A Novel Prediction Model of the Drag Coefficient of Shale Cuttings in Herschel–Bulkley Fluid

Xiaofeng Sun, Minghao Sun and Zijian Li
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Xiaofeng Sun: Key Laboratory of Enhanced Oil Recovery, Ministry of Education, College of Petroleum Engineering, Northeast Petroleum University, Daqing 163318, China
Minghao Sun: Key Laboratory of Enhanced Oil Recovery, Ministry of Education, College of Petroleum Engineering, Northeast Petroleum University, Daqing 163318, China
Zijian Li: Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NF A1B3X5, Canada

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 12, 1-16

Abstract: In the drilling industry, it is of great significance to accurately predict the drag coefficient and settling velocity of drill cuttings falling in the non-Newtonian drilling fluid. However, the irregular shape of drill cuttings and the non-Newtonian rheological properties of drilling fluid (e.g., shear-thinning and yield stress behavior) make it challenging to predict the settling velocity. In this study, the velocity of particle settlement was studied by a visual device and high-speed camera system. Experimental data of the free settlement of 224 irregular drilling cuttings and 105 spherical particles in the Herschel–Bulkley fluid were obtained. A mechanical model dependent on the force balance of settlement particles was adopted to conduct a detailed statistical analysis of the experimental results, and a prediction model of the drag coefficient of spherical particles in the Herschel–Bulkley fluid was established. A two-dimensional shape description parameter is introduced to establish a model for predicting the drag coefficient of irregular-shaped cuttings in a Herschel–Bulkley fluid. The model has high prediction accuracy for the settling velocity of irregular shale cuttings in Herschel–Bulkley fluid. The average relative error is 7.14%, verifying the model’s accuracy.

Keywords: Herschel–Bulkley fluid; hole cleaning; cuttings; settling velocity; drag coefficient (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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