Briones' team successfully defended their research proposal

Allesteve John Fabiano, Jose Angelo F. Ignacio,  and Franz Carlo Villanueva successfully defended their thesis proposal entitled "Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) Peel Powder as an Additive of Water-Based Drilling Mud" last November 27, 2022, in partial fulfillment of their Petroleum Engineering Methods of Research. 

A successful drilling operation necessitates using drilling fluids that have the right properties for the work, such as little formation damage, high cutting carrying capacity, and high viscosity (Ahmad et al., 2018). Once drilling fluids are circulated through the formation, fluid invasion can occur, leading to the creation of a filter cake (Yao et al. 2014). Furthermore, it may result in the pipe becoming stuck. The fluid discharged during drilling operations damages the drilling fluid's properties and geological formation (Kosynkin et al., 2012). Therefore, controlling fluid loss is critical for both the performance of drilling and the productivity of wells (Oleas et al., 2010).

The chemical additives used to modify the qualities of the drilling fluid are harmful to both the environment and personal safety. The oil and gas sector has implemented several strategies to mitigate the negative effects that waste from drilling operations has on the environment. One of these strategies is the utilization of ecologically friendly drilling fluid additives.

Their study will focus on using rambutan peel powder as a drilling fluid additive to control fluid losses. Here, the effect of various loadings of rambutan peels on the rheological and fluid loss properties of the resulting mud will be investigated.

Their research project will be conducted from 2023 to 2024.