Experiments and Simulations for Horizontal Pneumatic Transport of Dry Drill Cuttings

Abstract

AbstractInvestigation of the possibility of using a pneumatic conveying technique for the transportation of dry drill cuttings is the main objective of this study. Both pilot‐scale experimental and simulation approaches were carried out for sand, which was used as a model material that mimics the properties of dry drill cuttings. Simulations based on the multiphase particle‐in‐cell method, which is a Eulerian‐Lagrangian model, were used to predict the pressure drop, and the predictions are in good agreement with the experimental results. Both approaches supported the possibility of using a pneumatic conveying technique for the transportation of dry drill cuttings under the tested conditions. The study provides the foundation for further analysis of the pneumatic conveyance of wet drill cuttings.