The Open Petroleum Engineering Journal

2017, 10 : 251-262
Published online 2017 November 30. DOI: 10.2174/1874834101710010251
Publisher ID: TOPEJ-10-251

LETTER
RDR Application: An Accurate HTHP Rheological Modeling for The Sulphonated Water-Based Drilling Fluid

Lin Xu1,3, * , Han Gao2 , Ming-biao Xu3 , Fu-chang You4 and Xiao-liang Wang4

* Address correspondence to this author at the College of Petrochemical and Energetic Engineering, Zhejiang Ocean University, No. 1, South Haida Road, Zhoushan, 316022, P.R. China; Tel: +8613567661648; Fax: +86 716 8060863, E-mail: xuhu_11@yeah.net

ABSTRACT

Introduction:

An accurate HTHP rheological model of drilling fluids is critical for the safe and economic drilling operation. However, general HTHP rheological modeling methods appear to be very limited in the predictive accuracy.

Materials and Method:

In this work, a particular relative dial readings(RDR) modeling experiment was conducted on a weighted sulphonated water-based drilling fluid within a certain temperature and pressure range(30-150°C, 0.1-100MPa), in combination to dial reading data of six specific shear rates 3, 6, 100, 200, 300, and 600rpm, to develop a highly accurate HTHP rheological model. The RDR modeling procedure was investigated in details, including relative dial reading, Arrhenius relation, polynomial of pressure coefficients, and polynomial of shear rate coefficients. An equation relating RDR to temperature, pressure, and shear rate was determined.

Results:

The predictive deviation was calculated to be lower than 11.7%, and large errors occurred under the conditions of high pressure and low shear rates; all of which meet the requirement of in-field predictive accuracy. These results not only provide an accurate HTHP rheological equation for the weighted sulphonated water-based drilling fluid, but also propose an effective HTHP rheological modeling strategy for drilling fluids.

Keywords:

RDR, HTHP, Rheological model, The sulphonated water-based drilling fluids, Predictive deviation.