SPE Drilling & Completion
Volume 27,
Number 4,
December 2012,
pp. 596-603
Summary
Displacing fluids in downhole conditions and for long distances is a complex
task, affecting several steps of well construction. Cementing gains relevance
the moment that fluid contamination compromises cement-sheath integrity and
consequently zonal isolation. Density and rheology design for all the fluids
involved is essential to achieve operational success. Properties hierarchy and
preferred flow regimes have been empirically defined and tend to provide
reasonable generic results. Challenging operations, including ultradeep waters
and their narrow operational-window scenario, require further knowledge of the
physics involved to prevent undesirable events. This paper presents the
in-house development of software for annular miscible fluid displacement that
analyzes fluid displacement in typical vertical and directional offshore wells,
for Newtonian and non-Newtonian liquids and laminar- and turbulent-flow
regimes. The formulation proposed provides accurate results for a wide range of
input parameters, including the cases in which the ratio of the inner radious
to the outer radius of the annulus is small. The computational work is
validated by unique results obtained from an experimental test rig where
detailed displacement tests were conducted. Contamination degrees were measured
after the displacement of a sequence of fluids through 1192 m of vertical well.
Effect of fluid-density and rheology hierarchy, flow regimes, and displacement
concepts was investigated. The results provide relevant information for the
industry and fundamental understanding on displacement of Newtonian and
non-Newtonian liquids through annular sections.
© 2012. Society of Petroleum Engineers
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History
- Original manuscript received:
28 March 2012
- Meeting paper published:
20 June 2012
- Revised manuscript received:
20 July 2012
- Manuscript approved:
14 August 2012
- Published online:
16 November 2012
- Version of record:
11 December 2012
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