Iso-propyl caprylate and iso-propyl linolenate synthetic fluids as novel alternatives in deep-water drilling operations: Critical fluid properties and aerobic biodegradability assessments

Present drilling fluids for deep water wells have severe degenerative effect on the environment with high operational and disposal costs. Thus, making them less desirable in recent times. Ester synthetic drilling fluid provides a novel environmentally friendly alternative but conventional ester-based drilling fluids exhibit high viscosities in deep-water wells causing excessive equivalent circulating density (ECD) and increased risk of lost circulation owing to narrow mud density window. This study experimentally investigates the critical fluid properties and aerobic biodegradability potentials of two newly developed deep-water synthetic ester drilling fluids namely: iso-propyl caprylate (COIPE) and iso-propyl linolenate (LOIPE) synthetic fluids and their comparison with synthetic-paraffin (SP-SBF) and isomerized-olefin (IO-SBF) synthetic hydrocarbon fluids. The esters of iso-propyl caprylate and iso-propyl linolenate were produced from the isolation of ester mixtures that were obtained from the homogeneous catalytic transesterification of coconut and linseed plant oil biomass respectively. The COIPE was isolated from the coconut oil iso-propyl ester mixture by low-pressure fractional distillation technique. While fractional distillation and crystallization were used to isolate the LOIPE ester from the linseed oil iso-propyl ester mixture. Meanwhile, the aerobic biodegradation investigation was conducted by a modified oxygen consumption respirometry technique. The GC-MS analysis of the COIPE and LOIPE showed that the former contains essentially of lower saturated carbon compounds (C8). Whereas the latter contains higher molecular weight and unsaturated carbon compounds (C18⁺). The COIPE and LOIPE kinematic viscosity values are in good agreement with that of the reference synthetic hydrocarbon fluid samples (SP-SBF and IO-SBF). Although, the COIPE synthetic ester has lower viscosity value owing to the presence of shorter chain and saturated carbon atoms (C8 esters). Similarly, the linolenic oil iso-propyl ester has excellent cold flow characteristics for deep-water well drilling owing to lower values of cloud and pour points as a result of higher concentration of poly-unsaturated linolenic esters. The iso-propyl caprylate and the iso-propyl linolenate ester synthetic fluids are readily biodegradable in the sea water inoculum under aerobic condition. However, the iso-propyl caprylate is inherently biodegradable because its degradation level and that of the reference chemical sample were already above 60% during the 10-day window period. The SP-SBF and the IO-SBF synthetic fluids have lower aerobic biodegradation values because they contain little quantity of poly aromatic hydrocarbons as evident in their GC-MS profiles. Finally, esters and unsaturated synthetic-based fluid are more rapidly biodegradable than paraffinic synthetic fluids and the rate of biodegradation of organic compounds decreases as molecular weight increases