Impact of drilling fluid rheology and wellbore pressure on rock cuttings removal performance: numerical investigation
Abstract
Drilling fluids exhibit non-Newtonian behavior which is generally described in the literature by two rheological models: Power Law and Herschel-Bulkley models. We have used Eulerian- Eulerian multiphase flow model to evaluate the drilling fluid flow patterns and filter cake formation patterns for both models for ultra-deep drilling conditions. Simulated drilling fluid flow patterns clearly show that the Herschel - Bulkley model exhibits fewer vortices around the drilling pipe, indicating better rock cuttings removal performance. In addition to mud rheology, we have analyzed the pressure drop variation with the filter cake formation on the wellbore during ultradeep drilling process. We have shown that filter cake thickness at the wall linearly increases with differential pressure between the well and formation. This implies that the differential pressure needs to be optimized. Very thin filter cake may lead to excessive fluid seepage into the permeable subterranean vertical zone resulting in a loss of fluid circulation and hence in a loss of rock cuttings removal. Yet, very thick filter cake reduces the effective diameter of the hole which may lead to a poor rock cuttings removal performance and stuck pipe. The mathematical model presented here needs to be experimentally validated when filter cake thickness datamore »
- Authors:
-
- National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, Morgantown, WV (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1239132
- Report Number(s):
- NETL-PUB-20218
Journal ID: ISSN 1932-2135
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Asia-Pacific Journal of Chemical Engineering
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 10; Journal Issue: 6; Journal ID: ISSN 1932-2135
- Publisher:
- Curtin University of Technology and Wiley
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 03 NATURAL GAS; 02 PETROLEUM
Citation Formats
Gamwo, Isaac K., and Kabir, Mohd A. Impact of drilling fluid rheology and wellbore pressure on rock cuttings removal performance: numerical investigation. United States: N. p., 2015.
Web. doi:10.1002/apj.1917.
Gamwo, Isaac K., & Kabir, Mohd A. Impact of drilling fluid rheology and wellbore pressure on rock cuttings removal performance: numerical investigation. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/apj.1917
Gamwo, Isaac K., and Kabir, Mohd A. Wed .
"Impact of drilling fluid rheology and wellbore pressure on rock cuttings removal performance: numerical investigation". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/apj.1917. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1239132.
@article{osti_1239132,
title = {Impact of drilling fluid rheology and wellbore pressure on rock cuttings removal performance: numerical investigation},
author = {Gamwo, Isaac K. and Kabir, Mohd A.},
abstractNote = {Drilling fluids exhibit non-Newtonian behavior which is generally described in the literature by two rheological models: Power Law and Herschel-Bulkley models. We have used Eulerian- Eulerian multiphase flow model to evaluate the drilling fluid flow patterns and filter cake formation patterns for both models for ultra-deep drilling conditions. Simulated drilling fluid flow patterns clearly show that the Herschel - Bulkley model exhibits fewer vortices around the drilling pipe, indicating better rock cuttings removal performance. In addition to mud rheology, we have analyzed the pressure drop variation with the filter cake formation on the wellbore during ultradeep drilling process. We have shown that filter cake thickness at the wall linearly increases with differential pressure between the well and formation. This implies that the differential pressure needs to be optimized. Very thin filter cake may lead to excessive fluid seepage into the permeable subterranean vertical zone resulting in a loss of fluid circulation and hence in a loss of rock cuttings removal. Yet, very thick filter cake reduces the effective diameter of the hole which may lead to a poor rock cuttings removal performance and stuck pipe. The mathematical model presented here needs to be experimentally validated when filter cake thickness data in deep drilling conditions become available. The model could be useful to provide drilling engineers insight on the filter cake formation, drilling fluid flow pattern, and give guide-line to optimize the filter cake as field experimental data are scarce.},
doi = {10.1002/apj.1917},
journal = {Asia-Pacific Journal of Chemical Engineering},
number = 6,
volume = 10,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Sep 02 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Wed Sep 02 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
Other availability
Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal
Save to My Library
You must Sign In or Create an Account in order to save documents to your library.
Works referenced in this record:
Multiphase CFD-based models for chemical looping combustion process: Fuel reactor modeling
journal, April 2008
- Jung, Jonghwun; Gamwo, Isaac K.
- Powder Technology, Vol. 183, Issue 3
Validation of a new filtration technique for dewaterability characterization
journal, July 2001
- Usher, Shane P.; De Kretser, Ross G.; Scales, Peter J.
- AIChE Journal, Vol. 47, Issue 7
CFD modelling of a liquid–solid fluidized bed
journal, November 2007
- Cornelissen, Jack T.; Taghipour, Fariborz; Escudié, Renaud
- Chemical Engineering Science, Vol. 62, Issue 22
Numerical Modelling of Cake Formation and Fluid Loss from Non-Newtonian Muds During Drilling Using Eccentric/Concentric Drill Strings With/Without Rotation
journal, July 2000
- Fisher, K. A.; Wakeman, R. J.; Chiu, T. W.
- Chemical Engineering Research and Design, Vol. 78, Issue 5
Concentration profile within non-uniform mudcakes
journal, January 1991
- Sherwood, John D.; Meeten, Gerald H.; Farrow, Christopher A.
- Journal of the Chemical Society, Faraday Transactions, Vol. 87, Issue 4
Frictional–collisional equations of motion for participate flows and their application to chutes
journal, January 1990
- Johnson, P. C.; Nott, P.; Jackson, R.
- Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 210
Locally averaged equations of motion for a mixture of identical spherical particles and a Newtonian fluid
journal, August 1997
- Jackson, R.
- Chemical Engineering Science, Vol. 52, Issue 15
Modeling the effect of particle size and charge on the structure of the filter cake in ultrafiltration
journal, October 1998
- Fred Fu, L.; Dempsey, Brian A.
- Journal of Membrane Science, Vol. 149, Issue 2
Rheological properties of biopolymers drilling fluids
journal, August 2009
- Baba Hamed, Samira; Belhadri, Mansour
- Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, Vol. 67, Issue 3-4
Frictional–collisional constitutive relations for granular materials, with application to plane shearing
journal, March 1987
- Johnson, P. C.; Jackson, R.
- Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 176, Issue -1
Squeeze-film rheometry of non-uniform mudcakes
journal, January 1991
- Sherwood, J. D.; Meeten, G. H.; Farrow, C. A.
- Journal of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 39, Issue 3
Dynamic Filtration of Bentonite Muds Under Different Flow Conditions
conference, April 2013
- Fordham, E. J.; Ladva, H. K. J.; Hall, C.
- SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition
The Analysis of the Dynamic Filtration and Permeability Impairment Characteristics of Inhibited Water Based Muds
conference, April 2013
- Peden, James M.; Avalos, Margarita R.; Arthur, Kevin G.
- SPE Formation Damage Control Symposium
An Experimental Study of Drilling Fluids Dynamic Filtration
conference, April 2013
- Vaussard, A.; Martin, M.; Konirsch, O.
- SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition