pH control is important with all water based mud systems to ensure proper functioning of chemical additives and to limit the potential for corrosion.
pH must be maintained within the range specified in the drilling fluids programme.
Equipment
Use of a calibrated pH meter is the preferred method of measurement.
Good quality pH paper, accurate to ± 0.5, may be used as a temporary solution.
Reporting
Must be reported to a minimum accuracy of ± 0.5 (paper) or +/- 0.1 (meter).
Sources of Error
Relatively error free provided pH meter is properly calibrated and pH paper is fairly new.