Friction Pressures of Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Fluids in Straight and Reeled Coiled Tubing

Abstract

Friction Pressures of Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Fluids in Straight and Reeled Coiled Tubing Joe Don Willingham; Joe Don Willingham University of Oklahoma Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Subhash N. Shah Subhash N. Shah University of Oklahoma Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Paper presented at the SPE/ICoTA Coiled Tubing Roundtable, Houston, Texas, April 2000. Paper Number: SPE-60719-MS https://doi.org/10.2118/60719-MS Published: April 05 2000 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Get Permissions Search Site Citation Willingham, Joe Don, and Subhash N. Shah. "Friction Pressures of Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Fluids in Straight and Reeled Coiled Tubing." Paper presented at the SPE/ICoTA Coiled Tubing Roundtable, Houston, Texas, April 2000. doi: https://doi.org/10.2118/60719-MS Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll ProceedingsSociety of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)SPE/ICoTA Well Intervention Conference and Exhibition Search Advanced Search AbstractAs coiled tubing is presently utilized for a multitude of projects in the field, the necessity of estimating the friction pressure of the working fluids in the reeled portion of the coiled tubing string becomes extremely important. Past authors have shown the significant difference in friction pressure between straightened and reeled coiled tubing.This work discusses the experimental investigation of five different polymeric solutions and one drilling mud in three different coiled tubing sizes. The analysis of the frictional pressure loss data includes the effect of fluid rheology, coiled tubing curvature, and tubing diameter.The intent of the analysis is to arrive at a correlation describing frictional pressure loss behavior of polymer solutions and drilling muds in reeled as well as straightened tubing.The experimental setup includes 3000 ft of 2 3/8 in. reeled tubing, 5000 ft of 1 1/2 in. reeled tubing, and 1500 ft of 1 in. reeled tubing. Straightened sections of tubing are also utilized in the setup for comparison and modelling of data.The experimental results are compared with correlations developed by earlier investigators including Mashelkar, McCann, Ito, and Shah. The analysis of the data led to the development of a new model for polymer solutions and a model for drilling muds. The model for polymer solutions is recommended for power law type, pseudoplastic fluids with a power law index less than one, while the model developed for drilling mud was developed for only one concentration of mud. However, the drilling mud correlation suggests the form that other concentrations of drilling mud may follow.IntroductionThe problem of fluid flow in curved pipes has been studied to a certain extent in the past by various researchers. Their findings and conclusions offered a variety of solutions to the problem of calculating the frictional pressure loss of fluids flowing through curved pipes. However, the most studied fluids were Newtonian and the correlations utilized in calculating their frictional pressure loss left much to be desired when calculating the frictional pressure drop of Non-Newtonian fluids. Some theoretical work has been done on the flow of Non-Newtonian fluids in curved tubes, but very little data are available for comparison.The oil and gas industry has been utilizing coiled tubing for some time now and there has been interest expressed in the characterization of fluids in reeled tubing. When a well is being drilled, completed, fractured or cleaned, there can be a significant amount of tubing left on the reel. The working fluid is not only pumped through the straightened segment of the reeled tubing as it flows down the well, but it is introduced there by the entire length of tubing left on the reel. The frictional pressure loss in this reeled tubing can have a major impact on the success of the job if it has not been taken into account. Friction in reeled tubing has been shown by other researchers to be up to 200 % higher than for the same fluid in straight tubing.1 This research and correlation development was performed to address the need for a new correlation to predict frictional pressure loss of non-Newtonian fluids in reeled tubing. Keywords: concentration, non-newtonian fluid, oklahoma, coiled tubing operations, drilling fluid chemistry, correlation, reel, drilling fluid formulation, polymer solution, friction pressure Subjects: Drilling Fluids and Materials, Drilling fluid selection and formulation (chemistry, properties), Completion Installation and Operations, Coiled tubing operations This content is only available via PDF. 2000. Society of Petroleum Engineers You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.