Investigating the potential of Calophylluminophyllum plant base oil for oil and gas drilling mud operations

The environmental and cost advantage of non-edible plant oil for potential base oil in oil and gas drilling mud formulation is a drive for its use. The seed of Calophylluminophyllum the plant oil was processed, pulverized, and oil extracted using chemical method. The extracted plant oil and commercial synthetic oil was used to formulate drilling mud and comparative analysis were made using the physicochemical properties of the oil samples, mud rheological properties under sixteen hours and 240 °F aging and non-aging effect for a 7 and 9 g viscosifier, and rheological models in describing the mud. The commercial synthetic oil and Calophylluminophyllum oil shows a flash point of 101 ± 0.1 and 164 ± 0.1; density of 108 and 172 ( kg m 3 ) ; viscosity index of 192 and 163; acid value of NIL and 24.24; and oil yield of NIL and 71 % respectively. The rheological properties of Calophylluminophyllum oil-based mud were higher than the synthetic oil-based mud. It was also observed that the increase in temperature and viscosifer decreases and increases the rheological properties respectively of all mud samples. The synthetic and Calophylluminophyllum oil-based mud increased in the rheological properties after aging test. In the overall estimation of the root mean square error (RMSE) values, coefficient of determination R 2 values, and the fitted plots analysis. The Herschel Bulkley and the Sisko model had a much better description in predicting the experimental data for the synthetic oil-based mud. The hyperbolic, Herschel Bulkley and Sisko model had good description for the experimental data of the Calophylluminophyllum oil-based mud.