Numerical modeling of tool-joint effect on non-Newtonian drilling fluids following the Herschel–Bulkley model flow behavior in oil well drilling

Subject Areas : Fluid Mechanic

Mohamad  Moradmand Ziabari ¹ (M.S Mechanical Engineering,Department of Mechanical Engineering,,SRBIAU,Tehran,Iran)

Received: 2021-01-01 Accepted : 2021-06-18 Published : 2021-08-05

Keywords: Drilling fluid, Non-Newtonian fluids, oil-well drilling, tool-joint effect, Herschel-Bulkley,

Abstract :

In this paper, the behavior of fluid flows and frictional pressure losses in weld-on tool-joints of different grades according to the IADC standard manual was studied using CFD simulations. The simulations were conducted using six drilling fluids with different viscoplastic properties, following the Herschel–Bulkley model of Non-Newtonian fluids.( these six fluids used in oil fields in the south of the country). Also Power-Law and Newtonian models are used for validation. Then the effect of geometric variables like diameter ratio and eccentricity of the circular space in this particular geometry is investigated. The results show that tool-joints significantly affect the frictional pressure loss in the annulus.The frictional pressure loss increased up to 18% for Newtonian model and up to 7% and 3% for Power-Law and Herschel-Bulkley‌ models respectively.