Simulation study on cuttings transport of the wavy wellbore trajectory in the long horizontal wellbore

Chen, Yufei; Zhang, Hui; Li, Jun; Zhou, Yingcao; Lu, Zongyu; Ouyang, Yu; Tan, Tianyi; Liu, Kerou; Wang, Xinrui; Zhang, Geng

doi:10.1016/j.petrol.2022.110584

Cited by 10 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The wavy wellbore can be summarized as a special type of "horizontal wellbore" with the wellbore tortuosity changed periodically. 4 The wellbore tortuosity can be quantitatively defined by inclination angle changes, azimuth changes, or overall angle change rate. 5 For two-dimensional wellbore trajectory, the wellbore tortuosity can be described by the inclination angle appropriately.…”

Section: Wavy Wellbore Trajectorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When the inclination angle is less than 90°, the pressure gradient can be expressed as Equation (4).…”

Section: Section With Cuttings Bedmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, achieving three‐dimensional wavy wellbore trajectories remains challenging in current engineering practices. Therefore, in this paper, we adopt a quantified definition for wavy wellbores, wherein the wellbore tortuosity undergoes periodic variations along the trajectory, 4 as shown in Figure 1. The wellbore tortuosity references to the summation of the total curvature of the wellbore, which can be defined by inclination angle changes, azimuth angle changes, or overall angle change rate 5 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5 The wavy wellbore trajectory consists of three types: the up-dip wellbore trajectory, the down-dip wellbore trajectory, and the complex wellbore trajectory. 4 This classification standard is adopted in this paper.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Guided by geological directional tools, some wells in China's Sichuan and Xinjiang regions have adopted twodimensional wavy wellbore trajectories. 4 However, in drilling or completion designs, there is often a tendency toward conservatism, including the use of additional casing layers and conservative drilling parameters to avoid complications in downhole conditions. The reason behind this lies in the lack of comprehensive research on the extened-reach limits of wavy wellbore trajectories.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Study on open‐hole extended‐reach limit in horizontal drilling with wavy wellbore trajectory

Zhang,

Chen,

et al. 2024

Energy Science & Engineering

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Drilling a series of sinuous wellbore trajectories has emerged as a promising operation, offering significant advantages in enhancing reservoir contact. Based on various development cases (Zili and colleagues), it has been observed that horizontal wells with wavy wellbore trajectories tend to exhibit higher production rates. However, extending the length of these wavy trajectories requires careful consideration in terms of safe drilling practices, as the pressure management associated with these intricate trajectories has been seldom explored. In this study, we establish a modified model for annular pressure to predict and assess the open‐hole extend‐reach limit of horizontal wells with wavy wellbore trajectories. The introduced model incorporates dry friction force and annular geometry influenced by cuttings bed, making it more accurate than traditional models based on experimental observations. The wavy wellbore trajectory comprises three types: the up‐dip wellbore, the down‐dip wellbore, and the complex wellbore. Overall, the horizontal interval limits for the down‐dip wellbore and up‐dip wellbore are smaller than those of the corresponding smooth wellbores under varying factors. Notably, the complex wellbore trajectory offers advantages in navigating formations with narrow pressure windows compared to conventionally horizontal wellbores (smooth wellbores), thanks to its longer extended‐reach limit.

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Section: Wavy Wellbore Trajectorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When the inclination angle is less than 90°, the pressure gradient can be expressed as Equation (4).…”

Section: Section With Cuttings Bedmentioning

confidence: 99%