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Permalink Reply by RSV2003 on July 11, 2011 at 15:46

The Quantum system was attempted a couple years ago. It was a very expensive failure on the one or two wells that tried it. To date only Newpark Drilling Fluids has successfully completed Haynesville/Bossier horizontal wells with the Evolution WBM having drilled over 45 wells in N. La and E. Tx for Encana, Comstock, GMX, and XTO. 

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Permalink Reply by dbob on July 11, 2011 at 15:57

The press release is from 2009.  There has been some work with "synthetic" muds to get away from some of the oil based systems.  I've heard some good and some bad....

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Permalink Reply by dbob on July 11, 2011 at 16:09

The synthetics work, but aren't faster or cheaper than simply using the WBM mud system in the vertical stage.  recycling is improving on oil based mud and on the synthetics, such that you get fairly dry cuttings relatively easily.  Certain reservoir engineers and/or rig crews don't seem to be as comfortable with the synthetics.  I've seen operators using oil based on one well and synthetic on another in the same area at the same time.  

 

Improvements in understanding the limits of the drilling mud systems may ultimately speed up drilling times slightly (hours, not days), but I can't see it off setting higher regulatory costs.  

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