Hole Cleaning in Horizontal Wells Using Viscoelastic Fluids-An Experimental Study of Drilling Fluid Properties on the Bed Erosion Dynamics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Meric Hirpa ◽  
Ergun Kuru
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Viscoelastic Fluids ◽  
Horizontal Wells ◽  
Hole Cleaning ◽  
Bed Erosion ◽  
Fluid Properties

Full Scale Flow Loop Experiments of Hole Cleaning Performances of Drilling Fluids

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan David Ytrehus ◽  
Ali Taghipour ◽  
Sneha Sayindla ◽  
Bjørnar Lund ◽  
Benjamin Werner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Test Section ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Base Oil ◽  
Hole Cleaning ◽  
Cleaning Performance ◽  
Water Based ◽  
Fluid Properties ◽  
Drilling Cost

One important requirement for a drilling fluid is the ability to transport the cuttings out of the borehole. Improved hole cleaning is a key to solve several challenges in the drilling industry and will allow both longer wells and improved quality of well construction. It has been observed, however, that drilling fluids with similar properties according to the API standard can have significantly different behavior with respect to hole cleaning performance. The reasons for this are not fully understood. This paper presents results from flow loop laboratory tests without and with injected cuttings size particles using a base oil and a commercial oil based drilling fluid. The results demonstrate the importance of the rheological properties of the fluids for the hole cleaning performance. A thorough investigation of the viscoelastic properties of the fluids was performed with a Fann viscometer and a Paar-Physica rheometer, and was used to interpret the results from the flow loop experiments. Improved understanding of the fluid properties relevant to hole cleaning performance will help develop better models of wellbore hydraulics used in planning of well operations. Eventually this may lead to higher ROP with water based drilling fluids as obtained with oil based drilling fluids. This may ease cuttings handling in many operations and thereby significantly reduce the drilling cost using (normally) more environmentally friendly fluids. The experiments have been conducted as part of an industry-sponsored research project where understanding the hole cleaning performance of various oil and water based drilling fluids is the aim. The experiments have been performed under realistic conditions. The flow loop includes a 10 meter long test section with 2″ OD freely rotating drillstring inside a 4″ ID wellbore made of concrete. Sand particles were injected while circulating the drilling fluid through the test section in horizontal position.

Viscosity and Density Sweeps in Directional Wells

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evren M. Ozbayoglu ◽  
Flavio Rodrigues ◽  
Reza Ettehadi ◽  
Roland May ◽  
Dennis Clapper
Keyword(s):  
Horizontal Wells ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Cuttings Transport ◽  
Transport Efficiency ◽  
Hole Cleaning ◽  
Bed Erosion ◽  
Inclination Angles ◽  
Similar Density ◽  
Horizontal Wellbores ◽  
The University

Abstract As explorations advance and drilling techniques become more innovative, complex and challenging trajectories arise. In consequence, cuttings transport has continued to be a subject of interest because, if the drilled cuttings cannot be removed from the wellbore, drilling cannot proceed for long. Therefore, efficient cleaning of highly inclined and horizontal wellbores is still among the most important problems to solve, because these types of wells require specialized fluid formulations and/or specific hole cleaning techniques. There are numerous studies and methods that focus in cuttings transportation in highly inclined and horizontal wells. One of them is the use of viscosity and density sweeps. Sweep pills have been used in the drilling industry as a tool to improve hole cleaning. This report presents the analysis of the performance of different sweeps pills working independently and in tandem in polymeric, oil and synthetic based systems and the comparison between them. The main objective of this project is to provide experimental evidence on which types of fluids perform better under certain conditions by studying the effect of viscosity and density in the bed erosion process in highly inclined and horizontal wells. In order to achieve that, several fluid formulations were tested at different inclination angles (90, 75, 60 degrees) in the Small Indoor Flow Loop property of The University of Tulsa’s Drilling Research Projects. The results of the tests are presented in terms of volume of drilled cuttings removed from the test section and measured differential pressures. All the tests were conducted under atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature. Moreover, a 2-Layer model is used for estimating the erosion performance of sweeps for design purposes, and the model estimations are compared with experimental results. From the experiments, it was identified that polymeric, oil and synthetic based muds with similar density and rheological properties eroded and transported the drilled cuttings similarly under similar test conditions. Furthermore, pumping the sweep pills in tandem demonstrated higher cuttings transport efficiency when compared with the sweep pills applied independently.

Wellbore Cleanness Under Total Losses in Horizontal Wells: The Field Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexey Ruzhnikov ◽  
Edgar Echevarria
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Field Study ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Horizontal Wells ◽  
Circulation Zone ◽  
Hole Cleaning ◽  
Lost Circulation ◽  
Cleaning Behavior

Abstract In the Middle East many of the matured fields have fractured or vugular formations where the drilling is continued without return to a surface. This situation has been commonly interpreted as lack of hole cleaning and high risk of stuck pipe. The manuscript describes a study performed to analyze the hole cleaning while blind drilling horizontal sections. Most of the losses while drilling across fractured or vugular formations happen sudden, and this represents a risk of formation instability and stuck pipe. Additionally, the cuttings accumulation may lead to a potential pack off. To understand the hole cleaning the annular pressure while drilling was introduced in different sections, what via change of the equivalent static and dynamic densities describes the cutting and cavings accumulation in the annulus. Additionally, the hole cleaning behavior with different fluids pumped through the drillstring (i.e. drilling fluid, water, water with sweeps) was studied. The proposed study was performed in 4 different fields, 9 wells, across horizontal 6⅛-in. sections with total lost circulation. It was identified that while drilling with full returns ECD vs ESD variations are within 1.5 ppg, those variations are matching with the modeling of hydraulics. Once total losses encountered the variations between ECD and ESD are very low - within 0.2 ppg - indicating that annular friction losses below the loss circulation zone are minimal. This support the theory that all the drilled cuttings are properly lifted from bottom and carried to the karst into the loss circulation zone and not fluctuating above the loss zone. Additionally, minor to no relation found in hole cleaning while drilling with mud or a water with sweeps. This finding also is aligned with the stuck pipe statistics that shows higher incidents of stuck pipe while drilling the with full circulation due to pack off. The manuscript confirms the theory of the hole cleaning in total lost circulation and application of different hole cleaning practices to improve it. The results of the study can be implemented in any project worldwide.

Impact of Sand Content on Filter Cake and Drilling Fluid Properties in Extended Reach Horizontal Wells

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. S. Bageri ◽  
M. A. Mahmoud ◽  
A. A. Al-Majed ◽  
A. Abdulraheem ◽  
S. H. Al-Mutairi
Keyword(s):  
Filter Cake ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Horizontal Wells ◽  
Sand Content ◽  
Fluid Properties

Experimental study on water-based drilling fluid for horizontal wells

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhaohui Wei ◽  
Yichao He ◽  
Sui Gu ◽  
Yanping Shi ◽  
Xianyu Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Horizontal Wells ◽  
Water Based

Hole Cleaning in Horizontal Wells Using Viscoelastic Fluids: An Experimental Study of Drilling-Fluid Properties on the Bed-Erosion Dynamics

SPE Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (05) ◽  
pp. 2178-2193
Author(s):  
Mehmet Meric Hirpa ◽  
Ergun Kuru
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Turbulent Flow ◽  
Elastic Properties ◽  
Shear Viscosity ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Flow Characteristics ◽  
Horizontal Pipe ◽  
Polymer Fluid ◽  
Bed Erosion

Summary An experimental study was conducted to determine the influence of fluid elastic properties on the critical velocity, frictional pressure drops, and the turbulent-flow characteristics of polymer-fluid flow over a sand bed deposited in a horizontal pipe. Fluids were prepared using a special technique, which allowed for the alteration of fluid elastic properties while keeping the shear viscosity constant. By conducting experiments under controlled conditions, we were able to quantify the individual effect of the fluid elasticity (independent from shear viscosity) on the critical flow rate for bed erosion and the turbulent-flow characteristics of polymer-fluid flow over the stationary sand bed. Results showed that higher critical velocities were required for the onset of the bed erosion when we use the fluid with higher elasticity.

Experimental Study of Cuttings Transport Efficiency of Water Based Drilling Fluids

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan David Ytrehus ◽  
Ali Taghipour ◽  
Bjørnar Lund ◽  
Benjamin Werner ◽  
Nils Opedal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Test Section ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Cuttings Transport ◽  
Hole Cleaning ◽  
Cleaning Performance ◽  
Water Based ◽  
Fluid Properties ◽  
Drilling Cost

One important requirement for a drilling fluid is the ability to transport the cuttings out of the borehole. Improved hole cleaning is a key to solve several challenges in the drilling industry and will allow both longer wells and improved quality of well construction. It has been observed, however, that drilling fluids with similar properties according to the API standard can have significantly different behavior with respect to hole cleaning performance. The reasons for this are not fully understood. This paper presents results from laboratory tests where water based drilling fluids with similar rheological properties according to API measurements have been tested for their hole cleaning capabilities in a full scale flow loop. Thorough investigation of the viscoelastic properties of the fluids were performed with, among other instruments, a Paar-Physica rheometer. Improved understanding of the fluid properties relevant to hole cleaning performance will help develop better models of wellbore hydraulics used in planning of well operations. Eventually this may lead to higher ROP with water based drilling fluids as obtained with oil based drilling fluids. This may ease cuttings handling in many operations and thereby significantly reduce the drilling cost using (normally) more environmentally friendly fluids. The experiments have been conducted as part of an industry-sponsored research project where understanding the hole cleaning performance of various oil and water based drilling fluids is the aim. The experiments have been performed under realistic conditions. The flow loop includes a 12 meter long test section with 2″ OD freely rotating drillstring inside a 4″ ID wellbore made of concrete. Sand particles were injected while circulating the drilling fluid through the test section in horizontal position.

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