Waste Management and Disposal of Cuttings and Drilling Fluid Waste Resulting from the Drilling and Completion of Wells to Produce Orinoco Very Heavy Oil in Eastern Venezuela

Abstract

Abstract During the next decade and beyond, a large number of wells will be drilled in Eastern Venezuela in order to produce very heavy oil. Because of both the nature of the reservoir and the length of the horizontal section, water based drilling fluids will become contaminated with anywhere from 3-20% crude oil during the drilling process. The result will be the need for disposal of large quantities of oil contaminated water base mud and oil soaked cuttings. This paper discusses the options that are available for the disposal of the cuttings and focuses in particular on biological methods of cleaning the cuttings, including land farming and the use of composting biopiles. We also discuss the potential use and development of a mobile bioreactor that can be located on the drilling site. This reactor will contain the waste during the degradation process and maintain conditions that will result in virtually total degradation of the organic compounds with carbon dioxide and water being the main by-products.