Evaluation of the Suitability of Banana Trunk Peel as a Lost Circulation Material

One way to treat lost circulation in oil wells, is the enhancement of drilling fluids using lost circulation materials, primarily to physically plug fractures, control fluid loss and enhance other properties of drilling fluid. Hence, Banana trunk peel (BTP) is investigated to determine its suitability based on these variables. The sample was prepared, pulverized and a sieve analysis and particle size distribution analysis was carried out on the sample according to recommended practice. Some materials and apparatuses utilized in experimental procedures were a sample of wyoming Bentonite clay, CaCO3, CMC, a 5mm simulated fracture slot, a HTHP Filter press, a LTLP Filter press, a mud balance, Fann V-G meter and a Methylene Blue Test (MBT) toolkit. The result showed that BTP formed a seal on the 5mm fracture slot, wider than its D90 Particle size, thus displaying a good sealing ability characteristic of fibrous materials. BTP failed to control fluid loss compared to CMC which controlled the most fluid loss considered in equal concentrations. Particle size ratios of BTP also had an effect on filtration loss under HTHP conditions. The CEC value recorded in Methylene Blue capacity (MBC) after a day, was unaltered in Water based mud (WBM) containing BTP which implies that BTP cannot reduce the amount of reactive clay in WBM after a day.