Evaluating the Impact of Drilling Fluids on Well Integrity and Environmental Compliance

A Comprehensive Study of Offshore and Onshore Drilling Operations

Authors

  • Effam Kenneth ANA Industries Ltd., Port Harcourt, Nigeria Author

Keywords:

Drilling fluids, well integrity, environmental compliance, offshore drilling, onshore drilling

Abstract

The current work explores the importance of drilling fluids in the provision of well integrity together with compliance with the environment in offshore and onshore rig operations. Through case studies of the Erha, Otuo South and Ogbele fields, this research demonstrates that current management practices such as tank management, use of solid control equipments and compliance with calibration procedures are effective and that safety and environmental management standards are being met. This study utilizes results from AAR and periodic facility integrity check and recommends both as crucial feedback tools for future drilling fluid management. Research evidence shows that good fluid management processes play an important role in well stability and lesser effects on environment however, there are issues encountered with offshore and onshore fields. Ideas for improvement of these practices are made, and it is emphasized that it is crucial to aim at the constant enhancement of the existing operating procedures to facilitate effective and efficient drilling.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abdo, A. E. (2019). Development of a Well Integrity Management System for Drilling and Well Control Applications (Doctoral dissertation, Politecnico di Torino).

Area, W. P., & Area, E. P. (2001). Deepwater program: Literature review, environmental risks of chemical products used in Gulf of Mexico deepwater oil and gas operations.

Bakke, T., Klungsøyr, J., & Sanni, S. (2013). Environmental impacts of produced water and drilling waste discharges from the Norwegian offshore petroleum industry. Marine environmental research, 92, 154-169.

Chaudhary, A. A. (2018). Enhancing Academic Achievement and Language Proficiency Through Bilingual Education: A Comprehensive Study of Elementary School Students. Educational Administration: Theory and Practice, 24(4), 803-812.

Chaudhary, A. A. (2018). EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE ON EMPATHY AND CULTURAL COMPETENCE IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION. Remittances Review, 3(2), 183-205.

Considine, T. J., Watson, R. W., Considine, N. B., & Martin, J. P. (2013). Environmental regulation and compliance of Marcellus Shale gas drilling. Environmental Geosciences, 20(1), 1-16.

Davies, R. J., Almond, S., Ward, R. S., Jackson, R. B., Adams, C., Worrall, F., ... & Whitehead, M. A. (2014). Oil and gas wells and their integrity: Implications for shale and unconventional resource exploitation. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 56, 239-254.

Dye, W., Daugereau, K., Hansen, N., Otto, M., Shoults, L., Leaper, R., ... & Xiang, T. (2005, February). New water-based mud balances high-performance drilling and environmental compliance. In SPE/IADC Drilling Conference and Exhibition (pp. SPE-92367). SPE.

Ekins, P., Vanner, R., & Firebrace, J. (2006). Decommissioning of offshore oil and gas facilities: A comparative assessment of different scenarios. Journal of environmental management, 79(4), 420-438.

Sharma, P., & Devgan, M. (2012). Virtual device context-Securing with scalability and cost reduction. IEEE Potentials, 31(6), 35-37.

Hals, A. (2015). Well Integrity Assessment: Challenges related to Human and Organizational Factors-The case study of Veslefrikk (Master's thesis, NTNU).

Jackson, R. B. (2014). The integrity of oil and gas wells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(30), 10902-10903.

Kaiser, M. J. (2009). Modeling the time and cost to drill an offshore well. Energy, 34(9), 1097-1112.

Khodja, M., Khodja-Saber, M., Canselier, J. P., Cohaut, N., & Bergaya, F. (2010). Drilling fluid technology: performances and environmental considerations. Products and services; from R&D to final solutions, 227-256.

Kiran, R., Teodoriu, C., Dadmohammadi, Y., Nygaard, R., Wood, D., Mokhtari, M., & Salehi, S. (2017). Identification and evaluation of well integrity and causes of failure of well integrity barriers (A review). Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 45, 511-526.

Ma, T., Chen, P., & Zhao, J. (2016). Overview on vertical and directional drilling technologies for the exploration and exploitation of deep petroleum resources. Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources, 2, 365-395.

Nardone, P. J. (2009). Well testing project management: onshore and offshore operations. Gulf Professional Publishing.

Rana, S. (2008, October). Facts and data on environmental risks—oil and gas drilling operations. In SPE Asia Pacific oil and gas conference and exhibition (pp. SPE-114993). SPE.

Singh, J. (2019). Sensor-Based Personal Data Collection in the Digital Age: Exploring Privacy Implications, AI-Driven Analytics, and Security Challenges in IoT and Wearable Devices. Distributed Learning and Broad Applications in Scientific Research, 5, 785-809.

Skogdalen, J. E., & Vinnem, J. E. (2012). Quantitative risk analysis of oil and gas drilling, using Deepwater Horizon as case study. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 100, 58-66.

Skogdalen, J. E., Utne, I. B., & Vinnem, J. E. (2011). Developing safety indicators for preventing offshore oil and gas deepwater drilling blowouts. Safety science, 49(8-9), 1187-1199.

Speight, J. G. (2014). Handbook of offshore oil and gas operations. Elsevier.

Viswakanth, M. (2018). WORLD JOURNAL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES.

Wojtanowicz, A. K. (2016). Environmental control of well integrity. Environmental Technology in the Oil Industry, 61-100.

Young, S., & Ramses, G. (2006, October). Drilling performance and environmental compliance—resolution of both with a unique water-based fluid. In SPE/IADC Indian Drilling Technology Conference and Exhibition (pp. SPE-103967). SPE.

Downloads

Published

31-10-2020

How to Cite

[1]
E. Kenneth, “Evaluating the Impact of Drilling Fluids on Well Integrity and Environmental Compliance: A Comprehensive Study of Offshore and Onshore Drilling Operations”, J. Sci. Tech., vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 829–864, Oct. 2020, Accessed: Oct. 29, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://thesciencebrigade.org/jst/article/view/462