Mobil Oil Corporation

Thomas J Sheerin

Henry H Ashjian

Larry C Peel

Robert S Williamson

Well fluids such as drilling muds, especially useful in offshore drilling, are formulated with a hydrocarbon oil blend of a low viscosity poly alpha-olefin (PAO) such as a low molecular weight oligomer of decene together with a C.sub.10 to C.sub.18 paraffinic hydrocarbon of petroleum origin and a C.sub.10 to C.sub.18 olefin such as dodecene-1 or tetradecene-1. The fluids exhibit good biodegradability and are non-toxic to marine organisms; they also meet viscosity and pour points specifications for formulation into oil based muds.

Non toxic, biodegradable well fluids

Naphthyl acetals are made by reacting a naphthol with an alkyl vinyl ether under the influence of an aliphatic acid catalyst. For example n-butyl-1-naphthyl acetal is made by reacting 1-naphthol with n-butyl vinyl ether in the presence of up to about 5 mole percent, based on moles of naphthol, of a weak organic acid such as acetic acid or other aliphatic monocarboxylic acids.

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Woodbridge, NJ, United States of America

Thomas J Sheerin