Utilization of Egg Yolk as A Non-Toxic Emulsifier in Environmentally Friendly Invert Emulsion Drilling Mud

Abstract

Vegetable oil such as Jatropha has been shown to be a comparable alternative to diesel and mineral oils for environmentally friendly oil based drilling mud. However compatibility of the vegetable oils with the usual chemical additives is still a major challenge that calls for compatible and non-toxic substitutes. This study examined the suitability of hen egg yolk as a non-toxic emulsifier in invert emulsion drilling mud using vegetable oil continuous phase. 8 ml of the egg yolk which was separated from the albumen was added dropwise as a primary emulsifier to a 70/30 oil-water ratio invert emulsion drilling mud formulated with Jatropha vegetable oil. The electrical stability was tested using electrical stability tester at the recommended test temperature of 48.9ºC and later at 120ºC to check any variation at elevated temperature. The stability values in volts were 398 and 289 V respectively. A similar formulation using a standard emulsifier (versacleanVB) an amidoamine gave stability values as 201 and 188 V respectively indicating that higher stability was attained with the egg yolk. The viscosities of the mud samples were also tested giving plastic viscosities of 52 and 49 cP at 50ºC for the egg yolk and verscleanVB emulsified mud respectively. This study indicates that egg yolk could serve as an emulsifier for vegetable oil based invert emulsion mud in line with non-toxic additives for environmental compatibility.

Keywords: Environmental compatibility, invert emulsion mud, non-toxic additives, electrical stability, emulsion stability

Cite this Article

Ihenacho Peace C, Martin Burby, Nasr Ghasem C et al. Utilization of Egg Yolk as A Non-Toxic Emulsifier in Environmentally Friendly Invert Emulsion Drilling Mud. Journal of Petroleum Engineering and Technology. 2016; 6(1): 41–49p.