Research on Cuttings Carrying Principle of New Aluminum Alloy Drill Pipe and Numerical Simulation Analysis

Abstract

In order to improve the cuttings transport ability and well hole purification effect of horizontal shale gas wells in the Sichuan and Chongqing area, a new type of aluminum alloy drill pipe is put forward, and the floatability is validated by theoretical analysis and actual parameter calculation. According to the cuttings migration mechanism, the cuttings cleaning simulation model of the new aluminum alloy drill pipe and the traditional steel drill pipe was established by Fluent, and the hexahedral mesh is used to divide the model. Thus, the mesh independence and convergence of the two models are verified. Then, the simulation model is verified by comparing the calculation results of the two simulation models with the experimental data of the indoor cuttings migration device. Finally, the rock-cleaning ability of the two drill pipes is analyzed under the conditions of changing the cuttings particle size, well inclination angle, displacement, and mechanical speed. Compared with the traditional steel drill pipe, the new aluminum alloy drill pipe can improve the borehole purification capacity by 13% on average. This research result is of great significance in reducing the quality of cuttings in the annulus and improving the borehole purification effect.