A method of monitoring the drilling operations by analysing the circulating drilling mud.

摘要

Samples of mud are taken periodically at the surface at one or several locations where the mud does not contain cuttings anymore. The mud samples are analyzed on the rig site to determine the successive values, as a function of time or depth, of a parameter representative of the weight of the fine solids present in the mud. In one aspect of the invention the weight of the fine solids present in the mud is determined by measuring the weight of the liquid phase of the mud and the weight of the electrolyte dissolved in a known weight of mud. Preferably the weight of the liquid phase is determined by drying to constant weight a given weight of mud and the weight of electrolyte is determined by chemical analysis of the mud filtrate using an ion chromatography system on the rig site.