Colloidal Carbon Beads as Lubricant Additives in Water Based Drilling Fluid

The friction related to bit wear, torque and drag greatly hinder the efficiency for a drilling operation. Colloidal carbon beads, synthesized by a facile solvothermal method, are investigated as an additive for improving the tribological performance. The application and tribological behavior of carbon beads as lubricant additives in water-based drilling fluid are estimated following a standard API/Baroid lubricity tester., the lubricity coefficient of composites of bentonite and carbon beads is lower even at a concentration of 0.2% (wt) compare to the concentration of 3% (wt) graphite powder. The coefficients of friction of carbon beads at different concentrations in water under 1.0 N normal load show significant improvement in its lubricity, reduced about 48% at the concentration of 0.8% (wt) compared to pure water. The rolling mechanism similar to nano or micro scale ball bearings of carbon beads can be pro-posed to account for the lower friction and wear performance.