Volume 14 Number 1 - GEO Drilling Fluids, Inc.

Drilling Fluids, Inc.
TECHNICAL SERVICES NEWSLETTER
Volume XIV, Number 1 January 15, 2010
WHAT DO YOU WANT IT TO BE?
WHY ARE THE HAWAIIN
ISLANDS A CHAIN?
What do mantle plumes tell us about plate tectonics?
by Perry Fischer, World Oil Editor in the
November 2009 issue.
T
he broadly accepted theory that chains of volcanoes,
and volcanic island chains are the result
of the crust drifting over hot spots known as
plumes is no longer accepted as gospel by the geological
community. Only by ignoring much of the
Mantle Plumes
(Continued on page 2)
Two Views of Work
The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
What work I have done I have done because it has
been play. If it had been work I shouldn't have
done it.
Mark Twain
1. Surface gravel should be drilled with: a) high
ROP, b) high pH, c) high rpm, d) high YP.
2. An FIT at the shoe provides: a) maximum
MW at shoe, b) maximum MW at TD, c)
maximum MW to kill well, d) minimum MW
to kill well.
3. Which doesn’t belong? a) PDC bit, b) mill
tooth bit, c) rock bit, d) soft formation bit.
ANSWERS ON PAGE 4
DRIVING HAZARDS
W
hat is the most important part of a car,
pickup or semi? It is the driver. Nothing can
keep you safer and nothing can be more dangerous
than the driver.
Road rage is a major source of vehicle incidents.
Angry drivers can quickly escalate from hand
gestures to a destruction derby on the highway or in
a parking lot. If you are in an altered state—angry,
sad, intoxicated, exhausted, depressed—your ability
to operate a motor vehicle will be impaired. Driving
while impaired is illegal.
Driving with Limited Visibility
“What you can’t see can kill you.” Fog, dust,
smoke, blowing snow, and darkness can cause persistent
or sudden reductions in visibility. When
driving at night your ability to see hazards is re-
Driving Hazards
(Continued on page 5)
Safety ALERT
RESPONSE REQUIRED

TECHNICAL SERVICES NEWSLETTER VOLUME XIV NUMBER 1 January 15, 2010
Mantle Plumes
(Continued from page 1)
data can the actual facts be made to
match this explanation. The classic
example for Americans is the Hawaiian
island chain that stretches
from southeast to northwest across
the central Pacific Ocean.
The Hawaiian Islands are the
tops of gigantic volcanic mountains
formed by countless eruptions of
fluid lava over several millions of
years. Some tower more than
30,000 feet above the sea floor and
are the tallest mountains in the
world when measured from their
base. The volcanic peaks rising
above the ocean surface represent
only the tiny, visible part of an immense
submarine ridge, the Hawaiian
Ridge—Emperor Seamount
Chain, composed of more than 80
large volcanoes. This range stretches
across the Pacific sea floor from the Hawaiian Islands
to the Aleutian Trench. The length of the Hawaiian
Ridge segment alone, between the Big Island
and Midway Island to the northwest, is about
1,600 miles. The amount of lava erupted to form
this huge ridge, about 186,000 cubic miles, is more
than enough to cover the State of California with a
mile-thick layer.
A key problem in explaining the formation of
this mountain range arises where the Hawaiian
Ridge meets the Emperor Seamount Chain, 650
miles northwest of Midway Island. At this point
there is a 45-degree dogleg in what appears to be a
continuous string of volcanoes of ever increasing
age.
The explanation for the creation of these and
similar formations remains a matter of research and
discussion with no clear consensus. This is similar
to the problem with continental drift. In 1915, Alfred
Wegener first proposed that there was an original
continent called Pangea. His detractors said
PAGE 2
Dogleg
What formed the dogleg? Drifting plates, drifting plumes, or
some unknown phenomenon?
since he couldn’t explain why the continents were
drifting and therefore his theory must be false. In
the 1960’s when core holes drilled across the Atlantic
proved him right there was a quick movement to
explain the phenomenon of continental drift as a result
of upwelling convection currents. With a halfcentury
of research we now know far less about the
driving force behind the drift phenomenon than we
thought we knew at the end of the 1960’s. As we
discover more and are less sure of the causes other
areas fall into the unknown and the volcanic plume
theory is one of those victims.
“Whatever your interest in the geological sciences,
know this: The paradigm of reasonably well
defined lithospheric plates, sliding on layers of
rock, propelled by convection, while deep-rooted
plumes create mountain chains and hot mantle/lava
flooded plains, is far from correct. We have a long
way to go in our understanding of this dynamic
planet we live on.”

TECHNICAL SERVICES NEWSLETTER VOLUME XIV NUMBER 1 January 15, 2010
THE MUDMAN’S CORNER
THE RIGHT ANSWER
From the December Safety Alert: “The slightest
presence of H 2 S in the air is normally detectable by
its characteristic "rotten-egg" odor; however, it is
dangerous to rely on odor as a means of detecting
life-threatening amounts because the sense of smell
is lost rapidly, allowing lethal concentrations to accumulate
without warning.” It is False to assume
there is a danger if you smell ANY H 2 S.
PAPERWORK REMINDER!!!
Every Mud Engineer is responsible for turning
in paperwork. The person on duty at the end of a
well must turn in all Delivery Tickets, Inventory
Report, and Recap. The person on duty at the end
of a well must turn in all Delivery Tickets, Inventory
Report, and Recap. In addition, the electronic
mud report must also be turned in. Do not
rely on the owner of the computer to turn in the file.
Use Flash Drive (thumb drive) or CD to copy the
file and send or bring to the office in Bakersfield.
If possible, e-mail the file to ajphil@geodf.com.
BHA ON THE ELECTRONIC MUD REPORT
The Electronic Mud Report requires the entry of
Heavy Weight Drill Pipe (HWDP) and Drill Collars
(DC). The DC or BHA section includes all DCs,
MWD, Mud Motor, Stabilizers and subs. It does not
include (for our purposes) the HWDP. For accuracy
Desired
Density
(ppg)
PAGE 3
you should average the ID of all of the parts of the
BHA as well as the OD’s. If there is no HWDP put
in the Drill Pipe OD and ID and leave the length
blank.
USING SALT WATER FOR DENSITY
Combining saturated salt waters to achieve a
higher weight has a major problem. When saturated
CaCl 2 (Calcium Chloride) and saturated NaCl
(Sodium Chloride) are combined, a substantial portion
of the salt precipitates out reducing the density
of the water. Proper blending of salts to achieve a
desired density must follow precise proportions.
The table below shows how to do this.
This first column shows how many pounds per
barrel (ppb) of dry salt to add to obtain the mud
weight on the left. The second column shows how
to combine NaCl water with dry CaCl 2 to obtain
higher densities than 10.0 ppg. Start with the indicated
density of NaCl and add the pounds per barrel
of CaCl 2 dry salt. The third column liquid CaCl 2 ,
watered back to a particular weight then using dry
NaCl to bring the weight up. Finally the method of
combining saturated NaCl and saturated CaCl 2 requires
the addition of fresh water. This chart shows
what percentage of each is required to achieve the
desired final mud weight.
STUCK PIPE
Stuck pipe ranks right up there with lost circula-
The Mudman’s Corner
(Continued on page 4)
Composition of Calcium Chloride/Sodium Chloride Combined
NaCl Dry + CaCl 2
Dry ppb
NaCl Water + CaCl 2 Dry
CaCl 2 Water (at given
density)+ NaCl Dry
NaCl Water + CaCl 2 Water + Fresh
water
NaCl CaCl 2 Salt Water CaCl 2 Dry CaCl 2 Water NaCl Dry NaCl liquid CaCl 2 liquid Fresh
ppg (ppb) ppg (ppb) 10.0 ppg 11.6 ppg Water
10.1 88 29 9.7 29 80.8% 15.1% 4.1%
10.2 70 52 9.4 52 64.3% 27.1% 8.7%
10.3 54 72 9.2 72 49.6% 37.5% 12.9%
10.4 41 89 9 89 37.6% 46.4% 16.0%
10.5 32 104 8.8 104 10.2 32 29.4% 54.2% 16.5%
10.6 25 116 8.7 116 10.4 25 22.9% 60.4% 16.6%
10.7 20 126 10.5 20 18.4% 65.6% 16.0%
10.8 16 135 10.7 16 14.7% 70.3% 15.0%
10.9 13 144 10.4 13 11.9% 75.0% 13.1%
11.0 10 151 10.9 10 9.2% 78.6% 12.2%
11.1 8 159 11.1 8 7.3% 82.8% 9.8%

TECHNICAL SERVICES NEWSLETTER VOLUME XIV NUMBER 1 January 15, 2010
The Mudman’s Corner
(Continued from page 3)
tion and well control (kick) issues. These are all
classified as Non-Productive Time (NPT) because
until the problem is solved progress toward finishing
the well has to be suspended. The cost of each
of these events has to include the lost productive
time as a function of hours of rig time lost.
Spotting fluid on location ready to go is a cost
that must be justified by the certain or possible cost
of not having it on location when a stuck pipe event
occurs. Differential sticking is one of the most common
forms of stuck pipe. Spotting a fluid that will
shrink the wall cake and provide lubrication can
cure stuck pipe. The more quickly spotting fluid is
placed the higher the likelihood that the pipe will be
freed. Ron Coulter with Sun Drilling Products says
“Experience has shown that getting a pill down hole
in less than four hours provides a greater than 90
percent probability of success”. Of course he is a
seller of spotting fluids and has a vested interest in
selling more spotting fluid. But if the spotting fluid
is four hours away in a warehouse, the mixing and
pumping equipment is in another company’s yard,
and both require a callout time for drivers to get to
the yards to pick up the equipment, it will be 12
hours from the advent of stuck pipe before the spotting
fluid reaches its destination. At this point, the
chances of success have fallen to less than 50%.
SAFETY AWARDS
We have 44 employees who earned a safety
awards for 2009. Congratulations to all! Your efforts
have helped us improve our safety record almost
every year for the last 10 years.
Carlee will be calling each recipient over the
next few weeks, if not before, to notify you and to
verify your order. Please respond to her messages
promptly so we can finalize purchases and embroidery
as needed.
During the next week or two we will have a
drawing to select a winner of the semi-annual safety
award. Everyone who earned a safety award this
year is eligible. Your odds of being drawn increase
with the number of consecutive awards you have
won. If you have any questions about the details of
the selection process please call Andy.
The most common cause of loosing your safety
award is failure to return the Safety Alert in time.
There is a Safety Alert in this Newsletter so be sure
to read the article and return the response form
promptly. Any comments or suggestions would be
appreciated.
PRINTING TO PDF
Quattro Pro has a few quirks as any one who
has used our mud report program has discovered.
One of these is the difficulty printing more than one
PDF without turning off the program and restarting.
Uncheck the “View PDF File” box to keep the
computer from locking up when you print a second
page.
The solution to this issue usually works. Turn off
“View PDF File”. At the bottom of the “Save PDF
File As” screen is a check box. The default has the
box checked so you can verify that what you got is
what you intended. However, if you leave this box
checked, then the second time you try to print to
PDF the file will lock up. With the box unchecked
this doesn’t happen, at least it doesn’t happen all
the time. Just make sure you save your file before
printing it with any device.
1. d) high YP
2. a) maximum MW at shoe
3. a) PDC bit
ANSWERS TO WHAT DO YOU WANT IT TO BE?
PAGE 4

TECHNICAL SERVICES NEWSLETTER VOLUME XIV NUMBER 1 January 15, 2010
Driving Hazards
(Continued from page 1)
duced by 50%. Sudden changes in speed in these
conditions can be very hazardous. You are never
“the last car in line”. Many accidents are caused
when a car is struck from behind. Slow down to
maintain enough distance from the car ahead to
make a controlled stop in the event of trouble.
Winter Driving Hazards
Winter driving tips:
1. For a commute of 30 minutes or less
leave 10 minutes earlier than normal.
For longer drives give yourself even
more time.
2. Review the weather forecast the night
before. Check the weather on TV, radio
or online before you leave.
3. Clean, de-ice, or de-snow your windshield
and mirrors BEFORE you start to
drive.
4. Use the defroster to keep all your windows
clear.
5. Increase following distance.
6. Avoid distractions
a. Cell phones – even with hands free.
b. Eating while driving.
c. Texting while driving.
d. Reading maps, books or newspapers.
e. Any activity that causes you to
“steer with your knees”.
7. Postpone any avoidable trips (like shopping)
until the weather improves.
8. SLOW DOWN.
Speed
Consider your speed in feet per second. 70 mph
on the freeway may not seem that fast when you are
trying to cover 150 miles to a rig, but at that speed
you are covering 103 feet in one second. Taking
your eyes off the road for two seconds to recover a
dropped hamburger means you missed over 200
feet of traffic, enough time to erase your entire
stopping distance or for a vehicle to enter the roadway
from behind a building or tree.
Stopping distance is increased by the speed you
are traveling, slick or wet road surface, and your
reaction time which is a factor of age and alertness.
PAGE 5
The driver of this pickup had the right of way
on a clear day with dry pavement. You have
to practice defensive driving every minute you
are behind the wheel.
Reduced Visibility
Stay on major roads during periods of reduced
visibility. They are better marked, have wider
shoulders, and are generally in better shape.
DO NOT PASS when visibility is obstructed. If
you think you have to listen for oncoming traffic to
know if it is clear to make a left turn then that is a
sure sign that visibility is too limited to make the
turn. Use the right turn rule – make three right turns
so you can cross the traffic at right angles instead of
a left turn across traffic. Better still, go to a controlled
intersection, make a u-turn and return to
where you want to turn.
In California, there are three reflectors 2100’
from an off ramp, and some intersections. There are
two reflectors 1400’ from the turn and one more
700’ from the turn.
Daylight running lights are not headlights suitable
for driving in fog. Force the lights to go to full
headlights by turning on the lights or by covering
the sensor on the dash that tells the lights to go on
full at night. This is true of all Chevy pickups.
Do not stop on the roadway. Do not stop on the
paved shoulder. Pull all the way off the road if you
must stop. Even this is illegal on Interstates except
in an emergency. If you need to stop, go to the next
Driving Hazards
(Continued on page 6)

TECHNICAL SERVICES NEWSLETTER VOLUME XIV NUMBER 1 January 15, 2010
Driving Hazards
(Continued from page 5)
exit or turn out to avoid being hit by drunk or
sleepy drivers. When visibility is limited drivers
may follow your tail lights right off the road and
into the rear of your vehicle.
Night driving is often the most dangerous time
of all. This is even truer when other driving hazards
such as snow, ice or fog are also present.
Other Hazards
Pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles stopped by
the side of the road present special hazards. Whenever
any of these is present slow down and give
them extra room in case of radical sudden movements
like doors opening or “shade tree mechanics”
with their legs sticking out from under a vehicle.
Construction zones require slower speed and
greater diligence. Watch for workers on foot close
to the roadway.
Wear seat belts whenever the vehicle is in motion.
Anything in a vehicle can and will become a
projectile during a violent crash and/or rollover.
Unbelted passengers can kill other passengers as
they fly around inside a car. A properly restrained
baby was killed in Bakersfield when the car she
was riding in rolled over. The child was fatally injured
by a box of Kleenex.
Once a collision happens there is no taking it
back, no making it right and there is no fixing it. It
can happen to anyone, even you!
CUT HERE - Return Lower Portion
GEO Drilling Fluids, Inc. ! P.O. Box 1478 ! Bakersfield, CA 93302
Telephone (661) 325-5919 ! FAX (661) 325-5648 !1-800-GETSGEO ! geodf@geodf.com
SAFETY COMMUNICATION
I have read the safety bulletin covering Situational Awareness in the GEO Technical Newsletter
of January 15, 2010. VOLUME XIV NUMBER 1
Print your name:
Signed:
Date:
Comments:
1. When driving at night your ability to see
hazards is .
2. Any activity that causes you to “steer with
your knees” is .
3. Daylight running lights are
for driving in fog.
Please answer the questions, sign, date and return to Andy Philips, Safety Coordinator / Technical
Services Manager within one month of publication date. Any comments would be appreciated.
E-mail response accepted.
Thank You.
PAGE 6