Experimental investigation of volume fraction in an annulus using electrical resistance tomography

Abstract

Horizontal drilling technology has shown to improve the production and cost-effectiveness of the well by generating multiple extraction points from a single vertical well. The efficiency of hole cleaning is reduced because of the solid-cuttings accumulation in the annulus in cases of extended-reach drilling. It is difficult to study the complex flow behavior in a drilling annulus using the existing visualization techniques. In this study, experiments were carried out in the multiphase flow-loop system consisting of a simulated drilling annulus using electrical resistance tomography (ERT) and a high-speed camera. Real-time tomographic images (quantitative visualization) of multiphase flow from ERT were compared to the actual photographs of the flow conditions in a drilling annulus. The quantitative analy- sis demonstrates that ERT has a wide potential application in studying the hole-cleaning issues in the drilling industry. - 2019 Society of Petroleum Engineers.