Biopolymer fluids eliminate horizontal well problems

Drilling fluids clean the hole while circulating. However, cleaning and lubricity problems can start when circulation stops, and cuttings settle out of the drilling fluid. High cuttings suspension and transport capacity have proved to be the key fluid characteristic for improved drilling operations. On the contrary, poor cutting suspension will lead to downhole drilling problems, and solids accumulation will increase friction and reduce bit weight transfer ability. This paper reports how switching from conventional drilling fluids to completion fluids with superior suspension capacity and nondamaging characteristics resolved drilling and production problems with several onshore horizontal wells.