RHELIANT PLUS

Superior performance, thermal stability and cost

savings from the next generation flat rheology
invert emulsion system for deepwater drilling

RHELIANT PLUS: Innovation for faster

drilling and lower costs in challenging
downhole environments

Globally, operators face a dilemma. They need invert fluids

for deepwater and extended reach drilling (ERD) but face
complications from shifting wellbore temperatures where
increased temperature conditions downhole coexist with
near freezing temperatures at sea bottom. In deepwater,
poor hole cleaning, barite sag and other costly problems
can arise from reducing surface rheology to compensate for
increasing Equivalent Circulating Density (ECD) in cold riser
temperatures.

Next generation drilling fluid provides excellent

hole cleaning and rheological stability
Features

Flat rheology profile over wide

temperature range

Uses single rheological modifier

Enhanced gel structure

Organophillic clay as a viscosifier

Temperature stability up to 350F

Tolerant to solids

Benefits

Improved well construction costs

Reduced gel strength progression

Reduced hydraulic fluctuations from

surge/swab

Reduced sag potential

Easier to engineer

Reduced whole mud losses

The next generation RHELIANT PLUS

drilling fluid system from M-I SWACO,
a Schlumberger company, provides
operators thermal stability, consistent
rheological properties, and protection from
barite sag in deep water and ERD drilling
operations, despite significant temperature
fluctuations in the formation and riser.
An advancement from the M-I SWACO
RHELIANT drilling fluid system deployed
successfully in deepwater globally, the
RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid system allows
for excellent hole cleaning. It also provides
reduced operating costs through improved
tripping speeds and reduced potential
for loss of circulation in all types of well
profiles: deepwater, directional and ERD.
The RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid system
maintains constant properties independent
of temperature and pressure. This oil-base
drilling fluid system retains nearly constant
150F low shear rates viscosities even
when encountering temperatures as low
as 40F (4.4C). Its consistent rheological
properties and gel structure allow
drilling and break circulation pressures

with lower ECDs, contributing to fewer

problems while drilling and successfully
avoiding the loss of whole drilling fluid.
The RHELIANT PLUS fluid system also
reduces wellbore stresses because it
is more tolerant of solids contamination
than other systems and provides
ECD management for enhanced ERD
operations. The robust formulation
is easily adaptable to changing well
conditions with a minimal number of
components, thus reducing storage
requirements and simplifying engineering.
Compared to the field-proven RHELIANT
drilling fluid system, the RHELIANT
PLUS drilling fluid system assures
improved cement operations with
improved cement bonding from the low
gel structure and higher temperature
stability in drilling operations. At the
same time, the new RHELIANT PLUS
drilling fluid system provides the same
flat rheological property profile.

Superior rheological properties outperform

competing fluids

The use of clay as the primary viscosifier

in our flat-rheology system is a key
difference for M-I SWACO. By design, both
the RHELIANT and the RHELIANT PLUS
drilling fluid systems use organophilic
clay as a viscosifier. The RHELIANT PLUS
drilling fluid system typically uses 50
percent more clay and half the rheological
modifier compared with a comparatively
formulated RHELIANT drilling fluid system.
The RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid
system allows a higher clay content
while delivering lower gel progression.
It minimizes additives that contribute
to polymer viscosity. Instead, clay
chemistry is manipulated by the primary
additives. The gel strengths structure
of the RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid
system is essential to minimizing sag,
suspension of cuttings and hole cleaning.

Simple formulation for

superior results
The RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid system
is a robust, three-component formulation
that is easily adaptable to changing well
conditions, making it easy and quick to

maintain and control on location while

reducing the amount of fluid waste
and associated costs. The all-in-one
SUREMUL PLUS emulsifier, the all-in-one
RHEFLAT PLUS rheology modifier and
VG PLUS , a single type of organophilic
clay, are the key components of the
RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid system.
The SUREMUL PLUS emulsifier is the
primary emulsifier and combined wetting
agent in the RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid
system. It delivers excellent emulsion
stability, preferential wetting of solids
by the continuous oil-phase, filtration
control and stability at high temperatures.
Additionally, the SUREMUL PLUS emulsifier
is tolerant to solid contaminants and
changes in the oil-water ratio (OWR).
Initial treatment is 8-12 ppb (22.8 34.2
kg/m) depending on density, oil-water
ratio and required temperature stability
The RHEFLAT PLUS rheology modifier
is a gellant and rheological modifier
specifically designed to increase the
low-shear viscosity, improve sag control
and provide the flat rheology of the
RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid system.

The RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid system

works in conjunction with VG-PLUS and/
or VG-SUPREME organophilic clays
and is effective at temperatures up to
300F (149C). If temperatures above
300F (149C) are expected, usage
of the VERSAGEL HT viscosifier is
recommended. Initial treatment is 0.6 lb/bbl
to 1.5 lb/bbl (1.7 4.3 kg/m) depending on
the base fluid, the drilling fluid density, and
the oil-water ratio. Maintenance treatment
is 0.05 lb/bbl to 1.0 lb/bbl (0.15 -2.85 kg/m).
Other drilling fluids additives used in
RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid system
include more conventional products, such
as lime, calcium chloride (CaCl2) brine,
and filtration control polymers. Special
additives can be used to increase the
temperature stability of the system.

Put RHELIANT PLUS to work for you

To find out more about how the RHELIANT
PLUS drilling fluid system is working for
our other customers worldwide, contact
your local M-I SWACO representative.

Next generation conversion

with no operations changes
The RHELIANT PLUS and RHELIANT
drilling fluid systems are fully compatible.
Converting to the RHELIANT PLUS drilling
fluid system does not require changes in
operation and can be effectively carried
out from a wide range of NAF fluids.
The next generation RHELIANT PLUS
drilling fluid system offers additional
performance benefits that include
reduced gel strength progression,
lower break-circulation pressures
and associated break-circulation ECD,
reduced hydraulic fluctuations from
surge/swab, simpler formulation in the
field, and greater temperature stability.
The RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid system
generates shorter tripping times than the
RHELIANT drilling fluid system or reduced
surge/swab effect at the same tripping
times. In hole cleaning, the RHELIANT
PLUS drilling fluid system shows
a slight edge in large ID holes.
Swab effect is reduced with the

RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid system,

resulting in the ability to pull out of hole
(POOH) faster, especially in deeper or ERD
sections where time savings are amplified.
The current RHELIANT drilling fluid
system formulated for the Gulf of
Mexico is stable to approximately
270F, which is suitable for most deepwater applications. The RHELIANT
PLUS drilling fluid system is stable to
approximately 330-350F. The RHELIANT
PLUS drilling fluid system has been
run in HPHT conditions in the southern
GOM, including 17 ppg / 350F BHST.
Current RHELIANT drilling fluid system
chemicals such as the SUREWET fluid
additive, the RHEBUILD viscosifier,
and the RHEDUCE dispersant are all
compatible with the RHELIANT PLUS
drilling fluid system and will be maintained
for any potential specialty requirement
until they are deemed unnecessary.

The RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid system

proves itself in the field
Sakhalin Island, Russia: The RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid system achieves flat rheology across wide temperature
range and excellent hole cleaning in first field trial
The Situation

The Solution

The Results

The operator needed to convert a

VERSACLEAN system to a RHELIANT
PLUS drilling fluid system in order
to experience reduced gel strength
progression, lower break-circulation
pressures and associated breakcirculation ECD, reduced hydraulic
fluctuations from surge/swab, simpler
formulation in the field, and greater
temperature stability during drilling.

Due to a last minute well design change,

the client agreed to the use of the existing
VERSACLEAN system as seed mud.
The used VERSACLEAN whole mud was
added to the RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid
system while drilling. With a 65:35 ratio
of RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid system,
the VERSACLEAN fluid behaved like a
RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid system.

The converted fluid improved hole cleaning

with overall thinner fluids (6rpm 14-18 vs.
18-22 with conventional). The use of lower
OWR resulted in a projected $1.2 million
(USD) reduction in annual base oil costs.
Thinner surface fluid resulted in mud-oncuttings losses approximately 50 percent of
historical averages. Back-reaming in highly
deviated 12.25-in. and 8.5-in. sections was
reduced to zero in some cases. Reduced
ECDs allowed for use of higher surface mud
weights to improve hole stability.
Flow rates on 17.5-in. section improved
from 1,185 gpm to 1,320 gpm at similar SPP.

Angola: The RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid system performs above the clients expectations in Deepwater Angola
The Situation

The Solution

The Results

A deepwater operator in Angola wanted

to improve drilling performance and
avoid higher costs by using only the
RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid system
for its large diameter deviated hole
section where hole cleaning and mud
conditioning for cementing casing
previously required extra rig time.

A plant provided 90,000 barrels of the

new RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid
system. Plants fluid ECDs in 12.25in. and 8.5-in. sections were reduced
30-50 percent compared to a historical
comparison of competitive systems.
The RHELIANT PLUS drilling fluid
systems organophilic clay, provided
rheological properties of approximately
60 percent compared to historical offsets
while exhibiting no sag tendencies.

The operator drilled and completed the

first well with the RHELIANT PLUS
drilling fluid system, significantly lowering
rheology in 70-85 degree deviations while
delivering improved hole cleaning.
The operator was able to pull out on
elevators for the first time in six years
without back-reaming the 17.5-in.
and 12.25-in. sections. Extremely
flat gel strength progression was
observed in both paraffin and Low
Toxicity Mineral oil formulations.

This information is supplied solely for informational purposes and M-ISWACO makes no guarantees or
warranties, either expressed or implied, with respect to the accuracy and use of this data. All product
warranties and guarantees shall be governed by the Standard Terms of Sale. Nothing in this document
is legal advice or is a substitute for competent legal advice.

2014 M-I L.L.C. All rights reserved. Mark of M-I L.L.C.

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