Next Article in Journal
Carbonization of Refuse-Derived Fuel Pellets with Biomass Incorporation to Solid Fuel Production
Previous Article in Journal
Research on Economic Evaluation Methods and Project Investment Strategies for Gas Power Generation Based on the Natural Gas Industry Chain and Gas–Electricity Price Linkage in China
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Fuels
Volume 5
Issue 4
10.3390/fuels5040040
fuels-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite question_answer Discuss in SciProfiles
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

A Computational Fluid Dynamics Study on the Effect of Drilling Parameters on Wellbore Cleaning in Oil Wells

by
Bachir Doghmane
1,
Younes Hadj Guenaoui
1,
Aimen Laalam
2 and
Habib Ouadi
3,*
1
Department of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, University of M’hmed Bougara, Boumerdes 35000, Algeria
2
Department of Petroleum Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, USA
3
Department of Energy and Petroleum Engineering, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58202, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Fuels 2024, 5(4), 727-745; https://doi.org/10.3390/fuels5040040
Submission received: 11 July 2024 / Revised: 2 September 2024 / Accepted: 15 October 2024 / Published: 1 November 2024
Browse Figures
Versions Notes

Abstract

Poor wellbore cleaning is a significant challenge in oil drilling, primarily due to the accumulation of cuttings at the bottom of the well, particularly in deviated and horizontal wells. This study addresses this issue by employing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) with the commercial software ANSYS FLUENT (2023-R1) to simulate a solid–liquid multiphase flow in an annulus. The primary objective is to analyze the cuttings concentration, pressure loss, and solid velocity profiles across various drilling parameters, including drill pipe rotation, the flow rate, rate of penetration, inclination angle, and fluid rheology. Our results underscore the critical role of these parameters in enhancing cuttings transport efficiency. Specifically, the drill pipe rotation, flow rate, and rate of penetration emerge as the most influential factors affecting the wellbore cleaning performance. With a validated model exhibiting an average error of 4.24%, this study provides insights into optimizing drilling operations to improve wellbore cleaning and increase hydrocarbon recovery.
Keywords: oil drilling; wellbore cleaning; cuttings; Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD); ANSYS FLUENT; multiphase flow; cuttings concentration; pressure loss; solid velocity oil drilling; wellbore cleaning; cuttings; Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD); ANSYS FLUENT; multiphase flow; cuttings concentration; pressure loss; solid velocity

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Doghmane, B.; Hadj Guenaoui, Y.; Laalam, A.; Ouadi, H. A Computational Fluid Dynamics Study on the Effect of Drilling Parameters on Wellbore Cleaning in Oil Wells. Fuels 2024, 5, 727-745. https://doi.org/10.3390/fuels5040040

AMA Style

Doghmane B, Hadj Guenaoui Y, Laalam A, Ouadi H. A Computational Fluid Dynamics Study on the Effect of Drilling Parameters on Wellbore Cleaning in Oil Wells. Fuels. 2024; 5(4):727-745. https://doi.org/10.3390/fuels5040040

Chicago/Turabian Style

Doghmane, Bachir, Younes Hadj Guenaoui, Aimen Laalam, and Habib Ouadi. 2024. "A Computational Fluid Dynamics Study on the Effect of Drilling Parameters on Wellbore Cleaning in Oil Wells" Fuels 5, no. 4: 727-745. https://doi.org/10.3390/fuels5040040

APA Style

Doghmane, B., Hadj Guenaoui, Y., Laalam, A., & Ouadi, H. (2024). A Computational Fluid Dynamics Study on the Effect of Drilling Parameters on Wellbore Cleaning in Oil Wells. Fuels, 5(4), 727-745. https://doi.org/10.3390/fuels5040040

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop