AES Drilling Fluids

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. 

Episode 289 | Corrosion

Episode 288 | Interview with Josh Young