Patent ID: 6562763
Filing Date: 2003-05-13
Classification: B01F,E21B,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of drilling a wellbore hole using a closed-loop designed drilling fluid system wherein said closed-loop designed drilling fluid system includes at least one holding fluid tank, at least one active fluid tank, a drilling fluid pumping station, and at least one reclamation fluid tank; and a drilling unit coupled in series with said closed-loop designed drilling fluid system, said method including the steps of:(1) creating a drilling fluid source in a holding fluid tank having clogging properties wherein said drilling fluid source includes clogging glob sizes of globs of undissolved polymer granules and other additives; (2) providing a supply of said drilling fluid source from said holding fluid tank at a flow rate to a drilling fluid homogenizer; in said drilling fluid homogenizer;(3) homogenizing said drilling fluid source to create homogenized drilling fluid and to reduce said clogging glob sizes; (4) filtering a flow of said homogenized drilling fluid to create non-clogging homogenized drilling fluid having globs of a non-clogging glob size when flowing in said closed-loop designed drilling fluid system; and, (5) during the step of (4), shearing said globs of said undissolved polymer granules having said clogging glob sizes suspended in said flow of said homogenized drilling fluid into said globs of said non-clogging glob size; (6) filling an active fluid tank with said non-clogging homogenized drilling fluid; in said closed-loop designed drilling fluid system(7) providing said non-clogging homogenized drilling fluid to said drilling unit; and, (8) drilling said wellbore hole with said drilling unit using said non-clogging homogenized drilling fluid.