Performance analysis of drilling fluid liquid lubricants

Excessive torque is one of the most important problems in oil/gas drilling industry. Friction between wellbore/casing and drill string causes excessive torque. This study discusses performance analysis of drilling fluid lubricants, which are used as friction reducers in well-bores. Three different types of chemical commercial lubricants, which are fatty acid and glyceride based, triglyceride and vegetable oil based and polypropylene glycol based, diesel oil, and crude oil, which consists of different API gravities, paraffin and asphaltene value samples, are selected for the analysis. analysis section, different lubricant compositions with the mixture of crude oil, diesel oil and lubricants which are added to water based lignosulfonate mud are tested on metal–metal contact surface by the OFITE Lubricity Tester to determine the best lubricity/cost ratio of lubricant compositions. er, effects of the lubricants on mud rheology and API fluid loss of mud, foam forming potential and cheesing/greasing of the lubricants and the influence of mud properties on lubricants (calcium, salt, pH and mud density) are examined.