Venture Innovations, Inc.

Rodrigue V Lauzon

Disclosed is a process of formulating an aqueous medium to minimize the swelling and dispersion of subterranean formations contacted by the aqueous medium, particularly the aqueous phase of a water base drilling fluid. The process comprises: measuring a filtration property of a series of aqueous slurries containing particles of the subterranean formation and various concentrations of a water soluble compound which inhibits the swelling or dispersion of shales to determine the concentration range of the compound which maximizes the filtration rate; measuring a filtration property or the zeta potential of a series of aqueous slurries having a varying pH in the range from about 8 to about 13 to determine the pH range which either maximizes the filtration rate or provides a zeta potential in the range of about -10 millivolts to about +20 millivolts, respectively; and utilizing the concentration range of the compound and the pH range to formulate the aqueous medium.

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Taylor Lake Village, TX, United States of America

Rodrigue V Lauzon