Numerical Solution for Cuttings' Transport in Inclined and Highly Inclined Drilling Annuli
AbstractIn deviated wellbores, drilled cuttings accumulate under the pipe in the narrow gap of the eccentric annulus; if these cuttings are not removed the drill string will become stuck. Researchers have investigated the effect of eccentricity on an annular velocity profile and have shown it to have a major impact. This phenomenon has led to hypothesize that the annular flow behavior, and in turn the drilled cuttings' flow behavior, could change markedly with such a variation in annular geometry. This paper presents a numerical solution of the drilled cuttings' transport mechanism during inclined transport. Drilling fluid rheology is modeled as Newtonian and power law non Newtonian fluids. The drilled cuttings are introduced into the drilling fluid flow. The mixture is treated as a single phase. The minimum fluid velocity required to lift or roll cutting particles from the narrow gap of the annulus are computed. Model predictions are in a good agreement with the published experimental data. The hole angl.