Looking to boost the effectiveness of drilling shale.
Tests focused on four partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (PHPA) polymer products from two manufacturers. Shale materials of Pennsylvanian and Devonian age were obtained from cores drilled at three locations. Specific laboratory experiments included preliminary Atterberg limits and mineralogical characterization, jar slake testing, slake durability (drum slake) testing, unconfined axial swell testing and bulk hardness testing. The last was conducted using a newly developed extrusion testing system.