Application for permit to drill

The Department of the Interior should require offshore operators to provide detailed plans for source control as part of their oil spill response plans and applications for permits to drill. 

Accurate site investigation data with test drillings and pumping tests are also of importance for modelling and simulations to be used for permit applications. The simulations are used to predict the thermal and hydraulic influences and are used for environmental assessment issues as well as for prediction of potential physical damages caused by the pumping of ground water. 

Polyethercyclicpolyols possess enhanced molecular properties and characteristics and permit the preparation of enhanced drilling fluids that inhibit the formation of gas hydrates prevent shale dispersion and reduce the swelling of the formation to enhance wellbore stability, reduce fluid loss, and reduce filter-cake thickness. Drilling muds incorporating the polyethercyclicpolyols are substitutes for oil-based muds in many applications [195-197,1906,1907]. Polyethercyclicpolyols are prepared by thermally condensing a polyol, for example, glycerol to oligomers and cyclic ethers. 

Condensed tannins are excellent clay dispersants. Sulfite extracts from conifer tree barks are very effective in reducing the viscosity and increasing the gel strength of muds used in well drilling (72, 92, 145, 246, 248). Condensed tannins still face strong competition from lignosulphonates for this application, particularly because of the comparatively low thermal stability and salt tolerance of the tannin (96). However, reaction of tannins with chromium increases their thermal stability considerably to permit their use in muds for wells drilled as deep as 6000 feet (208). Sulfonated condensed tannin derivatives have found use as dispersants in other specialty applications, such as ceramic clays, pigments, carbon black, and pesticides (93, 96). 

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