Predicting Cuttings Transport and Suspension Using a Viscoelastic Drilling Fluid in Extended Reach and Horizontal Wells

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Marquis de Sa ◽  
M. Rosolen ◽  
E. Brandao
Keyword(s):  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Horizontal Wells ◽  
Cuttings Transport

A Novel Approach of Cuttings Transport with Bubbles in Horizontal Wells

2012 ◽  
Vol 524-527 ◽  
pp. 1314-1317 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Ying Li ◽  
Guan Cheng Jiang ◽  
Ling Li ◽  
Wei Xing Xu ◽  
Zhi Heng Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Surface Area ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Horizontal Wells ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Drilling Process ◽  
Cuttings Transport ◽  
Horizontal Section ◽  
Transport Effect ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Cutting Bed

Aiming at the cutting bed settling problems in horizontal section during drilling process, a novel additive FGC for cuttings transport is applied. The experimental results show that the wettability was converted to amphiphobic and the cuttings preferentially attached to gas bubbles after FGC adsorption on the cuttings’ surface. The surface area of the cuttings is increased and the density of it is reduced, making cuttings more easily to be driven by liquid and settlement decrease. Tested by the horizontal simulation device, the cuttings transport effect is good and most of cuttings can be circulated to the outlet position by drilling fluid.

scholarly journals Wet Drilled Cuttings Bed Rheology

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1644
Author(s):  
Camilo Pedrosa ◽  
Arild Saasen ◽  
Bjørnar Lund ◽  
Jan David Ytrehus
Keyword(s):  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Parallel Plates ◽  
Single Particles ◽  
Cuttings Transport ◽  
Transport Studies ◽  
Water Based ◽  
Fluid Properties ◽  
External Forces ◽  
Cuttings Bed

The cuttings transport efficiency of various drilling fluids has been studied in several approaches. This is an important aspect, since hole cleaning is often a bottleneck in well construction. The studies so far have targeted the drilling fluid cuttings’ transport capability through experiments, simulations or field data. Observed differences in the efficiency due to changes in the drilling fluid properties and compositions have been reported but not always fully understood. In this study, the cuttings bed, wetted with a single drilling fluid, was evaluated. The experiments were performed with parallel plates in an Anton Paar Physica 301 rheometer. The results showed systematic differences in the internal friction behaviors between tests of beds with oil-based and beds with water-based fluids. The observations indicated that cutting beds wetted with a polymeric water-based fluid released clusters of particles when external forces overcame the bonding forces and the beds started to break up. Similarly, it was observed that an oil-based fluid wetted bed allowed particles to break free as single particles. These findings may explain the observed differences in previous cutting transport studies.

scholarly journals Simulation of steady-state cuttings transport through a horizontal annulus channel

2019 ◽  
Vol 196 ◽  
pp. 00011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaroslav Ignatenko ◽  
Andrey Gavrilov ◽  
Oleg Bocharov ◽  
Roland May
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Pressure Gradient ◽  
Yield Stress ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Drill Pipe ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Cuttings Transport ◽  
Rigid Spheres ◽  
Pipe Rotation

The current study is devoted to simulating cuttings transport by drilling fluid through a horizontal section of borehole with an annular cross section. Drill pipe rotates in fixed eccentric position. Steady-state flow is considered. Cuttings are rigid spheres with equal diameters. The carrying fluid is drilling mud with Herschel-Bulkley rheology. Suspension rheology depends on local shear rate and particles concentration. Continuous mixture model with algebraic equation for particles slipping velocity is used. Two hydrodynamic regimes are considered: axial flow without drill pipe rotation and with drill pipe rotation. In the case of axial flow was shown that increasing of power index n and consistency factor k increases pressure gradient and decreases cuttings concentration. Increasing of yield stress leads to increasing of pressure gradient and cuttings concentration. Cuttings concentration achieves constant value for high yield stress and not depends on it. Rotation of the drill pipe significantly changes the flow structure: pressure loss occurs and particles concentration decreases in the cross section. Two basic regimes of rotational flow are observed: domination of primary vortex around drill pipe and domination secondary vorticity structures. Transition between regimes leads to significant changes of flow integral parameters.

Viscosity and Density Sweeps in Directional Wells

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evren M. Ozbayoglu ◽  
Flavio Rodrigues ◽  
Reza Ettehadi ◽  
Roland May ◽  
Dennis Clapper
Keyword(s):  
Horizontal Wells ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Cuttings Transport ◽  
Transport Efficiency ◽  
Hole Cleaning ◽  
Bed Erosion ◽  
Inclination Angles ◽  
Similar Density ◽  
Horizontal Wellbores ◽  
The University

Abstract As explorations advance and drilling techniques become more innovative, complex and challenging trajectories arise. In consequence, cuttings transport has continued to be a subject of interest because, if the drilled cuttings cannot be removed from the wellbore, drilling cannot proceed for long. Therefore, efficient cleaning of highly inclined and horizontal wellbores is still among the most important problems to solve, because these types of wells require specialized fluid formulations and/or specific hole cleaning techniques. There are numerous studies and methods that focus in cuttings transportation in highly inclined and horizontal wells. One of them is the use of viscosity and density sweeps. Sweep pills have been used in the drilling industry as a tool to improve hole cleaning. This report presents the analysis of the performance of different sweeps pills working independently and in tandem in polymeric, oil and synthetic based systems and the comparison between them. The main objective of this project is to provide experimental evidence on which types of fluids perform better under certain conditions by studying the effect of viscosity and density in the bed erosion process in highly inclined and horizontal wells. In order to achieve that, several fluid formulations were tested at different inclination angles (90, 75, 60 degrees) in the Small Indoor Flow Loop property of The University of Tulsa’s Drilling Research Projects. The results of the tests are presented in terms of volume of drilled cuttings removed from the test section and measured differential pressures. All the tests were conducted under atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature. Moreover, a 2-Layer model is used for estimating the erosion performance of sweeps for design purposes, and the model estimations are compared with experimental results. From the experiments, it was identified that polymeric, oil and synthetic based muds with similar density and rheological properties eroded and transported the drilled cuttings similarly under similar test conditions. Furthermore, pumping the sweep pills in tandem demonstrated higher cuttings transport efficiency when compared with the sweep pills applied independently.

Prediction of Cuttings Transport Behavior under Drill String Rotation Conditions in High-Inclination Section

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 2059035
Author(s):  
Shihui Sun ◽  
Jinyu Feng ◽  
Zhaokai Hou ◽  
Guoqing Yu
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Drill String ◽  
Additional Contribution ◽  
Fluid Viscosity ◽  
Fluid Flow Rate ◽  
Cuttings Transport ◽  
Hole Cleaning ◽  
Cuttings Bed

Cuttings are likely to accumulate and eventually form a cuttings bed in the highly-deviated section, which usually lead to high friction and torque, slower rate of penetration, pipe stuck and other problems. It is therefore necessary to study cuttings transport mechanism and improve hole cleaning efficiency. In this study, the cuttings-transport behaviors with pipe rotation under turbulent flow conditions in the highly deviated eccentric section were numerically simulated based on Euler solid–fluid model and Realizable [Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text] model. The resulted numerical results were compared with available experimental data in reported literature to validate the algorithm, and good agreement was found. Under the conditions of drill string rotation, cuttings bed surface tilts in the direction of rotation and distributes asymmetrically in annulus. Drill string rotation, drilling fluid flow rate, cuttings diameter, cuttings injection concentration and drilling fluid viscosity affect the axial velocity of drilling fluid; whereas drilling fluid tangential velocity is mainly controlled by the rotational speed of drill string. Increase in value of drill string rotation, drilling fluid flow rate or hole inclination will increase cuttings migration velocity. Notably, drill string rotation reduces cuttings concentration and solid–fluid pressure loss, and their variations are dependent on inclination, cuttings injection concentration, cuttings diameter, drilling fluid velocity and viscosity. However, when a critical rotation speed is reached, no additional contribution is observed. The results can provide theoretical support for optimizing hole cleaning and realizing safety drilling of horizontal wells and extended reach wells.

scholarly journals Cuttings Transport In Horizontal And Highly Deviated Wellbores

2011 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Piroozian ◽  
Issham Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Flow Regime ◽  
Removal Efficiency ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Fluid Velocity ◽  
Fluid Viscosity ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Cuttings Transport ◽  
Drill Cuttings ◽  
Hole Cleaning ◽  
Positive Effect

Lencongan dari laluan tegak menyebabkan rincisan gerudi berkumpul pada bahagian bawah lubang telaga sehingga terbentuknya lapisan rincisan. Akibatnya, berlaku beberapa permasalahan operasi ketika berlangsungnya penggerudian. Daya seret dan kilas yang melampau, kesukaran yang dialami ketika penyorongan rentetan selongsong ke dalam lubang telaga, kesukaran untuk memperoleh operasi penyimenan yang baik, dan lekatan mekanikal paip gerudi adalah antara beberapa contoh lazim yang berkaitan dengan permasalahan terbabit. Sehubungan itu, pemahaman yang baik tentang parameter utama operasi yang mempengaruhi pembersihan lubang telaga adalah penting. Artikel ini mengetengahkan keputusan daripada kajian makmal yang telah dilaksanakan untuk menilai keberkesanan tiga jenis bendalir gerudi dalam menyingkir rincisan gerudi. Kajian makmal melibatkan penggunaan gelung legap aliran sepanjang 17 kaki dengan diameter 2 inci sebagai bahagian ujian. Bagi setiap uji kaji, prestasi pengangkutan rincisan (CTP - Cuttings Transport Performance) ditentukan menerusi pengukuran berat. Keputusan uji kaji dianalisis untuk memperoleh kesan menyeluruh ketiga-tiga parameter operasi, iaitu kelikatan bendalir gerudi, halaju bendalir, dan kecondongan lubang telaga. Kajian terkini membuktikan bahawa penggunaan bendalir gerudi berkelikatan tinggi berupaya meningkatkan CTP jika regim aliran adalah gelora. Walau bagaimanapun, peningkatan kelikatan dalam regim aliran peralihan atau laminar masing-masing mengurangkan CTP secara beransur atau mendadak. Kajian juga menunjukkan bahawa peningkatan sudut kecondongan dari 60° ke 90° memberikan kesan yang positif terhadap CTP. Parameter operasi yang memberikan kesan yang ketara dalam kajian ini ialah halaju aliran, dengan peningkatan kecil yang dialami oleh halaju aliran berjaya memberikan kesan positif yang nyata dalam pembersihan lubang telaga. Kata kunci: Kecekapan penyingkiran rincisan; prestasi pengangkutan rincisan; rincisan gerudi; bendalir gerudi; pembersihan lubang telaga Deviation from vertical path makes drill cuttings to accumulate on the lower side of the wellbore that induces the formation of cuttings bed. Subsequently, relative problems occur while drilling. Excessive torque and drag, difficulties in running casing in hole and accomplishing good cementing jobs and mechanical pipe sticking are few of the classical examples of such problems. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of influential parameters on hole cleaning seems to be essential. This paper presents results of an experimental study that was carried out to evaluate cuttings removal efficiency of three types of drilling fluid. Experiments were conducted using a 17 feet long opaque flow loop of 2 inch diameter as test section. For each test, the amount of cuttings transport performance (CTP) was determined from weight measurements. Three operating parameters were considered, namely drilling fluid viscosity, fluid velocity, and hole inclination. It showed that the use of high-viscosity drilling fluid improved CTP if the flow regime was turbulent. However, increasing viscosity when flow regime was transient or laminar flow lessened CTP gradually or sharply respectively. It was also revealed that an incremental increase in hole inclination from 60° to 90° has a positive effect on CTP. The most influential parameter in this study was fluid velocity in which a small raise of fluid velocity resulted in a substantial positive effect on hole cleaning. Key words: Cuttings removal efficiency; cuttings transport performance; drill cuttings; drilling fluid; hole cleaning

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