Drilling Fluid Contamination: Salt

Drilling Fluid Contamination: Salt

If salt enters a bentonite based mud, the clay platelets will flocculate resulting in gellation and increasedfluid loss (>10ml).

Polymer systems are tolerant to salt contamination. However, the salt acts to reduce the yield of most polymers (not Starch), and in practice, high salt concentrations will require a higher concentration of polymer for the same effect.

Sources of Salt Contamination

  • Drilling of salt formations
  • Contamination from salt water aquifers.

Diagnosis

Salt contamination will result in:

  • an increase in Chlorides
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