Optimization of underbalanced hydraulics for an aerated mud system

Underbalanced drilling (UBD) has gained popularity during recent years, as it provides a procedure to prevent formation damage, minimise lost circulation risks, and improve the rate of penetration. However, one of the most crucial steps in UBD design is to optimise the drilling hydraulics for the hi...

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Main Author:	Al-Tamimi, Zayed Mohammed Salem
Format:	Thesis
Language:	English
Published:	2014
Subjects:	TP Chemical technology
Online Access:	http://eprints.utm.my/id/eprint/92984/1/ZayedMohammedSalemMSChE2014.pdf
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id	my-utm-ep.92984
record_format	uketd_dc
spelling	my-utm-ep.929842021-11-07T06:00:10Z Optimization of underbalanced hydraulics for an aerated mud system 2014 Al-Tamimi, Zayed Mohammed Salem TP Chemical technology Underbalanced drilling (UBD) has gained popularity during recent years, as it provides a procedure to prevent formation damage, minimise lost circulation risks, and improve the rate of penetration. However, one of the most crucial steps in UBD design is to optimise the drilling hydraulics for the highest performance during the drilling operation. This task is extremely difficult because of the complex nature of the multiphase flow in the UBD system. To accomplish this task, the bottomhole pressure must be calculated. However, the bottomhole pressure, the fluid influx flow rates and the fluid properties along the wellbore are interdependent parameters and can only be derived through a combination of iterative and finite differential methods. It is therefore necessary to use a computer program to carry out the work involved. To achieve the goals of this process, a commercial software package called WELLFLO 8.1.4 was used to model the underbalanced hydraulics. Field data from the Masila Field (Yemen) reservoirs were used as the input parameters for the UBD simulator. Software validation showed good agreement between the measured standpipe pressure and the simulated standpipe pressure with less than 6% average absolute error. The analysis showed that the liquid flow rate is responsible for carrying capacity of the fluid mixture, while the gas phase is responsible for accelerating the liquid phase. Sensitivity analysis proved that the liquid phase density of drilling fluid influences the bottomhole pressure significantly while other drilling parameters such as the rate of penetration, the gas injection density and the choke pressure cause a minimal impact on the bottomhole pressure which plays a significant role in the success of UBD operations. Furthermore, it has been observed that bottomhole pressure, the velocity of the liquid phase and the nozzle size have a strong influence on bit pressure drop. 2014 Thesis http://eprints.utm.my/id/eprint/92984/ http://eprints.utm.my/id/eprint/92984/1/ZayedMohammedSalemMSChE2014.pdf application/pdf en public http://dms.library.utm.my:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:136955 masters Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Faculty of Engineering - School of Chemical and Energy Engineering Faculty of Engineering - School of Chemical and Energy Engineering
institution	Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
collection	UTM Institutional Repository
language	English
topic	TP Chemical technology
spellingShingle	TP Chemical technology Al-Tamimi, Zayed Mohammed Salem Optimization of underbalanced hydraulics for an aerated mud system
description	Underbalanced drilling (UBD) has gained popularity during recent years, as it provides a procedure to prevent formation damage, minimise lost circulation risks, and improve the rate of penetration. However, one of the most crucial steps in UBD design is to optimise the drilling hydraulics for the highest performance during the drilling operation. This task is extremely difficult because of the complex nature of the multiphase flow in the UBD system. To accomplish this task, the bottomhole pressure must be calculated. However, the bottomhole pressure, the fluid influx flow rates and the fluid properties along the wellbore are interdependent parameters and can only be derived through a combination of iterative and finite differential methods. It is therefore necessary to use a computer program to carry out the work involved. To achieve the goals of this process, a commercial software package called WELLFLO 8.1.4 was used to model the underbalanced hydraulics. Field data from the Masila Field (Yemen) reservoirs were used as the input parameters for the UBD simulator. Software validation showed good agreement between the measured standpipe pressure and the simulated standpipe pressure with less than 6% average absolute error. The analysis showed that the liquid flow rate is responsible for carrying capacity of the fluid mixture, while the gas phase is responsible for accelerating the liquid phase. Sensitivity analysis proved that the liquid phase density of drilling fluid influences the bottomhole pressure significantly while other drilling parameters such as the rate of penetration, the gas injection density and the choke pressure cause a minimal impact on the bottomhole pressure which plays a significant role in the success of UBD operations. Furthermore, it has been observed that bottomhole pressure, the velocity of the liquid phase and the nozzle size have a strong influence on bit pressure drop.
format	Thesis
qualification_level	Master's degree
author	Al-Tamimi, Zayed Mohammed Salem
author_facet	Al-Tamimi, Zayed Mohammed Salem
author_sort	Al-Tamimi, Zayed Mohammed Salem
title	Optimization of underbalanced hydraulics for an aerated mud system
title_short	Optimization of underbalanced hydraulics for an aerated mud system
title_full	Optimization of underbalanced hydraulics for an aerated mud system
title_fullStr	Optimization of underbalanced hydraulics for an aerated mud system
title_full_unstemmed	Optimization of underbalanced hydraulics for an aerated mud system
title_sort	optimization of underbalanced hydraulics for an aerated mud system
granting_institution	Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Faculty of Engineering - School of Chemical and Energy Engineering
granting_department	Faculty of Engineering - School of Chemical and Energy Engineering
publishDate	2014
url	http://eprints.utm.my/id/eprint/92984/1/ZayedMohammedSalemMSChE2014.pdf
_version_	1747818619643887616

Optimization of underbalanced hydraulics for an aerated mud system

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