This document describes a laboratory experiment to determine the water content of drilling fluid samples. The objective is to determine the water content of each sample. The test procedure involves packing a retort kit with steel wool and mud samples, heating it to evaporate the water, and collecting and measuring the condensed water volume. For one brown mud sample, the procedure yielded 47 ml of condensed water and the dried mud weighed 1.4163 grams. The results and calculations are recorded. In summary, the document outlines a lab experiment to measure water content of drilling fluids by evaporating samples and collecting the condensed water.

1. By:
Mohammed Alghanoudi
Supervised by:
DR. Hamed
Sabratha Faculty of Engineering
Petroleum engineering department
Drilling fluids laboratory
Water Content Determination

2. Contents Introduction
01
Objective
02
Test Procedure
03
RESULTS &
CALCULATIONS
04

3. INTRODUCTION
 Knowledge of the liquid and solids content of a drilling mud is
essential for good control of the mud properties. Such information will
often explain poor performance of the mud and indicate whether the
mud can best be conditioned by the addition of water or whether
treatment with chemical thinner or the removal of the contaminant is
required.
 For muds containing only water and solids, the quantity of each can
be determined from the mud density and from the evaporation of a
weighed sample of mud. water content can also be obtained by
measuring the liquid fraction.

4. OBJECTIVE
The aim of this experiment is to:
o To determine the water
contents of each of the
drilling fluid samples.

5. APPARATUS AND MATERIALS
Oil based mud Cleaning kit Wetting agent Square bar retort
wrench

6. APPARATUS AND MATERIALS
Retort Kit Steel wool grease Measuring
cylinder

7. Test Procedure
The upper chamber was
packed with steel wool.
The water based mud
was selected and the
sample chamber was
filled with the mud until
it reached the surface
The sample
chamber lid was
placed and excess
mud spilled was
cleaned
Sample chamber was
screwed with lid into
the upper chamber
and it was being
tighten using square
bar retort wrench
04
02 06
03
01
The Retort Kit was
set up and the
Power supply was
switched on
05
Step 2 to 5 was repeated by
using anotherThe chamber
was put into the Retort Kit and
the condenser was attached to
the chambers. er type of mud.

8. Test Procedure
10
08 12
09
07 11 13
3 drops of wetting
agent was added in to
the measuring cylinder
and the measuring
cylinder was placed
under the condenser
The Retort Kit was turned
on and the retort kit was
allowed to be heated until
the pilot lamp goes off.
The liquid appeared in
the measuring cylinder
was observed
The chamber and the
furnace was left to cool
off about a day.
After that, the steel wool
was removed using the
corkscrew and the chamber
was cleaned with spatula.
The retort threads was cleaned
and lubricated with high
temperature lubricant.
The result
sample was
weighted and
data was
recorded

9. RESULTS & CALCULATIONS
Brown
Clear/Colourles
s
Condensate Color
1
47
Condensate Volume
(ml)
Total Condensate = 48mL
Weight of Dried Mud = 1.4163g

10. References:
• ASTM D 2216 - Standard Test Method for Laboratory
Determination of Water (Moisture) Content of Soil, Rock, and Soil-
Aggreg
• http://petrowiki.spe.org/Functions_of_drilling_fluid
• http://www.drilling-mud.org/electrical-stability-oil-based-mud-
properties/ate Mixtures .

11. THANK YOU