Publications

Drilling in shale formations has a lot of challenges particularly on designing the mud. The use of Water Based Mud (WBM) in shale formations has associated risk as swellable shale can cause wellbore instability. Hence, a proper mud design and improvement on mud rheology are essential to ensure successful drilling. This paper presents a novel application of citrus peel extract as a potential mud additive that is highly cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Data was collected from experiments by comparing citrus peel extract with existing industry additives in a WBM system. A case study has been matched to the experiment and the use of citrus peel extract is proven to provide improved mud rheology. Citrus peel extract acts as viscosifier and filtration loss control agent that can reduce filtrate loss and prevent swelling. It also helps to control fluctuating Equivalent Circulating Density(ECD) of the mud. Additionally, this research highlights the use of waste as the main material of the additives. A comparison study shows that citrus peel extract is sixteen times cheaper than other commercial additives (compared to PAC-L, PAC-R, CMC, and Xanthan Gum). Finally, the environmental issue can also be eliminated since natural-based material like citrus peel is used in drilling fluid formulations.