Investigation of Oryza Glaberrima Nanoparticle-Assisted Fluid Loss Control in Water-Based Drilling Mud

DOI: 10.14800/IOGR.1346

Abstract

Drilling mud (DM) serves critical functions in wellbore operations, including drill cuttings removal, borehole stability maintenance, bit cooling, drillstring lubrication, hydraulic energy transmission, and formation of low-permeability filter cakes to mitigate fluid loss. While conventional additives like carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and polyanionic cellulose (PAC) are widely used for filtration control, their high cost and environmental drawbacks necessitate sustainable alternatives. This study evaluates the efficacy of Oryza glaberrima (African rice husk, RH)-nanosilica (NS) composites as fluid loss control agents in water-based drilling mud (WBM). Comparative analyses with CMC and PAC were conducted using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), fluid loss tests, and mud cake characterization. Results demonstrate that the RH-NS blend achieved superior fluid loss reduction (7.5 mL) compared to CMC (9.8 mL) and PAC (8 mL). Additionally, RH-NS exhibited favorable mud cake properties, with a thickness of 0.4 mm and permeability of 0.00068 mD, outperforming standalone RH (12 mL, 0.4 mm, 0.00061 mD) and NS (16 mL, 0.8 mm, 0.00271 mD). The synergistic interaction between RH-derived cellulose and NS nanoparticles highlights the potential of eco-friendly, cost-effective alternatives for optimizing WBM performance.