Research on optimizing the drilling rate for through-tubing drilling and sand pumping tools

Abstract

The efficient, cost-effective removal of sand in low-pressure and prone-to-leakage oil and gas wells poses a significant challenge that is currently being researched. The limited size of the newly developed through-tubing drilling and sand pumping tool leads to sand plugging when the drilling rate is too fast and low sand cleaning efficiency when the drilling rate is too slow. To address this issue, this paper utilizes FLUENT to simulate the migration behavior of sand-laden fluid within the drilling and sand extraction tool. The DDPM discrete phase model is employed to examine the trajectory and motion of sand particles within the fluid. Through theoretical calculations, it is determined that when the average particle size of the sand solution is 0.05 mm and the inner diameter of the tubing is 50.3 mm, the drilling rate should be kept below 687 mm/min to prevent sand plugging. The validity of the theoretical analysis is confirmed through the construction of a testing platform. This study offers practical guidance for the implementation of the new through-tubing drilling and sand pumping tool in engineering applications. To provide a new solution for addressing the problem of low pressure and easily leaking oil and gas wells.