Technical choice of dam materials and their environmental impacts Essay

Technical choice of dam materials and their environmental impacts - Essay Example is indispensable that technological advancements alongside scientific innovations have immensely contributed towards making life what it is at present. The field of geotechnical engineering has not lacked behind either. As early as the fourth century BC, the Chinese had discovered that they could use drilling fluids, which was in the form of water, to permeate grounds in such of hydrocarbons (Veil, J, 2002). A drilling fluid, in this respect, is a kind of fluid often used in drilling boreholes on the earth surface such as water wells (Zupan, T, & Kapila, M, 2000). Over time, drilling of deeper and challenging wells necessitated improvements to be implemented in the drilling technology. This led to a somewhat increased efficient and effective fluid for drilling (Wait, S, &Thomas, D, 2003). Since then, the drilling fluids have been adopted in drilling of the natural gas and oil wells, as well as in exploration of the drilling rigs. Drilling mud, on the other hand, is a type of drilling fluid that is in the form of liquid. This liquid is often added into the wellbore to aid in the drilling process (Talal, Y, & Al-Awad, J, 2004). It does so through controlling pressure, provision of buoyancy, stabilization of the given exposed rocks, suspension of the cuttings, cooling the rock and making sure the rock is well lubricated (Stephenson, R, & Seaton, D, 2004). In essence, drilling fluids are vital elements for the whole drilling process that is for maximization of the recovery, as well as reducing on the amount of time required to get the first oil. The drilling fluid falls into three main categories (Omar, A, & Al-Awad, J, 2002). They include water-based muds, non-aqueous muds and the gaseous liquid fluid. Water-based muds can either be categorized as dispersed or... This paper Technical choice of dam materials and their environmental impacts seeks to unveil key issues on matters pertaining the link between, drilling fluid and oil recovery in homogenous reservoirs. It seeks to suggest better ways of utilizing the current drilling fluids in the recovery of oil, as well as future methods that are better suited in the exploration of oil. The Influence of drilling fluid on oil recovery literature contains results of many research projects that were contacted over a period of time. It is evident that the total number of such publications is quite overwhelming, although this does not mean that all the pertinent publication were reviewed, though none of those that were applicable and useful to this work were excluded intentionally. Difficulties that were encountered in review of literature are an attempt to develop the relationship between the two parameters. Initially there has been an attempt to quantify the existing relationship between the use of dr illing fluid and the oil recovery in homogenous reservoirs. Most of these studies were centered on issues that are related with the offshore drilling operations rather than how drilling fluid influences oil recovery on the homogenous reservoirs. In this study it is expected that the results indicate that there is a positive correlation between drilling fluid use and oil recovery in homogenous rocks. Earlier works by Bobik, and Deneki, concluded that the use of drilling fluid increases the recovery of oil in homogenous reservoirs.