Summary The hydraulic effects on torque and drag modeling have been thoroughly studied in the past, yet their interpretation still causes a lot of misunderstandings and confusion. Historical models disregard the circulation effects and focus on the fluid mass by employing buoyancy forces based on the Archimedes principle. On the other hand, the reference model including the fluid circulation effects, introduced by R. F. Mitchell in the 1990s, consists in computing the forces due to internal and external fluids along the drillstring. The first type of model (called the Archimedes method) directly produces an effective tension, while the second one (generally called the pressure area method) produces a true tension that must be further transformed to obtain the effective tension. These different forms of tensions add even more confusion. By returning to the basic equations of the fluid effects on the drillstring, an equivalency between Archimedes and pressure area models has been found for the case with no circulation. Furthermore, with the same principle, an Archimedes-like model is deduced for the case of fluid circulation, where the effects of fluid pressures, frictions, and flows could be more easily interpreted. These two hydraulic models, after implementation in a true stiff-string 3D model, enable them to fairly compare the two approaches in terms of forces applied on the structure. The comparison of this Archimedes formulation with pressure area model gave sensibly the same results for various scenarios, proving the equivalency of the two approaches even with the case of circulating fluid. In addition to the model-to-model comparisons, torque and drag results are compared to field experiments at different depths. The flow rate was varied while reciprocating the drillstring up and down, and the hookload was recorded for each flow rate and each tripping direction. The model-to-data comparisons showed a good agreement between the theoretical results and experimental data. An advanced Archimedes method with all fluid circulation effects has been developed. By tackling the problem of circulating fluid in the drillstring using two different approaches and proving their equivalency, a better understanding of the hydraulic effects can be achieved, which in terms can help settle the possible debates and confusion that might arise by drilling engineers.

Summary 3D outside diameter (OD) and wall thickness mapping of a casing joint consists of synchronized OD laser scanning and ultrasonic testing (UT) wall thickness measurement at a resolution of every 1 in. along the length and every 1° or 2° around the circumference. This full-length mapping data can then be used to construct a 3D finite element analysis (FEA) model that captures the geometric attributes, including OD, wall thickness, OD ovality, and wall eccentricity, of a casing joint. Together with the actual nonlinear material plasticity model and the measured as-manufactured residual stress, the 3D FEA model can predict the casing collapse strength with good accuracy. Also, the Klever-Tamano ultimate limit-state (KT ULS) collapse equation per API TR 5C3 (2018) together with a moving-average (MA) scheme can calculate the joint’s collapse strength. Results predicted by 3D FEA and KT ULS collapse models are compared to the actual full-scale collapse test results. A 3D FEA model generally produces more accurate results than the KT collapse equation. In addition, both 3D FEA and KT collapse models predict a collapse pressure slightly lower than the actual collapse pressure, which is therefore on the conservative side. The prediction of casing collapse strength can be beneficial to the end user in sorting and ranking the casing joints by collapse resistance, and therefore provides valuable information that can be used in the end user’s risk assessment. Furthermore, the end user may potentially select the joints with the highest predicted collapse strength for the portion of the casing string where the highest collapse resistance is desired. In addition, the OD and wall mapping data together with the actual material tensile properties (yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and strain hardening parameters) can be used in estimating the internal yield, ductile rupture pressures, and other performance properties. This is outside the scope of this paper and can be pursued in future work. These predicted casing performance properties may then be used in sorting and ranking the joints based on a specific performance property of interest or a combination of performance properties.

Summary The drilling industry is striving to be more efficient, reducing time, costs, and emissions to provide energy solutions for a more climate-conscious world. Reducing nonproductive time (NPT) and invisible lost time (ILT) by utilizing modeling software to optimize tripping operations is one method to combat this. Additional factors such as sea heave have a significant impact on tripping operations on semisubmersible drilling vessels, which do not show a linear response to increased heave. These vessels have compensation systems, but they are often not in use or not completely accurate. Typical heave experienced in the North Sea is between 0.5 and 3-m amplitude and 10–30-second heave period. In this study, transient modeling software is used to create a digital twin of the wellbore to safely predict the tripping speed and define the effect heave has on the tripping operations, from causing additional swab and surge pressures when in or out of slips to reducing tripping speed and improving efficiency by reducing mud gelling at connections. To further understand the effect heave has on tripping operations, experimental simulations of varying heave magnitude were completed in wellbore sections of 0°, 30°, 60°, and 90° inclination. Model validation was completed before running simulations. The results indicate that in horizontal holes, low heave magnitudes result in no bit or pressure response. The same cannot be said for vertical wells, which show smooth bit movement and pressure response throughout the heave magnitude spectrum. However, in a horizontal hole when the wave height is of a larger magnitude, sufficient to break wellbore friction, bit displacement is observed to display jerky axial stick and slip movement, and resultant increased swab and surge pressures are shown even when accounting for the reduced pressure fluctuations due to string eccentricity in an inclined wellbore. It is proposed that much of the related mechanical and pressure response is due to the properties of the drilling mud, string elasticity, and the forced frequency of the waves on the natural frequency of the drilling rig and drillstring. It is clear from definitive and experimental simulations that extra care must be taken when the heave is significant to maintain wellbore stability and reduce wellbore pressure cycling.

Summary In hole enlargement while drilling (HEWD) operations, underreamers are used extensively to enlarge the pilot hole. Reamer wipeout failure can cause additional bottomhole assembly (BHA) trips, which can cost operators millions of dollars. Excessive reamer shock and vibration are leading causes of reamer wipeout; therefore, careful monitoring of reamer vibration is important in mitigating such a risk. Currently, downhole vibration sensors and drilling dynamics simulations (DDSs) are used to comprehend and reduce downhole vibration, but vibration sensors cannot be placed exactly at the reamer to monitor the vibrations in real time. DDSs are difficult to calibrate and are computationally expensive for use in real time; therefore, the real-time reamer vibration status is typically unknown during drilling operations. A process digital twin using a hybrid modeling approach is proposed and tested to address the vibration issue. Large amounts of field data are used in advanced DDSs to calibrate the HEWD runs. For each HEWD section, calibrated DDSs are performed to comprehend the downhole vibration at the reamer and downhole vibration sensors. A surrogate regression model between reamer vibration and sensor vibration is built using machine learning. This surrogate model is implemented in a drilling monitoring software platform as a process digital twin. During drilling, the surrogate model uses downhole measurement while drilling (MWD) data as inputs to predict reamer vibration. Wipeout risk levels are calculated and sent to the operators for real-time decision-making to reduce the possibility of reamer wipeout. Large volumes of reamer field data, including field recorded vibration and reamer dull conditions were used to validate the digital twin workflow. Then, the process digital twin was implemented and tested in two reamer runs in the Gulf of Mexico. A downhole high-frequency sensor was placed 8 ft above the reamer cutting structure in one field run, and the recorded sensor vibration data and corresponding reamer dull conditions showed a very good match with the real-time digital twin predictions in a low-vibration scenario. Cases in high vibration are needed to fully validate the feasibility and accuracy of the digital twin. State-of-the-art downhole sensors, DDS packages, large amounts of field data, and a hybrid approach are the solutions to building, calibrating, and field testing the reamer digital twin to ensure its effectiveness and accuracy. Such a hybrid modeling approach can not only be applied to reamers but also to other critical BHA components.

Summary Jetting of surface conductor installation has become a popular method in the offshore oil and gas industry. However, wellhead sinking, tilting, and other instability problems still exist due to the insufficient bearing capacity of the conductor, resulting in substantial economic losses. Based on the traditional installation process, a novel expandable surface conductor technology is put forward, which can effectively increase the surface area of the conductor, change the bearing capacity mechanism between the conductor and the surrounding soil, strengthen the bearing capacity of the conductor, and reduce the risk of wellhead instability, which is an economical, safe, and efficient method. First, the delayed expansion material in water was evaluated and selected, and the volume change of expansion material with time under different temperatures and pressures was measured by laboratory experiment. The calculation model has been established for the ultimate bearing capacity of the expandable surface conductor considering the volume expansion effect, and experiments of field application have also been performed in the 1500-m water depth area. The application practice shows that the theoretical predictions are consistent with the actual situation. Using the novel expandable surface conductor, the surface area of the surface conductor can be increased by more than 15% and the bearing capacity can be increased by more than 20%. The expandable surface conductor can meet the requirements of field construction, reduce the setting depth and number of surface conductors, and can significantly increase the bearing capacity of subsea wellheads, thus providing technical support for increasing the efficiency of deepwater drilling while reducing costs.

Summary Recent studies highlight the significant role of drilling fluid elasticity in particle suspension and hole cleaning during drilling operations. Traditional methods to quantify fluid elasticity require the use of advanced rheometers, which are not suitable for field applications. The main objectives of this study were to investigate the factors influencing drilling fluid viscoelasticity in the field and develop generalized models for determining the viscoelasticity of a drilling fluid using standard field testing equipment. Ninety-three fluid formulations used in this study included field samples of oil-based drilling fluids as well as laboratory samples of water-based, invert emulsion and other oil-based fluids. Basic rheological characterizations of these fluids were done by using a funnel viscometer and a rotational viscometer. Elastic properties of the drilling fluids (quantified in terms of the energy required to cause an irreversible deformation in the fluid’s structure) were obtained from oscillatory tests conducted by using a research-grade rheometer with double gap concentric cylinder geometry. Using an empirical approach, two noniterative models for quantifying drilling fluid elasticity were developed (one for unweighted and the other for weighted drilling fluids) by correlating test results from a funnel viscometer and a rotational viscometer to energy required to cause an irreversible deformation of the fluid’s elastic structure. The generalized models for the unweighted and weighted viscoelastic drilling fluids were able to predict the elasticity of drilling fluids with a mean absolute error of 4.67 and 5.28%, respectively. In addition, the models offer practical versatility by requiring only standard drilling fluid testing equipment to predict viscoelasticity. Experimental results showed that nonaqueous fluid viscoelasticity is inversely proportional to the oil-water ratio (OWR), and the presence of clay greatly debilitates the elasticity of the drilling fluids while enhancing their viscosity. In this paper, we present models for estimating unweighted and weighted drilling fluid elasticity using standard drilling fluid field testing equipment. Furthermore, we proposed a prudent approach for quantifying the viscoelastic property of a drilling fluid by measuring the amount of energy required to irreversibly deform a unit volume of viscoelastic fluid. The new models, combined with the recommended use of the energy dissipation (ED) concept, provide practical tools that can be used for developing optimum drilling fluid formulations and hydraulic programs for effective hole cleaning operations, improved equivalent circulating density (ECD) management, and mitigating barite sag problems.

SummaryWith the deepening of exploration and development of oil and gas resources, more complex oil and gas reservoirs have been found, and oil and gas well drilling has gradually developed to ultradeep (>8000 m). In the oil and gas exploration and development of deep and ultradeep wells, a small-size borehole is usually used to uncover the target layer. In the drilling stage, the annular space gap of slimhole construction is small, the pressure difference is large, and the tripping fluctuation pressure is large; therefore, overflow is easy to occur. Because the upward channeling speed after overflow is fast, the pressure fluctuation caused by shut-in is large, and the requirements for well control are high, making it very important to study the shut-in mode after drilling overflow and the fluctuation of annulus pressure to ensure the safety of ultradeep well drilling. However, the current research on shut-in mode only focuses on changing the length of shut-in time and does not consider the operation steps of closing different components. It is obviously not rigorous to simplify semisoft shut-in and soft shut-in into a hard shut-in process with a long time. In this paper, the pressure wave velocity model and transient flow model of multiphase flow in the annulus are established. The shut-in process of different wellhead components is considered for the first time, the corresponding wellhead opening function is constructed, and the effects of different well shut-in methods on annulus pressure distribution and water hammer effect are studied. Some conclusions can be drawn:The annulus pressure wave velocity aam decreases rapidly with the increase of void fraction and decreases gradually with the increase of solid particle concentration. After hard shut-in, the wellhead pressure increases rapidly and fluctuates periodically. The shorter the shut-in time, the greater is the wellhead pressure. The displacement of drilling fluid has little influence on the pressure peak but has a great influence on the amplitude of pressure fluctuation. When the annulus pressure rises, the casing bulges outward to produce additional tension, while the drillpipe shrinks inward to produce additional pressure. When the annulus pressure drops, the casing shrinks inward to produce additional pressure, while the drillpipe bulges outward to produce additional tension. During soft shut-in, the closing time of the blowout preventer (BOP) has a great impact on the annulus pressure of the wellhead. When the shut-in time is short, the pressure rises instantaneously and fluctuates violently and the cycle is short; during semisoft shut-in, the larger the opening of the throttle valve, the smaller is the fluctuating pressure of the wellhead when the BOP is closed. When the throttle valve is closed after the BOP is closed, then the larger the opening of the throttle valve, the greater will be the fluctuating pressure.With the calculation and discussion of wellbore stress distribution during shut-in of an overflow well in this paper, we hope to provide reference for two groups of people mainly. For one thing, it can offer a new idea, calculation method, and meaningful conclusion to other researchers who are studying in this area. For another, it will help engineers making decisions when overflow occurs.

Summary The nonlinear contact between the bottomhole assembly (BHA) and the borehole can cause backward whirl. During an actual drilling process, the backward whirl will increase wear of the downhole drilling tool and lead to bending or even bulking failure. Therefore, analyzing the drillstring whirl characteristics considering multidirectional coupling effects, combined with field conditions, is a key issue and research hotspot. In this paper, considering the relationships between axial, torsional, and lateral vibrations of the drillstring system, the whirl model is established with finite element method. Research results indicate that with higher driving speed and larger friction coefficient between drillstring and borehole wall, the drillstring lateral vibration changes from forward to backward whirl. On the contrary, the increasing of drilling fluid density can effectively suppress the occurrence of backward whirl. As drilling fluid density increases, forward and backward whirl coexist, and only the forward whirl occurs at last. The research results can provide a basis for formulating whirl control strategy, and promoting the efficient and safe operations of drilling engineering.

Summary China has rich geothermal hot dry rock (HDR) resources, but the development and usage of its thermal energy are still at an early stage. At present, few studies have investigated the variation law for fracturing pressure on the borehole wall and fracture wall under the influence of thermal stress. This study investigates the fracturing pressure around the borehole wall based on rock mechanics and thermal stress analysis. Two models were developed: one for borehole wall fracturing pressure with consideration for thermal stress and the other for temperature difference conditions related to the automatic opening of fractures. By analyzing the temperature variation in the fracture wall, the mechanism for the opening of branch fractures at the fracture wall was investigated based on rock mechanics, the theory of fracture extension in hydraulic fracturing, and the theory of thermal stresses. We developed a computational model for tensile or shear damage related to branch fractures in the fracture wall with consideration for thermal stress, as well as a model for temperature difference conditions for the automatic opening of branch fractures. The simulation results show that the fracturing pressure decreased significantly when thermal stress was considered. Under normal geostress and temperature conditions, large temperature difference conditions are needed for the HDR borehole wall to break naturally because of thermal stress alone. During fracture extension, branch fractures on the fracture wall are more likely to form because of thermal stress. Irrespective of the type of damage (tensile or shear), branch fractures on the fracture wall closer to the borehole required lower net fracturing pressure. The decline in the net fracturing pressure was greater in response to shear damage than to tensile damage. In a high-temperature thermal reservoir, when branch fractures in the fracture wall were subjected to the temperature difference conditions for automatic opening, shear damage was more likely to occur than tensile damage. From the results, the following conclusions were obtained: The developed mechanical model of fracture opening reflects the mechanism of fracturing at the borehole wall and the fracture wall during HDR fracturing, thereby revealing the mechanism of the formation of fracture networks under thermal stress. For HDR fracturing, thermal stress promotes the formation of branch fractures in the fracture wall and increases the occurrence of complex fractures in the near-well region. Under thermal stress, the main fractures are less likely to extend in the optimal direction but instead tend to develop into complex fractures, which is not conducive to fracture connectivity between wells.

Summary Low recovery, 2 to 15%, in unconventional plays (including tight reservoirs and source rocks) has long been recognized as a business deterrent. The industry applies enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques, along with hydraulic fractures in tight/unconventional plays, to improve the recovery. To maximize matrix sweep, the fractures are aligned in a face-to-face assembly. Such an arrangement can be achieved using a vertical or longitudinal hydraulic fracture on horizontal wells, but these, generally, do not provide as effective reservoir contact (hydraulic fracture surface area) as horizontal wells with multistage transverse hydraulic fractures. The multistage transverse hydraulic fracture, however, comes at the costs of conformance issues with early water breakthrough from short-circuiting and inability to achieve fracture face-to-fracture face alignment of the injection and production fractures. The vast majority of wells drilled in unconventional plays are in the transverse configuration; hence, there is a need for an optimal solution for transverse fractures combined with improved oil recovery (IOR)/EOR approaches. In this work, we introduce the multistage enhanced recovery (MS-ER) techniques that enable face-to-face alignment for optimal enhanced hydrocarbon recovery (EHR)/IOR/EOR in horizontal wells with multistage transverse fractures, thereby enabling optimal recovery and mitigating the key risk of fracture short-circuiting.