Date Palm Tree-Based Fibrous LCM ARC Eco-Fiber -A Better Alternative to Equivalent Imported Products

Abstract

Abstract A novel fibrous LCM coined "ARC Eco-Fiber" has been developed using deceased date tree wastes to use as an alternative to equivalent imported products. Every year about 5 to 10% trees are discarded due to old age, poor food bearing capacity and also due to the damage and degradation of trees by diseases. Currently, there is no industrial use of the discarded and deceased date palm trees available in the Kingdom. Moreover, the disposal of the deceased and old trees is a big headache for the date farming communities due to the economic cost and their negative impact on surrounding environment and the existing date farm plants. As there is a sustainable source of discarded and deceased date trees in the Kingdom, it is a potential source of raw material for localization of fibrous LCM product development to replace the equivalent imported products. The industrial use of deceased and old date trees will also boost the growth of local industries and enterprises along with the creation of new job opportunities for the local communities. It will also help to uplift the social and economic condition of the date farming communities. The date palm trunk-based fibrous LCM described in this paper indicates good ductile and malleable characteristics and thus expected to have good tensile and compressive load bearing capacity to prevent damage and degradation while pumping. The performance of the newly developed fibrous LCM "ARC Eco-Fiber" was evaluated using a see-through and a Permeability Plugging Test (PPT) Apparatus. The PPT apparatus used 2mm slotted disc, 250 oF temperature and 1000 psi pressure to conduct the tests. A commercial fibrous LCM product widely used by industry has also been tested to compare the performance of the date palm trunk-based fibrous LCM -ARC Eco-Fiber. The results demonstrated superior sealing and plugging efficiency for the ARC Eco-Fiber with little or no loss of whole mud compared to the widely used commercial fibrous LCM product. Both the conventional and see-through test results indicate effective sealing and plugging performance for the date palm waste-based fibrous LCMs and thus demonstrated the reliability of the product as an alternative to equivalent imported LCM products.