AES Drilling Fluids

Drill baby drill! Special guest Josh Young shares his perspective on the latest in the oilfield. Spoiler alert: he thinks we need more rigs!

Geopolitics impacts everything. Justin and Matt run through general supply chain disruptions as they start to appear. 

When the price of oil gets high, there's lots of water-based mud talk. Justin and Matt break down the decision process and how this time it might be a little easier.

Lots of operators hire someone they trust to oversee mud operations. Justin and Matt discuss the service company relationship, and how it works best.

Think of mud weight window as the safe zone for your drilling fluid—heavy enough to keep the well under control, but not so heavy that it damages the formation. Tune into this episode of The Flowline as Justin and Matt walk through what that “window” really means and why staying in range matters every step of the way.

Tune into this episode of The Flowline as Justin and Matt break down the role of dilution in drilling fluids—when to dilute, and what it means for maintaining optimal mud performance downhole.

Listener request! While we've talked about stuck pipe, what goes in to the chemistry of pipe freeing agents? Justin and Matt break down the most common components.

A listener asks what makes up cement spacers and how they relate to mud. Justin and Matt talk about the cement job and the critical relationship between drilling mud and a good cement job. 

So your FIT failed. What's next? Justin and Matt talk about your options from strengthening the shoe to planning to manage lost circulation risk.

When is it time to cut your losses (literally) and change out your mud system to keep the well economic?

Tried a lubricant and still seeing issues? That’s where the evaluation process begins. Tune into this episode of The Flowline as Justin and Matt break down how to assess non-working lubricants, interpret failed tests, and make informed adjustments before performance suffers.

Justin and Matt have some fun reviewing Claude's advice on some basic drilling mud topics. Hear what it gets right - and what it gets wrong. 

When mud touches everything, there are going to be questions about compatibility. Justin and Matt run through common elatostomer and tests to determine compatibility. 

Listener Request: How much say does the mud company have in operations? Who gets to decide and how does that work between a service provider and the operator running the show?

Justin and Matt got a question about drill beads - several actually. They'll talk types, applications, and everything in-between.

Justin and Matt run through the basics of this critical piece of solids control equipment

Merry Christmas, everyone! Justin and Matt take a few minutes to reflect and extend their gratitude to the folks who keep us turning to the right over the holidays. 

You're on losses. Big losses. When nothing seems to work, what are the considerations for drilling ahead versus calling TD early?

CO2 in OBM usually doesn't create a lot of problems...but could it? Justin and Matt talk about what to consider - and what is less concerning when drilling in CO2-rich areas.

Everyone’s talking about AI. But what does it really mean for drilling, operations, and day-to-day workflows? Justin and Matt unpack the benefits… and the blind spots.

Happy Thanksgiving 2025, ya'll! Justin and Matt share their gratitude with everyone working in the field. 

Bids come in all shapes and sizes. Justin and Matt discuss the challenges of preparing (and evaluating) a drilling fluids proposal. 

Volume accounting is essential for a lot of reasons. What happens when the math doesn't work out? Justin and Matt discuss. 

Not all wells are equal. Some require big budgets while others require smaller budgets. Tune into this episode of The Flowline as Justin and Matt discuss the differences and how mud programs are designed around these budgets.

There has been some interesting commentary from oil and gas market experts, and Justin and Matt discuss an interesting take from Arjun Murti and his insightful Super-Spiked podcast.

We've talked about mixing heavy mud, but what are the practical considerations for drilling with it? Justin and Matt talk mixing, equipment, and other challenges. 

The IEA did an interesting thing lately - it acknowledged how important oil and gas investment will be for the future. Justin and Matt talk about the pivot and how the industry has a lot more work ahead of it to supply the world's energy. 

There are a lot of challenging formations downhole, and many of those challenges start with clay composition. Justin and Matt walk through the basics of clay chemistry.

We drill a lot of laterals, but what about drilling more than one lateral from the same central wellbore? Justin and Matt discuss the different types and a few considerations that make multilaterals simple - or very complex. 

Field trials are just what they sound like - trials. What are some ways to make sure they are as insightful as possible when you're seeing something go downhole for the first time?

Listener request: What does it take to be successful in mud school? Justin and Matt compare their experiences, the challenges, and what to take away from this essential training course for mud engineers.

For the last of this series, we'll run through the common contaminants for oil- and synthetic-based drilling fluids.

Continuing our series on contamination and treatment, Justin and Matt run through some more common contaminants and treatment methods for water-based muds.

Justin and Matt start a short series on contaminants and treatment, starting with acid gases in water-based muds.

Justin and Matt talk about the dynamics between the operator, the mud company, the office, and the field. Like any relationship, it's complicated!

How high is too high for a pH? Justin and Matt break down what pH is, how it impacts drilling, and the added risk of going too high in some situations.

A listener was reaching the breaking point on mud weight. With all those solids, how does one get a 600 rev/min reading? Justin and Matt talk viscometers and how to get readings outside standard ranges. 

It seems simple enough - is it dispersed or not? Justin and Matt discuss non-dispersed and dispersed systems - and what lies in between. 

Hydraulic modeling is an essential tool for drilling fluid engineering. Justin and Matt discuss aspects of hydraulic modeling tools and how they are used. 

Third-party labs have the potential to provide an outside perspective on testing accuracy and avoid bias. Justin and Matt talk about when they are brought into the conversation, run through a not-so-great situation, and what they hope collaboration can become.  

High fluid loss squeezes have specific properties to address challenging lost circulation events. Matt and Justin run through design - and the squeeze procedure.

There's been a lot going on in the news lately on the oil price. Justin and Matt talk about some of the factors impacting how oil and gas prices move as of late. 

Servicing the rig is one thing. Getting materials to and from the location at the right time is another. Justin and Matt discuss the logistical challenges surrounding drilling fluid logistics. 

Justin and Matt talk about the latest drivers of rig count and dig into a little philosophy on troubleshooting evidence.

Matt takes Justin through the third and final AADE paper about how high-powered magnets show there is a lot more metal in the mud than people might think - and where it comes from. 

Will Petty discusses his AADE paper on mechanical specific energy and lubricant performance evaluation. 

This short series will walk us through AES technical papers presented at the AADE National Technical Conference and Exhibition. First up is Richard Toomes, who shares his paper on horseshoe well design. 

How are lubricant providers cheating on cheese? Matt and Justin discuss ways to mitigate cheese - and why some of them have some serious downside. 

X-ray diffraction or XRD is a helpful tool, but how does it work? Where is it useful? Justin and Matt break it down. 

There is a tendency to look at the cost of a barrel of mud in isolation. Justin and Matt talk about the big picture and other cost factors to consider in the drilling program.