UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI I'ETRO"iA <;
MODELING CUTTINGS TRANSPORT MECHANISM IN HORIZONTAL WELL
By
MOHAMAD HAFIZUDDIN BIN MAHAD (10712)
DISSERTATION
SUPERVISOR: MR. ELIAS B ABLLAH
Submitted to the Petroleum Engioeeriog Programme in Partial Fulfihnent of the Requirements
for the Bachelor ofEngineeriog (Hons) Degree io Petroleum Engioeeriog on 15th September 2011
Universiti Teknologi Petronas Bandar Seri Iskandar
31750 Tronoh Perak Darul Ridzuan
CERTIFICATION OF APPROVAL
Modelling Cuttings Transport Mechanism in Horizontal Well
Approved by,
by
Mohamad Hafizuddin B Mahad A project dissertation submitted to the
Petroleum Engineering Programme Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the
BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING (Hons) (PETROLEUM ENGINEERING)
(Mr. Elias B Abllah)
UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI PETRONAS TRONOH, PERAK
September 2011
ABSTRACT
Cuttings transport becomes a major problem to handle in oil and gas industry. It is a complex process to transport cuttings from vertical well and it is become more complex if the well is horizontal. Transporting cuttings from wellbore is important because if the well is inadequate in hole cleaning, it can lead to many serious problem.
Since then, for the past few decades, many researches and studies have been made, objectively to understand in detail the mechanism of cuttings transport in wellbore. The problem was identified and researchers tried to come out with possible methods to overcome this problem.
There are many models and methods have been developed to investigate the cuttings transport in wellbore. Mathematical model, empirical model, theoretical model, and also experimental work have been done in order to solve the problem. Some characteristics and parameters that affect the transportation process have been identified.
In this project, the modeling using simulation's software is a new method used in study the cuttings transport mechanism in horizontal well. ANSYS II. 0 is used in this project as a tool in modeling and simulating the cuttings transport mechanism.
The use of ANSYS I I .0 in modeling cuttings transport mechanism in horizontal well provides a simple workable method compared to experimental work. ANSYS 11.0 allowed user to investigate the unlimited parameters and the operational conditions of the wellbores also can be designed at any conditions. It means that, using this software eliminates all physical difficulties in study the cuttings transport mechanism.
The main purpose of this project is to model a cuttings transport mechanism in horizontal well using ANSYS. The wellbore conditions will be design in this software and the investigation of the parameters that effect the transportation is done by comparing various set of parameters. Using two different sizes of particles, 0.185 inches and 0.274 inches, the simulation simulate three type of fluid with different density, 998.2 kg/m3, I 198 kg/m3, and 1497 kg/m3 by setting its annular velocity to 20 m/s, 40 mls, and 60 m/s. The result of the project is expected to be in graph diagram, where it compares all parameters.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express special gratitude and thank to my sincere supervisor, Mr Elias B Abllah for his full support, advice, constant supervision, strength, courage, and valuable guidance throughout this project. I would also like to thank the head, lecturers, and stuff of geosciences and petroleum engineering for all their support and providing me with a good environment and facilities to graduate as a petroleum engineer. It is a great pleasure to express my deepest appreciation to my parents, Mahad b Hassan and Zubidah bt Abdullah who prayed for me and stood by my side in a long this journey of studies.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
Content Page
Certification of Approval... 1
Certification of Originality... ii
Jll>stl1lct... 111
Acknowledgement... iv
Chapter 1 : Introduction 1.1 Background Study. . . 1
1.2 Problem Statement... 2
1.3 Objective... 3
1.4 Scope OfStudy... 3
1.5 Project Relevancy... 4
1.6 Feasibility of the Project withio the Scope and Time Frame... 4
Chapter 2 : Theory And Literature Review 2.1 Drilling Mud... 5
2.2 Annular Velocity and Density... 6
2.3 Shear Rate, Shear Stress, and Viscosity... 7
2.4 Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Fluid... 8
2.5 Flow Regimes... 10
2.6 Transportation System in Drilling Process... 11
2. 7 Horizontal Well... 13
2.8 A Three Segment Model... 14
2.9 Parameters Sensitivity for Horizontal Well... 14
2.10 ANSYS 11.0 Software... 15
2.11 Future Researches and TechnologyNeeds... 16
2.12 Reviews on Previous Study... 17
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Figures Page
Figure I: Behavior comparison ofNewtonian and Non-Newtonian Fluids 9 Figure 2: Newtonian versus Non-Newtonian Effective Viscosity Comparison 9
Figure 3: Drilling Rig Transportation System 12
Figure 4: Illustration ofhorizontal well 13
Figure 5: Project Activities Flow Chart 19
Figure 6: Methodology- Design And Simulate The Cuttings Transport Model 20 Figure 7: Work Flow (Modeling and Simulating Model) 21
Figure 8: Drilled Hole Diagram 23
Figure 9: Basic Pipe A and B Design Drawing 23
Figure 10: CATIA Version 5.0 25
Figure II: Horizontal View Drawing (Pipe A and Pipe B) 27
Figure 12: Front View Drawing (Pipe A and Pipe B) 27
Figure 13: Particles Drawing 28
Figure 14: ANSYS Fluid Flow Simulation 30
Figure 15: Fluid Flow at the Bottom of Pipe 31
Figure 16: Particles Movement Test #I (Particles Size 0.185 inch) 34 Figure 17: Particles Movement Test #2 (Particles Size 0.185 inch) 34 Figure 17: Particles Movement Test #3 (Particles Size 0.185 inch) 35 Figure 19: Particles Movement Test #l (Particles Size 0.275 inch) 35 Figure 19: Particles Movement Test #2 (Particles Size 0.275 inch) 36 Figure 19: Particles Movement Test #3 (Particles Size 0.275 inch) 36 Figure 22: Comparison Test #1, Test #2, Test #3 (Particles Size 0.185 inch) 37 Figure 23: Comparison Test #l, Test #2, Test #3 (Particles Size 0.275 inch) 37
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