《SPE-140868-MS-P》.pdf

SPE 140868 Development of Water-Based Drilling Fluids Customized for Shale Reservoirs Jay P. Deville, Brady Fritz, and Michael Jarrett, Halliburton, SPE Copyright 2011, Society of Petroleum Engineers This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE International Symposium on Oilfield Chemistry held in The Woodlands, Texas, USA, 11–13 April 2011. This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of SPE copyright. Abstract Drilling activity has increased dramatically in unconventional shale gas reservoirs. The drilling fluid of choice in these shale plays is often non-aqueous based fluid (NAF). While NAFs can provide advantages such as shale stabilization, lubricity, and contamination tolerance, environmental consequences and associated costs are an issue. These disadvantages cause operators to seek water-based muds (WBM) for drilling many of these gas reservoirs. Despite some operational similarities, a wide variety of unique downhole conditions can be found in the shale plays. Shale mineralogy and bottomhole temperature represent just two highly variable critical factors in unconventional gas reservoirs. Therefore, a single water-based solution for addressing shale plays globally is not a realistic option.