Session: 11-02-01 Well Drilling Fluids & Hydraulics

Paper Number: 127094

127094 - Cfd-Dem Modelling and Investigation on Flow Regimes and Their Transition of Cuttings With Non-Newtonian Fluid in Horizontal Wells 

For the long-reach horizontal wells, cuttings deposit becomes to a general question, as the cuttings are easy to deposit at the bottom to form a thick cuttings bed, which is easy to cause drilling stuck and pumping accidents. Accurately characterizes the flow regimes and their transition of cuttings in complex multiphase flow in the wellbore becomes to an important consideration, as the flow regimes and their transit directly affect the distribution of cuttings concentration and wellbore pressure drop. The most drilling fluids exhibit typical non-Newtonian rheological properties, it is necessary to study the influence of rheological parameters of non-Newtonian fluids on the flow characteristics of cuttings. A coupled computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with the discrete element method (DEM) is applied here to describe the different flow regimes and their transition. A model validation compared with experiment data is presented here to show the model’s capability. Then, the effects of rheological parameters of non-Newtonian fluids on flow regimes and their transition, pressure drop and particle behaviors are discussed. A new phase diagram for describe the flow regimes and their transition under non-Newtonian fluids is established here. The research results will lay a theoretical foundation for improving the efficiency of borehole cleaning and have practical significance for guiding the field construction of extended-reach horizontal wells.

Presenting Author: Yi Sun China University of Petroleum (Beijing)

Presenting Author Biography: Yi Sun obtained his BCs on Petroleum Engineering on June 2022 at China University Petroleum, Beijing (CUPB) and has been pursuing a master degree at the same university since then. His research primarily focuses on complex solid-liquid two-phase flow through field experiments and CFD-DEM modeling. This includes studies on the cuttings transport during the process of rotary drilling and wellbore cleaning, as well as analysis of pressure drop during high-temperature and high-pressure wellbore circulation. As a third author, he has published one Chinese core paper in the relevant field and holds a national invention patent as the third inventor. He has been involved in two research projects related to complex solid-liquid two-phase flow, including the NSFC general project and the Excellent Young Scholars Fund of China University Petroleum, Beijing.

Authors:

Yi Sun China University of Petroleum (Beijing)
Mengmeng Zhou China University of Petroleum (Beijing)
Xianzhi Song China University of Petroleum (Beijing)
Zhengming Xu China University of Geosciences, Beijing
Wanzhuo Ping Xi'an Shiyou University
Zhaopeng Zhu China University of Petroleum (Beijing)
Yiqun Qi China University of Petroleum (Beijing)
Silin Jing China University of Petroleum (Beijing)
Xuezhe Yao China University of Petroleum (Beijing)