Development of Digital Twins for Drilling Fluids: Local Velocities for Hole Cleaning and Rheology Monitoring

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehrdad Gharib Shirangi ◽  
Roger Aragall ◽  
Reza Ettehadi ◽  
Roland May ◽  
Edward Furlong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Rheological Properties ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Training Data ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Hole Cleaning ◽  
Digital Twins ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Drilling Operations ◽  
Cuttings Bed

Abstract In this work, we present our advances to develop and apply digital twins for drilling fluids and associated wellbore phenomena during drilling operations. A drilling fluid digital twin is a series of interconnected models that incorporate the learning from the past historical data in a wide range of operational settings to determine the fluids properties in realtime operations. From several drilling fluid functionalities and operational parameters, we describe advancements to improve hole cleaning predictions and high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) rheological properties monitoring. In the hole cleaning application, we consider the Clark and Bickham (1994) approach which requires the prediction of the local fluid velocity above the cuttings bed as a function of operating conditions. We develop accurate computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models to capture the effects of rotation, eccentricity and bed height on local fluid velocities above cuttings bed. We then run 55,000 CFD simulations for a wide range of operational settings to generate training data for machine learning. For rheology monitoring, thousands of lab experiment records are collected as training data for machine learning. In this case, the HPHT rheological properties are determined based on rheological measurement in the American Petroleum Institute (API) condition together with the fluid type and composition data. We compare the results of application of several machine learning algorithms to represent CFD simulations (for hole cleaning application) and lab experiments (for monitoring HPHT rheological properties). Rotating cross-validation method is applied to ensure accurate and robust results. In both cases, models from the Gradient Boosting and the Artificial Neural Network algorithms provided the highest accuracy (about 0.95 in terms of R-squared) for test datasets. With developments presented in this paper, the hole cleaning calculations can be performed more accurately in real-time, and the HPHT rheological properties of drilling fluids can be estimated at the rigsite before performing the lab experiments. These contributions advance digital transformation of drilling operations.

scholarly journals Assessing the Relation between Mud Components and Rheology for Loss Circulation Prevention Using Polymeric Gels: A Machine Learning Approach

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1377
Author(s):  
Musaab I. Magzoub ◽  
Raj Kiran ◽  
Saeed Salehi ◽  
Ibnelwaleed A. Hussein ◽  
Mustafa S. Nasser
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Rheological Properties ◽  
Nearest Neighbor ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Gradient Boosting ◽  
K Nearest Neighbor ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Machine Learning Approach ◽  
Drilling Operations

The traditional way to mitigate loss circulation in drilling operations is to use preventative and curative materials. However, it is difficult to quantify the amount of materials from every possible combination to produce customized rheological properties. In this study, machine learning (ML) is used to develop a framework to identify material composition for loss circulation applications based on the desired rheological characteristics. The relation between the rheological properties and the mud components for polyacrylamide/polyethyleneimine (PAM/PEI)-based mud is assessed experimentally. Four different ML algorithms were implemented to model the rheological data for various mud components at different concentrations and testing conditions. These four algorithms include (a) k-Nearest Neighbor, (b) Random Forest, (c) Gradient Boosting, and (d) AdaBoosting. The Gradient Boosting model showed the highest accuracy (91 and 74% for plastic and apparent viscosity, respectively), which can be further used for hydraulic calculations. Overall, the experimental study presented in this paper, together with the proposed ML-based framework, adds valuable information to the design of PAM/PEI-based mud. The ML models allowed a wide range of rheology assessments for various drilling fluid formulations with a mean accuracy of up to 91%. The case study has shown that with the appropriate combination of materials, reasonable rheological properties could be achieved to prevent loss circulation by managing the equivalent circulating density (ECD).

Nano-Enhanced Drilling Fluids: Pioneering Approach to Overcome Uncompromising Drilling Problems

2011 ◽  
Vol 134 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Abdo ◽  
M. Danish Haneef
Keyword(s):  
Rheological Properties ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Lost Circulation ◽  
Drilling Operations ◽  
Cost Efficient ◽  
A Chain ◽  
Size Distribution Of Particles

The idea of pushing the limits of drilling oil and gas wells by improving drilling fluids for undemanding and cost efficient drilling operations by extracting advantage from the wonders of nanotechnology forms the basis of the work presented here. Foremost, in order to highlight the significance of reducing the size distribution of particles, new clay ATR which has a chain like structure and offers enormous surface area and increased reactivity was tested in different sizes that were chemically and mechanically milled. Bentonite which is a commonly used drilling fluid additive was also tested in different particle size distribution (PSD) and rheological properties were tested. Significant reduction in viscosity with small sized particles was recorded. The tested material called ATR throughout this paper is shown to offer better functionality than bentonite without the requirement of other expensive additives. Experiments were performed with different size distributions and compositions and drastic changes in rheological properties are observed. A detailed investigation of the shear thinning behavior was also carried out with ATR samples in order to confirm its functionality for eliminating the problem of mechanical and differential pipe sticking, while retaining suitable viscosity and density for avoidance of problems like lost circulation, poor hole cleaning and inappropriate operating hydrostatic pressures.

Real-Time Determination of Rheological Properties of Spud Drilling Fluids Using a Hybrid Artificial Intelligence Technique

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khaled Abdelgawad ◽  
Salaheldin Elkatatny ◽  
Tamer Moussa ◽  
Mohamed Mahmoud ◽  
Shirish Patil
Keyword(s):  
Rheological Properties ◽  
Apparent Viscosity ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Differential Evolution Algorithm ◽  
Percentage Error ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Rheological Parameter ◽  
Ann Model ◽  
Hole Cleaning ◽  
Ann Models

The rheological properties of the drilling fluid play a key role in controlling the drilling operation. Knowledge of drilling fluid rheological properties is very crucial for drilling hydraulic calculations required for hole cleaning optimization. Measuring the rheological properties during drilling sometimes is a time-consuming process. Wrong estimation of these properties may lead to many problems, such as pipe sticking, loss of circulation, and/or well control issues. The aforementioned problems increase the non-productive time and the overall cost of the drilling operations. In this paper, the frequent drilling fluid measurements (mud density, Marsh funnel viscosity (MFV), and solid percent) are used to estimate the rheological properties of bentonite spud mud. Artificial neural network (ANN) technique was combined with the self-adaptive differential evolution algorithm (SaDe) to develop an optimum ANN model for each rheological property using 1029 data points. The SaDe helped to optimize the best combination of parameters for the ANN models. For the first time, based on the developed ANN models, empirical equations are extracted for each rheological parameter. The ANN models predicted the rheological properties from the mud density, MFV, and solid percent with high accuracy (average absolute percentage error (AAPE) less than 5% and correlation coefficient higher than 95%). The developed apparent viscosity model was compared with the available models in the literature using the unseen dataset. The SaDe-ANN model outperformed the other models which overestimated the apparent viscosity of the spud drilling fluid. The developed models will help drilling engineers to predict the rheological properties every 15–20 min. This will help to optimize hole cleaning and avoid pipe sticking and loss of circulation where bentonite spud mud is used. No additional equipment or special software is required for applying the new method.

Machine Learning Applications in Drilling Fluid Engineering: a Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sercan Gul
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Wellbore Stability ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Fluid Mud ◽  
Surface Cooling ◽  
Real Time Analysis ◽  
Machine Learning Applications ◽  
Drilling Operations

Abstract Drilling fluid (mud) serves various purposes in drilling operations, the most important being the primary well control barrier to prevent kicks and blowouts. Other duties include, but not limited to, maintaining wellbore stability, removing and transporting formation cuttings to the surface, cooling and lubricating downhole tools, and transmitting hydraulic energy to the drill bit. Mud quality is therefore related to most of the problems in drilling operations either directly or indirectly. The physics-based models used in the industry with drilling fluid information (i.e., cuttings transport, well hydraulics, event detection) are computationally expensive, difficult to integrate for real-time analysis, and not always applicable for all drilling conditions. For this reason, researchers have shown extensive interest in machine learning (ML) approaches to alleviate their fluid-related problems. In this study, a comprehensive review of the abundant literature on the various applications of ML in oil and gas operations, concentrating mainly on drilling fluids, is presented. It was shown that leveraging state-of-the-art supervised and unsupervised ML methods can help predict or eliminate most fluid-related issues in drilling. The review discusses various ML methods, their theory, applications, limitations, and achievements.

Experimental Investigation of Friction and Hydraulics in Circular and Non-Circular Wellbores With Oil Based Drilling Fluids

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Taghipour ◽  
Bjørnar Lund ◽  
Jan David Ytrehus
Keyword(s):  
Test Section ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Drilling Process ◽  
Operational Parameters ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Cuttings Transport ◽  
Hole Cleaning ◽  
Experimental Laboratory ◽  
Drilling Operations

Borehole hydraulics, hole cleaning and mechanical friction are important factors for well planning and drilling operations. Many studies aim to exploit and optimize the effect of different operational parameters. The effect of wellbore geometry on hole cleaning and mechanical friction has so far not received much attention. This paper presents results from experimental laboratory tests where hydraulics, hole cleaning and mechanical friction have been investigated for circular and non-circular wellbore geometries with a relevant oil-based field drilling fluid (OBM). The non-circular wellbore geometry was made by adding spiral grooves to the wellbore walls in order to investigate the effects on cuttings transport and mechanical friction. The study contributes to describe the function and ability of deliberately induced non-circular geometry in wellbores as means to achieve a more efficient drilling and well construction. Improving hole cleaning will improve drilling efficiency in general, and will in particular enable longer reach for ERD wells. Reduced mechanical friction may improve the drilling process and many operations during the completion phase. The laboratory experiments were performed in an advanced flow loop setup reproducing field-relevant flow conditions. The flow loop consists of a 10 m long 4” inner diameter borehole made of concrete. A free whirling rotational string with 2” diameter provides a realistic down hole annular geometry. A field-relevant oil based drilling fluid (OBM) was circulated through the test section at different flow rates. To represent the effect of rate of penetration, synthetic drilling cuttings (quartz sand particles) were injected at different rates through the annulus in the horizontal test section. The test results show that borehole hydraulics and cutting transport properties are significantly improved in the non-circular wellbore relative to the circular wellbore. The effect of the mechanical friction is more complex, yet significantly different for the two geometries.

Experimental Investigation of Friction and Hydraulics in Circular and Non-Circular Wellbores With Oil Based Drilling Fluids

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Taghipour ◽  
Bjørnar Lund ◽  
Jan David Ytrehus
Keyword(s):  
Test Section ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Drilling Process ◽  
Operational Parameters ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Cuttings Transport ◽  
Hole Cleaning ◽  
Experimental Laboratory ◽  
Drilling Operations

Borehole hydraulics, hole cleaning and mechanical friction are important factors for well planning and drilling operations. Many studies aim to exploit and optimize the effect of different operational parameters. The effect of wellbore geometry on hole cleaning and mechanical friction has so far not received much attention. This paper presents results from experimental laboratory tests where hydraulics, hole cleaning and mechanical friction have been investigated for circular and non-circular wellbore geometries with a relevant oil-based field drilling fluid (OBM). The non-circular wellbore geometry was made by adding spiral grooves to the wellbore walls in order to investigate the effects on cuttings transport and mechanical friction. The study contributes to describe the function and ability of deliberately induced non-circular geometry in wellbores as means to achieve a more efficient drilling and well construction. Improving hole cleaning will improve drilling efficiency in general, and will in particular enable longer reach for ERD wells. Reduced mechanical friction may improve the drilling process and many operations during the completion phase. The laboratory experiments were performed in an advanced flow loop setup reproducing field-relevant flow conditions. The flow loop consists of a 10 m long 4″ inner diameter borehole made of concrete. A free whirling rotational string with 2″ diameter provides a realistic down hole annular geometry. A field-relevant oil based drilling fluid (OBM) was circulated through the test section at different flow rates. To represent the effect of rate of penetration, synthetic drilling cuttings (quartz sand particles) were injected at different rates through the annulus in the horizontal test section. The test results show that borehole hydraulics and cutting transport properties are significantly improved in the non-circular wellbore relative to the circular wellbore. The effect of the mechanical friction is more complex, yet significantly different for the two geometries.

Modelling of Drilling Fluid Thixotropy

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Cayeux ◽  
Amare Leulseged
Keyword(s):  
Shear Stress ◽  
Shear Rate ◽  
Time Dependence ◽  
Rheological Properties ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Shear Rates ◽  
Pump Flow Rate ◽  
Drilling Operations

Drilling fluids are visco-elastic materials, i.e. they behave as a viscous fluid when subject to a sufficient shear stress and like an elastic solid otherwise. Both their elastic and viscous properties are time-dependent, i.e. drilling fluids are thixotropic. Because of thixotropy, it takes a finite time before the effective viscosity of a drilling fluid attains an equilibrium when the fluid is subject to a change of shear rate. This effect is visible when one changes the applied shear rate in a rheometer, as the fluid will gradually adapt to the new shearing conditions. When the velocity of a drilling fluid changes, for instance due to a change in pump flow rate, movement of the drill string, or change of flow geometry, the fluid will exhibit a time-dependent response to the new shearing conditions, requiring a certain time to reach the new equilibrium condition. Unfortunately, the time-dependence of the rheological properties of drilling fluids are usually not measured during drilling operations and therefore it is difficult to estimate how thixotropy impacts pressure losses in drilling operations. For that reason, we have systematically measured the time-dependence of the rheological properties of several samples of water-based, oil-based and micronized drilling fluids with a scientific rheometer in order to capture how drilling fluids systems respond to variations of shear rates. Based on these measurements, we propose to investigate how one existing thixotropic model manages to predict the shear stress as a function of the shear rate while accounting for the shear history and gelling conditions. Then we propose a modified model that fits better, overall, with the measurements even though there are still noticeable discrepancies, especially when switching back to low shear rates.

The Influence of Drilling Fluid Rheological Properties on Primary Solids Control

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arild Saasen ◽  
Helge Hodne
Keyword(s):  
Rheological Properties ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Gel Structure ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Drilling Operations ◽  
Exploration Drilling ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Elliptical Motion

Throughout the last decades, the design and performance of the primary solid control devices have changed significantly. Some five decades ago, the circular motion shakers dominated the marked. These shakers operated by sending the drilling fluid downhill a vibrating screen. Thereafter appeared the elliptical motion or linear motion shakers where the cuttings particles were vibrated upwards a tilted screen. Onto these shakers, the use of double screen decks and finally triple screen decks became common. Within the last years also the vacuum devices appeared. Throughout the last two decades, there has been an effort to increase the g-forces on these shakers and the industry seems to have preferred the high g-force devices recently. Laboratory studies, however, has indicated that the very high g-forces are not necessary to perform proper solids control. Instead, different vibration modes interacts with the gel structure of the drilling fluid and remove yield stresses. Hence, the fluid becomes mobile for flow through the screen. Flow through screens is strongly dependent on the extensional properties within the drilling fluid rheology. Drilling fluids with high extensional viscosity seldom has a very strong gel structure, and are generally not affected equally much by vibrations. This explains why solids control is more difficult using a KCl/polymer water based drilling fluid than if using an oil based drilling fluid. This article focuses on describing how the drilling fluid rheological properties alter during primary solids control. It is based on theoretical analysis, rheological studies in the laboratory and finally on practical applications in two recent exploration drilling operations. The solids control efficiency resulting from using different screen configurations is outside the scope of this article, as this topic requires a higher focus on separation technology.

Effects of Oil-Based Drilling-Fluid Rheological Properties on Hole-Cleaning Performance

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Werner ◽  
Velaug Myrseth ◽  
Bjørnar Lund ◽  
Arild Saasen ◽  
Zalpato Ibragimova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheological Properties ◽  
Drilling Fluid ◽  
Drill String ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Wellbore Stability ◽  
Drilling Fluids ◽  
Fluid Viscosity ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Cuttings Transport ◽  
Hole Cleaning

Drilling fluids play an important role in safe and efficient drilling operations. Wellbore stability, formation integrity, drill string lubrication, and cuttings transport are among their main requirements. The removal of a cuttings bed is one of the major difficulties while trying to keep up a steady drilling progress. Deviated and long horizontal wellbore sections provide challenges not only to the drilling equipment in use, but also to the fluids. Cuttings accumulate easily on the bottom of a wellbore section due to gravity and can therefore reduce hole cleaning efficiency. Cuttings transport is highly dependent on the properties of the drilling fluid. Viscosity, density and gel strength are among the key parameters. Drilling fluids have in general a complex composition with either water or oil as a base substance. Demanding operating conditions, for example high temperature difference from topside to the deep downhole sections or varying shear rates throughout the wellbore, also influence the properties of the fluids during operation. Drilling fluids have to be adapted to all these different drilling situations. The aim of the full project is to compare different water- and oil-based drilling fluids regarding their hole cleaning abilities. As part of the experimental study where drilling fluids are circulated in a 10 m long flow-loop test section with a free-whirling rotating inner drill string, rheological characterization with an Anton Paar MCR rheometer is performed. These measurements include determination of flow properties, yield stress and viscosity-temperature dependence. The results are correlated with the industry standard procedures for the testing of drilling-fluid properties with Fann 35 viscometers (API/ ISO standards). Measurements performed on viscometers at the oil rigs are done to receive fast results in order to control the drilling operation. In contrast, rheometer measurements provide the possibility of a deeper comprehension of the rheological properties of the drilling fluids due to the advanced measurement system. This work presents rheological properties for a typical oil-based drilling fluid commonly used on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, and includes a comparison with two other oil-based drilling fluids based on previously published work. The rheometer results are analyzed in relation to the flow loop experiments and to the viscosity data measured in accordance with the API/ISO specifications. The results from the rheological comparison together with the results from the flow-loop experiments are expected to make an influencing contribution to the question of why various drilling fluids perform so differently in terms of cuttings transport.

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.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document