ABSTRACT
Weintritt Testing Laboratories, Inc., PO Box 30162, Lafayette, Louisiana 70503, USA
and
T. H. FIELDSEND
Data Technology Research, Inc., 301 Route 17N, Rutherford, New Jersey 07070, USA
ABSTRACT In the Gulf of Mexico General NPDES Permit issued in July 1986, the discharge of mud to which diesel had been added was prohibited unless, (1) the oil was added as a pill to free stuck drill pipe, (2) the pill plus at least 50 bbl of drilling fluid on either side of the pill was removed from the active mud system and not discharged, and (3) the operator participated in the Diesel Pill Monitoring Program (DPMP). The objective of the DPMP was to evaluate the effectiveness of diesel recovery practices after a diesel pill had been spotted to free stuck pipe. This involved measuring the diesel content and toxicity of mud samples taken before and after pill recovery.
