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Abstract
The use of foam as a drilling fluid was developed to meet a special set of conditions under which other common drilling fluids had failed. Foam drilling is defined as the process of making boreholes by utilizing foam as the circulating fluid. When compared with conventional drilling, underbalanced or foam drilling has several advantages. These advantages include: avoidance of lost circulation problems, minimizing damage to pay zones, higher penetration rates and bit life. Foams are usually characterized by the quality, the ratio of the volume of gas, and the total foam volume. Obtaining dependable pressure profiles for aerated (gasified) fluids and foam is more difficult than for single phase fluids, since in the former ones the drilling mud contains a gas phase that is entrained within the fluid system. The primary goal of this study is to expand the knowledge-base of the hydrodynamic phenomena that occur in a foam drilling operation. In order to gain a better understanding of foam drilling operations, a hydrodynamic model is developed and run at different operating conditions. For this purpose, the flow of foam through the drilling system is modeled by invoking the basic principles of continuum mechanics and thermodynamics. The model was designed to allow gas and liquid flow at desired volumetric flow rates through the drillstring and annulus. Parametric studies are conducted in order to identify the most influential variables in the hydrodynamic modeling of foam flow.
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References
- Ayala, L.F. and Adewumi, M., 2003, "Low-Liquid Loading Multiphase Flow in Natural Gas Pipelines," J. of Energy Resources and Technology, Trans.
- ASME, Vol. 125, pp. 284-293.
- Beyer, A.H., Millhone, R.S. and Foote, R.W., 1972, "Flow Behavior of Foam as a Well Circulating Fluid," SPE Paper 3986 presented at the 47th SPE Fall Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, USA.
- Cash, J. R., Karp A. H., 1990, "Variable order Runge- Kutta Method for Initial Value Problems with Rapidly varying Right-hand Sides," ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software, Vol. 16, pp. 201-222.
- Chen, N.H., 1979, "An Explicit Equation for Friction Factor in Pipe," Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Fundamentals," Vol. 18(3), pp. 296-297.
- David, A. and Marsden, S.S., 1969, "The Rheology of Foam," SPE Paper 2544 presented in the SPE Fall Meeting of the Society in Denver, Colorado.
- Kuru, E., Okunsebur, O. M. and Li, Y., 2004, "Hydraulic Optimization of Foam Drilling for Maximum Drilling Rate," SPE Paper 91610 presented at the SPE/IADC Underbalanced Technology Conference and Exhibition held in Houston, Texas, USA.
- Li, Y. and Kuru, E., 2005, "Numerical Modelling of Cuttings Transport with Foam in Vertical Wells," J. of Canadian Petroleum Technology, Vol. 44(3).
- Lord, D. L., 1981, "Analysis of Dynamic and Static Foam Behavior," J. of Petroleum Technology, pp. 39-45.
- Lourenço, A. M. F., Miska, S. Z., Reed, T. D., Pickell, M. B. and Takach, N. E., 2004, "Study of the Effects of Pressure and Temperature on the Viscosity of Drilling Foams and Frictional Pressure Losses," SPE Paper 84175, SPE Drilling & Completion, Vol. 19(3), pp. 139-146.
- Millhone, R. S., Haskin, C. A. and Beyer, A. H., 1972, "Factors Affecting Foam Circulation in Oil Wells," SPE Paper 4001 presented in the SPE Fall Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, USA.
- Mitchell, B. J., 1970, "Viscosity of Foam," PhD Thesis, The University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma, 1970.
- Okpobiri, G. A. and Ikoku, C. U., 1982, "Experimental Determination of Solids Friction Factors and Minimum Volumetric Requirements in Foam and Mist Drilling and Well Completion Operations," Final Report, Fossil Energy, US Department of Energy, University of Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.
- Okpobiri, G. A. and Ikoku, C. U., 1986, "Volumetric Requirements for Foam and Mist Drilling Operations," SPE Paper 11723, SPE Drilling Engineering (February).Ozbayoglu, M. E., Akin, S. and Eren, T., 2005, "Foam
- Characterization Using Image Processing Techniques", SPE Paper 93860 presented at the SPE Western Regional Meeting held in Irvine, California, USA.
- Ozbayoglu, M. E., Kuru, E., Miska, S. and Takach, N., 2000, "A Comparative Study of Hydraulic Models for Foam Drilling," SPE Paper 65489 presented at the SPE/Petroleum Society of CIM International Conference on Horizontal Well Technology held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
- Ozbayoglu, M. E., Miska, S. Z., Reed, T. and Takach, N., 2003, "Cuttings Transport with Foam in Horizontal & Highly-Inclined Wellbores", SPE Paper 79856 presented at the SPE/IADC Drilling Conference held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Peng, D. and Robinson, D.B., 1976, "A New Two- Constant Equation of State", Industrial Engineering Chemical Fundamentals, Vol. 15(1), pp. 59-64.
- Press, W. H., Teukolsky, S.A., Vetterling, W. T. and Flannery, B. P., 1994, “Numerical Recipes in Fortran: The Art of Scientific Computing,” Cambridge University Press, Second edition, pp. 701-716.
- Raza, S. H. and Marsden, S.S., 1967, "The Streaming Potential and Rheology of Foam," SPE Paper 1748, Society of Petroleum Engineers Journal, pp. 359-368.
- Sanghani, V. and Ikoku, C. U., 1982, "Rheology of Foam and Its Implications in Drilling and Cleanout Operations, " Topical Report, The University of Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
References
Ayala, L.F. and Adewumi, M., 2003, "Low-Liquid Loading Multiphase Flow in Natural Gas Pipelines," J. of Energy Resources and Technology, Trans.
ASME, Vol. 125, pp. 284-293.
Beyer, A.H., Millhone, R.S. and Foote, R.W., 1972, "Flow Behavior of Foam as a Well Circulating Fluid," SPE Paper 3986 presented at the 47th SPE Fall Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Cash, J. R., Karp A. H., 1990, "Variable order Runge- Kutta Method for Initial Value Problems with Rapidly varying Right-hand Sides," ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software, Vol. 16, pp. 201-222.
Chen, N.H., 1979, "An Explicit Equation for Friction Factor in Pipe," Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Fundamentals," Vol. 18(3), pp. 296-297.
David, A. and Marsden, S.S., 1969, "The Rheology of Foam," SPE Paper 2544 presented in the SPE Fall Meeting of the Society in Denver, Colorado.
Kuru, E., Okunsebur, O. M. and Li, Y., 2004, "Hydraulic Optimization of Foam Drilling for Maximum Drilling Rate," SPE Paper 91610 presented at the SPE/IADC Underbalanced Technology Conference and Exhibition held in Houston, Texas, USA.
Li, Y. and Kuru, E., 2005, "Numerical Modelling of Cuttings Transport with Foam in Vertical Wells," J. of Canadian Petroleum Technology, Vol. 44(3).
Lord, D. L., 1981, "Analysis of Dynamic and Static Foam Behavior," J. of Petroleum Technology, pp. 39-45.
Lourenço, A. M. F., Miska, S. Z., Reed, T. D., Pickell, M. B. and Takach, N. E., 2004, "Study of the Effects of Pressure and Temperature on the Viscosity of Drilling Foams and Frictional Pressure Losses," SPE Paper 84175, SPE Drilling & Completion, Vol. 19(3), pp. 139-146.
Millhone, R. S., Haskin, C. A. and Beyer, A. H., 1972, "Factors Affecting Foam Circulation in Oil Wells," SPE Paper 4001 presented in the SPE Fall Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Mitchell, B. J., 1970, "Viscosity of Foam," PhD Thesis, The University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma, 1970.
Okpobiri, G. A. and Ikoku, C. U., 1982, "Experimental Determination of Solids Friction Factors and Minimum Volumetric Requirements in Foam and Mist Drilling and Well Completion Operations," Final Report, Fossil Energy, US Department of Energy, University of Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.
Okpobiri, G. A. and Ikoku, C. U., 1986, "Volumetric Requirements for Foam and Mist Drilling Operations," SPE Paper 11723, SPE Drilling Engineering (February).Ozbayoglu, M. E., Akin, S. and Eren, T., 2005, "Foam
Characterization Using Image Processing Techniques", SPE Paper 93860 presented at the SPE Western Regional Meeting held in Irvine, California, USA.
Ozbayoglu, M. E., Kuru, E., Miska, S. and Takach, N., 2000, "A Comparative Study of Hydraulic Models for Foam Drilling," SPE Paper 65489 presented at the SPE/Petroleum Society of CIM International Conference on Horizontal Well Technology held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Ozbayoglu, M. E., Miska, S. Z., Reed, T. and Takach, N., 2003, "Cuttings Transport with Foam in Horizontal & Highly-Inclined Wellbores", SPE Paper 79856 presented at the SPE/IADC Drilling Conference held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Peng, D. and Robinson, D.B., 1976, "A New Two- Constant Equation of State", Industrial Engineering Chemical Fundamentals, Vol. 15(1), pp. 59-64.
Press, W. H., Teukolsky, S.A., Vetterling, W. T. and Flannery, B. P., 1994, “Numerical Recipes in Fortran: The Art of Scientific Computing,” Cambridge University Press, Second edition, pp. 701-716.
Raza, S. H. and Marsden, S.S., 1967, "The Streaming Potential and Rheology of Foam," SPE Paper 1748, Society of Petroleum Engineers Journal, pp. 359-368.
Sanghani, V. and Ikoku, C. U., 1982, "Rheology of Foam and Its Implications in Drilling and Cleanout Operations, " Topical Report, The University of Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA