MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION OF DRILLING FLUIDS AND

ITS IMPLICATIONS ON DRILLING

H.B. FREEMAN

this article begins on the next page F

PETROLEUM SOCIETY OF CIM PAPER NO. 83-34-22 THIS IS A PREPRINT - SUBJECT TO CORRECTION MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION OF DRILLING FLUIDS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON DRILLING by H.B. Freeman Pan Technical Ind ustries Ltd. PUBLICATION RIGHTS RESERVED THIS PAPER IS TO BE PRESENTED AT THE 34th ANNUAL TECHNICAL MEETING OF THE PETROLEUM SOCIETY OF CIM HELD JOINTLY WITH THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF DRILLING ENGINEERS IN BANFF, MAY 10 - 13,1983. DISCUSSION OF THIS PAPER IS INVITED. SUCH DISCUSSION MAY BE PRESENTED AT THE TECHNICAL MEETING AND WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR PUBLICATION IN
CIM JOURNALS IF FILED IN WRITING WITH THE TECHNICAL PROGRAM CHAIRMAN PRIOR TO THE CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING. ABSTRACT It has long been established that micro- organisms can and do affect the properties of drilling fluids. This topic will be addressed in the following four sections: 1. The Nature of Micro-organisms And The Contamination Of Drilling Fluid. 2. Microbial Mechanisms Which Affect Drilling Fluids. 3. Implications of Microbial Contamin- ation. 4. Identification And Control Of Microbial Problems. THE
NATURE-OF MICRO-ORGANISMS There is probably no natural water environ- ment, no matter how harsh, which does not contain some form of inicro-orqanism. There are literally hundreds of thousands of species of micro-organisms (1) and new species are discovered at the rate of more than 1,000 per year (2). Natural pop- ulations can number from a few hundred organisms per litre of fluid to well in excess of a billion per litre. Micro- organisms are a formidable force and are collectively capable of destroying nearly -1- every organic in existence. The role of micro-organisms is essentially the
reduct- ion of complex matter to a more siriple form, and the return of this energy to the environment as the building blocks of life. TCRO13I7 L LNNU-LUN I CONTAMINATION OF DRILLINC, FLUIDS Drilling fluids are constantly exposed to large numbers and types of micro-organisms. Although drilling fluids and their additives were.once thought to have low susceptability to microbial attack, we know now that most drilling fluids, by their very nature and complex organic structure are ideal environ- ments for a variety of micro-organisms. Natural gums, carboxymethylcellulose,
liqnosulphonates, tannins, lignins and many other compounds which are added to muds are all found to be susceptable to biodegrad- ation (5). Even the synthetic polymers such as polvacrylamides are not immune to attack (6). There are piany vectors for drilling fluid contamination the source water used to prepare the rqud, wind blown dust and dirt, rain, human contact, and possibly even some of the materials which are used to prepare the mud. Once the contamination occurs, a
 PETROLEUM SOCIETY OF CIM PAPER NO. 833422

"
THIS IS A PREPRINT - SUBJECT TO CORRECTION

MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION OF
DRILLING FLUIDS AND ITS
IMPLICATIONS ON DRILLING
by
H.B. Freeman
Pan Technical Industries Ltd.

PUBLICATION RIGHTS RESERVED

THIS PAPER IS TO BE PRESENTED AT THE 34th ANNUAL TECHNICAL MEETING OF THE PETROLEUM
SOCIETY OF CIM HELD JOINTLY WITH THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF DRILLING ENGINEERS IN BANFF,
MAY 10 13,1963. DISCUSSION OFTHIS PAPER IS INVITED. SUCH DISCUSSION MAY BE PRESENTED ATTHE
TECHNICAL MEETING AND WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR PUBLICATION IN CIM JOURNALS IF FILED IN
WRITING WITH THE TECHNICAL PROGRAM CHAIRMAN PRIOR TO THE CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING.

ABSTPACT every organic in existence. The role of

micro-orqanisms is essentially the reduct-
It has long been established that micro- ion of complex matter to a more simple
organisms can and do affect the properties form, and the return of this energy to the
of drilling fluids. This topic will be environment as the building blocks of life.
addressed in the following four sections:
1. The Nature Of Micro-organisms And The ~ICROBIAL CONTAMINATION OF DRILLINr, FLUIDS
Contamination Of Drilling Fluid.
Drillinq fluids are constantly exposed to
2. Microbial Mechanisms Which Affect large numbers and types of micro-organisms.
Drilling Fluids. Although drilling fluids and their additives
J. Implications of Microbial Contamin- were once thought to have low susceptability
ation.
to microbial attack, we know now that most
drilling fluids, by their very nature and
4. Identification And Control Of complex organic structure are ideal environ-
Microbial Problems. ments for a variety of micro-organisms.

THE NATURE OF MICRO-ORGANISMS Natural gums, carboxymethylcellulose,

There is probably no natural water environ-
ment, no matter how harsh, which does not
contain some form of micro-orqanism. There
are literally hundreds of thousands of
species of micro-organisms (1) and new
species are discovered at the rate of more
than 1,000 per year (2). Natural pop-
ulations can number from a few hundred
organisms per litre of fluid to well in
excess of a billion per litre. Micro-
organisms are a formidable force and are
collectively capable of destroying nearly
liqnosulphonates, tannins, lignins and many
other compounds which are added to muds are
all found to be susceptable to biodegrad-
ation (5). Even the synthetic polymers
such as polvacrylamides are not immune to
attack (6).
There are many vectors for drilling fluid
cont~ination. the source water used to
prepare the mud, wind blown dust and dirt,
rain, human contact, and possibly even some
of the materials which are used to prepare
the mud. Once the contamination occurs, a

-1-
nwm~er of other factors determine just how
ser~ous the problem will be.
1_ The temperature of the re-circulat-
ing mud.
2_ The composition of the water used
to make up new mud.
3. The chemical nature of the mud
system itself.
4. The length of t.Ume that is required
to drill the hole.
5. The type of micro-organisms which
become established.
Given sufficient time, a population will
eventually be established which can
have a serious affect on the properties
of the drilling fluid.
There are a number of methods by which
bio~ogical activity san alter a drilling
flu~d_ One mechanism of indirect attack
is th 7 excr~tion of metabolic byproducts.
Th~ l~berat~on, for example, of organic
aClds in a drilling mud may result in a
low~ring of the pH and subsequent loss of
flu~d character. The production of H S
by sulphate reducing bacteria may aff~ct
some drilling fluids, in addition to
pot 7ntial increased corrosion of drilling
equlpment_
A second mechanism might be microbial
attack of a mud constituent without
actual alteration of the chemical proper-
ties of that constituent. Grula and
Sewell (7) found that polyacrylamides
stimulate the growth cf SREs with a result
a~t lo~s in viscosity of the polymer. The
v~scos~ty loss was found not to be a
result of mono~er biodegradation, but
:ather a breaking of the polymer chain
lnto shorter units and thus reduced
viscosity.
Direct biodegradation is the most rapid
and effective mode by which micro-
organisms alter the properties of a dril-
ling fluid. This type of degradation is
the result of the excretion of bio-
chemi~al catalysts called enzJ~es. The
funct~on of these enzymes is to catalyze
the breaking of chemical bonds such that
the micro-organisms have access to part-
icular atoms or molecular groups, for
essential processes of metabolism. These
complex biochemical reactions go far
beyond the scope of this paper, however
if is important to understand that enz~es
are specific. Some have nearly absolute
specificity for a given substrate or bond
whereas others will attack a given bond
shared by the whole class of molecules.
Once the target bond is broken the enzyme
becomes free to attack the same type of
bond again and again until the enzyme
itself in some way is destroyed. It is by
the production of enzymes that all organic
additives and many inorganic additives are
attacked. The speed with which enzymes
a:e produced becomes very important and is
l~kely the bottom line in cases of serious
attack.
If micro-organisms are already genetically
programmed to produce enzymes capable of
decomposing various constituents, bio-
degradati~n will be rapid. For example, if
waters wh~ch are high in liqnins and tan-
nins ~re used to prepare the mud, the
organlsrns capable of decomposing these
compounds will already be present and can
quickly begin attacking tannins and liqnins
from th~ drilling program. In this example
the tralt for tannin degradation was one
~xpressed both before and after the orqan-
~sm was exposed to drilling fluid_
Micro-organisms do not always have to be
actively expressing an inherent character-
istic in order to main tain the trai t. 'T'ha t
is, the micro-organisms do not have to be
actively secreting the enzyme necessary to
degrade tannin at the time of exposure to
the mud system, but once exposed to the
system they can be stimulated to express
that trait (4).
It is important to understand also, that
micro-organisms do not have to possess
that inherent quality in order to bio-
degrade a particular compound_ This
ability can he quickly developed throuqh
a process of genetic adaptation and thus,
th:o~gh the process of evolution, the
abll~ty to produce the correct enzyme is
developed_ The speed with which this
occurs can be better understood when one
considers that the same numher of genera-
tions that would require a million years in
human evolution can be compressed into less
than two years by micro-organisms_
If for example it took a group of micro-
organisms one year to develop the enzyme
necessary to attack a particular compound,
there would be little risk that that
material would be attacked in most dril-
ling programs. However, if the necessary
enzyme could be developed in two months,
the potential for problems increases and if
it could be developed in only two weeks
there would be a serious risk_ ~he more
complicated the structure to be attacked,
generally the longer it will take micro-
organisms to develop the necessary enzymes
to degrade it.
Regardless of the time frame, biodegrada-
tion of drilling fluid additives is serious
It can result in mysterious fluid loss
control problems and significant fluctu-
ations in viscosity which seriously impairs
drilling. ~he consistency of the fluid
may change resulting in loss of mud homo-
qenei ty _ 'T'he breakinq 0 f even a sing le
bond can completely destroy the character
of an additive. If tannins or alkali