High Angle Hole Cleaning

What Affects High Angle Hole Cleaning?

Formation
Mud Weight RHEOLOGY

Cuttings
ROTATION
Geometry

Velocity Profile Hole Cleaning Hole Angle

Eccentricity Inclined Length

ROP Flow Regime

FLOW RATE

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Planning, the Key to Hole Cleaning

 High Annular Velocities

– Adequate rig pumps
– Mud rheology to minimize pressure losses in drill pipe
 Optimize solids control equipment to minimize plastic viscosity which raises
pressure losses
 High Yield Points and low “n” values reduce system pressure losses
– Maximize drill pipe OD
 Decreases drill string pressure losses and maximizes flow rates
 Reduced annular space increases velocity
– Use inhibitive muds to maintain gauge hole

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Planning, the Key to Hole Cleaning

 Rotate the drill string – no slide drilling

– Steerable rotating heads
– Titanium drill pipe through short radius sections
 Rotate and circulate hole clean before tripping
– Two to four times “Bottoms Up Time”
 No Back Reaming
– Under cuts build sections
– Builds cuttings bed dunes
 Compare hydraulics “What should be” with PWD “What is”
for difference indicating bed buildup

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 Optimum
hole-cleaning
1
conditions for
one interval may
2
be inadequate
in another 3 4

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 “Boycott” settling accelerates bed
formation, especially in the build section

Clarified Fluid
Suspension Zone

Sag (Sediment) Bed

Slump

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Viscosity from VG Rdgs

 Rdg600 = 50
– Viscosity = 300(50/600) = 25 cp

 Rdg300 = 30
– Viscosity = 300(30/300) = 30 cp

 Rdg100 = 13
– Viscosity = 300(13/100) = 39 cp

 Rdg3 = 5
– Viscosity = 300(5/3) = 500 cp
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 Skewed velocity
profiles are not
conducive to
cuttings transport

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 THE RULES

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 Inclination

 RT 1- Of the four hole-cleaning ranges, the

intermediate (30 ° to 60 °) typically is the most
troublesome.

 RT 2- The upper and lower limits of each hole-

cleaning range should be considered only as
guidelines, since all are affected by factors which
influence bed stability, including cuttings
characteristics, drilling fluid properties, and
borehole roughness.

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 Well Bore Geometry
 RT 3- Boycott settling can accelerate bed
formation, particularly in 40 ° - 50 ° intervals.

 RT 4- Hole-Cleaning parameters considered

optimum for one interval may be inadequate in
another interval in the same well.

 RT 5- Cuttings accumulate in intervals of

decreased annular velocity and can “avalanche”
when circulation stops if the inclination is less
than about 50 to 60°.

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 Mud Type

• RT 6- The mud systems considered for highly

deviated wells should be modified versions of
those proven effective in vertical and near-
vertical offsets in the area.

• RT 7- Drilling fluids with similar rheological

properties will provide comparable hole-cleaning,
provided cuttings characteristics remain
constant.

• RT 8- An inhibitive mud helps hole-cleaning in

reactive formations.
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 Cuttings Beds

 RT 9- Cuttings beds are easy to deposit, difficult

to remove.

 RT 10- “Enhanced “ suspensions minimize the

formation of cuttings beds.

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 Velocity Profile

 RT 11- The skewed, laminar-flow velocity

distribution, caused by pipe eccentricity and
highly non-Newtonian fluids, is not conducive to
cuttings transport.

 RT 12- A highly skewed velocity profile makes it

essential to minimize formation of a cuttings bed
on the low side of the hole.

 RT 13- Density stratification in weighted muds

aggravates the skewing of the velocity profile.

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 Velocity
 RT 14- An increase in annular velocity improves hole
cleaning, regardless of the flow regime.

 RT 15- At high angles, bed height is inversely

proportional to annular velocity.

 RT 16- The cuttings transport mechanism is largely a

function of annular velocity.

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 Flow Regime

• RT 17- Laminar flow is preferred if formations are

sensitive to erosion.

• RT 18- Turbulent flow is effective in high-angle, small-

diameter intervals in competent formations.

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 Rheology

 RT 19- Hole-cleaning capacity in laminar flow is

improved by elevated low shear-rate viscosity and
gel strengths.

 RT 20- It is easier to achieve desired rheological

properties in certain mud systems.

 RT 21- It is easier to maintain proper rheological

properties in a “clean” mud system.

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 Sweeps

 RT 22- Usually, low-velocity, viscous sweeps are

ineffective in high-angle intervals if the pipe is not
rotated or reciprocated.

 RT 23- Turbulent sweeps can help hole cleaning if the

flow rate is high and the volume of the sweep is
adequate.

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 Pipe Rotation

 RT 24- Pipe rotation is more effective in viscous muds.

 RT 25- Pipe rotation (and reciprocation) can improve

hole cleaning.

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 Mud Weight

 RT 26- Mud weight increases the buoyant force on

the cuttings and helps hole cleaning.

 RT 27- Weight material can “sag” out of a mud

and combine with the cuttings bed in high-angle
intervals.

 RT 28- Hole-cleaning and well bore instability are

best corrected by changing the mud weight.

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 Hole Cleaning
Summary

 High-to-Intermediate Angles the worst (30°-60° most difficult)

 Increased annular velocity improves hole cleaning, regardless of

flow regime

 Elevated low-shear-rate viscosities and gel strengths improve

cleaning

 Drill pipe rotation is key to controlling cuttings beds

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