Soil properties affecting wheat yields following drilling-fluid application.

Oil and gas drilling operations use drilling fluids (mud) to lubricate the drill bit and stem, transport formation cuttings to the surface, and seal off porous geologic formations. Following completion of the well, waste drilling fluid is often applied to cropland. We studied potential changes in soil compaction as indicated by cone penetration resistance, pH, electrical conductivity (EC(e)), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), extractable soil and total straw and grain trace metal and nutrient concentrations, and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. 'TAM 107') grain yield following water-based, bentonitic drilling-fluid application (0-94 Mg ha(-1)) to field test plots. Three methods of application (normal, splash-plate, and spreader-bar) were used to study compaction effects. We measured increasing SAR, EC(e), and pH with drilling-fluid rates, but not to levels detrimental to crop production. Field measurements revealed significantly higher compaction within areas affected by truck travel, but also not enough to affect crop yield. In three of four site years, neither drilling-fluid rate nor application method affected grain yield. Extractions representing plant availability and plant analyses results indicated that drilling fluid did not significantly increase most trace elements or nutrient concentrations. These results support land application of water-based bentonitic drilling fluids as an acceptable practice on well-drained soils using controlled rates.

Effects of Carbon dioxide on the Rheological behavior and oxygen transfer in submerged penicillin fermentations.

Fermentations of Penicillium chrysogenum have been made with different CO(2) contents in the influent gas streams. The rheological behavior of the culture broth was found to be significantly changed by exposure to high levels of CO(2). This is attributed to the wide variation in the morphology of P. chrysogenum, from normal mycelia with long hyphae to roughly spherical pellets when subjected to high levels of CO(2). A correlation has been developed relating volumetric O(2) transfer coefficients, k(L)a, with the effective O(2) diffusion coefficients, D(e), and the apparent viscosities, micro(app), based on the results obtained in this study. The use of CO(2) as a potent means for altering the rheological properties of culture broths and consequently improving the O(2) transfer capabilities in penicillin fermentations was clearly demonstrated.