Automated Evaluation of Hole Cleaning Efficiency While Drilling Improves Rate of Penetration

Abstract

Hole cleaning of drilled hole section of planned oil or gas well is considered as a major part of optimization of rate of penetration (ROP). ROP significantly depends on hole cleaning of drilled hole section. Hole cleaning can minimize hole problems such as stuck pipe incidents, drilling cuttings accumulation, torque and drag, erratic equivalent circulating density (ECD) in annulus, wellbore instability, tight spot and hole conditions and improves well drilling performance to maximum limit of rate of penetration which depends on rig equipment as well, however, hole cleaning will help to utilize maximum output of those equipment to achieve satisfactory performance. In addition, hole cleaning contributes effectively to optimize rig performance as well. It can optimize running time of casings, cementing and well displacement. Hole cleaning is practical more than theoretical and it requires immediate intervention for ensuring efficient hole cleaning to have optimized performance of rate of penetration. In order to achieve proper hole cleaning efficiency, it must be planned and engineered in well design. A new hole cleaning automated models or indexes were developed to monitor, optimize and alert drilling team to realize and recognize and perform an immediate intervention to optimize or control well drilling and operations performance. Drilling parameters and fluid rheology were collected and studied to come up with efficient hole cleaning models. Collected parameters were compared with other hole cleaning models parameters and rate of penetration to assign strong, qualitative and quantitative relationships that support developed models. The hole cleaning model (or hole cleaning efficiency index) can be automated and provide general idea about hole cleaning efficiency applied in drilled hole section and optimized drilling rate. The developed models were applied in challenging hole sections and showed improvement in well drilling and operations performance. Similarly, it has shown improvement of drilling rate more than 50%.