scholarly journals NETL Extreme Drilling Laboratory Studies High Pressure High Temperature Drilling Phenomena

2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
K. David Lyons ◽  
Simone Honeygan ◽  
Thomas Mroz
Keyword(s):  
Physical Simulation ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Fluid Pressure ◽  
Rock Properties ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Drilling Parameters ◽  
High Pressure High Temperature ◽  
Fluid Properties ◽  
Weight On Bit

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) established the Extreme Drilling Laboratory to engineer effective and efficient drilling technologies viable at depths greater than 20,000 ft. This paper details the challenges of ultradeep drilling, documents reports of decreased drilling rates as a result of increasing fluid pressure and temperature, and describes NETL’s research and development activities. NETL is invested in laboratory-scale physical simulation. Its physical simulator will have capability of circulating drilling fluids at 30,000 psi and 480°F around a single drill cutter. This simulator is not yet operational; therefore, the results will be limited to the identification of leading hypotheses of drilling phenomena and NETL’s test plans to validate or refute such theories. Of particular interest to the Extreme Drilling Laboratory’s studies are the combinatorial effects of drilling fluid pressure, drilling fluid properties, rock properties, pore pressure, and drilling parameters, such as cutter rotational speed, weight on bit, and hydraulics associated with drilling fluid introduction to the rock-cutter interface. A detailed discussion of how each variable is controlled in a laboratory setting will be part of the conference paper and presentation.

scholarly journals NETL Extreme Drilling Laboratory Studies High Pressure High Temperature Drilling Phenomena

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. David Lyons ◽  
Simone Honeygan ◽  
Thomas Mroz
Keyword(s):  
Physical Simulation ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Fluid Pressure ◽  
Rock Properties ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Deep Drilling ◽  
Drilling Parameters ◽  
High Pressure High Temperature ◽  
Fluid Properties ◽  
Weight On Bit

The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) established an Extreme Drilling Lab to engineer effective and efficient drilling technologies viable at depths greater than 20,000 feet. This paper details the challenges of ultra-deep drilling, documents reports of decreased drilling rates as a result of increasing fluid pressure and temperature, and describes NETL’s Research and Development activities. NETL is invested in laboratory-scale physical simulation. Their physical simulator will have capability of circulating drilling fluids at 30,000 psi and 480 °F around a single drill cutter. This simulator will not yet be operational by the planned conference dates; therefore, the results will be limited to identification of leading hypotheses of drilling phenomena and NETL’s test plans to validate or refute such theories. Of particular interest to the Extreme Drilling Lab’s studies are the combinatorial effects of drilling fluid pressure, drilling fluid properties, rock properties, pore pressure, and drilling parameters, such as cutter rotational speed, weight on bit, and hydraulics associated with drilling fluid introduction to the rock-cutter interface. A detailed discussion of how each variable is controlled in a laboratory setting will be part of the conference paper and presentation.

scholarly journals Wet Drilled Cuttings Bed Rheology

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1644
Author(s):  
Camilo Pedrosa ◽  
Arild Saasen ◽  
Bjørnar Lund ◽  
Jan David Ytrehus
Keyword(s):  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Parallel Plates ◽  
Single Particles ◽  
Cuttings Transport ◽  
Transport Studies ◽  
Water Based ◽  
Fluid Properties ◽  
External Forces ◽  
Cuttings Bed

The cuttings transport efficiency of various drilling fluids has been studied in several approaches. This is an important aspect, since hole cleaning is often a bottleneck in well construction. The studies so far have targeted the drilling fluid cuttings’ transport capability through experiments, simulations or field data. Observed differences in the efficiency due to changes in the drilling fluid properties and compositions have been reported but not always fully understood. In this study, the cuttings bed, wetted with a single drilling fluid, was evaluated. The experiments were performed with parallel plates in an Anton Paar Physica 301 rheometer. The results showed systematic differences in the internal friction behaviors between tests of beds with oil-based and beds with water-based fluids. The observations indicated that cutting beds wetted with a polymeric water-based fluid released clusters of particles when external forces overcame the bonding forces and the beds started to break up. Similarly, it was observed that an oil-based fluid wetted bed allowed particles to break free as single particles. These findings may explain the observed differences in previous cutting transport studies.

scholarly journals Application of Artificial Intelligence Techniques in Predicting the Lost Circulation Zones Using Drilling Sensors

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Abdulmalek Ahmed ◽  
Salaheldin Elkatatny ◽  
Abdulwahab Ali ◽  
Mahmoud Abughaban ◽  
Abdulazeez Abdulraheem
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Confusion Matrix ◽  
High Accuracy ◽  
Functional Networks ◽  
Lost Circulation ◽  
Drilling Parameters ◽  
High Pressure High Temperature ◽  
Drilling Cost

Drilling a high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) well involves many difficulties and challenges. One of the greatest difficulties is the loss of circulation. Almost 40% of the drilling cost is attributed to the drilling fluid, so the loss of the fluid considerably increases the total drilling cost. There are several approaches to avoid loss of return; one of these approaches is preventing the occurrence of the losses by identifying the lost circulation zones. Most of these approaches are difficult to apply due to some constraints in the field. The purpose of this work is to apply three artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, namely, functional networks (FN), artificial neural networks (ANN), and fuzzy logic (FL), to identify the lost circulation zones. Real-time surface drilling parameters of three wells were obtained using real-time drilling sensors. Well A was utilized for training and testing the three developed AI models, whereas Well B and Well C were utilized to validate them. High accuracy was achieved by the three AI models based on the root mean square error (RMSE), confusion matrix, and correlation coefficient (R). All the AI models identified the lost circulation zones in Well A with high accuracy where the R is more than 0.98 and RMSE is less than 0.09. ANN is the most accurate model with R=0.99 and RMSE=0.05. An ANN was able to predict the lost circulation zones in the unseen Well B and Well C with R=0.946 and RMSE=0.165 and R=0.952 and RMSE=0.155, respectively.

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.

Chemically Improved Filter Cakes for Drilling Wells

2002 ◽  
Vol 124 (4) ◽  
pp. 223-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neeraj S. Nandurdikar ◽  
Nicholas E. Takach ◽  
Stefan Z. Miska
Keyword(s):  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Environmental Scanning ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Novel Device ◽  
Chemical Reagents ◽  
High Pressure High Temperature ◽  
Filtration Apparatus ◽  
Filtration Properties ◽  
Filter Cakes

Blast furnace slag (BFS) is a latent hydraulic material similar in composition to Portland cement. BFS was originally studied for mud to cement (MTC) purposes. This application called for large quantities of BFS (40–500 ppb (lb/bbl)) and ultimately proved to be ineffective. Subsequently, BFS has been investigated as an additive in drilling fluids. In a recent study, muds containing additive-level concentrations (5–30 lb/bbl) of BFS were shown to be effective in reducing formation damage. The present work extends the investigation of BFS as a drilling fluid additive. Specifically, we have explored the use of chemical reagents to activate the BFS in filter cakes to achieve cakes that are thin, impervious and firm. Filter cakes were formed from slag-laden drilling fluids in a high-pressure, high-temperature reverse filtration apparatus (permeability plugging apparatus). Studies were conducted with partially hydrolyzed polyacrlyamide (PHPA) muds and CaCO3-based fluids containing different loadings of BFS. Filter cakes of these fluids were treated with several different activators and the results were compared to cakes containing no BFS. Different activation techniques were investigated and a novel device was designed to measure the strength of the filter cakes. An environmental scanning electron microscope examined the relationship between the structural features of the activated cakes and their strengths. This study demonstrates that filter cakes containing BFS can be chemically activated to produce thin, firm cakes with improved filtration properties. These cakes should be able to form better bonds with cement subsequently used for completion.

scholarly journals Characterization of a Pulsating Drill Bit Blaster

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas J. Thorp ◽  
Geir Hareland ◽  
Brian R. Elbing ◽  
Runar Nygaard
Keyword(s):  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Fluid Pressure ◽  
Pressure Oscillation ◽  
Drill String ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Drill Bit ◽  
Pulsation Frequency ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Weight On Bit ◽  
Fluid Pulsation

The drill bit blaster (DBB) studied in this paper aims to maximize the drilling rate of penetration (ROP) by using a flow interrupting mechanism to create drilling fluid pulsation. The fluctuating fluid pressure gradient generated during operation of the DBB could lead to more efficient bit cutting efficiency due to substrate depressurization and increased cutting removal efficiency and the vibrations created could reduce the drill string friction allowing a greater weight on bit (WOB) to be achieved. In order to maximize these mechanisms the effect of several different DBB design changes and operating conditions was studied in above ground testing. An analytical model was created to predict the influence of various aspects of the drill bit blaster design, operating conditions and fluid properties on the bit pressure characteristics and compared against experimental results. The results indicate that internal tool design has a significant effect on the pulsation frequency and amplitude, which can be accurately modeled as a function of flowrate and internal geometry. Using this model an optimization study was conducted to determine the sensitivity of the fluid pulsation power on various design and operating conditions. Application of this technology in future designs could allow the bit pressure oscillation frequency and amplitude to be optimized with regard to the lithology of the formations being drilled which could lead to faster, more efficient drilling potentially cutting drilling costs and leading to a larger number of oil and natural gas plays being profitable.

scholarly journals Improvement of the Rheological and Filtration Properties of Drilling Mud Using the Syrian Clay

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 211-230
Author(s):  
Adnan Ibrahim Barodi
Keyword(s):  
Xanthan Gum ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Drilling Mud ◽  
Clay Concentration ◽  
Fluid Properties ◽  
Drilling Operations ◽  
Solid Part ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Filtration Properties

Drilling fluid properties and formulation play a fundamental role in drilling operations. The Classical water-based muds prepared from only the Syrian clay and water without any additives((Organic and industrial polymers) are generally poor in performance. Moreover, The high quantity of Syrian clay (120 gr / l) used in preparing drilling fluids. It leads to a decrease in the drilling speed and thus an increase in the time required to complete the drilling of the well. As a result, the total cost of drilling the well increased, as a result of an increase in the concentration of the solid part in the drilling fluid. In this context, our study focuses on the investigation of the improvement in drilling mud   Prepared from the Syrian clay by reducing the clay concentration to (50 gr / L). And compensate for the remaining amount (70 gr / l) of clay by adding (natural and industrial polymers) The rheological properties and filtration are measured at different concentrations of polymers .. In light of the experiments, we determine the polymers' concentrations that gave good results in improving the flow properties and controlling the Filter. It is polymers that have given good results:، HEC، HEC and Xanthan Gum  PAC and HEC، CMCHV، PolyAcryl Amid ، Xanthan Gum .

Wellbore Shielding Technique Increases Operative Window, Avoiding Formation Instability and Losses, Minimizing NPT, and Optimizing Drilling Operations in the Unconventional Plays

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaston Lopez ◽  
Gonzalo Vidal ◽  
Claus Hedegaard ◽  
Reinaldo Maldonado
Keyword(s):  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Wellbore Instability ◽  
Lost Circulation ◽  
Drilling Performance ◽  
Drilling Parameters ◽  
Vaca Muerta ◽  
Drilling Operations ◽  
Fracture Gradient ◽  
Vaca Muerta Formation

Abstract Losses, wellbore instability, and influxes during drillings operations in unconventional fields result from continuous reactivity to the drilling fluid causing instability in the microfractured limestone of the Quintuco Formation in Argentina. This volatile situation becomes more critical when drilling operations are navigating horizontally through the Vaca Muerta Formation, a bituminous marlstone with a higher density than the Quintuco Formation. Controlling drilling fluids invasion between the communicating microfractures and connecting pores helps to minimize seepage losses, total losses, wellbore fluid influxes, and instabilities, reducing the non-productive time (NPT) caused by these problems during drilling operations. The use of conventional sealants – like calcium carbonate, graphite, asphalt, and other bridging materials – does not guarantee problem-free drilling operations. Also, lost circulation material (LCM) is restricted because the MWD-LWD tools clearances are very narrow in these slim holes. The challenge is to generate a strong and resistant seal separating the drilling fluid and the formation. Using an ultra-low-invasion technology will increase the operative fracture gradient window, avoid fluid invasion to the formation, minimize losses, and stop the cycle of fluid invasion and instability, allowing operations to maintain the designed drilling parameters and objectives safely. The ultra-low-invasion wellbore shielding technology has been applied in various fields, resulting in significantly improved drilling efficiencies compared to offset wells. The operator has benefited from the minimization of drilling fluids costs and optimization in drilling operations, including reducing the volume of oil-based drilling fluids used per well, fewer casing sections, and fewer requirements for cementing intervals to solve lost circulation problems. This paper will discuss the design of the ultra-low-invasion technology in an oil-based drilling fluid, the strategy for determining the technical limits for application, the evaluation of the operative window with an increase in the fracture gradient, the optimized drilling performance, and reduction in costs, including the elimination of NPT caused by wellbore instability.

Prediction of High-Pressure/High-Temperature Rheological Properties of Drilling Fluids from the Viscosity Data Measured on a Coaxial Cylinder Viscometer

SPE Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Sidharth Gautam ◽  
Chandan Guria ◽  
Laldeep Gope
Keyword(s):  
High Pressure ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Shear Viscosity ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Viscosity Model ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Viscosity Data ◽  
Monitoring And Control ◽  
High Pressure High Temperature ◽  
Proposed Model

Summary Determining the rheology of drilling fluid under subsurface conditions—that is, pressure > 103.4 MPa (15,000 psi) and temperature > 450 K (350°F)—is very important for safe and trouble-free drilling operations of high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) wells. As the severity of HP/HT wells increases, it is challenging to measure downhole rheology accurately. In the absence of rheology measurement tools under HP/HT conditions, it is essential to develop an accurate rheological model under extreme conditions. In this study, temperature- and pressure-dependence rheology of drilling fluids [i.e., shear viscosity, apparent viscosity (AV), and plastic viscosity (PV)] are predicted at HP/HT conditions using the fundamental momentum transport mechanism (i.e., kinetic theory) of liquids. Drilling fluid properties (e.g., density, thermal decomposition temperature, and isothermal compressibility), and Fann® 35 Viscometer (Fann Instrument Corporation, Houston, USA) readings at surface conditions, are the only input parameters for the proposed HP/HT shear viscosity model. The proposed model has been tested using 26 different types of HP/HT drilling fluids, including water, formate, oil, and synthetic oil as base fluids. The detailed error and the sensitivity analysis have been performed to demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed model and yield comparative results. The proposed model is quite simple and may be applied to accurately predict the rheology of numerous drilling fluids. In the absence of subsurface rheology under HP/HT conditions, the proposed viscosity model may be used as a reliable soft-sensor tool for the online monitoring and control of rheology under downhole conditions while drilling HP/HT wells.

Estimation of Undisturbed Geothermal Gradient in Wells From Measured Drilling Data: A Numerical Approach

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas Cantinelli Sevillano ◽  
Jesus De Andrade ◽  
Sigbjørn Sangesland
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Thermal Properties ◽  
Temperature Distribution ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Geothermal Gradient ◽  
Computer Code ◽  
Numerical Approach ◽  
Rock Properties ◽  
Drilling Fluids

The undisturbed geothermal gradient is a key thermal boundary that drives heat transfer processes occurring in oil and gas wells throughout their lifetime. However, the temperature distribution with depth is somewhat uncertain, and this is often assumed to be a linear approximation from the mudline to the bottom of the well. During drilling, the circulating temperature may significantly affect the rheology of the drilling fluids and the cement setting processes. Therefore, erroneous estimates of the wellbore temperature may affect the overall performance of the drilling phase and subsequent well operations. Further, it is important to know the accurate temperature distribution within the formation for assessment of the petroleum prospectivity through source rock maturation and reservoir quality. This paper presents a numerical methodology to estimate the undisturbed geothermal gradient while drilling in offshore wells. This methodology may also be applied to onshore wells by simplification. The new approach is based on an in-house axisymmetric wellbore transient thermal model, in which the equations are solved using the finite difference method. The model computes the heat transfer between the well and riser system with the surroundings. However, other computational codes may also be used following the framework presented in this study. The computer code should provide a detailed representation of the geometry of the wellbore, the physical properties of the drilling fluid and formation, the suitable thermal boundary conditions and temporal discretization. The temperatures of the fluid at the inlet of the drillstring and at the bottom hole assembly (BHA), in the annulus A, are used as input to the numerical model that iteratively adjusts the undisturbed geothermal gradient, which generated the temperature recordings while drilling. The paper comprises cases studies of hypothetical wells drilled in relevant offshore areas in the world, each with their distinctive and variable geothermal gradient, defined by the different rock formations encountered. Uncertainties regarding the thermal properties of the rock were also considered to ascertain the robustness of the code. The water depth of the drilling site was also observed to impact the convergence of the algorithm. The results obtained by the numerical approach are in good agreement with the expected values of the undisturbed formation temperatures. The novelty of the numerical framework is the ability to provide reliable and satisfactory estimates of the undisturbed geothermal gradient for wellbores with any configuration, lithology and rock properties. These estimates are based on temperature measurements of the circulating drilling fluid at the BHA and account for uncertainty in rock thermal properties; in reasonable time using standard engineering computers.

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