EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATING.docVIP

EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATING DRILLING FLUID PERFORMANCE Devising tests that will accurately describe how drilling fluids behave downhole is virtually an impossible task. Most drilling fluids are complex mixtures of interacting components, and their properties change markedly with changes in temperature, shear rate, and shear history. As they circulate through the borehole, drilling fluids are subjected to ever changing conditions--turbulent flow in the drill pipe, intense shearing at the bit, and nominal laminar flow in the annulus at frequently changing shear rates (owing to chan