WorldWide Drilling Resource

41 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® OCTOBER 2014 Drilling Fluid Updates by Ray McLarty Drilling Fluids & Grouts Questions & Answers Question What, if any, are the advantages of using Hole Plug rather than Barotherm Gold to grout geothermal wells? Answer HOLEPLUG ® is a chip-like bentonite material which is applied dry to the well by simply ripping open the bag and pour- ing the material into place. HOLEPLUG ® forms an excellent seal with a much higher solids content than any bentonite grout. It is a great product for use in hole abandonment. However, you would be much better off, when grouting geo- thermal loop, to use a mixable thermally- enhanced grout rather than HOLEPLUG ® . HOLEPLUG ® will create a seal with a thermal conductivity (TC) of approximate- ly .45 to .50 BTU. HOLEPLUG ® is a Baroid IDP product. Similar products would be CETCO ® CHIPS , Wyo-Ben ENVIROPLUG ® , or M-I SWACO KWIK- PLUG . There are two reasons for using HOLEPLUG ® or similar products, rather than BAROTHERM ® GOLD or any geo- thermal grout for that matter. They are: #1 Local or state regulations may require the use of a HOLEPLUG ® - type material for grouting or sealing the well. I know of situations where the drilling contractor was required to use HOLEPLUG ® rather than a mixable thermally-enhanced grout. (Always follow regulations, be they state or local). #2 HOLEPLUG ® can be easily ap- plied without the need of expensive special mixing and pumping equip- ment, which may not be available to the drill crew. The two main reasons for using BAROTHERM ® GOLD or a similar prod- uct, rather than HOLEPLUG ® are: #1 Regulations may require the use of a mixable and pumpable ther- mally-enhanced grout that can be mixed easily and pumped into place, rather than using a dry chip mate- rial such as HOLEPLUG ® . #2 The thermal conductivity of HOLEPLUG ® is much less than most thermally-enhanced grouts that are mixed with varying amounts of sili- ca sand. BAROTHERM ® GOLD , a Baroid IDP thermally-enhanced grout, can achieve a TC rating of 1.2 or greater when combined with varying amounts of silica sand. Similar products to BAROTHERM ® GOLD would be CETCO ® HIGH TC GEOTHERMAL GROUT™ or Wyo-Ben THERM-EX GROUT™ . Question What size tremie pipe is recommend- ed for grouting geothermal loops? Answer Whether it is water, environmental, or geothermal wells, when using a tremie pipe to pump the grout from the bottom to the top of the well, the tremie pipe should have a minimum size of 1.25. The statements and comments in this article are my own and are based on information and references believed to be true and factual. If you have a question or comment on this article, or on bentonite drilling muds, polymers, grouts, or additives, please forward them to me in care of WWDR . Ray Ray McLarty may be contacted via e-mail at admin@ worldwidedrillingresource.com Actualización en Fluidos de Perforación por Ray McLarty Fluidos de Perforación y Lechados, Preguntas y Respuestas Pregunta Si hay algunas, ¿Cuáles son las ventajas de usar Hole Plug en lugar de Barotherm Gold para enlechar pozos geotérmicos? Respuesta HOLEPLUG ® es un tipo de material de roca en trocitos que se aplica seco al pozo con simplemente romper la bolsa y vaciar el material en su lugar. HOLEPLUG ® forma un sello excelente, con un contenido de sólidos mayor que cualquier lechado de bentonita. Es un buen producto para usar en abandona- miento de pozos. Sin embargo, sería mucho mejor, que al lechar un pozo geotérmico, se utilizara un lechado mez- clable mejorado térmicamente en lugar de HOLEPLUG ® . HOLEPLUG ® creará un sello con una conductividad térmica (TC) de aproximadamente 0.45 a 0.50 BTU. HOLEPLUG ® es un producto Baroid IDP . Productos similares serían CETCO ® CHIPS , Wyo-Ben ENVIROPLUG ® , o M-I SWACO KWIK-PLUG . Hay dos razones para ut i l izar HOLEPLUG ® o productos similares, en lugar de BAROTHERM ® GOLD o cual- quier lechado geotérmico para el caso. Ellas son: #1 Las normas locales o estatales pueden requerir el uso de un mate- rial de tipo HOLEPLUG ® para lechar o sellar el pozo. Sé de casos en que el contratista de perforación fue re- querido utilizar HOLEPLUG ® en lugar de lechado mezclable térmicamente mejorado (Siempre siga los regla- mentos, ya sean estatales o locales). #2 HOLEPLUG ® puede ser aplicado fácilmente sin necesidad de mezcla cara o especial y equipo de bombeo, lo que puede no estar disponible para el equipo de perforación. Las dos razones principales para usar BAROTHERM ® GOLD o un produc- to similar, en lugar de HOLEPLUG ® son: #1 Los reglamentos pueden re- querir el uso de un lechado mez- Hector Leos Translator 3#-0 $ 0!5&-0$14)**% *-5#%,2%0 *--. .3+. +-$3*%1 !0% !4!)* !"*% &-0 "-2( 0%1)$%,2)!* !,$ #-++%0#)!* '0-3,$ *--. (%!2),' !,$ #--*),' 1712%+1 -+.!2)"*% 5)2( 2(%1% .3+.1 03,$&-1 ) *- *-5#%,2%01 #!, "% #-, &)'30%$ 5)2( -0 .3+. 3,)21 2- +!2#( $)&&%0%,2 *-!$ 0%/3)0%+%,21 0-$3#21 ),#*3$% *-5#%,2%01 %-2(%0+!* *-1%$ --. )22),'1 %.*!#%+%,2 3+.1 -1% )21 !,$ ##%11-0)%1 !0)!"*% .%%$ 3+.1 (-,% !6 McLarty trans. cont’d on page 42.