Estimating the Critical Velocity of the Incipient Motion of Particles on the Cuttings Bed Surface: An Experimental and Theoretical Analysis

Kaixiang Shen (), Zhenqiang Xu, Guoshuai Ju (), Yingsheng Wang and Zijian Li
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Kaixiang Shen: Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Guangzhou 510075, China
Zhenqiang Xu: Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Guangzhou 510075, China
Guoshuai Ju: College of Petroleum Engineering, Northeast Petroleum University, Daqing 163318, China
Yingsheng Wang: Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, Guangzhou 510075, China
Zijian Li: Department of Engineering and Applied Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NF A1B 3X5, Canada

Mathematics, 2023, vol. 11, issue 12, 1-15

Abstract: During the drilling of highly deviated and horizontal wells, a pump shutdown causes drill cuttings to settle and form a cuttings bed in the annulus. This study investigated the incipient motion law of the particles on the cuttings bed surface when the drilling fluid starts circulating again. This work could help field engineers to determine a reasonable incipient pump displacement to improve hole-cleaning efficiency. In this study, the effects of the well inclination angle, cuttings size, and different cuttings densities on the critical velocity of particle motion are analyzed experimentally, using a large-scale flow loop. Next, based on a stress analysis of the particles on the cutting bed surface and on the boundary layer flow around the particles, an analytical formula for the surface shear force of the drilling fluid on particles is derived and a critical velocity model for incipient motion is established. Verification is then carried out and combined with the experimental results. This study has important implications for the design of drilling operations and for the management of cuttings transport in oil and gas wells. It can guide the setting and prediction of pump discharge to improve hole-cleaning efficiency.

Keywords: cuttings bed; fluid mechanics; multiphase flows; incipient motion; deviated and horizontal wells (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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