged from the fluid.
Industry:Oil & gas
A procedure to determine the productive capacity, pressure, permeability or extent (or a combination of these) of a hydrocarbon reservoir. While several different proprietary hardware sets are available to accomplish this, the common idea is to isolate the zone of interest with temporary packers. Next, one or more valves are opened to produce the reservoir fluids through the drillpipe and allow the well to flow for a time. Finally, the operator kills the well, closes the valves, removes the packers and trips the tools out of the hole. Depending on the requirements and goals for the test, it may be of short (one hour or less) or long (several days or weeks) duration and there might be more than one flow period and pressure buildup period.
Industry:Oil & gas
A powdered form of tannic acid extract from the bark of the quebracho tree, used as a high-pH and lime mud deflocculant. It was in widespread use until the 1950s, at which time lignosulfonate became widely available and performed the same function better and cheaper than quebracho. High pH was needed to neutralize tannic acids to form the tannates, which are red. The oilfield name red mud was applied to tannate-dispersed muds. </p><p>A legend of the oil patch holds that, back in the days when quebracho mud was all the rage (in the days when Hobby Airport was Houston's main airport), a mud man parked his old field car in the airport parking lot for several days. It was raining when he left, but sunny when he got back. The police were waiting to talk to him when he returned because someone noticed a dried blood-red stain under his car. The liquid had obviously leaked out of the trunk. When the mud man opened the trunk for the police, they found two wet sacks of quebracho. As you may have guessed, his trunk lid leaked.
Industry:Oil & gas
A procedure for determining magnesium ion (Mg<sup>+2</sup>) concentration in a water-base drilling fluid based upon analyses for both calcium and total hardness. The standard test has been proscribed by API. Magnesium ion (Mg<sup>+2</sup>) concentration is calculated by subtracting calcium (Ca<sup>+2</sup>) analysis results from total hardness analysis results.
Industry:Oil & gas
A pressurized cell, fitted with a filter medium, used for evaluating filtration characteristics of a drilling fluid while it is either static or stirred (to simulate circulation) in the test cell. Generally, either low-pressure, low-temperature or high-pressure, high-temperature devices are used.
Industry:Oil & gas
A positive displacement drilling motor that uses hydraulic horsepower of the drilling fluid to drive the drill bit. Mud motors are used extensively in directional drilling operations.
Industry:Oil & gas
A polysaccharide secreted by the bacteria genus Xanthomonas campestris, also known as xanthan gum. XC in water muds provides non-Newtonian mud rheology, highly desirable because of the flat velocity profile it produces in annular flow, which is required for efficient cuttings lifting in lower density muds. XC polymer is anionic, with tolerance for salinity and fair tolerance for hardness ions. XC is a finely powdered material that can vary in the amount of residual bacteria debris and the ease with which it disperses into water. Temperature tolerance varies with water-phase components, but starts to degrade around 200 to 250掳F (93 to 121掳C). Extreme pH or hardness are not well-tolerated by XC polymer and it is susceptible to bacterial attack.
Industry:Oil & gas
A polymer or copolymer of an alkalene oxide, such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), a polymer of ethylene oxide with general formula HO(CH<sub>2</sub>CH<sub>2</sub>O)nH, or polypropylene glycol (PPG), which is a polymer of propylene oxide. PAGs are effective shale inhibitors and have effectively replaced the earlier polyglycerols.
Industry:Oil & gas
