Many unsolved problems in shale gas exploration are mostly attributed to drilling fluids, so proper match between mud properties and engineering parameters gives birth to safe well drilling. Shale gas is produced by fracking since it mainly exists among cracks. However, shale’s proneness to hydration swelling, which leads to a string of complex downhole problems like a collapsing wall, has determined oil-based mud to be applied in shale gas exploration.

Foreign companies apply a special drilling fluids called oil-based mud, especially in horizontal wells. And they have gained mature technologies and experience from years’ practical application of it.

Foreign oil-based mud’s application in China are still restrained due to high cost, high tariff and high service charge. However, nationwide alternative-energy development for oil-based mud are currently underway. Though it still remains a controversy whether domestic oil-based mud for horizontal drilling project has entered mature stage, it is comparatively stable and costs less.
 

Today, domestic shale gas exploration mainly takes into account liquid invasion and downhole safety and oil-based mud is designed to protect gas reservoirs so as to reject hydration swelling in mud shale.

Oil-based mud is more protective in terms of safety, good rejection capability, faster drilling speed, etc. Water-based mud can also be adopted on various drilling designs because of its important head start of being cheap. Therefore, application of oil-based mud in shale gas exploration is key to examine how well domestic technologies are united with efficiency. 　　

About KOSUN

Established in 1992, KOSUN is thet professional manufacturer of Solids Control System in China. KOSUN is a vital part of the world hydrocarbon exploration and production industry, as well as one of top three solids control equipment suppliers in China, which offers its products for CNPC, CNOOC, HH, Gazprom, RG, etc.

KOSUN is the professional manufacturer of solid control equipment, which is specialized in drilling mud decanter centrifuge, oilfield shale shaker, desander, desilter, drilling fluids cleaner, centrifugal pump, shear pump, submersible slurry pump, mud agitator, jet mud mixer, mud gun and complete drilling fluid system. As the professional advanced decanter centrifuge supplier, KOSUN has won high recognition and praise from domestic and abroad with science core technique and a lot of innovative patents. At present, KOSUN's business scope mainly covers China mainland, Commonwealth of Independent States, North Africa, Australia, U.S.A., etc.