Document pmrK4mvKM1rgooyGda26pEOMD

FILE NAME Oil Industry Asbestos Patents OIAP DATE 2006 DOC OIAP002 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Memo to Barry Castleman with Patent and Literature Search for Asbestos in Drilling Muds STEPHEN L. BERGER P.E. PATENT AGENT 4418 Pleasant Valley Court Oakland CA 94611 510 658-2256 March 30 2006 Brent Coon & Associates 3550 Fannin Street Beaumont Texas 77701 ASBESTOS IN DRILLING MUDS I have conducted a patent and literature search for asbestos in drilling muds The patent search was accomplished using the internet and therefore is not exhaustive The literature search was also done on the internet using the Compendex Index which incorporates the Engineering Index In general I limited the search to the years 1950 through 1980. I have listed the references into two groups below those without any disclosure to asbestos in drilling muds and those that mention asbestos The patents are listed separately in each group and further broken down by company and then in chronological order The patent dates are the date of issue and not the date of filing for the patent The following are conclusions to the search 1. Asbestos was not a necessary ingredient in drilling muds as many alternatives are mentioned in the patents and literature 2. Asbestos was probably little used in drilling muds before about 1963. Some uses for asbestos were apparently not very successful 3. As with all chemical processes where a very hazardous material is being used the first duty of the company is to find and use a substitute that is not hazardous This could have been accomplished using many of the alternatives listed in the patents and literature 4. Union Carbide was actively trying to sell asbestos for use in drilling muds and may have supplied asbestos to Montello for distribution 5. The cost of asbestos may have been cheaper than alternative materials It is reasonable to assume that some companies considered the economics of the drilling process more than the health of the workers ASBESTOS IN DRILLING MUDS Stephen Berger Page 1 of 5 REFERENCES DISCLOSING DRILLING MUDS WITHOUT ASBESTOS US 3,014,862 Gulf Oil Dec 26 1961 US 2,802,783 Texaco Aug 13 1957 This was apparently an important patent to Texaco as it was referred to in many later patents to Texaco US 2,973,320 ---- -- -- Feb 28 1961 US 2,555,469 Phillips US 2,578,888 Phillips US 2,620,300 Phillips US 2,805,990 Phillips US 3,150,726 Phillips Lost circulation additive Jun 5 1951 Dec 18 1951 Dec 2 1952 Sep 10 1957 Sep 29 1964 US 4,000,076 Phillips Dec 28 1976 US 4,123,366 Phillips Oct 31 1978 US 2,781,313 Esso Feb 12 1957 US 2,785,125 Esso Mar 12 1957 US 3,251,768 Esso May 17 1966 US 3,410,797 Esso Nov 12 1968 Mud Materials as Tools for the Drilling Industry Oil and Gas Journal vol 49 no 12 pp 220- 221 330 332 Jul 27 1950 Typical lost circulation additives listed on page 221 flake mica cellophane flakes organic fibers cottonseed hulls etc. ASBESTOS IN DRILLING MUDS Stephen Berger Page 2 of 5 Drilling Muds Symposium Oil and Gas Journal vol 51 no 21 starting on p 246 Sep 29 1952 Reviews various lost circulation materials Today's Drilling Fluids Symposium Oil and Gas Journal vol 53 no 32 pp 106-119 Dec 13 1954 Chemicals in drilling mud Oil and Gas Journal vol 56 no 50 pp 90-98 Dec 15 1958 New muds and techniques improve drilling practices World Oil vol 148 no 5 pp 194-206 Apr 1959 World Oil was published by Gulf Publishing Company which I believe was owned by Gulf Oil Corporation although I have no proof of this New Mud Features Low Filtrate Loss Good Rheology Retention Oil and Gas Journal vol 57 no 45 pp 83-87 Nov 2 1959 Grouts and Drilling Muds in Engineering Practice pp 211-217 May 1963 This was a symposium held in Britain at their Institution of Civil Engineers Composition and Properties of Oil Well Drilling Fluids Third Edition Walter F. Rogers 1963 Rogers worked for Gulf Oil Corporation and the book was published by Gulf Publishing Company The first chapter of the book giving the history of drilling fluid is enclosed On pages 40-50 there is an extensive list of materials for drilling fluid systems Asbestos is not included in this list Asbestos is not in the index and the only mention of it I could find was on page 206 in Table 5-1 Specific Gravity of Common Materials The Fourth Edition of this book is discussed in the section below of references mentioning asbestos What's new in mud engineering Part " World Oil vol 164 no 5 pp 135-139 Apr 1967 What's new in mud engineering Part " World Oil vol 164 no.6 pp 118-122 May 1967 ASBESTOS IN DRILLING MUDS Stephen Berger Page 3 of 5 REFERENCES DISCLOSING DRILLING MUDS CONTAINING ASBESTOS British 2,038,662 Union Carbide Jul 30 1980 This patent discloses a particular type of asbestos with an organo coating useful in drilling fluid US 3,498,394 Gulf Mar 3 1970 A mixture of asbestos and clay is used in a hydraulic jet drilling method The mixture is apparently not effective in the ordinary rotary drilling process At column 5 lines 63-67 Circulating the asbestos drilling fluid in the ordinary rotary drilling process in which the drilling liquid merely conveys rock particles out mechanically by the drill bit does not impart the unique properties to the drilling liquid British 1,404,112 Texaco Aug 28 1975 This patent discloses a drilling fluid useful in certain shale formations On page 3 lines 18-22 attapulgite clay is equated with asbestos to control the viscosity of the drilling fluid British 1,179,859 Phillips Feb 4 1970 A drilling fluid containing a combination of asbestos and carboxymethylcellulose US 3,708,014 Phillips Jan 2 1973 The patent is directed to a method for removing asbestos from bore holes by disintegrating the asbestos with a mixture of hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids In column , lines 16-37 the uses of asbestos in drilling muds are discussed along with its disadvantages British 592,754 Shell Sep 29 1947 On page 2 lines 30-35 this patent equates flake mica with asbestos to prevent excessive loss of drilling fluid The Properties of Circulation Materials Oil and Gas Journal vol 49 no 18 pp 82 85 Sep 7 1950 The article lists many substances used to combat lost circulation including straw grain hay mica ground rubber bentonite balls cane fibers cottonseed and rice hulls beet pulp shredded balsam wood sage brush manure peat moss asbestos saw dust tree ASBESTOS IN DRILLING MUDS Stephen Berger Page 4 of 5 bark vermiculite and volcanic rocks The article is promoting a lost circulation substance called Strata which is composed of glass cellular spheres Composition and Properties of Oil Well Drilling Fluids Fourth Edition George R. Gray H.C.H. Darley and Walter F. Rogers 1980 This edition mentions asbestos in two places On page 546 the use of asbestos has found some limited applications Further down the page it states Asbestos has been classed as a hazardous material under the Occupational Safety and Health Act with the threshold limit value set at 2 fibers longer than 5 ...mper cmof air for those handling the material Special processing methods have been introduced to minimize the possibility of inhaling the fibers while handling the product Consumption in 1978 is estimated to have been about 10,000 tons 9100 tonnes The second place is on page 581 Table 11-6 a table of lost circulation substances On page 582 it states that mica has been widely used as a lost circulation substance Asbestos in drill water helps cut drilling costs World Oil vol 161 no 4 pp 116-118 Sep 1965 Although the article states that costs can be cut using asbestos equivalent drilling results can be achieved using attapulgite Presheared asbestos muds help cut costs rotating time Oil and Gas Journal vol 68 no 23 pp 93-95 Jun 8 1970 Use of presheared asbestos called Super Visbestos supplied to the driller by Montello This asbestos was distributed by Montello but the article does not mention what company actually mined the asbestos and supplied it to Montello It might be helpful to explore any relationship between Montello and Union Carbide to find out if Union Carbide supplied the asbestos to Montello or whether Union Carbide had an ownership in Montello Union Carbide was actively trying to sell asbestos for use in drilling muds The cost of asbestos might have been cheaper than alternative materials Trademark Information for Visbestos The trademark information downloading from the US Patent and Trademark Office states that Visbestos was first used in commerce on May 3 1966. The last listed owner was KCAC Inc. This trademark is still active ASBESTOS IN DRILLING MUDS Stephen Berger Page 5 of 5