Derisking geothermal drilling has obtained significant emphasis in recent years, in an attempt to create a more viable, cost-competitive business model. The current drilling transition, sharing O&G and geothermal technologies and experiences, is improving drilling efficiency, and the implementation of an appropriately designed drilling fluids system can significantly enhance the drilling results. The design and selection of drilling fluids additives and applications for these increasingly hostile environments relies upon unique laboratory testing and subsequent field trials. The new, more intense challenges of the various types of geothermal drilling applications (conventional, EGS, AGS, HDR) require varying and project-specific fluids characteristics; hence, various laboratory techniques and fluids selections processes are required. Laboratory testing is implemented to monitor and predict fluids behavior, as well as to design systems with optimum performance under critical conditions. Following laboratory testing, field trials ensue to prove out the technology. As geothermal drilling operations pursue deeper and more critical well paths and higher sustained temperatures, R&D continues to create drilling additives and practices which will provide enhanced fluid lubricity, corrosion protection, wellbore stability, fluid loss control, enhance MSE, reduced NPT (non-productive time), hole cleaning capability, control of lost circulation, temperature stability, temperature dissipation, and other desired properties, all at greatly elevated circulating and bottom hole temperatures. I wish to introduce some of the testing protocols and results that are being utilized to provide stable, cost-effective drilling fluids for these new, more critical geothermal challenges.

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