The feasible visual laboratory investigation of formate fluids on the rheological properties of a shale formation

Nowadays, the widespread application of formate fluids in petroleum industries due to its feasibility and its high potential to have more compatibility with the several formation characteristics would become a revolution to control the drilling inefficiencies and provide lower drilling expenditures. Formate fluids have the ability to maintain the property of drilling fluid on the high temperatures and high pressures, reduce the resistance of hydraulic flow, and decrease the rate of corrosion rate for the contact of drilling pipe with drilling fluid. The objective of this comprehensive study is to investigate the visual laboratory measurements of rheological characteristics, consider the profound impact of different types of pollutants on the rheological property, pore pressure transmission (henceforth; PPT) tests to measure formation pressure, and analyze the different concentration of salts for each drilling fluid. The drilling fluids are utilized in this study are silicate muds, glycol muds, sodium and potassium formate muds, and base muds. Consequently, regarding the results of this investigation, it is clarified that NaoH has performed the least impact on the rheological properties of formate fluids and sodium/potassium formate fluids has the minimum formation pressure (PPT tests) which leads to be operated as the best choice in drilling operations. Moreover, the more concentration of salts in the drilling fluid would be a weakening point which indicated that formate fluids would not be appropriate in higher salts concentration.