Environmentally sustainable oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion mud system for shale formation using vegetable oil

Due to the rising environmental pollution, every Industry (including Petroleum Industry) is obliged to strict environmental laws. Utilizing corn oil, an effort has been undertaken to develop an environmentally acceptable oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion mud. In this research article, the effect of different concentrations of bentonite, oil, and tragacanth gum on rheology and its fluid loss properties was evaluated exhaustively as per the API standards. Corn oil emulsion mud exhibits better rheology, filtration, and physical and chemical properties than diesel oil emulsion mud. The result obtained from flow characteristics recommended outstanding shear thinning properties of corn oil. Lethal concentration test (LC ₅₀ ) and Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) were conducted, conforming to the environment-friendly nature of developed emulsion mud. In comparison to diesel oil, high shale recovery and slake durability were attained with corn oil. The coefficient of friction (CoF) shows that corn oil has a positive effect on lubricity compared to conventional diesel oil emulsion mud. Low formation damage was observed during the core flow test. Therefore, there is a high possibility that the developed oil-in-water emulsion mud using corn oil will be used to drill shale formation.