ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Transforming the efficiency of water-based mud: rutile-TiO₂-activated carbon composite

Shaine Mohammadali, Javed Haneef, and Saud Hashmi

Department of Chemical Engineering, NED University of Engineering & Technology, Karachi, Pakistan

E-mail: shaine@neduet.edu.pk

Received: 2 October 2024  Accepted: 19 February 2025

Abstract:

Drilling fluid is the foundation stone in a drilling operation, as it plays a vital role during drilling and extraction of oil and gas from the borehole. To improve the characteristics of a drilling fluid, properties such as rheological, filtration, and stability are of prime concern. In the current study, hydrothermal technique was used to support the rutile crystal form of TiO₂ by activated carbon prepared using a waste material. The particle was added in quantity of 0.35, 0.875, 1.75, 2.625, and 3.5 g, respectively. Results of the study reveal no significant changes in the mud densities when the modified particle was added in the base mud. Moreover, all samples exhibited pseudo-plastic behavior with rheological properties in a range of API recommended standards. All the rheological characteristics were on the lower side because the rutile crystal has a smaller surface area and lower active sites. Furthermore, mud starts to dephase at a rapid pace and completely loses its stability within 6 h of experimentation. The larger grain dimensions and small number of pores of the rutile crystal form have some adverse influence on the surface area, which decreases the stability of the system. In addition, the carbon-supported rutile-TiO₂ composite demonstrated high fluid loss volume with mud cakes having higher permeability, thicker in dimension, and containing a significantly larger number of fractures after 24 h of drying. At 0.25 wt%, the particle demonstrated a minimum fluid loss volume of 31 mL/30 min, which increased to 47 mL/30 min as the concentration was twice.

Keywords: Activated carbon; Rutile; Titanium dioxide; Rheological properties; Filtration properties; Stability

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-025-03976-y

Chemical Papers 79 (5) 2911–2923 (2025)