Ikponmwosa Ohenhen

Drilling mud, otherwise known as drilling fluid, is a vital component in the oil and gas industry. As the primary medium for drilling oil and gas wells, its importance cannot be overstated. However, in Nigeria, the procurement of drilling mud is often costly, as bentoniteclay, the conventional material used in its formulation is largely imported. This project investigates the suitability of a locally sourced clay, Okuaghe, obtained from one of the countries numerous clay deposits, as a potential substitute for imported bentonite drilling mud formulation. The study aims to promote local material utilization, reduce import dependency, and minimize overall operational costs. The clay sample was collected from Uhunmwonde local government area in Edo State, then prepared through drying, crushing, and sieving. Portions of the total sample were activated using soda ash (sodium carbonate) to enable comparative analysis. Guided by API specifications, rheological properties such as plastic viscosity, apparent viscosity, yield point and gel strength were determined using standard procedures. Additionally, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was incorporated in some samples to enhance performance toward API standards. The results indicate that the local clay possesses promising potential for drilling mud formulation, provided adequate beneficiation and optimization of activation conditions are applied. The findings also emphasize the importance of maintaining optimal base concentration during chemical activation, as excessive amounts may yield adverse effects. Overall, this laboratory-based study demonstrates that certain local clays, when properly treated and modified with suitable additives, can perform comparably to imported bentonite. It further underscores the need for field-scale evaluation to validate laboratory results and support the wider adoption of local materials in drilling fluid formulation

Drilling mud , otherwise known as drilling fluid, is a vital component in the oil and gas industry. As the primary medium for drilling oil and gas wells, its importance cannot be overstated. However, in Nigeria, the procurement of drilling mud is often costly, as bentonite clay, the conventional material used in its formulation is largely imported. This project investigates the suitability of a locally sourced clay, Okuaghe, obtained from one of the countries numerous clay deposits, as a potential substitute for imported bentonite in drilling mud formulation. The study aims to promote local material utilization, reduce import dependency, and minimize overall operational costs. The clay sample was collected from Uhunmwonde local government area in Edo State, then prepared through drying, crushing, and sieving. Portions of the total sample were activated using soda ash (sodium carbonate) to enable comparative analysis. Guided by API specifications, rheological properties such as plastic viscosity, apparent viscosity, yield point and gel strength were determined using standard procedures. Additionally, carboxymethyl cellukose (CMC) was incorporated in some samples to enhance performance toward API standards. The results indicates that the local clay possesses promising potential for drilling mud formulation, provided adequate beneficiation and optimization of activation conditions are applied. The findings also emphasize the importance of maintaining optimal base concentration during chemical activation, as excessive amounts may yield adverse effects. Overall, this laboratory-based study demonstrates that certain local clays, when properly treated and modified with suitable additives, can perform comparably to imported bentonite. It further underscores the need for field-scale evaluation to validate laboratory results and support the wider adoption of local materials in drilling fluid formulation.

The production optimization of oil and gas wells using computerized well model has becomeasuccessful technique contributing towards the better efficiency and higher production of manywells. This study focuses on designing optimum production strategies in mature oil field, well modelling using prosper, one of the components of the integrated production modelling (IPM) was implemented in field X which is located in peninsular Malaysia. The model carries all theproperties of the well with detailed description of the reservoir and vertical lift performance. The process includes four phases: first phase was building well model using PVT, IPR, surfaceand equipment data. Second phase was constructing well matching based on the monthlywell test data. This helps to ensure that the model is well calibrated. Third phase was performingwell analysis based on the well matching results. Well analysis can be performed by evaluatingeachcomponent of the producing well. Often this procedure will identify possible problems occurredin the production components which restrict flow and cause the well to produce in a manner that the maximum potential rate is not achieved. From the results and findings achieved fromtheIPR-VLP curves/trend, the optimum operating point takes place at a flow rate of 900STB/Dat Bottom hole pressure of 2500psia, so increasing tubing size beyond 3.96-inches offers minimal benefits and can lead to liquid loading issues. Also, maintaining a moderate wellhead pressureof350psig achieves a stable production and prevents drawdown. Also, from my findings, the IPR- VLP intersection in the graphical trend above shows the natural equilibriumof the system, satisfying the certainty and accuracy of prosper modeling software tool. Overall, this productiontechnique permits engineer to come with some modification which is expected to increase theproduction.