Investigation of the Effects of Drilling Parameters on Minimum Required Fluid Flow Rate for Cuttings Transport and Hole Cleaning

Investigation of the Effects of Drilling Parameters on Minimum Required Fluid Flow Rate for Cuttings Transport and Hole Cleaning

Field experiences show that the accumulation of cuttings in a wellbore causes several drilling problems. These include an increase in torque and drag, which may limit drilling from reaching to a desired target formation. In addition, it may cause drill string sticking and poor hydraulics as well. Therefore, an efficient hole cleaning is the most important aspect of drilling operation. The critical mud flow rate for cleaning the well while drilling can be defined as the minimum annular fluid velocity, required to maintain a continuous upward movement of the cuttings, and no bed forming on the lower side of the wellbore. This paper employs a new integrated model for sensitivity analysis of various drilling parameters, such as: ROP (rate of penetration), RPM (round per minute), well inclination, hole/bite size, mud density and rheological properties of mud, on minimum required flow rate for cuttings transport and hole cleaning