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Improving the characteristics of water-based mud using titanium dioxide doped with activated carbon prepared from grapefruit waste material

Shaine Mohammadali Lalji, Javed Haneef, and Saud Hashmi

Department of Petroleum Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan

Received: 4 December 2023 Accepted: 25 July 2024

Abstract:

One of the major sources of wellbore instability is the presence of large quantities of shale within the stratigraphy column. This argillaceous formation contains infinitesimally nano-size pores, which creates severe technical problems during drilling operations. In this present work, anatase titanium dioxide was doped with the activated carbon prepared from the grapefruit wasted peel. The newly synthesized particle was part of water-based mud to increase its characteristics. The particle was added in the WBM system in four different concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 1.5 wt%. The result of the study showed that the addition of titanium dioxide-doped activated carbon improves the rheological properties of the WBM. The plastic viscosity, yield point, gel strength and transport index were all following the API protocols. Moreover, each sample demonstrated shear thinning behavior with flow index \(< 1\). The new particle was also effective in minimizing the fluid loss volume from the mud. The lowest filtrate loss volume of 8.3 mL/30 min was recorded at 2.625 g of particle concentration. However, above this concentration the AC/TiO₂ particles coagulated with one another and were unable to plug the pore spaces present on the filter paper, thereby increasing the fluid loss volume from the mud. Additionally, the particle was also tested on three different shale samples collected from the middle and lower Indus Basin of Pakistan. The Badin shale was the highest recovered sample from the mud with recovery almost 90%. On the other hand, greater than 70% of each shale cutting was recovered in each studied sample. The excellent recovery of shale cutting was mainly due to the mechanical stability, which was developed by the activated carbon, while the TiO₂ blocks the nano-pores, which eventually causes less dispersion in shale. The AC/TiO₂ particle binds to the negative surface area of the clay mineral with the help of hydrogen bonding and electrostatic forces, and prevents it from disintegration. In addition, the hydrophobic characteristics of each shale formation were also investigated with the help of contact angle measurements. At the concentration of 2.625 g, the mud was highly hydrophobic, with contact angles of 79.74°, 54.08° and 68.95° on the surfaces of Ranikhot, Badin and Mughalkhot shale formation, respectively. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that the doped particle can be considered as a useful alternative in the drilling fluid sector, especially when it comes to drilling shale formations.

Keywords: Polymers; Titanium dioxide; Activated carbon; Water-based mud; Grapefruit; Shale

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-024-03629-6

Chemical Papers 78 (13) 7651–7665 (2024)