A New MTV Computer Package for Hole-Cleaning Design and Analysis

Abstract

Summary This paper describes a computer package that can be used to calculate the minimum transport velocity (MTV) required to ensure efficient hole cleaning during deviated drilling operations. The package was developed in the Dept. of Petroleum Engineering at Heriot-Watt U. It operates in a Windows environment and allows the user to do the following: Define, from viscometer data, the rheological model (PowerLaw, Bingham Plastic, or Herschel-Bulkley) that best describes a particular drilling fluid. Model the drilling fluid velocity profile in a defined annular geometry. Predict the minimum circulation rate required to ensure efficient cuttings transport for a wide range of operational conditions. The paper describes how the lift and drag forces on the cuttings have been determined and used in the development of the package. Case studies that demonstrate the functionality of the package are also presented.