Title: Cuttings migration law in the CBM horizontal well

Authors: Xiaohua Zhu; Yu Mao; Keyu Shen; Jing Yi; Biao Liu

Addresses: School of Mechatronic Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610500, China ' School of Mechatronic Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610500, China ' School of Mechatronic Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610500, China ' School of Mechatronic Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610500, China ' School of Mechatronic Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610500, China

Abstract: In this study, to explore the CBM cuttings migration law and influence of cuttings parameters and mechanical parameters on it, a CBM drilling horizontal wells visualisation test bench is built using field data. Through the device, cuttings bed transportation test, changing cuttings parameters test and variable mechanical parameters test were carried out. The content was expanded through CFD simulation analysis. The results showed that the cuttings sank to the bottom and formed into a cuttings bed at the connector, and there was a backflow phenomenon. With cuttings diameter and mass increase, the cuttings cleanup became more difficult. Under the best condition of equipment capacity, cuttings, which diameter is less than 5 mm or volume fraction is less than 5%, could be cleaned up. Improving pump delivery can improve transport efficiency, and increasing drilling pipe rotation can improve the cuttings grinding and cuttings migration. [Received: November 18, 2014; Accepted 23 November 2015]

Keywords: coalbed methane; CBM horizontal wells; visualisation; simulation; cuttings migration law; CFD; computational fluid dynamics; backflow; pump delivery; transport efficiency; drilling pipe rotation; cuttings grinding; China; coalbed reservoirs.

DOI: 10.1504/IJOGCT.2017.083064

International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology, 2017 Vol.14 No.4, pp.380 - 397

Received: 30 Nov 2014
Accepted: 23 Nov 2015
Published online: 20 Mar 2017 *

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