Smearing of a Kick While Being Displaced From a Well

1991 ◽  
Vol 113 (3) ◽  
pp. 154-156
Author(s):  
M. Haciislamoglu ◽  
J. Langlinais
Keyword(s):  
Computer Model ◽  
Velocity Profiles ◽  
Newtonian Fluids ◽  
Well Control ◽  
Gas Kick

Well control operations while drilling with an oil-base mud can suffer several unexpected phenomena. One of these is the dispersion (smearing) of the gas in solution whenever a gas kick is being circulated from the well. If the gas influx has gone into solution, it is very important to predict the movement of this gas-contaminated mud as it is circulated from the well. A computer model of non-Newtonian fluids flowing in an annulus of any eccentricity has been developed with which to accurately model this dispersion. The movement of the gas-contaminated mud is predicted as a consequence of the velocity profiles established as the displacement of the annulus progresses.

Well Control Technology of High Temperature and High Pressure with Different Well Shapes

2013 ◽  
Vol 316-317 ◽  
pp. 860-866
Author(s):  
Yan Jun Li ◽  
Xiang Nan He ◽  
Xiao Wei Feng ◽  
Ya Qi Zhang ◽  
Ling Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Control Process ◽  
Formation Pressure ◽  
Well Drilling ◽  
Well Control ◽  
Direct Invasion ◽  
Bottom Hole ◽  
Gas Kick

Well control safe is the prerequisite of safety drilling, especially for high temperature and high pressure horizontal wells. However, there are few papers about well control of horizontal well drilling, which mostly learn from vertical well control process. By means of analysis of the theory of gas kick, we conclude that underbalance, the bottom hole pressure is less than the formation pressure is the main means of gas invasion. During balance period, the gas also intrudes into wellbore through the way of direct invasion, diffusion invasion and replacement invasion, but the amount of gas kick is less, so the risk of well control is small. This paper also anlyses the kick tolerance, the kick tolerance decreases with the increasing of drilling fluid density when the formation pressure and drilling equipment is constant.

An experimental study of low-Reynolds-number exchange flow of two Newtonian fluids in a vertical pipe

2011 ◽  
Vol 682 ◽  
pp. 652-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. M. BECKETT ◽  
H. M. MADER ◽  
J. C. PHILLIPS ◽  
A. C. RUST ◽  
F. WITHAM
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Viscous Fluid ◽  
Flow Regime ◽  
Low Reynolds Number ◽  
Velocity Profiles ◽  
Newtonian Fluids ◽  
Exchange Flow ◽  
Volume Flux ◽  
Two Fluids

We present an experimental study of a buoyancy-driven, low-Reynolds-number (Re < 1) exchange flow of two Newtonian fluids in a vertical cylindrical pipe (length 1 m and diameter 38.4 mm) connecting two fluid reservoirs. The denser, more viscous fluid was golden syrup and the less dense, less viscous fluid was a golden syrup–water solution; the ratio of the viscosities of the two fluids (β) ranged from 2 to 1180. Flows were initiated by removing a bung in the base of the upper reservoir or sliding out a gate positioned at the top, middle or bottom of the pipe. We observe the flows over long time durations (up to 356 h), and define the development of the flow with reference to a non-dimensional time (τ). The initial transient development of the flow was dependent on which of the two fluids initially filled the pipe, but this did not systematically affect the flow regime observed at τ ≫ 1. Two distinct flow regimes were observed: axisymmetric core-annular flow (CAF), in which the less viscous fluid occupies a cylindrical core and the denser fluid flows downwards in an annulus, and side-by-side (SBS) flow where both fluids are in contact with the pipe and there is a single interface between them. CAF formed at β ≥ 75 and SBS flow at β ≤ 117. In several experiments, for 5 ≤ β ≤ 59, a slowly developing transitional SBS (TSBS) flow was observed where SBS flow and CAF occurred simultaneously with SBS in the lower portion of the pipe; SBS existed throughout most of the pipe and in one case grew with time to entirely fill the pipe. Velocity profiles determined by tracking tracer particles show that the observed CAFs are adequately described by the formulation of Huppert & Hallworth (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 578, 2007, pp. 95–112). Experimental SBS velocity profiles are not well produced by the formulation of Kerswell (J. Fluid Mech., 10.1017/jfm.2011.190), possibly because the latter is restricted to flows whose cross-section has an interface of constant curvature. Despite the variations in flow regime, volume fluxes can be described by a power-law function of β, Q1 = 0.059 β−0.74. A comparison of experimental data with the theoretical approaches of Huppert Hallworth (2007) and Kerswell (2011) indicates that fluids are not arranged in the regime that maximises volume flux (e.g. SBS or CAF), nor do they adopt the geometry that maximises volume flux within that particular regime.

Fighting Invisible Kicks: Study of Time Dependent Vaporization of Methane Gas Dissolved in Base Oil

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marius Staahl Nilsen ◽  
Sigve Hovda
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Model ◽  
Transition Rate ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Dissolved Gas ◽  
Base Oil ◽  
Well Control ◽  
Analytical Expression ◽  
Free Gas ◽  
Methane Gas ◽  
Gas Kick

Abstract Understanding the interaction between the drilling fluid and the natural gas from a gas kick may be of great importance when predicting how a well control incident evolves during drilling operations. This is especially true for oil based mud, which has the ability to dissolve large quantities of gas under high pressure, thus potentially hide any volumetric impact of a gas kick. When the pressure of the dissolved gas decreases below the bubble pressure, free gas will start to emerge. Dangerous situations can occur if the bubble point pressure is low and located close to the surface. This may result in a rapid volumetric expansion of the free gas, as it emerges from solution, thus little to no time to react and initiate proper well control procedures. Most conventional well control simulators that takes gas solubility into consideration assumes an instantaneous vaporization of gas as the vapour-liquid phase equilibria changes. However, this assumption might not always be realistic. It may take some time before a new equilibrium is reached when the conditions are changed. This will thus affecting the rate of gas liberation from the liquid. To better understand this complex issue, an analytical expression for the transition rate of dissolved gas to free gas in a supersaturated liquid has been derived for low pressure systems. The analytical model is strongly dependent on the solubility coefficient, Kh, and the transition rate factor, γ, and follows an exponential curve. In this expression, Kh is a measure of how much the liquid is supersaturated at any given time and controls how much gas that will be liberated. γ determines how fast the system will reach a new equilibrium, i.e. how fast the gas will be liberated based on the size of the supersaturation. Both Kh and γ are thought to be values given for a specific gas-liquid combination. In order to verify the analytical expression, experimental testing has been conducted. The experiment is carried out by pressurizing a tank partly filled with the base oil Exxsol D60 by feeding it with methane gas. Some of the gas will dissolve into the liquid. The rest will flow to the top as free gas and pressurize the tank. By quickly removing some of the free gas, thus depressurize the tank, the liquid will instantaneously become supersaturated, hence triggering liberation of free gas from the solution until a new equilibrium is established. By measuring the tank pressure throughout the degassing phase, values for Kh and γ can be estimated and compared to the analytical model.

Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Fluids: Velocity Profiles, Viscosity Data, and Laminar Flow Friction Factor Equations for Flow in a Circular Duct

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa M. Simpson ◽  
William S. Janna
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Laminar Flow ◽  
Friction Factor ◽  
Newtonian Fluid ◽  
Velocity Profiles ◽  
Newtonian Fluids ◽  
Viscosity Data ◽  
Circular Duct ◽  
Flow Friction

Newtonian fluid flow in a duct has been studied extensively, and velocity profiles for both laminar and turbulent flows can be found in countless references. Non-Newtonian fluids have also been studied extensively, however, but are not given the same attention in the Mechanical Engineering curriculum. Because of a perceived need for the study of such fluids, data were collected and analyzed for various common non-Newtonian fluids in order to make the topic more compelling for study. The viscosity and apparent viscosity of non-Newtonian fluids are both defined in this paper. A comparison is made between these fluids and Newtonian fluids. Velocity profiles for Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid flow in a circular duct are described and sketched. Included are profiles for dilatant, pseudoplastic and Bingham fluids. Only laminar flow is considered, because the differences for turbulent flow are less distinct. Also included is a procedure for determining the laminar flow friction factor which allows for calculating pressure drop. The laminar flow friction factor in classical non-Newtonian fluid studies is the Fanning friction factor. The equations developed in this study involve the Darcy-Weisbach friction factor which is preferred for Newtonian fluids. Also presented in this paper are viscosity data of Heinz Ketchup, Kroger Honey, Jif Creamy Peanut Butter, and Kraft Mayonnaise. These data were obtained with a TA viscometer. The results of this study will thus provide the student with the following for non-Newtonian fluids: • Viscosity data and how it is measured for several common non-Newtonian fluids; • A knowledge of velocity profiles for laminar flow in a circular duct for both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids; • A procedure for determining friction factor and calculating pressure drop for non-Newtonian flow in a duct.

Predicting Dynamic Barite Sag in Newtonian-Oil Based Drilling Fluids in Pipe

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tan Nguyen ◽  
Stefan Miska ◽  
Mengjiao Yu ◽  
Nicholas Takach
Keyword(s):  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Momentum Conservation ◽  
Density Fluctuations ◽  
Newtonian Fluids ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Flow Meters ◽  
Well Control ◽  
Lost Circulation ◽  
The Mathematical Model

Barite Sag is the settling of barite particles in the wellbore (or other weighting materials), which results in undesirable fluctuations in drilling fluid density. A variety of major drilling problems including lost circulation, well control difficulties, poor cement jobs, and stuck pipe can result from uncontrolled barite sag. Study of this phenomenon and how to mitigate its effects has long been of interest. This paper describes a fundamental mathematical approach to analyze the settling of barite particles in shear flow of Newtonian fluids. A set of four coupled partial differential equations to describe dynamic barite sag in Newtonian fluids in pipe flow is obtained by applying mass and momentum conservation for solid and liquid phase. Solid concentration in axial and radial directions as a function of time is calculated by using an explicit numerical method to solve these equations. A number of experiments in a flow loop were conducted to verify the mathematical model. Two mass flow meters were installed at the inlet and outlet of the flow loop’s test section. Differences in the density measurements over time were converted to the solid accumulation, which was compared with results from the modeling. In addition, based on the experimental results, three different stages of barite accumulation due to the settling and bed pickup of barite particles during circulation will be presented. The proposed methodology and results of this study will help drillers have a better understanding in terms of undesirable density fluctuations and barite bed characteristics.

A Numerical and Experimental Study of Kick Dynamics at Downhole

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rakibul Islam ◽  
Faisal Khan ◽  
Ramchandran Venkatesan
Keyword(s):  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Drill Pipe ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Sudden Increase ◽  
Prevention Strategies ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Well Control ◽  
Gas Kick ◽  
Dynamic Numerical Simulation

The early detection of a kick and mitigation with appropriate well control actions can minimize the risk of a blowout. This paper proposes a downhole monitoring system, and presents a dynamic numerical simulation of a compressible two-phase flow to study the kick dynamics at downhole during drilling operation. This approach enables early kick detection and could lead to the development of potential blowout prevention strategies. A pressure cell that mimics a scaled-down version of a downhole is used to study the dynamics of a compressible two-phase flow. The setup is simulated under boundary conditions that resemble realistic scenarios; special attention is given to the transient period after injecting the influx. The main parameters studied include pressure gradient, raising speed of a gas kick, and volumetric behavior of the gas kick with respect to time. Simulation results exhibit a sudden increase of pressure while the kick enters and volumetric expansion of gas as it flows upward. This improved understanding helps to develop effective well control and blowout prevention strategies. This study confirms the feasibility and usability of an intelligent drill pipe as a tool to monitor well conditions and develop blowout risk management strategies.

scholarly journals Potential influence of overpressurized gas on the induced seismicity in the St. Gallen deep geothermal project (Switzerland)

Solid Earth ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 909-933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominik Zbinden ◽  
Antonio Pio Rinaldi ◽  
Tobias Diehl ◽  
Stefan Wiemer
Keyword(s):  
Induced Seismicity ◽  
District Heating ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Drilling Mud ◽  
Hydraulic Connection ◽  
Well Control ◽  
Injection Test ◽  
Gas Kick ◽  
Seismological Data ◽  
Geological Conditions

Abstract. In July 2013, the city of St. Gallen conducted a deep geothermal project that aimed to exploit energy for district heating and generating power. A few days after an injection test and two acid stimulations that caused only minor seismicity, a gas kick forced the operators to inject drilling mud to combat the kick. Subsequently, multiple earthquakes were induced on a fault several hundred meters away from the well, including a ML 3.5 event that was felt throughout the nearby population centers. Given the occurrence of a gas kick and a felt seismic sequence with low total injected fluid volumes (∼1200 m3), the St. Gallen deep geothermal project represents a particularly interesting case study of induced seismicity. Here, we first present a conceptual model based on seismic, borehole, and seismological data suggesting a hydraulic connection between the well and the fault. The overpressurized gas, which is assumed to be initially sealed by the fault, may have been released due to the stimulations before entering the well via the hydraulic connection. We test this hypothesis with a numerical model calibrated against the borehole pressure of the injection test. We successfully reproduce the gas kick and spatiotemporal characteristics of the main seismicity sequence following the well control operation. The results indicate that the gas may have destabilized the fault during and after the injection operations and could have enhanced the resulting seismicity. This study may have implications for future deep hydrothermal projects conducted in similar geological conditions with potentially overpressurized in-place gas.

Wellbore Flow Analysis of a Gas-Kick Well During Shut-In

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sun Shihui ◽  
Yan Tie ◽  
Bi Xueliang ◽  
Chen Xun ◽  
Zhang Nan
Keyword(s):  
Flow Analysis ◽  
Pressure Rise ◽  
High Permeability ◽  
Upward Migration ◽  
Well Control ◽  
Bottom Hole ◽  
Gas Kick ◽  
Wellbore Storage ◽  
Casing Pressure ◽  
Gas Compressibility

Due to the effects of wellbore storage, shut-in period allows additional inflow of gas bubbles into the annulus. Wellbore and casing pressures rise during shut-in of a gas kick as a consequence of gas upward migration and gas compressibility, which will threaten the safety of well control. Therefore, the variation law of surface and wellbore pressures for a gas kick well during shut-in should be investigated. Based on wellbore storage effect, a new model to the wellbore and casing pressure build-up during shut-in for a gas kick well is developed in this paper. Simulation results show that at different gas kick volumes, the rate of bottom-hole pressure rise increases as the permeability decreases. And surface casing pressure stabilizes quickly for low permeable formations. However, at equal initial annular gaseous volume, the rates of rise of the bottom-hole and surface casing pressures for low permeable formations are slower than for high permeability formations.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document