Abstract
In deep-water drilling processes, the flow rate of drilling mud inside an annular pipe is significant judgment data for early kick detection. On the basis of the continuous-wave Doppler ultrasound, this paper proposes a new detection method of nonoriented continuous-wave Doppler ultrasound. The method solves the problem of the ultrasound having great attenuation in mud and not receiving effective signals by using a continuous ultrasound. Moreover, this method analyzes the nonoriented characteristics of ultrasound reflection on principle and proposes the detection of ultrasound Doppler frequency shift by detecting Lamb wave, which releases the detection of oil-based mud flow rate in a nonintrusive annular pipe. The feasibility of the method is verified through theoretical analysis and numerous experiments on a gas kick simulation platform. The measurement result has reached a flow accuracy approximating to the intrusive flow meter.
Highlights
Numerous studies and applications of mud flow detection exist regarding early kick detection [1]
Steine et al [5] adopted the Coriolis flow meter in measuring mud flow and proposed the use of an electromagnetic flow meter to measure water-based drilling muds. These methods have been used to measure mud flow at the well head. They have great advantages in terms of accuracy and measurement, a large amount of rising gas will be relatively close to the well head when a large change of mud flow rate occurs at the well head and the time left for dealing with the accident is limited
This paper proposes the nonintrusive flow rate measurement targeting for drilling mud in a deep-water drilling annular pipe
Summary
Kick detection is an important method in preventing blowout accidents and plays a significant role in deepwater drilling processes. Knowing how to realize the detection of mud flow rate inside the annular pipe near the seabed and identifying the occurrence of the gas kick accident as early as possible are of great importance. The measurement of the nonintrusive flow is difficult, because the flow mode of the annular pipe mud is complicated and the pressure at the seabed is remarkably high. On this basis, this study analyzes the nonoriented reflection of the continuous ultrasound in the drilling mud and establishes models. This work obtains the principle that part of the reflected ultrasonic waves transfer into Lamb waves when the reflection signal enters into a pipe wall from drilling muds. The related flow rate detection algorithm solves the problem of the difficulty of applying ultrasound in deepdrilling flow detection
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