Drilling

Innovating Beyond Commodity Chemistry

In the drilling operations, drilling fluids serve several critical functions: preventing formation fluids from entering the wellbore, cooling and cleaning the drill bits, carrying cuttings to the surface, suspending cuttings, and preventing fluid loss. Innospec Oilfield Services (OFS) provides the products, application expertise, and deep understanding of oil and gas production necessary to enhance the efficiency of all types of drilling operations.

Our drilling service experts offer both specialized products and expert regional insights to optimize every aspect of your fluid program.

As leaders in innovation, the majority of OFS products are patented solutions, manufactured in-house to exacting quality and performance standards. Every OFS product fully meets—or exceeds—U.S. and European regulatory requirements. Plus, we provide full regulatory support wherever you are located.

From high-performance water-based mud to high-solids water loss squeeze pills, and from lost circulation materials to mud additives, OFS is the preferred choice of the oil and gas industry operators across North America and beyond.

Water-Based Mud

OFS introduced MaxWell™ Water-Based Mud Solution, a new line of non-xanthan, water-based mud. MaxWell is a unique water-based mud that combines a highly shear-thinning rheology profile with superior clay and shale encapsulation. This allows the product to form an environmentally friendly, slick, and solids-free filter cake. MaxWell’s innovative construction features natural polymer chains that provide superior shear-thinning properties, which can result in:

• Very low Equivalent Circulating Density (ECD)
• Optimized hydraulic horsepower at the bit
• Exceptional hole cleaning
• Increased Rate of Penetration (ROP), especially in large diameter and long lateral sections.

Compared to standard water-based mud (WBM), MaxWell provides superior shale and clay stabilization. This reduces cuttings degradation and low gravity solids (LGS) buildup, further contributing to lower ECDs in the well. At the surface, finer screens can be used, leading to less shaker screen blinding and lower dilution rates (up to 75% less). This significantly reduces costs for whole mud, chemicals, and shaker screen consumption.

MaxWell is an easy-to-manage, non-hazardous drilling fluid system that allows for rapid mixing. It is also highly tolerant of a wide range of contaminants such as cement, solids, and oil-based mud (OBM).

In summary, MaxWell is a highly effective High-Performance Water-Based Mud (HPWBM) system that can be used to drill the entire well, from top hole to reservoir section. It can significantly improve drilling rates and well productivity while reducing non-productive time, mud usage, and waste disposal. These cost and performance benefits are achieved in an environmentally sensitive manner, aligning with our company values.

Lubricants

To complement our MaxWell mud system, OFS offers two lubricant product lines. The rapid drilling of horizontal wells requires, in part, the reduction of torque and drag exerted on the drill string. Adding lubricants to the mud can help achieve this and extend the life of the drill bit. Indeed, the effectiveness of the lubricant, especially in longer laterals, can significantly impact the success of the operation. However, not all lubricants deliver the same levels of effectiveness.

Lost Circulation

Lost circulation is a common problem encountered during drilling, where drilling fluid is lost into permeable formations instead of returning to the surface. For operators, this can lead to significant financial losses, non-productive time, and potentially even well abandonment.

Preventative lost circulation treatments can help minimize the risk of fluid loss in high-risk areas by strengthening the wellbore and reducing the permeability of the formations being drilled. OFS has developed cost-effective solutions specifically designed to proactively treat depleted or weak formations by sealing areas that could potentially break down.

Compatible with all drilling mud types, the Vanguard™ Preventative Treatment Pill is a multipurpose blend of specific-sized particulates formulated with superior particle integrity that does not break down under pressure or stress. Vanguard has extreme tensile strength and compressive resiliency, designed to withstand not only high differential pressures from surging and swabbing but also the pulverizing effect from tools.

Another preventative treatment, also compatible with all drilling mud types, is our StrataFlex^®. StrataFlex is a unique blend of inert, resilient, and malleable particles designed to form an elastomeric sealant that creates an optimum seal in the fractures of depleted and weak formations. StrataFlex also helps prevent differential sticking. This product is available in fine and medium grades to cover a wide range of fracture sizes.

The Frac-Attack™ Lost Circulation Pill is our fast-acting, single-sack lost circulation solution. Frac-Attack is a proprietary diatomaceous earth blend specifically designed to provide a complete seal. Proven to improve formation integrity and withstand formation pressures, Frac-Attack is also effective in controlling underground crossflows and blowouts. Because it is compatible with all fluid system types, Frac-Attack requires no pre-spots or activators and is not affected by pH or temperature. The Redi-Seal™ is a proprietary LCM blend specifically designed to provide an acid-soluble complete seal in one package for reservoir loss situations. This high fluid loss squeeze pill application was developed to produce a viable, cost-effective method to form a tighter seal and significantly decrease leak-off.