ABSTRACT

This is one instance where you can “get your cake and eat it too”.  Almost everyone is driven by the same metric: Improve the internal rate of return by driving costs down.  Eventually, this approach asymptotes to a limit.  Once costs are driven down to a certain level, service quality starts to suffer; e.g. mistakes are made, inefficiencies start to outweigh the product cost savings, etc.  Clearly, a fresh approach to the problem is needed and recycling offers a new paradigm that will re-set the cost bar to a new low level.

This approach is possible if key cornerstones are in place.  First, the ingredients need to be green by measureable standards in order to satisfy the regulatory agencies.  The drilling fluids must be easy to run and able to obtain consistently a better Rate of Penetration (ROP) than that of Oil Based Muds (OBM’s)  and Saline Based Muds (SBM’s).  Then, those cuttings need to be re-used to build strong, impenetrable locations that are spill resistant.  Finally, fresh or saline frac water and produced water should be re-used to build new drilling fluids and frac fluids that are superior to those currently in use today.