Document 4vyz1dnVqrn2DQK5B2yvqrZ8p

PLAINTIFF'S EXHIBIT t/JAOOlO #- ' "BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL PRELIMINARY INFORMATIONSUBJECT TO LATER VERIFICATION OR REVISION /fr/V/W PJ3^C^o INFORMAL REPORT . - PROJECT NO.: 132C40. date: October 4, 1974 author(s): T.(D. Foster, TfFo$Tft,SR.'> Jr. / OIL PRODUCTION CHEMICALS: PHENOLIC RESIN COATED ASBESTOS FOR OIL BASE MUDS Although oil base muds represent a relatively small fraction of the mud business,, they are firmly established for certain specific jobs and as a result profit potential for specialty additives does exist for UCC. At present, UCC has very little business in this area; organic thickeners for the oil muds are usually of the tall oil acid soap type of molecule, together with blown^asphalt and^gilsonite. Inorganic types are quaternary amine-modified^bentonites; e.g.^Bentones^ As an outgrowth of work to prepare oleophillic minerals, specifically modification of UCC wet-process asbestos with silane, a suggestion was made to use a phenolic-coated asbestos being manu factured for other end uses. This report summarizes the test data obtained in an attempt to utilize this material for controlling the rheological properties of oil base muds. Testing was performed in a diesel oil base containing 5 per cent water. The initial phenolic control resin sample, containing 7.0 percent resin, failed to have sufficient oleophillic properties and would not disperse. Two additional samples of material contained 10 and 20 percent phenolic (RG-144-10 and RG-144-20 respectively); these materials were prilled which is a definite aid to minimizing dusting of the fibers. Rheological properties are determined by standard API*methods (1). Data are given in Table I. Static heat aging was accomplished in Baroid steel bombs in an air oven. Both RG-144-10 and -20 (hereafter designated 10 and 20) require high speed shearing (Waring blender) but dispersed and suspended well. Some settling did occur but this is correctable by the customer by proper formulation of other ingredients. However, the settling does complicate the determination of 10 minute gel strength because the determined values are much lower than a wellsuspended fluid should yield. Rheologically, 10 and 20 are not as powerful thickeners as Bentone 34,. based on apparent viscosities for a given additive concentration- Plastic viscosities are within the same general range as Bentone 34. The yield points and gel strengths of 10 and 20 exhibit significant difference when compared to Bentone 34. Oil muds have very strong thixotropic properties giving extremely high RESEARCH ANO DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT CHEMICALS AND PLASTICS UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION cniiTo runt>i wppv inF>iui n BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL -2- # '132C40 yield points and gel /iscosity. This is not a totally desirable characteristic. The high.gel viscosity creates problems in restarting the drill string rotation,and when pulling.the drill string the strong vacuum created can cause hole collapse. .Conversely, sufficient'-yield and gel are required to lift and suspend cuttings. Fortunately, the yield points and gel viscosity for samples 10 and 20 are in a more favorable range than comparable muds made with Bentone 34. Both materials have sufficient gel viscosity .'to accept weighting material required to prepare high density muds. Other laboratories have investigated coated minerals as potential oil mud thickeners and the materials failed because of thermal stability problems resulting from dissolution of the coating by the hot oil solvent. Anticipating this problem muds prepared from samples 10 and 20 were subjected to static heat aging at "200F for 16 hours then 300F for 16 hours with viscosity determinations made at intervals. Under these test conditions, appreciable viscosity losses occurred with the asbestos muds but there .are indications that the losses plateau at a usable level. Bentone 34 mud actually increased in viscosity with one sample resulting in an unworkable gel at 300F. Although no gellation occurred with the asbestos samples, there appeared to be solution of part of phenolic coating; on a very long term basis for use as a packer fluid in hot wells the asbestos thickener may be inadequate. CONCLUSIONS This preliminary study has shown that phenolic coated asbestos has sufficiently interesting rheological properties to warrant further study. A coating level of about 10 percent resin appears close to optimum. If the cost of the asbestos material can be held to less than Bentone 34, a decided advantage can be realized. The thermal stability of the asbestosresin is decidedly inferior to silane modified asbestos for oil base muds. Because of our secrecy agreement with Dresser applicable to silane treated asbestos, consideration should be given to introducing the asbestos-resin product to Oil Base, Inc. who specialize in this technology. TDF: b i T. D. Foster, Jr. TABLE I ' VISCOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF OIL BASE MUDS Sample Type RG-144-10 16 hrs/200F 16 hrs/300F RG-144-10 16 hrs/200 16 hrs/300 RG-144-10 16 hrs/200 16 hrs/300" Cone.' lb/bbl . AP ' 14 33.5 29.5 26.5 11 22.3 20 . 18.5 7 11.5 10.5 10 PV 13 . 12 11 10 10 10 7 7 6 YP 41 35 31 24.5 20 17 9 7 8 Gel 10/10 12-14 14-13 10-11 8-11 9-9 6-6 3.5-4.5 3-3 2.5-2.5 Bentone 34 16 hrs/200F 16 hrs/300F Bentone 34 16 hrs/200 16 hrs/300 Bentone 34 16 hrs/200 16 hrs/300 14 82 12 140 95-117 122 9 226 182-190 Gelled 11 53.5 15 77 105-135 64 6 116 91-91 111 6 210 128-111 7 18.5 8 21 21-21 19 9 20 20-23 29.5 10 39 28-29 Base Mud - 95X diesel, 5Z water P la s tic V is c o s ity , cp Apparent V i^ o s ity ,