Ballasting pipeline moving in horizontal well as method of control sticking phenomenon

Abstract

Abstract. The mechanism of the phenomenon of sticking a pipeline moving in a well while pulled by the facility horizontal directional drilling is investigated. A quantitative evaluation of the force arising from sticking is given. At the same time, the working hypothesis takes a view of the combined effect of adhesion and friction interactions as the reasons that cause this phenomenon. As a measure to control the occurrence of sticking and to reduce the resistance force to movement of the pipeline in the well, several methods of ballasting the working pipeline are proposed, depending on the profile of the well and the ratio of the length of the curved sections of the inlet and outlet and the straight horizontal sections of the profile. It is shown that for crossings, which profile contains an extended horizontal section, it is possible to partially fill the pipeline with water to achieve zero buoyancy, and for crossings with curvature along the entire profile, the ballasting efficiency will be minimal.