Significance and complications of drilling fluid rheology in geothermal drilling: A review

Mohamed, Abdelmjeed; Salehi, Saeed; Ahmed, Ramadan

doi:10.1016/j.geothermics.2021.102066

Significance and complications of drilling fluid rheology in geothermal drilling: A review

Journal Article · Mon Feb 22 23:00:00 EST 2021 · Geothermics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geothermics.2021.102066· OSTI ID:1848846

^[1]; Salehi, Saeed ^[2]; Ahmed, Ramadan ^[2]

Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (United States); Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (United States)
Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (United States)

The harsh downhole conditions of high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) encountered in geothermal wells make the drilling operation challenging. Drilling in such environments requires a special drilling mud formulation with high thermal stability and good rheological properties to fulfill the drilling fluid functions. Therefore, great efforts should be put into selecting the suitable drilling fluid, optimize and monitor the drilling fluid properties throughout drilling operations, and predicting its performance under downhole conditions. Rheological properties significantly impact many drilling parameters such as hole cleaning, fluid and wellbore stability, wellbore hydraulics, torque and drag, and other drilling issues. This paper discusses water-based drilling fluids' flow behavior under HPHT conditions and highlights the significance of fluid rheology in geothermal drilling. The common challenges and complications related to fluid rheology encountered in geothermal drilling are addressed in this paper, such as hole cleaning, wellbore hydraulics, and drilling fluid stability. This article also reviews the recent advances in drilling mud systems, rheology enhancement, and rheological properties measurements at surface and subsurface conditions. Furthermore, the rheology models of drilling fluid at elevated temperatures are reviewed to fully understand their flow behavior and establish a method for drilling engineers to optimize fluid formulations for geothermal drilling.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)

Grant/Contract Number:: EE0008602

OSTI ID:: 1848846

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1829765

Journal Information:: Geothermics, Journal Name: Geothermics Journal Issue: C Vol. 93; ISSN 0375-6505

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
Drilling fluid
Energy & Fuels
Fluid stability
Geology
Geothermal wells
HPHT challenges
Hole cleaning
Rheology
Wellbore hydraulics

Significance and complications of drilling fluid rheology in geothermal drilling: A review

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References (43)

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