Performance Evaluation of Esters Extracted from Waste Cooking Palm Oil on the Rheology, Filtration and Mud Cake Properties of Water Based Drilling Mud
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56532/mjsat.v6i1.730Keywords:
Waste Cooking Palm Oil, Bio ester, Water-Based Mud, Filtration Control, RheologyAbstract
The synthesis of high-purity biodegradable esters from Waste Cooking Palm Oil (WCPO) represents a transformative shift toward sustainable drilling operations. By utilizing acid-catalyzed transesterification, this research successfully converts a low-value waste stream into a functional chemical additive capable of enhancing Water-Based Mud (WBM) performance. A critical aspect of this innovation is the achieved chemical purity of 98.8%, which ensures the bioester remains stable under high-shear environments. While commercial ester benchmarks at 4% concentration resulted in 15 mL fluid loss, the synthesized WCPO ester achieved a 61.5% improvement in fluid loss compared to the base mud, reducing loss to 10 mL and forming an ultra-thin 2/32-inch mudcake. Furthermore, rheological analysis confirmed that the ester stabilizes the Yield Point (YP) and Plastic Viscosity (PV) within operational limits, maintaining a predictable density range (7.7 to 8.5 ppg) compared to the erratic fluctuations observed in commercial alternatives. Although current results validate performance under Low-Pressure Low-Temperature (LPLT) conditions, this work establishes a foundation for future High-Pressure High-Temperature (HPHT) thermal stability validation. Therefore, this study demonstrates a viable waste-to-value pathway that supports the Malaysian circular economy and local SME scalability by providing a low-energy (65°C), cost-effective alternative to synthetic lubricants.
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