SALT

Salt is the common name for sodium chloride (NaCl). This widely available commercial product provides an economical means of formulating clear solids-free workover and completion fluids to 10 lb/gal (1.2 sg).

Applications

Drilling fluid applications for salt in a wide variety of aqueous and invert emulsion drilling fluids include,

• Increasing density
• Increasing shale inhibition by decreasing water activity
• Reducing salt dissolution when drilling halite salt sections
• Reducing the freezing point of water-base fluids and to reduce the potential of forming gas hydrates.

Sodium chloride brines are used extensively in low-density, clear fluid workover and completion operations such as shallow and low-pressure wells not requiring the special inhibitive properties of calcium or potassium systems. It also can be used to adjust the density of other non-saturated brines such as seawater, potassium chloride and ammonium chloride.

Advantages

• Widely available
• Economical product for density and inhibition.