FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF PETROLEUM AND GAS ENGINEERING

A LABORATORY PRACTICAL REPORT
ON THE DETERMINATION OF THE EMULSION STABILITY OF A GIVEN MUD
SAMPLE.
EXPERIMENT 2
GROUP D

NAME: AGOMUOH MIRACLE

STUDENT ID: 181205005
DEGREE PROGRAMMME: B.Sc. PETROLEUM AND GAS ENGINEERING
LEVEL: 400
COURSE CODE: PGE 415
ACADEMIC YEAR: 2021/2022 ACADEMIC SESSION
DATE: 12th NOVEMBER 2021
 Table of Contents
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................... 3
LIST OF TABLES ..................................................................................................................... 4
1.0 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 5
1.1 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY .......................................................................................... 6
1.2 APPLICATIONS OF STUDY ......................................................................................... 6
2.0 AIM AND OBJECTIVES............................................................................................... 7
2.1 AIM .................................................................................................................................. 7
2.2 OBJECTIVES .................................................................................................................. 7
3.0 EQUIPMENT AND INSTRUMENTATION................................................................. 8
4.0 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE ............................................................................... 11
5.0 RESULTS ..................................................................................................................... 12
6.0 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................... 13
7.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ............................................................ 15
7.1 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................. 15
7.2 RECOMMENDATION ................................................................................................. 15
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................ 16

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 LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE 1: Spatula …………………………………………...…………………... …...8

FIGURE 2: Weighing balance …………………………………………………….……8

FIGURE 3: OFITE Emulsion Stability meter....…………………………………….….8

FIGURE 4: Hot plate ….…………………………………………………….................8

FIGURE 5: Measuring Cylinder ...,,,,,………………………………………………….9

FIGURE 4: Mud mixer ……….………………………………………..........................9

FIGURE 5: Thermometer ………….…………………………………………………..9

FIGURE 5: oil, water, and mud sample ………….……………………………………10.

FIGURE 5: Bentonite Clay………………......................................................................10

FIGURE 5: Water ………………………………………………………………………10

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 LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1: VALUES DETERMINED DURING THE EXPERIMENT ....................................................... 11

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 1.0 INTRODUCTION

An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible with each other.
From a thermodynamic point of view, an emulsion is an unstable system, since there is a natural
tendency for a liquid-liquid system to separate and reduce its interfacial energy.

Emulsion stability can be defined as the system’s ability to resist changes in its
physicochemical properties over time. Several mechanisms such as creaming, flocculation and
coalescence cause emulsion breakdown.

Although emulsion stability is required in most industrial products and processes, there are also
processes where emulsion stability is undesirable. These include oil recovery, for example,
where crude oil needs to be separated from water prior to transportation, or waste water
treatment where oil-water emulsions are also unwanted. (Scientific, 2015)

Electrical stability (ES) of an oil-based mud is considered a measure of its emulsion stability.
In the laboratory, a mud with a high degree of emulsion stability is generally smooth, shiny
and does not adhere to the stirring spindle of a mixer. By contrast, a mud with a low degree of
emulsion stability is dull, grainy and shows a marked tendency to adhere to the spindle. The
oil wetness or oil-wetting tendency of an invert emulsion mud is defined here as the ability of
the mud to incorporate foreign materials into the external, or oil, phase. A mud with high
emulsion stability is phase. A mud with high emulsion stability is oil-wet, by definition, but
may not necessarily be oil-wetting. In his patent application for the first ES meter, Crittendon
hypothesized that ES is related to the stability of W/O emulsions and that higher ES voltages
correspond to more stable, or "tighter", emulsions. This result was extrapolated to invert
emulsion drilling fluids, which are more complex by virtue of their solids content. Thus, a mud
with a high ES voltage was considered to be stable. (Growcock, 1994)

ELECTRICAL STABILITY TEST

A test for oil-based and synthetic-base muds that indicates the emulsion and oil-
wetting qualities of the sample. The test is performed by inserting the electrical survey (ES)
probe into a cup of 120 degF [48.9 degC] mud and pushing a test button. The ES meter
automatically applies an increasing voltage (from 0 to 2,000 volts) across an electrode gap in
the probe. Maximum voltage that the mud will sustain across the gap before conducting current
is displayed as the ES voltage. The modern ES meter has sine-wave circuitry, whereas older
meters used square-wave circuits. (The older units should not be used because they do not

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correctly address the theory described in the reference below.) The ES sine-wave design and
meaning of ES readings have been studied and were found to relate to an oil mud's oil-wetting
of solids and to stability of the emulsion droplets in a complex fashion not yet understood. (F.
Growcock et al., 1994)

1.1 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

Emulsion testers are used to indicate the stability and type of emulsion whether water-in-oil or
oilin-water. They are used in the evaluation of inverted emulsion drilling fluids, cements, and
fracturing fluids. Time stability and resistance to electrolyte contamination of these systems
can be predicted from a measurement of relative emulsion stability.

1.2 APPLICATIONS OF STUDY

Emulsion stability is important in many industrial applications, including coatings, food

products, agriculture formulations, personal care and petroleum.

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 2.0 AIM AND OBJECTIVES

2.1 AIM

• To determine the emulsion stability of a given Mud Sample using an Emulsion Stability
Tester.

2.2 OBJECTIVES

• To study the stability of an emulsion-based drilling mud

• To study the expiration date of an emulsion-based drilling mud.

• Determine the phases in an emulsion-based drilling mud

• Determining the emulsion stability value in an emulsion-based drilling mud sample

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 3.0 EQUIPMENT AND INSTRUMENTATION

• Spatula

• Weighing balance

• OFITE Emulsion Stability meter

• Hot plate

• Measuring Cylinder

• Mud mixer

• Thermometer

Figure 1. Spatula Figure 2. Weighing balance

Figure 3. OFITE Emulsion Stability meter Figure 4. Hot plate

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Figure 5. Measuring Cylinder Figure 6. Mud mixer

Figure 6. Thermometer

MATERIALS

• Samples of oil, water and oil-based mud

• Bentonite Clay

• Water

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Figure 7. oil, water, and mud samples Figure 8: Bentonite Clay

Figure 9: Water

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 4.0 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE

1. The oil-based drilling mud was prepared by mixing 280 ml of mineral oil, 20 ml of
water and 22g of bentonite clay in the mud mixer for 10 minutes

2. The oil-based mud was heated till it was 49°C.

3. The Electrical Stability (ES) Tester was calibrated by inserting one of the standards to
the probe socket.

4. Then, the equipment was turned on and the test button was pushed.

5. The measurement of the voltage started and the values showed was nearly the
calibration standard.

6. The electrode body was cleaned thoroughly by using paper towel and the Stability

7. Testing probe was inserted to the probe socket.

8. Three beakers were prepared; one for water, one for the mineral oil and one for the
prepared oil-based mud.

9. The probe was inserted into the beaker and stirred

10. The instrument was turned on and the test button was pushed and the ES value was read

11. The last two steps were repeated for both beakers of the water and mineral oil.

PRECAUTIONS

1. The electrodes were cleaned after each use by using a tissue to avoid wrong reading
while calibrate.

2. Multiple readings were taken and an average reading obtained to get more accurate
data.

3. The instrument was properly calibrated before readings were taken.

4. A foil was placed over the hot plate when the beaker filled with oil-based mud was
heated so as to prevent damage of the beaker.

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 5.0 RESULTS

At the end of the experiment, the ES values were determined for oil, water and the oil-based
mud.

Table 1: Values determined during the experiment

Fluid ES value 1 ES value 2 Average ES value

water 10 10 10

Oil-based mud 4 3 3.5

Mineral oil 1210 1210 1210

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 6.0 DISCUSSION

At the end of the experiment, the average ES values of the oil-based mud that was prepared
and heated, the water sample and the mineral oil sample, were determined to be 3.5, 10 and
1210 respectively.

The concept of electrical conductivity and resistivity is essential to explain the difference
between these readings. For a substance to carry a charge (to conduct electricity), it must
contain charged particles and be free to move. Water, met these conditions and thus, it can
conduct electricity, recording a very low resistivity reading (10). The mineral oil, on the other
hand gives a high resistivity reading because it does not contain charged or freely moving
particles. The resistivity of mud is inversely proportional to dissolved salts concentration,
proving that water contains greater concentration of dissolved salts than mineral oil (Hossain

& Al-Majed, 2015). Meaning, if a mud sample is tested and the ES value is found to be low, it
can be assumed to be water-based. But if the ES value of the mud sample is measured to be
high, it is an oil-based mud sample.

An oil-based mud sample was prepared but when the ES value of the sample was taken, it
yielded a low value (3.5). A reason this could have occurred, is the lack of emulsifier in the
mixture of the mud to enhance proper mixing of the oil and water. This might have caused the
water molecules to overshadow the oil particles when voltage was passed through it, which led
to a low ES value. If the ES value has dropped, more clay could be added to bolster the drilling
fluid, mineral oil causes clay to form lumps; if the mud doesn’t mix properly, the oil should be
changed.

What the Electrical Stability (ES) will tell us?

If ES is lower than a normal mud specification, it indicates that there is something unusual in
the mud such as water or salts, which will make emulsion of the oil-based mud in bad shape.
Moreover, the ES can be utilized to determine an interface between water and oil-based mud
while displacing water with oil-based fluid.

For good drilling practices, it is required to frequently monitor the ES level and watch for any
unusual changes. Changes in the ES can be seen while drilling into green cement or while
adding any conductive material as stated earlier. These known factors affecting the ES must be
noted in order to prevent any confusion when interpreting the mud’s property. (Philips, 2012)

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EFFECT OF TEMPEATURE ON THE EXPERIMENT

Heating of the prepared mud sample caused the ES value to drop because, not only was the
mixture of water and oil not cohesive, but the added heat caused the water molecules to conduct
more electricity thereby, drastically reducing the ES value.

FACTORS THAT CAN CAUSE ERROR IN THE EXPERIMENT

There are several factors that can weaken the emulsion, such as

• oil/water ratio,

• solid content,

• pressure,

• temperature,

• some types of weighting material, etc

Invert oil-based muds are water-in-oil (W/0) emulsions which typically contain an organophilic
clay (OPC) and a weighting material, e.g., barite or hematite. The water phase is usually a
solution of a salt (CaC12 is the most common) whose concentration is adjusted to match the
water activity of the formation; this minimizes transfer of water to or from the water-sensitive
zones and maintains a stable wellbore." The W/O emulsion itself is usually stabilized with a
"primary emulsifier" (often a fatty acid salt), while the weighting material, along with drill
solids which the mud acquires in use, is made oil-wet and dispersed in the mud with a
"secondary emulsifier" (typically a strong wetting agent, such as a polyamide 2).

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 7.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

7.1 CONCLUSION

After the experiment was concluded, the following conclusions were arrived at:

• The ES values for water, oil and the oil-based mud prepared are 10, 1210 and 3.5
respectively

• The lack of emulsifier to hold the two immiscible liquids together, caused the
conductivity of water to affect the mud’s ES value.

• The temperature increase in the mixture made ES value to even drop more than the base
value of water (10)

• If a mud sample is tested and the ES value is found to be low, it can be assumed to be
water-based.

• But if the ES value of the mud sample is measured to be high, it is an oil-based mud
sample.

• The resistivity of mud is inversely proportional to dissolved salts concentration

7.2 RECOMMENDATION

Based on the experiment that was conducted, I would like to make the following
recommendations.

1. An emulsifier should be used to ensure proper mixing of the immiscible fluids. This
would then in turn improve the accuracy fo the results gotten from this experiment.

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 REFERENCES

Scientific, B. (2015, June 22). Emulsion Stability | Surfactants & Emulsions. Biolin

Scientific. Retrieved November 10, 2021, from

https://www.biolinscientific.com/surfactants-and-emulsions/emulsion-stability

Growcock, F. B. (1994, March 1). Electrical Stability, Emulsion Stability, and Wettability of

Invert Oil-Based Muds | SPE Drilling & Completion | OnePetro. One Petro.

Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://onepetro.org/DC/article-

abstract/9/01/39/70411/Electrical-Stability-Emulsion-Stability-

and?redirectedFrom=PDF

Growcock, F., Ellis, C., Schmidt, D., & Azar, J. (1994). Electrical Stability, Emulsion

Stability, and Wettability of Invert Oil-Based Muds. SPE Drilling & Completion,

9(01), 39–46. https://doi.org/10.2118/20435-pa

Philips, A. (2012). So You Want to be a Mud Engineer: An Introduction to Drilling Fluids

Technology (5th ed.). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

Caenn, R., Darley, H. C. H., & Gray, G. R. (2017). Composition and Properties of Drilling

and Completion Fluids (6th ed.). Elsevier Gezondheidszorg.

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