Drill-pipe fatigue in rotary drilling of horizontal wells
- Maurer Engineering Inc., Houston, TX (United States)
Operators have found that rotating the drill pipe in motor drilling can often increase penetration rates 50 to 200% in short- and medium-radius wells due to the reduction in frictional drag. Rotating drill pipe in short-radius (30 to 50 ft) horizontal wells can result in drill-pipe fatigue failures after 4 to 8 wells. Monitoring drill-pipe fatigue damage for each joint of drill pipe used in rotary drilling horizontal wells is therefore crucial to prevent drill-pipe failures. This paper presents a basic analysis on drill-pipe fatigue and a computer program developed to predict drill-pipe fatigue in rotary drilling of horizontal wells. According to the fatigue theory, drill-pipe fatigue damage accumulates until the drill pipe fails. The accumulative drill-pipe fatigue damage is determined by drill-pipe bending stresses, rotating revolutions, and drill pipe S-N curves. Drill-pipe fatigue damage is also related to drill-pipe material, bit weight, penetration rate, and other drilling variables. Drill pipe S-N curves are important in predicting drill-pipe fatigue. Drilling conditions such as drilling fluid corrosion and axial load are considered in modifying the typical S-N curves to give more reliable drill-pipe fatigue predictions.
- OSTI ID:
- 287854
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-960154-; ISBN 0-9648731-8-4; TRN: IM9639%%474
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Energy Week `96: American Society of Mechanical Engineers and American Petroleum Institute energy week conference and exhibition, Houston, TX (United States), 21 Jan - 2 Feb 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of Energy week `96: Conference papers. Book 3: Drilling and production economics; PB: 419 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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