Petroleum & Drilling

Intermediate

Balanced Mud Weight

Mud weight needed to just balance formation pore pressure.

Formula

MW = \frac{P_{pore}}{0.052 \times TVD}

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Variables

MWMud weight (ppg)

P_{pore}Pore pressure (psi)

TVDDepth (ft)

Example

P_pore=5200, TVD=10000: MW = 10 ppg

Did You Know?

Balanced drilling minimises damage but leaves little margin against an unexpected kick.

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