Drag reducing additives improve drilling fluid hydraulics
- Baroid Drilling Fluids, Dallas, TX (United States)
The use of drag reducing additives helps drilling fluids develop a lower pressure gradient at a constant flow rate under turbulent flow conditions. At a constant pressure gradient a treated mud will flow faster than an untreated mud because turbulence is suppressed. The phenomenon, however, is unrelated to the lubricity functions of a drilling fluid. Drag reduction cannot be predicted from the description of mud rheology obtained with conventional API test procedures, and the phenomenon is unrelated to shear thinning behavior. Flow properties predicted from the Bingham, power law, Herschel-Bulkley, or Casson models will not correlate with this phenomenon. Simple pipe flow tests can provide a direct method for detecting and quantifying drag reduction activity (provided care is taken in selecting flow conditions). Drag reduction activity can be determined without introducing complicated rheological parameters. These pipe flow tests can be helpful in comparing different types of drag reducing additives. They are also valuable in analyzing the effectiveness of a drag reducer for a particular drilling application.
- OSTI ID:
- 6453392
- Journal Information:
- Oil and Gas Journal; (United States), Journal Name: Oil and Gas Journal; (United States) Vol. 93:11; ISSN OIGJAV; ISSN 0030-1388
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
020300 -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
42 ENGINEERING
422000* -- Engineering-- Mining & Underground Engineering-- (1980-)
ADDITIVES
CALCULATION METHODS
DATA
DRAG
DRILLING
DRILLING FLUIDS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
FRICTION FACTOR
INFORMATION
MATERIALS TESTING
MEASURING METHODS
MICELLAR SYSTEMS
MITIGATION
NUMERICAL DATA
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PRESSURE DROP
TESTING
TURBULENT FLOW
WELL DRILLING