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ISSN Online: 2379-1748

ISBN Flash Drive: 978-1-56700-483-0

ISBN Online: 978-1-56700-482-3

4th Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference
April, 14–17, 2019 , Las Vegas, NV, USA

DRILLING CUTTINGS TRANSPORT IN HORIZONTAL WELLS WHILE AERATED DRILLING

Get access (open in a dialog) pages 665-671
DOI: 10.1615/TFEC2019.emt.028527

Abstract

The design and application of a drilling operation rely highly on the hole cleaning process. When the fluid velocity is not enough for removing thick drilling cuttings bed, it might cause countless problems including high drag, increased probability of stuck pipe and greater hydraulic requirements. In this study, we investigated cuttings transport in aerated water drilling for horizontal and slightly inclined annulus. Over 100 flow conditions were tested using a 6.16-m long test section with 4.5-in. casing (CSG) and 2.5-in. drill pipe (DP) having both concentric and eccentric annulus geometry. Air injection considerably reduced the cuttings bed height and enhanced cuttings transport efficiency in both horizontal and slightly inclined annulus as consistently showed in the previous studies. Development by DP rotation in the transport efficiency of cuttings is also distinct even the low range of angular velocity, 40 RPM by making cuttings dispersed in the annulus.