Abstract
Natural gas hydrate reservoirs have low permeability and uneven distribution, necessitating multiple branches for effective commercial development. Due to cost and technical constraints, multi-branch horizontal wells typically forgo packers in previously drilled sections, relying instead on intelligent completion technologies and flow control devices. This paper investigates the complex multiphase flow of drilling fluid and rock cuttings in horizontal annular spaces during the drilling of multi-branch wells. A simplified model and the Euler model are used to analyze how different drilling fluid flow rates and rheological properties affect rock cutting transport. Results show that while increasing flow rates reduces the volume fraction of rock cuttings and enhances fluid return speed, the increase in apparent viscosity diminishes. Therefore, excessively high flow rates are not economically beneficial. In multi-branch drilling, higher flow rates are necessary to minimize rock cutting invasion from active to previously drilled sections, primarily influenced by yield stress and consistency coefficient. The study concludes that while ensuring dynamic shear forces, efforts should focus on increasing yield stress and consistency coefficient to manage rock cutting invasion effectively.
Published Version
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