Surfactant mud:

Such muds were originally designed for use in deep, high-temperature wells, but their many advantages (high chemical and thermal stability, minimum swelling effect on clay-bearing zones, lower plastic viscosity, and so on) extend their applicability.

Terms Related to Surfactant mud

• Surfactant

  A soluble compound that concentrates on the surface boundary between two substances such as oil and water and reduces the surface tension between the substances. ...

• Micellar-polymer flooding

  A method of improved oil recovery in which chemicals dissolved in water are pumped into a reservoir through injection wells to mobilize off left behind ...

• Clay swelling

  A type of damage in which formation permeability is reduced because of the alteration of clay equilibrium. Clay swelling occurs when water-base filtrates from drilling, ...

• Surface-active agent

  See surfactant.

• Calcium-treated mud

  A freshwater drilling mud using calcium oxide (lime) or calcium sulfate (gypsum) to retard the hydrating qualities of shale and clay formation, thus facilitating drilling. ...

• Deflocculation

  The dispersion of solids that have stuck together in drilling fluid, usually by means of chemical thinners. See flocculation.

• Micelle

  A round cluster of hydrocarbon chains formed when the amount of surfactant in an aqueous solution reaches a critical point. The micelles are able to ...