Case Study: a leading oil-base drilling company reduces ultrafine solids and saves mud costs with SLB's RHE-USE system

RHE-USE System Economically Reduces Ultrafine, Colloidal LGS Content from Oil-Base Drilling Fluids

SLB worked with a leading oil-base drilling company operating in the Haynesville Shale in East Texas that was struggling with performance-limiting drilled solids, especially ultrafine, colloidal low-gravity solids (LGS), in its oil-base drilling fluids. The company had been relying on dilution, disposal, and rebuild methods, but these were costly and did not solve the ongoing buildup of solids in the mud system.

SLB recommended the RHE-USE two-stage centrifuge system to remove LGS economically through staged centrifugation and chemically enhanced treatment. The system reduced the average LGS content from 11% to 5% across 2,900 bbl of contaminated fluid, recovered and reused clean mud, and helped the operator meet its LGS target while saving dilution, disposal, and transport costs.